Posts Tagged With: Abuse

Book Review: King of Dublin by Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau

Reviewed by JustJen

ARC fullcoverTitle: King of Dublin
Author: Lisa Henry, Heidi Belleau
Heroes:  Darragh/Ciaran
Genre: M/M Dystopian
Length: 382 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date:  February 24, 2014
Available at: Riptide PublishingAmazonBarnes and Noble & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Twenty years after a deadly pandemic ravaged the world, Darragh Fergus Anluan and the people of his village have carved out a hard but simple life in the Irish countryside. But with winter comes sickness, and Darragh must travel to Dublin in search of medicine. What he finds there is a ruined city ruled by a madman, where scavenging is punishable by death . . . or conscription.

Ciaran Daly came to Ireland with aid and optimism, but instead was enslaved by the so-called King of Dublin. After months of abuse from the king and his men, he has no reason to believe this newcomer will be any different. Except Ciaran finds himself increasingly drawn to Darragh, whose brutish looks mask how sweet and gentle he really is.

The tenderness Darragh feels for the king’s treasured pet is treason, but it’s hardly the only betrayal brewing in this rotten kingdom. Rebellions and rival gangs threaten the king’s power, but not nearly as much as Darragh and Ciaran—whose only hope for freedom is the fall of the king.

* This title contains the following sensitive themes: dubious consent, explicit violence and non-consent.* Continue reading

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

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

Book Review: Abel – Hearts in Chaos by CJ Bishop

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Abel – Hearts in Chaos
Author: CJ Bishop
Series: Phoenix Club#2
Heroes: Abel Sims and Devlin Grant
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 108 Pages
Publisher: Rascal Hearts
Release Date: February 6, 2014
Available at: Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Devastated after learning his abuser (and the man he killed in self-defense) was Dr. Devlin Grant’s much beloved brother, Abel feels he can no longer have anything to do with the man because of his secret.

Now locked into his agreement with Horatio Kaplan – and suffering heart break over Devlin – Abel finds no purpose in his life except taking care of Savannah. When Devlin refuses to be put off and insists Abel tell him the truth of why he is suddenly pushing him away, Abel must make the hard decision of whether or not to expose the hideous acts of Devlin’s brother – and shatter the man’s heart. Continue reading

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

Sleuth Week Review: Deadly Descendant by Jenna Black

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Deadly Descendant
Author: Jenna Black
Series: Nikki Glass #2
Heroine: Nikki & Jamaal
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Available at: Pocket, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: An ancient evil is unleashed in the modern world— unless one fearless P.I. can hunt it down. . . . Nikki Glass, Immortal Huntress, returns in this new novel in the acclaimed series by Jenna Black.

As a living descendant of Artemis the Huntress, private investigator Nikki Glass knows how to track someone down. But when an Oracle shows up, warning the Descendants about wild dog attacks in Washington, D.C., Nikki is afraid it might be a trap. The Olympians believe the “dogs” are really jackals, controlled by a blood-crazed descendant of the Egyptian death-god Anubis. Whatever. . . . If Nikki hopes to muzzle Dogboy, she’s got to catch him in the act. But when she stakes out a local cemetery, she ends up face-to-snout with a snarling pack of shadow-jackals whose bite is worse than their bark. These hellhounds are deadly—even for an immortal like Nikki. “Dog” spelled backward may be “god,” but that won’t stop Nikki from teaching these old gods some new tricks. Like playing dead. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2012, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sleuth Week Review: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Dark Descendant
Author: Jenna Black
Series: Nikki Glass #1
Heroine: Nikki Glass & a Secret Love Interest
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Available at: Pocket, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . . . Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2011, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Abel by CJ Bishop

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Abel
Author: CJ Bishop
Heroes: Devlin Grant and Abel Sims
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 134 pages
Publisher: Rascal Hearts
Release Date: January 23, 2014
Available Free at: Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: 19-year-old Abel Sims – hot, sexy stripper – is a favorite at the gay strip club The Phoenix. Having no family but his 16-year-old sister, Savannah, and coming from the streets – The Phoenix club has become his home, the other boys his close-knit family.

Abel doesn’t trust the outside world and is content to remain within his safe haven. But when an overzealous customer sends Abel to the ER, he meets young, handsome Dr. Devlin Grant – and the instant attraction he feels for the man stirs up the nightmares of his past, causing him to resist his new feelings. Yet it becomes impossible to avoid the doctor when Savannah gets sick and ends up in his care.

And just when his heart is ready to trust this new found love – Abel is confronted with a disturbing fact about the doctor that reaches deep into his past and his nightmares. An emotionally charged, sexy, heart-wrenching love story that will break your heart, then put it back together again. Continue reading

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

Book Review: Rare by Garrett Leigh

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Rare
Author: Garrett Leigh
Series: Roads #2
Heroes: Ash Fagin and Pete Adams
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 17, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.

Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.

Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted. Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Wrong Side of Right by Nya Rawlyns

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: The Wrong Side of Right
Author: Nya Rawlyns
Heroes: Tony/Aidan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 210 Pages
Publisher: PubRight
Release Date: May 27, 2013
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Tony Mitchell is a loner who spends most of his life staying low, denying who and what he is until Aiden Caldwell walks into the shop and changes everything. Tony thinks his new supervisor hates his guts, but that doesn’t keep Tony from dreaming and yearning. His fantasies drive him to follow the older man, revealing a secret that only confounds Tony’s obsession.

Conflicted and confused, Tony falls under the spell of a man called Tank who leads Tony down a dark path of seduction and dangerous cravings. Under Tank’s guidance, Tony learns to suspend reality, to succumb. The one thing he doesn’t learn is how to say no.

Aiden Caldwell pulls Tony from the precipice but not from the addiction that threatens to consume the young man.

In the matter of love and trust, can two men intent on hiding their most secret selves find common ground as fate and their own tumultuous pasts conspire to tear them apart? Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments