Reviewers

Book Review: A Chip and a Chair by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: A Chip and a Chair
Author: Cordelia Kingsbridge
Series: Seven of Spades #5
Heroes: Levi Abrams/Dominic Russo
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 328 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 11, 2019
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo are reunited and more committed to each other than ever, but they can’t truly move forward with their lives until the serial killer who’s been tormenting them is behind bars. When a secret burial site is discovered in the desert with the remains of the Seven of Spades’s earliest victims, that goal finally seems within reach.

But just as the net is tightening, the Neo-Nazi militia Utopia launches their master plan with a devastating act of terror that changes the landscape of Las Vegas forever. As Levi and Dominic scramble to prevent the city’s destruction, they’re opposed by treacherous forces that propel them toward catastrophe. In the end, Levi’s fate may rest in the hands of the very killer he’s been hunting.

The race to save Sin City is on, and these players are going for broke. No matter how hopeless things seem, as long as they’re together and they’ve got a chip to play and a chair to sit in, they’re still in the game.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Kaidyn’s Courage by Diana Waters

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Kaidyn’s Courage
Author: Diana Waters
Series: Wild Magics #2
Heroes: Kaidyn & Sorin
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 165 pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: March 15, 2019
Available at: Extasy Books & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When one man’s courage is lost to his own anger, another will try to rekindle it—no matter the cost.

Kaidyn is the son of the queen and a trainee officer in the kingdom of Sareen. He is also a Half-Blood—his father is from Iskandir, a neighboring kingdom which has been at war with Sareen for many years. Bitter and angry at the prejudice he faces, Kaidyn meets Sorin, a healer from one of Sareen’s most prominent noble families. As their relationship deepens, the war between Sareen and Iskandir grows worse. Not only will the pair inevitably become involved with the conflict one way or another, but Sorin is also hiding a secret, and time is running out for them both. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The End of Darkness by Shea Balik

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The End of Darkness
Author: Shea Balik
Series: Druid’s Curse #1
Heroes: Ryley & Eirik
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 199 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 15, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Ryley Duggan resented his family for forcing him home on his twenty-first birthday to perform another stupid fire ritual, instead of letting him go out and get shit-faced like normal people his age. He’d never believed in the stories his grandmother told him about the reason behind what they were doing. That was, until he walked outside to the bonfire to see bloodcurdling creatures that no Hollywood studio had ever come close to replicating, killing his family.

Since an early age, Eirik had one job, to protect the descendants of the one who’d cursed him and his friends. It hadn’t been what he’d ever imagined for his life, but after nearly a millennia Eirik had learned one thing, life never went as planned. Never had that been truer than when he’d rescued Ryley from certain death.

Now the two must learn to work together to save humanity. Will all be lost? Or will they discover a way to heal their hearts by opening themselves up to love?

WARNING: Unseelie monsters run amok in this story!
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Forbidden by Kora Knight

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Forbidden
Author: Kora Knight
Heroes: Jazz & Seth
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 434 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 17, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Stationed in New York City, mission angel Jazz Jagger has one sole objective: to eradicate demons from the human realm. Problem is, their underlord Seth Masters isn’t exactly okay with that. Furious at the loss he’s accruing, he has Jazz captured, anxious to punish him personally, but Jazz turns out to be an angel like none he has ever met.

Despite raw, torn emotion, their dynamic shifts, their story’s dark start changing to something entirely different. Something that neither male in his right mind could ever have expected.
Anger and resentment, now desire and need.

A vampire’s hunger. An angel’s light.

Opposites attract like never before.

Still, despite Jazz’s efforts to make them compatible, Seth remains hesitant. Will dark pride prevail, denying them the happy ending they’ve struggled so hard for?

** Warning: this erotic paranormal romance contains scenes with explicit gay sex as well as moments of moderate violence. Intended for mature audiences only.

A personal message from Kora Knight: What are the paths writers have taken that have brought them to this point? For many, it’s college. A degree in English. Creative Writing. Then right into the wonderful world of publishing. My path was not so neatly calculated. My degree was in Electronic Graphic Design. I hadn’t known I’d been born to write. I’d thought I was an artist. But after putting my career on hold to raise four beautiful, amazing children, I finally made that priceless realization. Thanks to years of online role playing with countless, incredible fellow writers, I’d unwittingly honed my craft and discovered my calling.

The stories we created still hold a huge place in my heart. This story is one of them, written with my good friend, Raven Rox. A luscious little gem from our treasure trove.

That being said, in wanting to preserve the authenticity of its origin’s organic vibe, we’ve chosen to keep it in classic, present-tense roleplay format. An unconventional alternative to your everyday novel, but Raven and I are hopeful you’ll still enjoy.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Montana Sky by R.J. Scott

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Montana Sky
Author: R.J. Scott
Series: Montana #6
Heroes: Tyler & Martin
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 143 pages
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Release Date: April 24, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When they spend time alone on a Montana mountainside will Tyler ever convince Martin that like sapphires, love is worth searching for?

Martin’s name was the very last on a kill list. The son of a murderer, he’s had no childhood; lost in a horrific holding pattern of death that turned his heart to stone. Thanks to the man who called him brave and spared his life, he no longer has to look over his shoulder, but he does have one question. Why did Justin let him live?

Tyler Colby has identified a major flaw in the seismic mapping system used to monitor earthquake activity. Sent to Crooked Tree by his employer, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, he is tasked with adding a new remote station to the network. The installation should be his entire focus, but the lure of sapphires and his attraction to a heartbroken young man called Martin is enough to make him want more. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Crossing the Touchline by Jay Hogan

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Crossing the Touchline
Author: Jay Hogan
Series: Auckland Med. #2
Heroes: Reuben & Cameron
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 302 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: What if you’ve worked your whole life for a dream, to play rugby for the most successful sports team on the planet, the New Zealand All Blacks?

What if that dream is so close you can smell it?

What if you meet someone?

What if you fall in love?

What if your dream will cost the man who’s stolen your heart?

And what if the dream changes?

Reuben Taylor has a choice to make.

Cameron Wano is that choice. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Badlands by Morgan Brice

Reviewed by Susan65 

Title: Badlands
Author: Morgan Brice
Narrator: Kale Williams
Series: Badlands #1
Heroes: Simon Kincaide/Vic D’Amato
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 8 Hours, 20 Minutes
Publisher: Morgan Brice
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Medium and clairvoyant Simon Kincaide owns a Myrtle Beach boardwalk shop where he runs ghost tours, holds séances, and offers private psychic readings, making a fresh start after his abilities cost him his lover and his job as a folklore professor. Jaded cop Vic D’Amato saw something supernatural he couldn’t explain during a shootout several years ago in Pittsburgh and relocated to Myrtle Beach to leave the past behind, still skeptical about the paranormal. But when the search for a serial killer hits a dead end, Vic battles his skepticism to ask Simon for help. As the body count rises, Simon’s involvement makes him a target, and a suspect. But Simon can’t say no, even if it costs him his life and heart.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Keeping a Warrior by Melanie Hanson

Reviewed by Susan65

warriorTitle: Keeping a Warrior
Author: Melanie Hanson
Series:  Loving a Warrior #2
Heroes: Devon Lowe & Rhys Halloran/Shane Hovland and Matt Knytych
Genre: MF & MM Contemporary
Length: 77,000
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: April 29, 2019
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sometimes the only hope for the walking wounded is in each other’s arms.

Devon Lowe is a survivor.

A survivor of war. Of combat. And of a betrayal by men she considered her brothers-in-arms. But her trailblazing work as a Cultural Support Team member working alongside the navy SEALs is too important for her to back down now.

Fresh off a painful breakup, air force pararescueman Rhys Halloran recognizes Devon’s trauma for what it is—something that’s left her isolated but far from irreparably damaged.

With Devon’s trust still lying shattered back in Afghanistan, putting her faith in a man who’s nursing a broken heart isn’t easy. But she’s tired of people making her feel weak, and Rhys makes her feel anything but, sparking a heated attraction that was never part of the plan.

With all eyes on Devon to prove herself in a brutal man’s world, having it all will mean putting her heart on the line like never before. But when it comes to Rhys, it’s an uphill battle she’s ready to fight.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, M/F, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Indulge Me by Beth Bolden

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Indulge Me
Author: Beth Bolden
Series: Kitchen Gods
Heroes: Bastian & Kian
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 363 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 8, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Throughout the restaurant industry, Chef Bastian Aquino is a notorious control freak. For two very long years, Kian Reynolds has worked for Bastian as his special assistant, doing whatever he and his restaurant needs. The toughest part isn’t even all the impossible tasks he expects Kian to complete flawlessly—it’s the hopeless, endless love he feels for his older boss.

Falling for someone so far above him might be agonizing, but at least his feelings aren’t unrequited. Bastian fell in love right alongside him, but at the very beginning, they made the choice to abstain for logical, smart, professional reasons.

But love isn’t logical, it isn’t smart, and it definitely isn’t professional. It defies containment, even by Bastian. While he watches Bastian struggle with their attraction, Kian finally comes to the conclusion that he’s done.

He’s done standing off the side, done not getting any of the credit, done letting Bastian define the boundaries of their relationship. Most of all, he’s done waiting.

Indulge Me is an 85,000 word contemporary romance, featuring an enormous amount of pining, a boss/employee relationship, an age gap and very delicious risotto. It is the fourth and final book in the Kitchen Gods series, and to receive a fuller, more enjoyable reading experience, I would recommend reading at least one other book in the series first. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Soft Place to Fall by B.A. Tortuga

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Soft Place to Fall
Author: B.A. Tortuga
Heroes: Stetson & Curtis
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 237 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Stetson Major and Curtis Traynor are about as opposite as two cowboys can get. Stetson is a rancher, tied to the land he loves in Taos, New Mexico, while Curtis is a rodeo cowboy whose wanderlust never could be tamed.

But now Stetson’s momma is dying of Alzheimer’s, and she can’t remember that Curtis hasn’t been Stetson’s boyfriend for a long time. Curtis’s absence makes her cry, so Stetson swallows his pride and calls his ex-lover.

To Curtis, Stetson is the one who got away, the love of his life. And Momma is his friend, so he’s happy to help out. Yet returning to the ranch stirs up all sorts of feelings that, while buried, never really went away. Still, the rodeo nationals are coming up, and Curtis can’t stay… even if he’s starting to want to, especially to support Stetson when he needs it most.

Stetson and Curtis want to find a place where they both fit, to be there to catch each other when they fall. But family, money problems, and the call of the rodeo circuit might end their second-chance romance before it even gets started. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment