Book Review: Roped In by L.A. Witt & Marie Sexton

Reviewed by Heather C

21842323Title: Roped In
Author: L.A. Witt & Marie Sexton
Series: Vive La Difference Collection
Heroes: Graham & Kaz
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Length: 39,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Release Date: April 20, 2013
Available at: Amber Allure
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Graham and his roping partner Jackson have ruled the rodeo scene for ten years running, but lately, Graham’s heart isn’t in the game. He’s tired of the bruises, the cowboy mentality, and the animal rights activists who picket every event. And then there’s Jackson.

Graham and Jackson have been friends since they were boys. But ever since their drunken sexual encounter the year before, things have been awkward. Graham’s accepted that he might be gay, but no matter how attracted he is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off.

Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. And Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.

All they need is a bit of rope.

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Glen & Tyler’s Scottish Troubles by JB Sanders

Reviewed by Nikyta

Glen & Tyler's Scottish Troubles (Glen & Tyler, #2)Title: Glen & Tyler’s Scottish Troubles
Author: JB Sanders
Series: Glen & Tyler #2
Heroes: Glen & Tyler
Genre: M/M Contemporary/Humor
Length: 298 Hardcover pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 12, 2012
Available at: Lulu, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: In the second installment of the Glen & Tyler series, the guys find out what happens when you inherit a Scottish castle, tussle with international crime gangs and host formal balls. Yes, balls — with dancing and everything!

In typical Hardy Boys–er, Glen & Tyler fashion, there are secret passages, irascible old men, caves, missing treasure, fine liquor and kilts. Ok, the kilts thing is new — but believe me, you’ll like ‘em. Although there isn’t much hockey this time around, there is shinty*. There’s also some romantic anniversary thing, but really, stay for the shinty.

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger KC Burn: Favorite Romantic Heroes + Giveaway!

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A zombie, a vampire, and an alien walk into a bar…

Who would you want to read about getting their heart ripped out (figuratively) and put back together with a happily ever after?

Zombies as romantic heroes… hmmm. I love zombies. I adore zombie movies (I was even an extra in a funky little movie called Enter, Zombie King). Generally, though, the zombies are villains and any heroic hotness belongs to the humans trying to survive. A zombie as romance hero might qualify for one of my absurd, yet insurmountable mental blocks. Because in my mind, zombies = rotting flesh and I’m pretty sure I know which parts are going to be immediately vulnerable.

That’s right. Noses.

Okay, you got me. I was thinking of other bits, but it’s not my fault! We’re talking romance and sex is often a big factor. Of course, that does give me an idea for a bittersweet tragedy about a zombie eunuch… I’m sure there are some good books with zombie heroes out there, so if you’ve read some, let me know!

On to vampires. I certainly get the dark, broody, angsty appeal of vampires. But sometimes I have a hang-up with vampires as the romantic hero. They’re dead, ergo – no heartbeat. No heartbeat means no blood flow to some very important places, unless you’re interested in platonic, erectile-ly challenged love affairs (and generally, I‘m not). Yet somehow, vampires have done the wild thing with just about every species of supernatural being out there. Maybe not zombies. Talk about clash of the failing body parts! But seriously, vampires have done everyone and everything. Despite all the issues, I do love me a good vampire hero, probably because they have such potential to be inhuman and evil, and yet they’re still damn sexy.

Aliens have their own host of issues as romantic heroes. First, they need to be appealing, sexually, to humans. The odds of that happening are astronomical – no pun intended! But even assuming you have mutual zing, the bits that are supposed to feel good when rubbed up against another… well, they have to match up to some degree. Hooks or spikes or claws of any description could be an issue, as could bodily fluids that are caustic or otherwise incompatible with human physiology. Aliens are tricky as romantic heroes. You can’t get away with the original Star Trek grease-paint aliens anymore. I like aliens though. The challenge of developing an appealing alien hero is tempting both as a romance author and a sci-fi geek.

So tell me, what is your favourite? And you don’t have to limit it to these three. Cowboys, cops, werewolves, mermen, demons, Navy SEALS… all are welcome. What’s the one type of hero that will get you looking twice at a book, or will get you to buy a book regardless of anything else about it? For me, if the hero is blind, well, I don’t usually even read the blurb – it’s an easy sale. I don’t even know why I like blind heroes, but I do and I want them to get their happily ever after.

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About KC Burn

KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own — getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.

You can reach KC at her website, on Twitter or on Facebook.

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And to feed your TBR list, KC will be giving away a $20 gift certificate to Amazon or All Romance eBooks (winner’s choice)!

The giveaway starts now and will end next Sunday, April 27th, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below with your email address and you’re in!

Make sure to follow the blog for the winners’ announcement post or check back next Monday, April 28th, 2014, to see if you’ve won.

And don’t forget to stick around this week to see what we think of a few of KC’s books!

Good luck!

Categories: Author Week, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: , , | 43 Comments

Book Review: Partners by Lex Valentine & VJ Summers

Reviewed by JustJen

Partners (Shadows & Kink #1)Title: Partners
Author: Lex Valentine/VJ Summers
Series: Shadows & Kink #1
Heroes: Travis/Ian
Genre: M/M Dystopian
Length: 100 Pages
Publisher: Winterheart Books
Release Date: April 18, 2014
Available at: Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: TDA agents Travis Wilder and Ian Hawke are fuck ups. As members of a covert organization that battles terrorism in a world that’s lost its political, economic and social infrastructure, their job is to find and neutralize dangerous terrorists. But, neither Travis nor Ian have been able to complete a mission successfully in recent months. Travis kills his targets while Ian beds his. In an effort to save his two best agents, their handler makes them partners.

Ian, with his upper-crust British accent and flirty behavior is everything that attracts Travis and repels him at the same time. For Ian, the taciturn, domineering former Force Recon officer represents a temptation he knows better than to succumb to. But working and living together builds a unique bond between the two. As sexual tension spirals higher between them, as their secrets and kinks are revealed, their need for each other becomes undeniable. They’re two broken men forced into a partnership neither of them wants…a partnership guaranteed to be their salvation or their destruction.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Dixon’s Duty by Jenna Byrnes

Reviewed by Susan65

Dixon’s Duty (Kansas City Heat #1)Title: Dixon’s Duty
Author: Jenna Byrnes
Series: Kansas City Heat #1
Heroes: James “Dix” Dixon and Bryan Scott
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 32,278 words
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: April 11, 2014
Available at: Totally Bound
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: This is book one in the Kansas City Heat series, see the full series listing here

A serial rapist and murderer on the loose. Will Kansas City’s finest solve the case before the madman strikes again?

Detective James Dixon is determined to track down the most recent serial killer terrorizing the people of Kansas City. The chase leads him to the Last Chance Bar and Grille, where he meets and immediately falls for the sexy owner, Bryan Scott. But things at the bar aren’t exactly as they seem.

No one there remembers seeing the latest victim the night before she was brutally murdered. So why do the clues keep pointing back to the Last Chance? When the attacks strike close to home, Dix and Bryan must work together to save the next victim and whatever chance they have for happiness. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dirty Ross by Sandrine Gasq-Dion: Excerpt + Giveaway

Release - Promo Banner

An Excerpt from Dirty Ross (Assassin/Shifter #22)

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

“Hello, Mount Everest. I’ve got my pickaxe and rope.”

Ross couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. Cole was back in full form. Ross turned slowly and eyed the man from head to toe. Jesus, Cole looked good enough to bang. His inner wolf was screaming mine, mine MINE! Shit, he really needed to get laid, and soon. Ross reeled in his wolf and relaxed against the bar, smiling.

“Conditions are grave on the peak tonight, my friend.”

“I’ve got my arctic tent, too.” Cole waggled his brows.

“What’ll ya have, Cole?” PJ asked.

“The man in front of me.” Cole licked his lips, giving Ross Collins a once over.

“Now, Cole, I’ve told you I don’t do ménages.” PJ pointed a finger at Cole.

Ross cracked up. “I’ll have a beer, PJ.”

“That’s good, PJ, because I don’t share.” Cole leaned in to Ross’ face. “What’s mine is mine.”

Oh hell. Ross leaned back a little, their eyes locked and his dick sat up and took notice. Cole oozed sexuality and alpha male. Hot damn

“Ross?”

Ross glanced over his shoulder. “Huh?”

“Your beer?” PJ grinned.

Ross took it and before he could pull his wallet out, Cole had paid for it.

“This one’s on me, Soldier.” Cole winked.

Ross held up the beer. “This is no way gives you a pass into my pants, Ryker.”

“Oh, I know. I’m going to go stock up on cold weather gear. Conditions are downright frosty tonight.” Cole shivered.

Ross cracked a smile. “Isn’t there some other guy you’d like to bend over tonight?”

Cole leaned in until he was a hairs breath from Ross’ lips. “I don’t devote this much time and energy to something that comes easily, Ross. As I said, I’m getting ready for a long hike up a steep slope.” Cole stepped back and grabbed his beer off the bar. “See you around, Collins.”

blogger_bee_transAbout Dirty Ross

Dirty Ross (Assassin/Shifter, #22)Book 22 in the Assassin/Shifter Series

Cole Ryker has been a man on a mission since the second he laid eyes on tall, dark and dirty-talking Ross Collins. That mission? To get the macho Delta Force soldier into his bed and out of his head, putting an end to his obsession. When Ross finally agrees to a date, Cole is overjoyed – and, frankly, rather surprised. Ross is like no man he’s ever met. When one date leads to another and another, the men struggle to sort out their feelings.

Ross Collins is in full command of everything in his life. When Cole Ryker hits on him – and keeps hitting on him – something in Ross is drawn to the confident firefighter and the uncertainty that comes with letting someone else take the lead. Time with Cole is intoxicating, unlike anything Ross could have imagined. He’s falling fast and Cole is right there with him.

But everyone has secrets, don’t they? Ross is hiding the fact that he’s a werewolf, and Cole is terrified his own past relationship will ruin any chance he has of finding happiness with Ross. There’s also the matter of a man from Ross’ past who’s pretty determined to stake his own claim on the soldier.

Truths explode as quickly and terrifying as a five-alarm fire, putting relationships in jeopardy and loved ones in danger. Is there an escape or will their love turn to ashes?

Available at: Amazon

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About Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Sandrine (Sandy) was born in Inglewood, California. Raised by “Old School” French parents, she later moved to Tucson, AZ. It was there that writing became a hobby. Always told she had a great imagination, Sandy wrote short stories for her friends in High School. In college, she took more writing classes while working on her Criminal Justice degree, but it wasn’t until a soap opera caught her eye that she got involved in male on male romances. On the advice of a friend, Sandy dipped her toes into the world of M/M Romance. Sandy takes the writing seriously and has had countless conversations with gay men as well as hours of research. She’s been involved with the military in one way or another for over twenty years, and has a great deal of respect for our men in uniform. She’s traveled the world, but is currently enjoying the South.

You can find Sandy on her Website, Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

The prizes in this blog tour are Star Wars Wedding Bands, TEN $10 gift cards to Amazon and TEN eBook winners for books 1 & 2 in the series (A Marked Man & Alaska, With Love) just click the link below to enter!

Rafflecopter giveaway

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 but will still be welcome anyway.

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

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Dirty Ross by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Reviewed by Susan65

Dirty Ross (Assassin/Shifter, #22)Title: Dirty Ross
Author: Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Series: Assassin-Shifter #22
Heroes: Ross Collins and Cole Ryker
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 282 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Cole Ryker has been a man on a mission since the second he laid eyes on tall, dark and dirty-talking Ross Collins. That mission? To get the macho Delta Force soldier into his bed and out of his head, putting an end to his obsession. When Ross finally agrees to a date, Cole is overjoyed – and, frankly, rather surprised. Ross is like no man he’s ever met. When one date leads to another and another, the men struggle to sort out their feelings.

Ross Collins is in full command of everything in his life. When Cole Ryker hits on him – and keeps hitting on him – something in Ross is drawn to the confident firefighter and the uncertainty that comes with letting someone else take the lead. Time with Cole is intoxicating, unlike anything Ross could have imagined. He’s falling fast and Cole is right there with him.

But everyone has secrets, don’t they? Ross is hiding the fact that he’s a werewolf, and Cole is terrified his own past relationship will ruin any chance he has of finding happiness with Ross. There’s also the matter of a man from Ross’ past who’s pretty determined to stake his own claim on the soldier.

Truths explode as quickly and terrifying as a five-alarm fire, putting relationships in jeopardy and loved ones in danger. Is there an escape or will their love turn to ashes?

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

April Author Week + Other News!

We have a lot to talk about in this post but fortunately it’ll be short and sweet!

The author of April’s Author Week took a while to decide on. After dozens of suggestions, we finally settled on one name that we’re all excited to dedicate this week to. We’re very excited to have her on TBG this week and I think y’all will be thrilled, too, when you see what kind of giveaway she’s bringing!

Who’s the lucky author? You’ll never guess! But that’s only because you don’t have to!

K.C. Burn is our author of the week! Woohoo! We’re all looking forward to this week so we hope you are too!

Now onto other business!

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Heather’s Challenge Week was, of course, a success! Here’s a quick break-down of what was picked:

Heather picked:

Life Lessons by Kaje Harper for JustJen (4.5 stars)
Downtime by Tamara Allen for Nikyta (4.5 stars)
Kindred Hearts by Rowan Speedwell for Susan65 (3.5 stars)

Voter’s pick for Heather:

Texas Pride by Kindle Alexander for Heather C (4 stars)

All around a pretty good week and Heather’s already gotten in her ‘I told ya so’!

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Now, onto poll results! It was a close run this time! But the winner of the poll, which determines what Nikyta will be reading for our May Challenge Week is… The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles, which had 33% of the votes! Thank you to everyone who participated and stick around so you can take part in our next poll!

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Lastly, it’s time to announce the winner of an eBook copy of Bad Influence by K.A. Mitchell. The winner is…

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Categories: Author Week, Giveaways, Polls | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

KC Burn Week Review: Pen Name – Doctor Chicken

Reviewed by Heather C

18740213Title: Pen Name – Doctor Chicken
Author: KC Burn
Heroes: Stratford & Vinnie
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 63,463 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sometimes Stratford Dale feels like Doctor Chicken consumes his life. It’s his pen name for a series of wildly popular children’s books. They were his brainchild; he meant for them to be a way to pay his many bills while he pursued his dream of publishing graphic novels. But the Doctor Chicken contract was a raw deal. Instead, he churns out book after book for a pittance, leaving him broke and no closer to his dreams.

Stratford’s dreams of love have fared no better, but he’s still trying. After yet another disastrous date, he’s intrigued by a man going into a cooking class—so he takes the class too. Vinnie Giani is a successful, self-made man who is charmed by Stratford’s bow ties, sharp humor, and clumsiness—which leads to an opportunity to take Stratford in for stitches. Vinnie is, above all, responsible, having taken on the care of his mother and sisters from a young age. Perhaps it’s natural when he begins to treat Stratford more as a child who needs a parent than as an equal partner. But when Vinnie tries to “fix” Stratford’s career woes—including the Doctor Chicken problem—and ends up making the situation worse, their fledgling relationship may not withstand the the strain created by blame and lies.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Challenge Week Review: Life Lessons by Kaje Harper

Reviewed by JustJen

Life Lessons (Life Lessons, #1)Title: Life Lessons
Author: Kaje Harper
Series: Life Lessons #1
Heroes: Anthony “Tony” Hart/Jared “Mac” MacLean
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 276 Pages
Publisher: MLR Press
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Available at: MLR Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooksBarnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Tony Hart’s life has been quiet lately. He has good friends and a rewarding teaching job. Then the murdered body of another teacher falls into the elevator at his feet, and Tony’s life gets a little too exciting.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Challenge Book Week, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment