Posts Tagged With: Bullying

Book Review: Scott by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey

Reviewed by Susan65

scottTitle: Scott
Authors: RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Series: Owatanna U Hockey #2
Heroes: Scott & Hayne
Genre: MM Contemporary YA
Length: 152 Words
Publisher: Love Lane Books Limited
Release Date: March 27, 2019
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: What happens when you try to fix the past and end up threatening your future?

Scott is struggling. Grieving the loss of his brother, carrying the weight of his father’s expectations, and getting his ass kicked in the rink, he’s in a downward spiral. He needs a solution and fast, but when his steroid use is exposed, he’s close to losing his place at Owatonna and more importantly, on the Eagles Hockey team. Thrown out of his house, with nowhere to go and no future in sight, he only has one choice; agree to mandatory counseling, random drug tests, and get his act together. Only then will he have a chance at normal. Meeting Hayne, a senior connected to the world through his art, is a shock to the system. Moving in with him is his only option, but falling for the shy artist leaves Scott in an impossible situation, and one he can’t escape.

Hayne has always been that quiet, creative kid who sat in the back of class drawing instead of listening to the teacher. A talented artist, the shy and sensitive young man is struggling with the loss of his childhood friend. Seeing his sadness reflected in his usually colorful paintings, he decides to attend grief counseling and meets Scott, a lost soul in desperate need of light and color in his life. Taking in a homeless hockey player certainly was never part of his carefully orchestrated ten-year plan. But now that Scott is in his life, he’s discovering the joy of this man’s loving smile and tender touch is one of the most beautiful palettes on earth.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Edge of Forever by Barbara Elsborg

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Edge of Forever
Author: Barbara Elsorg
Series: N/A
Heroes: Pasha/Levi
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 279 Pages
Publisher: Barbara Elsborg
Release Date: May 31, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When you stand on the edge, you might just find yourself falling.

Teaching Russians how to be cowboys? Levi thinks his father is joking when he tells him that’s what he wants him to do for the next six months. Working in the frozen desolation of southwest Russia he’ll earn enough to buy a new barn for their Montana ranch. But there’s a deeper agenda for sending him to the edge of nowhere. It will stop him sloping off on Saturday nights to gay bars and clubs for threesomes with strangers.

Pasha finally pushes his father too far and is banished to a remote ranch in the middle of a snowy Russian winter. Stripped of all the trappings of his privileged Moscow lifestyle, he has nothing at his disposal but a suitcase of designer clothes and a whole lot of sass. Pasha hates the countryside, hates physical work, hates the cold and hates cows. But de-prived of money, phone, and access to anyone who might help him, he’s screwed and not in a good way.

Levi’s counting down the days till he can return to the States and his Saturday night hook-ups. Then Pasha arrives at the ranch wearing eyeliner, retching every time he walks into a barn, and Levi is amused, irritated—and attracted. After a vicious attack on Pasha throws them into close quarters, both men are forced to re-evaluate not just who the other is, but whether they truly want to return to the lives they left behind.

When you stand on the edge, you just might find yourself falling in love.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: In the Desert by Elliot Joyce

Reviewed by Ami

Title: In the Desert
Author: Elliot Joyce
Series: States of Love
Heroes: Wren/Felipe
Genre: Contemporary YA
Length: 106 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 4, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Can a Navajo trans teen and a nerdy Catholic find the place they belong… and maybe themselves? In the desert, anything is possible….

When Wren came out as transgender before his senior year, it cost him most of his friends. His father hopes joining a Boy Scout troop might help Wren meet other young men his age and be accepted for who he is.

Felipe Nieves wants the new guy in the troop to feel comfortable, and he reaches out to Wren. They become fast friends… with something more beneath the surface. Those feelings confuse Felipe, since his religion considers this a sin—and he’s always assumed he was straight—but he can’t help pining for Wren. Asking him out will take courage, and getting together won’t be easy… but through their friendship, both young men might find their identities… and learn to embrace them in a unique coming-of-age story set against the beauty of the American Southwest.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Two Man Station by Lisa Henry

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Two Man Station
Author: Lisa Henry
Series: Emergency Services #1
Heroes: Gio Valeri/Jason Quinn
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 273 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: January 22, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Gio Valeri is a big city police officer who’s been transferred to the small outback town of Richmond with his professional reputation in tatters. His transfer is a punishment, and Gio just wants to keep his head down and survive the next two years. No more mistakes. No more complications.

Except Gio isn’t counting on Jason Quinn.

Jason Quinn, officer in charge of Richmond Station, is a single dad struggling with balancing the demands of shift work with the challenges of raising his son. The last thing he needs is a new senior constable with a history of destroying other people’s careers. But like it or not, Jason has to work with Gio.

In a remote two man station hours away from the next town, Gio and Jason have to learn to trust and rely on each another. Close quarters and a growing attraction mean that the lines between professional and personal are blurring. And even in Richmond, being a copper can be dangerous enough without risking their hearts as well.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Going Overboard by L.A. Witt

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Going Overboard
Author: L.A. Witt
Series: Anchor Point #5
Heroes: Dalton/Chris
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 259 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: February 5, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Second-class petty officers Dalton Taylor and Chris Ingram have been best friends since coxswain’s school. Now they’re stationed together in the harbor patrol unit of NAS Adams. They’re content as friends, but secretly, they both ache for more. Neither makes a move, though; while Dalton is out and proud, Chris is closeted—even from his best friend.

Then another coxswain’s negligence nearly drowns Dalton. After a taste of how easily they could lose each other, neither man can keep his feelings hidden anymore, and it turns out love and sex come easy when you’re falling for your best friend.

Things aren’t just heating up between the friends-turned-lovers, though. The Navy is investigating the accident, and the harbor patrol chief isn’t going to let his star coxswain go down for dereliction of duty, even if saving him means throwing Dalton under the bus.

As the threats and gaslighting pile up, Chris and Dalton need each other more than ever—as shipmates, friends, and lovers. But if their chief prevails, the only way they can save their careers is to let each other go.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: OUT! by J.L. Merrow

Reviewed by Morgan

Title: OUT!
Author: J.L. Merrow
Narrator: Mark Steadman
Series: The Shamwell Tales #3
Heroes: Mark Nugent/Patrick Owen
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 7 Hours, 51 Minutes
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: October 19, 2017
Available at: Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When the costs are added up, will love land in the black?

Mark Nugent has spent his life in the closet—at least, the small part of it he hasn’t spent in the office. Divorced when he could no longer deny his sexuality, he’s sworn off his workaholic ways and moved to Shamwell with his headstrong teen daughter to give her a stable home environment.

His resolve to put his love life on hold is severely tested when he joins a local organization and meets a lively yet intense young man who tempts him closer to the closet threshold.

Patrick Owen is an out-and-proud charity worker with strong principles—and a newly discovered weakness for an older man. One snag: Mark is adamant he’s not coming out to his daughter, and Patrick will be damned if he’s going to start a relationship with a lie.

Between Mark’s old-fashioned attitudes and a camp, flirtatious ex-colleague who wants Mark for himself, Patrick wonders if they’ll ever be on the same romantic page. And when Mark’s former career as a tax advisor clashes with Patrick’s social conscience, it could be the one stumbling block they can’t get past.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Heroes & Villains by Harper Kingsley

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Heroes & Villains
Author: Harper Kingsley
Series: Heroes & Villains #1
Heroes: Blue Ice & Darkstar
Genre: M/M Paranormal/Fantasy
Length: 130k+ words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: All Vereint ever wanted was to be a superhero, fight alongside the other great heroes of the city and beat down the villains that plague them. There’s just one problem: he sucks at it, at least according to the other heroes and the majority of the city. Instead of the greatness and glory of which he dreamed, Vereint spends his days alone, exhausted, and depressed.

When the mockery and derision finally go too far, Vereint decides he’s reached his limit. If he’s never going to be good enough to succeed as the hero Starburst, maybe it’s time to try the role of villain instead …
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Off Base by Annabeth Albert

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Off Base
Author: Annabeth Albert
Series: Out of Uniform #1
Heroes: Zack Nelson/Pike Reynolds
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 304 Pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: January 19, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  After trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate—especially not Pike, who sees things about Zack he most wants to hide. Pike’s flirting puts virgin Zack on edge. And the questions Pike’s arrival would spark from Zack’s teammates about his own sexuality? Nope. Not going there. But Zack can’t refuse.

Pike Reynolds knows there won’t be a warm welcome in his new home. What can he say? He’s an acquired taste. But he needs this chance to get his life together. Also, teasing the uptight SEAL will be hella fun. Still, Pike has to tread carefully; he’s had his fill of tourists in the past, and he can’t risk his heart on another, not even one as hot, as built—and, okay, yeah, as adorable—as Zack.

Living with Pike crumbles Zack’s restraint and fuels his curiosity. He discovers how well they fit together in bed…in the shower…in the hallway… He needs Pike more than he could have imagined, yet he doesn’t know how to be the man Pike deserves.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Break My Shell by K.A. Merikan

Reviewed by JustJen

32602191Title: Break My Shell
Author: K.A. Merikan
Heroes: Dayton/Max
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 207 Pages
Publisher: Acerbi and Villani, Ltd.
Release Date: December 7, 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  — He was supposed to never leave prison. And then he was in my bedroom. —

Dayton is always on time to work, always organized, always ready to do overtime. The perfect receptionist-waiter-cleaner. Employee of the month. But Dayton has a secret side to him. A kinky, filthy side full of dark and dangerous fantasies that should never see the light of day.

He explores his taste for submission in one way only. For three years, he’s been writing letters about it to Max. Convicted to life in prison for the murder of three men and unlikely to ever be free, Max is the safest outlet for Dayton’s frustrated fantasies.

Only that he does leave prison. He finds Dayton. And he won’t settle for anything less than what he was promised in the letters. Too bad Dayton is nowhere near ready to indulge Max. Or himself for that matter.

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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Snowballs and Candy Canes by Charlie Richards

Reviewed by Morgan 

33403780Title: Snowballs and Candy Canes
Author: Charlie Richards
Series: Carry Me #6
Heroes: Coal Roper/Hank Parsons
Genre: MM Holiday
Length: 45 Pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: December 24, 2016
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  The holidays can be a special time, filled with unexpected magic.

Coal Roper is a queen and wears it boldly. Unfortunately, openly expressing himself does not come without some dangers. As not only the economics professor, but the drama production manager, he interacts with plenty of people, not all of them friendly. When a group of students begins to harass him, most of the staff turns a blind eye…all except one. Hank Parsons is a huge hulk of a man who teaches health classes, sports medicine, and acts as the wrestling coach. He’s just the kind of man Coal normally stays well clear of. When the man keeps popping up at odd times to help him, Coal isn’t certain what to make of the man…until the incident with the mistletoe. Can a little holiday magic help Coal look past the fears from his upbringing?
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2016, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment