Book Review: Captive Fire by Erin M. Leaf

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Captive Fire
Author: Erin M. Leaf
Heroes: Ryuu/Drakon
Genre: MM Fantasy
Length: 88 Pages
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Release Date: April 29, 2015
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Prince Ryuu hates his father, Emperor Midian. When he’s forced to buy a slave, he defiantly chooses Drakon instead of a woman. Because he’s determined to overthrow his father’s empire, he can’t afford to show vulnerability, but Drakon is more compelling than he’d anticipated. For an Arethuza warrior, affection is a weakness that can lead to death.

Drakon isn’t really a slave—he’s a black dragon, considered cursed by everyone. Despite his people’s distrust, he will do anything to keep them safe, even submit to an Arethuza prince. He never expected to find love, and that complication could ruin his plans to sabotage the emperor’s war campaign. Though Ryuu is his fated mate, their fledgling bond is a secret too dangerous for Drakon to reveal.

Will their duty tear them apart? Can honor prevail in a war that might be too violent for even the strongest dragon warrior?
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Go Your Own Way by Zane Riley: Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Excerpt from Go Your Own Way

by Zane Riley

“Where are we going?”

Lennox gazed out the windshield at the jagged horizon. It was getting late and this pit stop-turned-detour seemed more like a summer road trip. A bizarre urge to chase the July dusk seemed to have come over his grandfather. For the last hour, the Appalachian Mountains had begun to crest in front of the sun’s deep orange rays. The sun was all but gone now and the landscape around them was hidden in the darkness. He and Grandpa weren’t headed in the right direction. Home was the other way. It couldn’t be an accident: His grandfather always had a reason for everything he did.

“At your age, you should have east and west figured out by now.” Lennox plucked at his seatbelt. “Come on, Grandpa. What gives?”

Cameron McAvoy glanced at Lennox. His grandfather was a thin man with hair the color of dirty snow. He had frown lines around his eyes and mouth and a mole sprouting gray hairs where his jaw and neck met. On the rare days when he saw his grandfather, Lennox was fond of telling him he looked like a conservative politician past his prime.

“I’m taking you home.”

It was the same answer Lennox had heard since Vienna, and Lennox didn’t believe him for eleven reasons, each of which was an enormous road sign that didn’t list Richmond within the next eighty miles.

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About Go Your Own Way

GYOW 900px COVER-FrontWill Osborne couldn’t wait to put the roller coaster ride of his public education behind him. Having suffered bullying and harassment since grade school, he planned a senior year that would be simple and quiet before going away to college and starting fresh. But when a reform school transfer student struts into his first class, Will realizes that the thrill ride has only just begun.

Lennox McAvoy is an avalanche. He’s crude, flirtatious, and the most insufferable, beautiful person Will’s ever met. From his ankle monitor to his dull smile, Lennox appears irredeemable. But when Will’s father falls seriously ill, Will discovers that there is more to Lennox than meets the eye.

Available at: Amazon

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About Zane Riley

Zane Riley wrote his first work of fan fiction in the fourth grade, a Star Wars story in a notebook recently unearthed from the back of a closet.

Zane is a transgender writer and recent recipient of a degree in English: Creative Writing from the University of Mary Washington. Go Your Own Way is his first novel.

In his spare time, Zane is a musician and frustrated fan of the Baltimore Orioles.

Find our more about Zane on his Website, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.

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As part of this blog tour, Zane is giving away a $25 Interlude Press Gift Card!! To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , | 5 Comments

Book Review: Just Desserts by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Nikyta

JustDessertsTitle: Just Desserts
Author: Mary Calmes
Series: Tales of the Curious Cookbook
Heroes: Boone & Scott
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 102 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 29, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Boone Walton has tried hard to create some distance between himself and his past. He’s invested in his new life, his New Orleans art gallery, and his friendship with Scott Wren. Things finally seem to be settling down to normal, and Boone couldn’t be happier.

Chef Scott Wren wants much more than normal with Boone. He wants to raise things to the next level, but Boone is terrified—and not because of the ghost in Scott’s apartment or Scott’s relatives. No, Boone’s past is about to pay him a visit, and the only thing that can get between Boone, Scott, and a hinky recipe for chocolate mousse found in a curious cookbook is the river of pain Boone had to swim across to get to this side of The Big Easy. There’s a secret behind the ingredients, though—one that might reveal the trust and love that have been missing from Boone’s life.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Demon You Know by Barbara Elsborg

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: The Demon You Know
Author: Barbara Elsborg
Heroes: Roman/Ezra
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 233 Pages
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  A good demon?

Ezra is a timekeeper in Hell, responsible for building and maintaining the clocks that tick away eternal torment. He’s never believed he deserves to be in Hell, and when the reason he’s there is revealed, he’s horrified…yet filled with hope. But is this just another form of torture? When Ezra’s given a chance to go to the surface, he’s determined to uncover the truth, but his fellow demons seem just as determined he won’t survive the journey.

A bad angel?

Roman doesn’t understand why an angel who failed his training the first time round has been given the job of policing paranormals in the UK’s capital city. He’s consumed by unhappiness. He might not be in Hell, but sometimes it damn well feels like it.

When Roman meets Ezra his failings come back to haunt him. Ezra makes him want to break the rules, but an angel protecting a demon? Discovery would bring an eternity of suffering, and with a boss none other than the archangel Michael, it’ll take more than a miracle for the lovers to stand together.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Love Me Tomorrow by Ethan Day

Reviewed by Gyn

1Title: Love Me Tomorrow
Author: Ethan Day
Heroes: Levi/Jake
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 240 Pages
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Release Date: March 11, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Event planner Levi Goode is positioned to inherit the newly vacated throne, becoming the in-demand party planner for Wilde City’s elite. Years of hard work and perseverance are finally paying off as Levi lands his next big fish, working with socialite Julia Freeman-Kingsley. Distracted by work and dealing with his head strong mother, an ex-Vegas-showgirl suffering from debilitating health issues, Levi has his hands full. Time for love or even the occasional one-night stand, is one aspect of life Levi hasn’t been able to master.

Sparks of interest fly during a chance meeting with a paramedic called to the aid of his mother, and thanks to Ruby’s meddling, Levi finds himself on a movie-date with the handsome Paramedic Jake. Personal and professional worlds collide when Levi realizes his new love interest is actually Jake Freeman, estranged brother to his brand new client. Discovering the man of his dreams already has a boyfriend, leaves Levi stunned realizing any hopes he had for something more with Jake were never going to be anything more than wishful thinking.

Struggling to downshift his expectations and remain friends with Jake while continuing to work closely with Julia quickly consumes all of his time and attention. Wondering if there will ever be a special someone to love him, is where Levi’s love story begins.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Subjection by Alicia Cameron

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Subjection
Author: Alicia Cameron
Series: Demoted #1
Heroes: Cashiel/Sascha
Genre: MM Dystopian
Length: 209 Pages
Publisher: Fantastic Fiction Publishing
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  In a world where intellect and achievement are valued above all else, a young man risks everything to save his brother from a life of slavery. Thrown into a harsh, unyielding world where slaves are treated as less than animals, Sascha struggles to come to terms with everything he knows being ripped away from him, but a life of success could never prepare him for his life as one of the Demoted. Sinking lower and lower, Sascha begins to lose hope, but the whim of a mysterious, wealthy man has the potential to change all that.

Cashiel has a dark history that he guards carefully. Between family and business and politics, he rarely has time for a slave, much less a lover. But when he sees a young man who reminds him of the very history he is trying to escape, he makes an impulse decision that he’s not sure whether to regret or not. The slave could expose everything, or he could be the most valuable asset that Cashiel has ever acquired.

Cashiel and Sascha share desires, hopes, and a home. Each man is limited by status, hindered by history, and desperate to succeed. The question is, will that be enough?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Carol Lynne: Meet the Lobster Cove Residents + Giveaway!

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Meet the Lobster Cove Residents

by Carol Lynne

When I start a new series, I always begin with a list of characters. In my newest Lobster Cove series, I have an entire town of characters to create. Although I add to the list as I go, I thought I’d share with you a few of my initial cast of characters for this series. I use this list to keep them straight in my head. The one character I will leave as a mystery is my lighthouse keeper because his story needs to evolve slowly. I will warn you, I’m copying this from my private list, so forget about grammar or punctuation.

Lobster Cove Characters:

Joseph Allenbrand: 44 yrs old. Oversees a shelter for gay runaways. Bright blue eyes, black hair threaded with silver. Heads the new Rainbow Youth Center in Lobster Cove. The new shelter has room for 40 young men plus an apartment for Carl and Bev Walters.

Cullen “Little Man” Bryant –Moves to Lobster Cove from Cattle Valley to help oversee the town’s reconstruction and work with his partner, Joseph Allenbrand, to establish the new youth center.

Mick Hennessey: Asa hires Mick as chief of police. Brought up from New York, City after a shooting left him ready to get out of the city. Dark brown closely cropped hair, 36 yrs old, 6’2, built, bi-sexual.

Boone Jensen: Medium brown hair, shaggy. Hazel eyes with flecks of green, brown and gold. Stonemason and brick layer who moved to LC from Gary, Indiana. 29 yrs old, 6’2, muscular build from years of lifting rocks and working hard. Takes care of his younger brother, Laddy, after his mother’s death two months earlier. Decided the move to Lobster Cove would be good for both him and his brother.

Landon “Laddy” Jensen: 17 yr old with Down syndrome, Boone’s brother, brown closely-cropped hair.

Ava Hughs: Waitress and manager at Fiducia although she has a Master’s degree in business She’s Dante’s best friend and has sworn off men forever. 5’5, curvy, long blonde hair that she wears up in a knot most of the time, hazel eyes. Foster sister to Dante. They’ve known each other for 19 yrs.

Dante Madia: 35 yrs old, black shoulder length hair that he ties back when cooking. Brown eyes. Owns Fiducia (Trust in Italian) small exclusive restaurant with only room for thirty guests at a time. 35 yrs old, 6’1, shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes, medium build with toned and muscular body.

Jonah Briggs: owns his own lobster boat, runs a crew of three men, grew up in nearby Rockland Maine. Dark brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, 34 but looks older because of sun and wind damage while on the boat.

Isaac Diaz – Fire chief, 36 yrs old, short black hair, tall 6’2, muscular. Worked construction in the town in the early days of LC. Lives next door to Dante. Has a female Dalmatian named Ember that goes with him to the station when he’s on duty.

Alexander Stewart “Zander becomes known as Lexie” – 16, transgender teen from shelter, was locked in basement by his parents after he came out. Waist length dark brown hair.

Jake Skimmerhorn – 31 yrs old, dark brown hair, brown eyes, 6’, muscular, full beard, reclusive lighthouse keeper.

Well, that’s a partial list of the new characters you’ll meet in Lobster Cove. I hope your interest has been peaked in this new series, and I very much look forward to writing their stories.

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About Welcome to Lobster Cove

welcometolobstercove_800When following your dream lands you in Lobster Cove, Maine, anything is possible.

After gaining custody of his younger brother, Boone Jensen moves to a unique LGBT community on the coast of Maine. There, he hopes to find work as a stonemason, heal his broken heart and give his brother a safe place to call home.

Life was good in New York City for chef Dante Madia, until his business partner betrayed him. Determined to trust only himself, Dante risks everything on a new restaurant venture in a small fishing village built on acceptance.

Neither man is looking for love, but in a town like Lobster Cove, secret dreams have the ability to become realities.

Available at: Totally Bound

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An Excerpt from Welcome to Lobster Cove

Boone spun his beer bottle in an attempt to keep his eyes off Dante. Since their kiss in the kitchen, he’d thought of little else but getting Dante alone again.

“What about you, Boone?” Cullen asked.

“What do I need in town to make my life easier?” Boone reiterated the question in case he’d zoned out during a new topic.

“Yeah,” Cullen replied. “For Isaac it’s a bigger grocery store. Ava’s in dire need of a salon, and Laddy thinks a water park would be nice.”

Boone slid his gaze to his brother. “A water park? Seriously, Laddy?”

Laddy smiled. “We already have candy,” he stated as if a huge pool with slides and sprayers was a natural next step for the town.

Boone glanced at the people seated at the long table. “I’m not high maintenance, so I can make do with what’s available as long as there’s enough work to keep me employed.” He gestured to the men he’d met that evening. “I know this is going to sound corny as hell, but as long as I have friends and Laddy, I’m good.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Joseph Allenbrand chimed in.

Boone still couldn’t believe that Joseph used to be a Catholic priest, but, according to Joseph, he’d fallen in love with a parishioner and had decided to rescue homeless gay youths. That had led to an entire conversation about why the Rainbow Youth Center had left Washington, DC. Evidently, the bad situation in DC combined with Cattle Valley running out of room had prompted Asa to buy the bankrupt town of Lobster Cove. Before he’d received Nate’s call, Boone didn’t even know you could buy a town. Joseph had explained that Asa had bought the majority of the buildings from the bank, but there were quite a few houses that he’d purchased from the original owners once they’d learned who’d be moving into their neighborhood.

Mick stood then rested his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Anything I can help with before I get out of here?”

Boone tried to keep his jealousy in check. Mick had flirted with every man at the party. Hell, he’d even flirted with Ava, so it must’ve been part of the police chief’s personality.

Dante answered Mick while staring directly at Boone. “Thanks, but we’ve got it.”

Boone’s cock began to harden at the heated expression on Dante’s face. As much as he loved Laddy, he suddenly wished he could spend the entire night getting to know Dante on an intimate level. Unfortunately, he’d have to settle for the PG13 evening Dante had offered.

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About Carol Lynne

An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find Carol either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favourite chair writing steamy love scenes.

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As part of this blog tour, AUTHOR is giving away PRIZE to one lucky winner!! To enter, just click the link below!

Enter Totally Bound’s May blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice! Not including boxsets or anthologies. Just click the blog tour image below to enter!

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Would I Lie to You? by Brad Vance

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Would I Lie to You?
Author: Brad Vance
Series: The Game Players Book 1
Heroes: Marc Julian/Jesse Winchester
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 289 Pages
Publisher: Brad Vance
Release Date: April 24, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Software billionaire Marc Julian’s orderly life is shattered one night by a cyber-intrusion into his company’s servers. He’s always surrounded himself with the best people, but finding the culprit behind this might require a real expert…and sometimes it takes a thief to catch a thief.

Jesse Winchester and his team of “grey hat” hackers are suddenly available to Marc. Marc doesn’t know if he should trust Jesse with the keys to his company’s kingdom. After all, Jesse’s a convicted felon, sent to prison for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. A felon sentenced to thirty-five years in prison, who mysteriously served only three years before being released…

Marc’s first company, his whole life, was shattered because he trusted the wrong person. This time there’s even more at stake, but few other options. Especially when his evil enemies, the billionaire industrialist Krom brothers, are revealed to be the source of the intrusion.

Is Jesse there to help Marc, or does he have his own history with the Kroms, his own score to settle? As Jesse and Marc spend more time together, their growing intimacy is at war with their need to win their respective battles. Soon the game they start to play with each other, against each other, becomes more exciting, more exquisitely frustrating…and more dangerous.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Honorary Blogger Kate Sherwood: Gender Segregation: True Equality? + Giveaway!

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Gender Segregation: True Equality?

by Kate Sherwood

One of my favourite things about writing is the ability to play “what if”. For Sacrati, I got to play it a lot! I tried to start with a real-world situation, and then extended it a little. For the Torian society, I took the idea of a Spartan-style civilization, with their commitment to war, and took it even further. What if the men in the culture never lived with the women? What if they stayed in the barracks all the time?

Well, there’d need to be some contact, obviously. Babies have to come from somewhere. But, really, a few nights a year should take care of that, right?

One of the things that would probably happen with that level of gender segregation would be a lot of homosexual contact, which, for an m/m novel, is not a bad thing! But what else would happen?

Theos, one of my main characters, explains the system: 

“The women stay in the city because they’re safe there. We need them, as many as possible, and we need them to be healthy. One man can have many children in a year; we don’t need as many men. So men go to war and keep the valleys safe, and women stay in the cities where they’re protected. They take care of business, and they build things and raise children.” Theos raised an eyebrow. “What’s so unnatural about that?”

At first I worried that I was reducing the women to being baby-machines. It felt oppressive to have them controlled by their biology. But then I realized that the women actually had a lot more freedom than the men in this society. The men had to be soldiers. If they weren’t fit for that, they weren’t fit to be citizens. The women, though? They could be blacksmiths or healers or farmers or potters or weavers or just about anything else.

It was interesting to imagine the possibilities. True equality? No, not really. But it was an interesting direction for my “what if” game to take! 

Have you ever taken part in a formally gender-segregated activity? Private school, “women only” retreat, “men only” club… anything? If you did, how was it different or the same as a mixed-gender activity? Would you want to do it again? If you’ve never taken part in something like this, would you be interested in trying it? 

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About Sacrati

Sacrati_400x600As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs—until he captures Finnvid on a raid.

Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn’t in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men—and he should not be so intrigued when they do. He definitely should not be most intrigued by the leader of the soldiers who captured him and plan to invade his home.

For Theos, everything would have been easier if the infuriating, lying, bewildering Elkati had never come into his life, but he can’t stay away. When betrayal and treachery threaten both their nations, they must work together to stop a war that could destroy their homes forever—even as they begin to question everything they’re fighting for.

Available at: Riptide Publishing & Amazon

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About Kate Sherwood

Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!

Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!

Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?

Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.

After five years of writing, Kate is still learning, still stretching herself, and still enjoying what she does. She’s looking forward to sharing a lot more stories in the future.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a draw for a $15 Riptide gift card. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 10th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!

Don’t forget to check out Susan65’s review of Sacrati to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , | 24 Comments

Book Review: Sacrati by Kate Sherwood

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Sacrati
Author: Kate Sherwood
Heroes: Theos/Finnvid
Genre: MM Historical Fantasy
Length: 407 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: May 2, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs—until he captures Finnvid on a raid.

Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn’t in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men—and he should not be so intrigued when they do. He definitely should not be most intrigued by the leader of the soldiers who captured him and plan to invade his home.

For Theos, everything would have been easier if the infuriating, lying, bewildering Elkati had never come into his life, but he can’t stay away. When betrayal and treachery threaten both their nations, they must work together to stop a war that could destroy their homes forever—even as they begin to question everything they’re fighting for.
Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment