Posts Tagged With: addiction

Book Review: A Gorgeous Mess by Layla Wolfe

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: A Gorgeous Mess
Author: Layla Wolfe
Series: The Bent Zealots MC #2
Heroes: Anson/Ormond
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 250 Pages
Publisher: Layla Wolfe
Release Date: February 26, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.
ANSON: I was just a mercenary back from fighting the good fight overseas. I was on a quest for my father, my roots, looking for answers. Turk Blackburn, Bent Zealots MC Prez, ordered me on a fresh operation to prove myself, my guts, my valor. Infiltrate the Navajo Rez and find out who is claiming the Zealots’ turf, using kids to cook drugs.

My partner is the famous badge slut, Ormond Tangier, known far and wide for his mad oral skills, his subservience to anyone in uniform. Mercenaries don’t wear badges, but my dominant side soon has me all over that seductive Spanish servant. A man may as well have a few laughs while on a fatal mission. Because these things never end pleasantly.

ORMOND: I was flung into a life-or-death battle against the slimy Iceman, leader of a rival MC. Iceman is running all sorts of questionable ops on Bent Zealots land, and now Anson and I have to prove our street creds just to stake a claim in our own backyard.

I’m a friend of cops, firemen, and soldiers alike, but suddenly I only want one man ordering me around. Anson Dineyazzie, macho half-breed hired gun, has stolen more than just my heart. This was never supposed to happen.

ANSON: I swear I’m never falling for that service bottom Ormond. I’m accomplishing this op and going back to Afghanistan. But I have to wrest control of this Rez land from Iceman and the lethal hit man who has been trailing us. I’d bury anyone who got between me and Ormond. Does that mean I’m in love? God, I hope not. Don’t think I can take that again. Just need to get back onto the open road and blow the dust from my soul.

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

Book Review: A Clean Break by Keira Andrews

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: A Clean Break
Author: Keira Andrews
Series: Gay Amish Romance #2
Heroes: David/Isaac
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 245 Pages
Publisher: KA Books
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  They’ve escaped to the outside world—but can they really be free?
David and Isaac have found happiness in each other’s arms. In faraway San Francisco, Isaac’s brother Aaron helps them explore confusing “English” life and move beyond the looming shadow of their Amish roots. For the first time, David and Isaac can be openly gay, yet they struggle to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. At least they don’t have to hide their relationship, which should make everything easier. Right?

But while Isaac thrives at school and makes new friends, David wrestles to come to terms with the reality of the outside world. Haunted by guilt at leaving his mother and sisters behind in Zebulon, he’s overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the city as he works to get his carpentry business off the ground.

While David and Isaac finally sleep side by side each night, fear and insecurity could drive them miles apart.

This is the second chapter in a trilogy of forbidden Amish love. This book features explicit sex and is not an inspirational/Christian novel.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Tap Out by Cat Grant

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Tap Out
Author: Cat Grant
Series: Bannon’s Gym #3
Heroes: Tom Delaney/Travis Gallagher
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 202 Pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
As a child, Tom Delaney did the best he could to protect his mother from his abusive father, but her eventual suicide left him a guarded and wary man who’s still carrying around a metric ton of baggage.

At Bannon’s Gym, Tom learned how to take back his power, and found love with fellow mixed martial arts fighter Travis Gallagher. Yet Tom can’t bring himself to take their relationship to the next level. Not if moving in together means leaving behind Gloria, his surrogate mom, who’s desperately ill.

When Gloria’s son, Eddie, hires an out-of-work nurse to care for Gloria, Tom is out of excuses—and afraid he’s being pushed out of his family of choice. That fear explodes in a violent sparring session that leaves Travis with a broken nose and Tom on the brink of getting booted out of Bannon’s Gym for good.

When tragedy strikes, Tom realizes it’ll take more than fists to conquer his fears, or he risks losing everything—his fighting career, his family, and the man he loves.

Warning: Sweat- and testosterone-drenched alpha males ahead! More angst than an entire season of Downton Abbey! Wear a helmet—this could get messy!
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Two Gentlemen of Altona by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: The Two Gentlemen of Altona
Authors: Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock
Series: Playing the Fool #1
Heroes: Ryan “Mac” McGuinness/Henry Page
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 215 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Mischief, thou art afoot.

Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.

Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.

When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Outcome by Cara Dee

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Outcome
Author: Cara Dee
Series: Aftermath #2
Heroes: Remy/Chase
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 245 Pages
Publisher: Cara Dee
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Three years ago, Chase Gallardo ran toward freedom with his fellow survivors after having spent five months in captivity. He hasn’t stopped running since. Only now, it’s the memories he’s constantly trying to escape. Haunting echoes of a man who forced Chase to play the part of another, the kidnapper’s younger brother. Chase may have survived, but that doesn’t mean he’s really living. Until one day, when his employee tells him there’s a man sitting at the bar, wearing only underwear.

Remy Stahl has given up—almost. For a year, alcohol, drugs, and faces without names have kept him company. But he has two friends who refuse to give up on him, and they lock him up in his house in an attempt to save him from himself. Though, never underestimate an addict’s desire to see the bottom of another bottle. Remy escapes, and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass that he’s nearly naked.

This is the sequel to Aftermath, where Cam and Austin met, struggled, and fell in love. Outcome takes us back to Bakersfield with Chase and Remy’s story. Fueled by anger, guilt, and shame, they’re not off to an easy start. But it’s only a matter of time before they learn how much they need each other in order to move on.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Paused by Bryan Keating

Reviewed by JustJen

3Title: Paused
Author: Bryan Keating
Heroes: Taylor Quinn/
Genre: MM/FF Contemporary
Length: 320 Pages
Publisher: Bryan Keating
Release Date: July 28, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  After ditching a flight for a new adventure, former, reality television star, Taylor Quinn, is scrambling the colorful streets of Chicago with notorious addictions. Taylor quickly begins dating a privileged drug dealer who unknowingly provides him with the necessities he desires. Just as he starts to better his future, Taylor’s destructive roommate reenters his life and the two struggle to feed their addiction to addictions. Unfortunately, Taylor consistently causes chaos into the lives of his loved ones as he strives for an escape.

In separate but intertwined stories, Taylor’s best friend, Adrienne Ponziano and his favorite frenemy, Lynn Riley, have impulsive adventures of their own. Adrienne, while unhappily engaged, romances numerous men in hopes of gaining the true love she desires. Her actions activate her hidden family history sending her on a chase around Illinois. Closet, lipstick lesbian Lynn turns towards online dating websites to explore her hidden sexuality. Her double life leads her to a mischievous woman connected to everyone she seems to know.
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Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Debut Authors, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: The Last Thing He Needs by J.H. Knight

Reviewed by Susan65

22594999Title:  The Last Thing He Needs
Author:  J.H. Knight
Heroes: Tommy O’Shea/Bobby McAlister
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 220 Pages
Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 28, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters without any help from his drug abusing father and stepmother. Since he was fifteen years old, he’s managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further.

Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn’t belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments.

Tommy isn’t used to trusting outsiders, and he’s never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O’Shea family and threatens everything he’s fought for, he’ll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Melysious Intent by R.L. Rushing

Guest Reviewed by Candace

10Title: Melysious Intent
Author: R.L. Rushing
Series: Cursed Existence Collection #3
Heroine/Hero: Melysa Makenzie/Gabriel Soileau
Genre: M/F Paranormal
Length: 208 Pages
Publisher: R.L. Rushing
Release Date: July 2, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Melysious Intent serves as the back story of Melysa Makenzie, a mind reader. It takes place before she’s thrust into the hellhole which is Ledger Headquarters.

Recovering from physical scars that pale in comparison to the jagged emotional reminders left behind by her drug addicted boyfriend, Melysa Makenzie meets a breathtakingly handsome man named Gabriel Soileau who is intent on showing her a love she has never before known. Due to a life altering encounter, ArtWorx, the advertising firm by which she is employed as a graphic designer, scores a once in a lifetime contract with Gabriel’s revolutionary new airline. When Melysa, not only walks away with the grand prize, but also the clients heart and soul, her co-workers are none too happy. As she works to expand the HydroAir brand, outside forces work to take her down. Is her life at risk simply because of jilted ex co-workers, or is it because she is a telepath?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Breaking Free by Cat Grant

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Breaking Free
Author: Cat Grant
Series: A Guarded Novel
Heroes: Richard/Robert/Jase
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 204 Pages
Publisher: Cat Grant Books
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Available at: Cat Grant Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Richard Carr has the kind of life most people would envy. Partner in a major Los Angeles law firm, married to the man of his dreams, Richard seems to have it made – except for the lie he’s been living for the past forty-odd years.

On special nights, in the company of kinky friends, Richard disappears inside Renee, his sexy, dominatrix alter-ego. Strong, sassy and flirtatious in her red and black corset, Renee is who Richard truly is on the inside – and who he longs to be outside of the dungeon.

But starting his – her – transition doesn’t provide the relief Renee had hoped for. Her business partners demand that she go back to dressing as a man at the office, while Robert, her husband and fellow Dominant, can’t conceal his shock as the man he married disappears a little bit more every day.

Their one true point of connection remains in the dungeon – in the person of Jase Hewitt, the submissive they both share. But when a devastating tragedy shatters Jase and sends him running to his Masters for comfort, it quickly becomes apparent that Robert’s love for Jase extends far beyond their Dom/sub roles…

And Renee faces a choice – abandon her journey toward becoming the person she truly is inside, or risk losing the man she loves.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Forty-Two Stairs by A.F. Henley

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Forty-Two Stairs
Author: A.F. Henley
Heroes: Owen/Sebastian
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 44k words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: June 25, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Owen has been struggling with addiction since he was a teenager, but it takes a DUI involving another vehicle for him to finally face his issues. The road to recovery is a rough one, and for Owen it’s a journey made harder by bankruptcy, loneliness, and repressed memories.

His new apartment doesn’t help either. It’s small, worn, and hot as hell. The only way to reach it is a tedious stretch of stairs that seems like the final insult on top of a whole pile of misery. Thankfully, the mess comes with one bright spot: intense, pretty Sebastian, who seems to have a knack for keeping his head up and finding the beauty in everything.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment