Susan65’s Reviews

Shifter Week Review: Burning Bright by Rachel Wilder & A. Catherine Noon

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Burning Bright
Author: Rachel Wilder & A. Catherine Noon
Series: Chicagoland Shifters #1
Heroes: Sasha Soskoff and Neal Harrison
Genre: M/M/M/M Paranormal
Length: 266 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Sasha Soskoff has two reasons for moving to Chicago: secure a tenured position in veterinary research medicine, and widen his horizons. After a night at the city s hottest new club, though, a wrong turn down a dark alley narrows his focus to surviving three muggers. As consciousness fades, he catches a glimpse of his rescuer, whose mere appearance is enough to chase the attackers off.

Neal Harrison doesn t often have to call on his skills as an ex-Marine to maintain control at his club. But with Sasha, he can t seem to keep his hands to himself. Yet there s danger in allowing any close relationships, particularly with a naive young newcomer. The safety of his business depends on the iron-clad secret he and his ex-Marine buddies all hide.

While Neal seems happy to satisfy Sasha s insatiable curiosity about the erotic scenes played out in the club s private rooms, Sasha senses his new lover is holding something back.

When the truth claws its way out amid a night of tribal blood and violence, Neal discovers his lover has a secret of his own. And that the forces arrayed against them all could make a mugging look like a walk in the park

Warning: Contains explicit, adult situations: male on male, more males on several more males, no-holds-barred erotic scenes, no-claws-barred violence, and love forged in the heat of desire Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2011, Susan65's Reviews, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Floodgates by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Floodgates
Author: Mary Calmes
Heroes: Cord Nolan and Tracy Brandt
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 234 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 3, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Tracy Brandt considers himself a lucky man. He has a wonderful family, good friends, and a dependable job. His love life, however, features a cheating ex who, though out of the house, is not yet out of the picture—with a past that just might get Tracy killed.

Homicide inspector Cord Nolan wants nothing more than to show his best friend’s little brother that he’s a reliable man, but to do that he’ll have to get Tracy to look past the player he used to be. It’ll be a tough sell; reputation is everything, and Cord’s is tarnished by his past indiscretions.

Tracy and Cord have spent five years trying to suffocate their fiery attraction under a blanket of grudging antagonism. When Tracy finds himself with a target on his back, Cord finally has the chance to ride to the rescue and break through the dam of Tracy’s reserve. But he’d better be careful: if Cord is breaking the floodgates to wash away the past, he’s going to have to hold tight to Tracy to make sure they’re still standing when the tumult recedes. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: More Than Just a Good Book by Sloan Parker

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: More Than Just a Good Book, A Novel
Author: Sloan Parker
Heroes: Scott Murphy and Mark Lewis
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 164 Pages
Publisher: Sloan Parker Press
Release Date: November 18, 2013
Available at: Smashwords, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Shy, nervous Scott is a big book geek, and fellow student Mark is a bit controlling between the sheets. During one afternoon at the university library, they find they are the perfect match. Now they have to find out if they can keep on proving that some things are even more enjoyable than a good book.

As the two begin exploring their most secret sexual fantasies, neither can imagine walking away. With only one semester left before they head off in different directions, they discover it’s impossible to avoid their growing feelings for each other. When a desperate bully tries to destroy Mark’s chance at the career he’s always wanted and tries to keep him away from Scott, the two lovers must come to terms with exactly what it means to be in love with someone—and how to be brave enough to go after what it is they truly want.

This work contains graphic language and explicit sexual content between two men, including some light BDSM (spanking and bondage). Intended for adult audiences only.

Author’s Note:
This is the expanded, full-length novel. The original, free short story is chapter one of this novel. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2013, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heidi Cullinan Week Review: Let It Snow

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Let It Snow
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Series: Minnesota Christmas #1
Heroes: Frankie Blackburn and Marcus Gardner
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 228 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: The weather outside is frightful, but this Minnesota northwoods cabin is getting pretty hot.

Stylist Frankie Blackburn never meant to get lost in Logan, Minnesota, but his malfunctioning GPS felt otherwise, and a record-breaking snowfall ensures he won’t be heading back to Minneapolis anytime soon. Being rescued by three sexy lumberjacks is fine as a fantasy, but in reality the biggest of the bears is awfully cranky and seems ready to gobble Frankie right up.

Marcus Gardner wasn’t always a lumberjack—once a high-powered Minneapolis lawyer, he’s come home to Logan to lick his wounds, not play with a sassy city twink who might as well have stepped directly out of his past. But as the northwinds blow and guards come down, Frankie and Marcus find they have a lot more in common than they don’t. Could the man who won’t live in the country and the man who won’t go back to the city truly find a home together? Because the longer it snows, the deeper they fall in love, and all they want for Christmas is each other.

Warning: Contains power outages, excessive snowfall, and incredibly sexy bears. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2013, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Series Review: Angel’s Hero & Angel’s Truth by Liz Borino

Reviewed by Susan65

20760761Title: Angel’s Hero
Author: Liz Borino
Series: Angel #1
Heroes: Aaron “Angel” Collins and Jordan Collins
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 79 pages
Publisher: Lazy Day Publishing
Release Date: February 26, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: CIA Agent Aaron “Angel” Collins doesn’t take many things on faith. He trusts his gut, his eyes, and his husband, Jordan, an Army Captain. When his commanding officers deliver news of Jordan’s death, Aaron needs proof. The facts don’t add up, and Aaron must decide if he can trust Major General Troy Hart to assist in his quest to discover the truth.

Captain Jordan Collins is battered and disheartened in an Afghanistan prison, but definitely not dead, though he learns his own government believes he is. His only mission now is to stay alive and make it home to Angel, if he can find an ally among the enemy. But someone in the US government will stop at nothing to make sure he never leaves that prison, And Jordan must reevaluate the lines between friend and foe if he is ever to return to his Angel. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Waiting for Rain by Susan Mac Nicol

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Waiting for Rain
Author: Susan Mac Nicol
Heroes: Rain Engel and Toby Prentiss
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 280 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 24, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: The village of Stamford, the quintessential chocolate box English scene, seemed an impossible dream for foster kid Toby Prentiss. Now he’s found a home among the haystacks and village fairs as the general manager for the Duck and Drake Hotel. With the fears and demons from his youth hidden away in this bucolic oasis, he’s very protective of who he lets in. Until he stumbles across shirtless carpenter Rain Engel building the hotel’s new custom-designed bar.

Working in the countryside, Rain prepared to face his biggest fear: sheep. He didn’t expect to deal with his second biggest fear: commitment. Toby’s controlled, tough guy façade coupled with his “find happiness where you can” optimism calls to Rain like nothing before. While Rain may be an exhibitionist, his romantic history forces him to hold his emotions close. As their relationship develops, secrets from their pasts drive a wedge between them: the ex-boyfriend who tore apart Rain’s trust and Toby’s history with the law. But can the secrets hiding among the quirky villagers bring them together? With missing sheep, pole dancing at the winter festival, and a crippling drought, everyone is waiting for Rain. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Challenge Week Review: The Fall by Kate Sherwood

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: The Fall
Author: Kate Sherwood
Heroes: Joe Sutton and Scott Mackenzie
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 214 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 16, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Every relationship leaves something behind. Dumped by his sugar daddy, part-time model Scott Mackenzie somehow ends up owning an abandoned church in rural Ontario. He dreams of using it for gay weddings, even if he’ll never have one of his own.

Joe Sutton is trying to keep his family together after his parents’ deaths. Between the family ranch, his brother’s construction company, and commitments around town, he doesn’t have time for a relationship. But Mackenzie is hard to ignore.

As both men fight their growing attraction, challenges to Mackenzie’s business threaten their relationship. If he can’t make it work, he’ll have to crawl back to the city in defeat. But the only solution involves risking the ranch Joe loves, and each man has to decide how much he’ll sacrifice for the other. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, LGBT, Published in 2013, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Against Reason by Scarlet Blackwell

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Against Reason
Author: Scarlet Blackwell
Heroes: Darius and Jake Morgan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 109 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: February 18, 2014
Available at: Samhain Publishing & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: He lost his heart once. Is it too damaged for love to find it again?

In the five years since the love of his life abandoned him at the altar, Jake Morgan hasn’t left his house. The locals in this small, English town have dubbed him “Mr. Havisham”, but he’s too preoccupied wrestling his demons to care about Dickensian comparisons.

Forced to admit he’s losing the battle to keep up his large estate alone, he reluctantly places an advert for help. The striking young man who answers his call shakes him to the core.

When Darius answers the ad for the position at the mysterious mansion, the bitter, lonely master of the house tugs at his heartstrings. Setting aside his own run of bad luck, Darius batters at Jake’s emotional walls with kindness and determination that defy all attempts to drive him away.

Just as tendrils of new love begin to intertwine, though, a terrible voice from the past intrudes. And threatens to drive Jake back into the shadows where Darius can never reach him. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Kiss Me by Scarlet Blackwell

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Kiss Me
Author: Scarlet Blackwell
Heroes: Dexter Anderson and Logan Maden
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 237 Pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Available at: Extasy Books & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dexter is a rent boy falling for his new client. Logan is a homicide cop falling for his rent boy. Now madly in love, Logan discovers Dexter is dangerously in thrall to a gangster whose clutches he can’t escape. When the gangster finds out about the two of them, he targets Dexter’s friend in revenge. The quickest answer is a safe house, but how long will it be safe? Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Abel – Shattered by CJ Bishop

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Abel – Shattered
Author: CJ Bishop
Series: Phoenix Club #3
Heroes: Abel Sims and Devlin Grant
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 102 Pages
Publisher: Rascal Hearts
Release Date: February 8, 2014
Available at: Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Abel’s heart is crushed by Devlin’s vehement rejection and refusal to believe the truth about his brother. With the threat of prison hanging over him, Abel is sent away with Horatio Kaplan to Italy for safe keeping.

Certain he has lost Devlin forever, and broken by the reality that he has devastated Devlin’s life, Abel takes an unexpected comfort in Kaplan when the man begins to show sincere care and affection for him. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment