Theme Week

Ghost Week Review: Across the East River Bridge by Kate McMurray

Guest Reviewed by Gyn


Across the East River Bridge Title:
 Across the East River Bridge
Author: Kate McMurray
Heroes: Finn & Troy
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 77k words
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Available at: Loose Id, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When Finn’s boss sends him to a museum in Brooklyn, the last person he expects to see is his old rival, Troy. Although Finn and Troy have undeniable sexual chemistry, Finn still blames Troy for sending his career off the rails but Troy has research Finn needs. Troy also has an intriguing story; the museum he curates is haunted by the ghosts of two men who died under mysterious circumstances in 1878. Troy strikes a deal: he’ll help Finn if Finn helps him find out what happened to the men who died.

From diaries, police reports, and newspaper articles, Finn and Troy piece together the lives of the two dead men–and the romance that bloomed between them. As it becomes clear that the men were murdered, it also becomes clear that the ghosts are real and are capable of manipulating the dreams, thoughts, and actions of the living. When Finn and Troy start falling for each other, Finn worries that it’s all an illusion concocted by the ghosts to keep them working together to solve the mystery, but Troy is convinced the love between them is real. But how can he get rid of a couple of ghosts and prove it?

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobster Week Audio Review: Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

eTitle: Zero at the Bone
Author: Jane Seville
Series: Zero at the Bone #1
Narrated By: Alan Smith
Heroes: Jack Fancisco and “D”
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 13 hrs, 21 min, Unabridged
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Audible Release Date: April 15, 2014
Available at:  Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  After witnessing a mob hit, surgeon Jack Francisco is put into protective custody to keep him safe until he can testify. A hitman known only as D is blackmailed into killing Jack, but when he tracks him down, his weary conscience won’t allow him to murder an innocent man. Finding in each other an unlikely ally, Jack and D are soon on the run from shadowy enemies.

Forced to work together to survive, the two men forge a bond that ripens into unexpected passion. Jack sees the wounded soul beneath D’s cold, detached exterior, and D finds in Jack the person who can help him reclaim the man he once was. As the day of Jack’s testimony approaches, he and D find themselves not only fighting for their lives… but also fighting for their future. A future together. Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mobster Week Review: Sin & Seduction by Allison Cassatta

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Sin & Seduction
Author: Allison Cassatta
Series: Seduction #1
Heroes: Dorian/Jansen
Genre: MM Contempoarary
Length: 216 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 18, 2012
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Dorian Grant is king of the New Orleans underworld, but he isn’t mafia and doesn’t appreciate the assumption. He’s simply a crude businessman anyone in his right mind would think twice about screwing over. Life in the Big Easy is all about sin, and violent, short-tempered Dorian has committed them all.

But not all New Orleans sins leave a bad taste in the mouth, as Dorian discovers the night a man stage-named Sweet Heat dances into his life at a club called Sin and Seduction. Dorian was expecting a hot lay. He damn sure wasn’t looking for a relationship, and certainly not with someone like Jansen, who turns Dorian’s grimly organized world upside down.

Now Dorian finds himself pressuring Jansen to quit his job because he can’t stand the thought of other men touching what’s his. Of course, Jansen wants a little quid pro quo—after all, Dorian’s job is dangerous. Jansen just doesn’t realize how dangerous until it’s too late.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2012, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobster Week Review: Freeman by Clare London

Guest Reviewed by Trish

iTitle: Freeman
Author: Clare London
Heroes: Freeman/Kit
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 199 Pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: July 10, 2013 (originally published 2009)
Available at:  Wilde City Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Freeman’s return to the city is quiet, without fuss. Another client: another case. He’ll source what they need and be on his way. But he’s been missed by more people than he thought: his ex-wife, his ex-lover, and his ex-business partner. And at least one of them wants him the hell gone again.

Freeman — private, controlled – just does his job. But when he strikes up an unusual friendship with the young runaway Kit, trouble comes looking for both men, ready to expose secrets that can destroy their fragile trust. Yet, for Kit, Freeman’s more than ready for the challenge.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2013, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mobster Week Audio Review: Acrobat by Mary Calmes

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

eTitle: Acrobat
Author: Mary Calmes
Series: (Not officially in the Matter of Time Series, but related)
Narrated By: Sean Crisden
Heroes: Nathan Qells and Andreo Fiore
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 6 hrs, 34 minutes, Unabridged
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Audible Release Date: January 11, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Forty-five-year-old English professor Nathan Qells is very good at making people feel important. What he’s not very good at is sticking around afterward. He’s a nice guy; he just doesn’t feel things the way other people do. So even after all the time he’s spent taking care of Michael, the kid across the hall, he doesn’t realize that Michael’s mob muscle uncle and guardian, Andreo Fiore, has slowly been falling in love with him. Dreo has bigger problems than getting Nate to see him as a potential partner.

He’s raising his nephew, trying to leave his unsavory job, and starting his own business, a process made infinitely more difficult when a series of hits takes out some key underworld players. Still, Dreo is determined to build a life he can be proud of – a life with Nate as a cornerstone. A life that is starting to look like exactly what Nate has been seeking. Unfortunately for Dreo – and for Nate – the last hits were just part of a major reorganization, and Dreo’s obvious love for Nate has made him a target too. Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobster Week Review: Choosing Happy by Aria Grace

Reviewed by Susan65

iTitle: Choosing Happy
Author: Aria Grace
Series: More Than Friends #3
Heroes: Steve/Joey
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 222 Pages
Publisher: Aria Grace
Release Date: March 15, 2014
Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Zach’s ex, Steve, is living in Portland with many regrets. He has alienated the people he cares most about by making bad choices that continue to haunt him. When he meets a kid that’s in a bad relationship and needs some help, Steve reluctantly offers it, knowing it’s his chance to redeem himself. What he doesn’t expect is to find happiness. It’s there, all he has to do it choose to accept it.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobster Week Review: Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon

Guest Reviewed by Candace

iTitle: Mexican Heat
Author: Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon
Heroes: Crimes & Cocktails #1
Heroes: Gabriel Sandalini, aka Giovanni Contadino, and Antonio Lorenzo, aka Miguel Ortega
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 272 Pages
Publisher: MLR Press
Release Date: October 26, 2008
Available at:  MLR Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  A new romantic crime series from the combined talents of popular award winning authors Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon. Tough, street-smart SFPD Detective Gabriel Sandalini is willing to do whatever it takes to bring down West Coast crime boss Ricco Botelli — including a dangerous, deep undercover gig as one of Botelli’s hired guns. But Gabriel’s best laid plans may come crashing down around him when he falls hard for the sexy, suave lieutenant of a rival Mexican drug lord. Turns out his new love interest may have a few secrets of his own: secrets that could destroy both men and the fragile bond between them.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published Before 2010, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobster Week Review: Hired Muscle by Hank Edwards

Reviewed by Heather C

22735074Title: Hired Muscle
Author: Hank Edwards
Heroes: Barry & Vinnie
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 58 pages
Publisher: Hank Edwards Books
Release Date: July 9th, 2014 (2nd edition)
Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: In October 1941, the violence of Baltimore’s warring mob families is escalating. The danger has decimated many of the businesses around DuMochelle’s restaurant where Barry waits tables. When a mob boss and his family begin to frequent the restaurant, a romantic relationship develops between Barry and Vinnie, a bodyguard. Vinnie resists, fearing for Barry’s safety and concerned that Barry will want nothing to do with him if he discovers his role in the family. But their passion cannot be denied, and Vinnie is trapped between the love he wants and the only life he’s known. As the rival mob family moves in for the kill, Vinnie and Barry find themselves caught in the crossfire.

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

Mobster Week Review: The Pharaoh’s Concubine by Z.A. Maxfield

Guest Reviewed by Gyn

eTitle: The Pharaoh’s Concubine
Author: Z.A. Maxfield
Heroes: Dylan Anderson/William Memo Escobar
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 374 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Available at:  Samhain Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Beauty is only skin deep until love reveals what lies beneath.

As mob boss Yvgeny Mosko’s open secret, Dylan Anderson is happy enough with a passionate, if loveless, arrangement that affords him a life of luxury. But at thirty-six, he wonders how committed Mosko will be to an aging lover.

He finds out when a rival gang kidnaps him in a turf war everyone s sure to lose. Mosko unleashes deadly force, leaving no one alive except for a young man whose dark eyes tug at Dylan s heart and the conscience he thought he d excised long ago.

Though he tried to stop the kidnapping, William Memo Escobar knows Mosko will use what s left of him to send a powerful message to his rivals. When Mosko s pampered pretty boy risks everything to help him escape, he can t believe his luck.

William figures he s better suited to life off the grid, but as the days go by he begins to realize Dylan s beauty is more than skin deep. And as Dylan coaxes more and more beguiling smiles from William, he yearns for things like family ties he d thought were best forgotten.

Yet behind their newfound happiness lurks the certain knowledge that no matter how careful they are, Mosko will come for what s his.Warning: This book contains a mob boss, a kept man, and a reluctant kidnapper who will never have to hear the words, Size doesn t matter.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2011, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mobster Week Audio Review: Sinner, Savior by Avril Ashton

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

eTitle: Sinner, Savior
Author: Avril Ashton
Narrated By: Renard Pasquale
Series: Brooklyn Sinners #2
Heroes: Pablo Castillo/Shane Andrew Ruskin (aka Devon McGhee)
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 8 hours and 47 minutes, unabridged
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Release Date: February 18, 2014
Available at: Audible and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Gun runner Pablo Castillo has cemented his reputation in the gun trade as callous and cold-hearted. Personal feelings no longer matter, not with everyone out to make him a sacrifice on their way to the top. He remains untouchable, until a meeting with a rival gang leader and a new deal brings him face-to-face with temptation.

Dev is the right hand to a sadistic bastard out for blood and glory. He hides his true feelings of distaste for his boss, not the least of his many secrets. He could’ve sworn those secrets were safe, but after meeting Pablo he’s not so sure. The two men come together in a heated affair neither can deny, battling themselves, each other and a deadly enemy bent on spilling blood. Pablo and Dev will have to stick together or walk away from a love neither man expected to find. The choice should be simple. It never is.

Reader Advisory: Contains brief scenes of gang-related violence.

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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment