Posts Tagged With: Closeted

Book Review: The Law of Attraction by Jay Northcote

Reviewed by JustJen

28365986Title: The Law of Attraction
Author: Jay Northcote
Heroes: Alec Rowland/Ed Piper
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 173 Pages
Publisher: Jaybird Press
Release Date: February 5, 2016
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When a professional relationship turns personal, it’s impossible to resist the law of attraction.

Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm whose career is his life. He doesn’t have time for relationships and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec’s world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning—as the new temp on his team.

Ed Piper is desperate to prove himself in his new job. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by a crush on his boss. It’s hard to ignore the attraction he feels, even though Alec’s a difficult bastard to work for.

Both men strive to maintain a professional relationship, but tempers fray, passions ignite, and soon they’re both falling hard and fast. If they’re ever going to find a way to be together, Alec needs to be honest about who he really is because Ed won’t go back in the closet for anyone.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Love Complicated by Teegan Loy

Reviewed by Morgan 

25340816Title: Love Complicated
Author: Teegan Loy
Series: Game, Set, Match #1
Heroes: Jalen Martin/Austin Suter
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 280 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 11, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Life is all about making choices. Some are complicated. Some are simple. But for eighteen-year-old Jalen Marten, none are easy. Jalen has managed to stay invisible for his entire high school career. He has a small group of friends, and it’s enough for him. He doesn’t want or crave attention from his peers. All Jalen wants is to survive high school.

Austin Suter is the hot, talented tennis player who has the entire school bowing at his feet. Girls routinely throw themselves at him, and boys like Jalen stay the hell out of his way. Austin is destined for greatness on the world stage of professional tennis.

The kiss between them wasn’t supposed to happen. Falling in love definitely hadn’t been part of Jalen’s plan.

And when Austin turns pro, Jalen begins to realize that the choices he makes will affect Austin’s life. One wrong choice and Austin’s career could be over before it really begins. Jalen is not sure where he fits, or even if he fits at all in Austin’s life. But the more complicated things become, the less the idea of being apart appeals. Love should simplify things, not complicate them.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Lone Rancher by Andrew Grey

Reviewed by Morgan 

28476691Title: The Lone Rancher
Author: Andrew Grey
Heroes: Aubrey Klein/Garrett Lamston
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 192 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 15, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  He’ll do anything to save the ranch, including baring it all.

Aubrey Klein is in real trouble—he needs some fast money to save the family ranch. His solution? A weekend job as a stripper at a club in Dallas. For two shows each Saturday, he is the star as The Lone Rancher.

It leads to at least one unexpected revelation: after a show, Garrett Lamston, an old friend from school, approaches the still-masked Aubrey to see about some extra fun… and Aubrey had no idea Garrett was gay. As the two men dodge their mothers’ attempts to set them up with girls, their friendship deepens, and one thing leads to another.

Aubrey know his life stretching between the ranch and the club is a house of cards. He just hopes he can keep it standing long enough to save the ranch and launch the life—and the love—he really hopes he can have.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Strong Side by Alison Hendricks

Reviewed by JustJen

28668239Title: Strong Side
Author: Alison Hendricks
Series: Eastshore Tigers #1
Heroes: Jason Hawkins/Derek Griffin
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 264 Pages
Publisher: Alison Hendricks
Release Date: January 20, 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Their chemistry on the field is undeniable. But can they ever be more than friends?

Jason Hawkins is about to throw the biggest Hail Mary pass of his career.

If he can’t turn NFL recruiters’ heads this year, he’ll lose his shot at the one thing he’s ever been good at. But every quarterback needs a man he can count on down-field. For Jason, that man just might be the Tigers’ new receiver, Derek Griffin.

Four years ago, Derek nearly lost everything after being outed by his teammates.

Now he finally has a chance to get it all back as a walk-on for Eastshore College… if he can resist his immediate attraction to the gorgeous and very straight star quarterback.

An instant connection during practice leads to an easy friendship that only grows stronger off the field. Derek is convinced friendship is all it’ll ever be, but a very confusing moment of impulse leaves both of them fumbling for answers about their relationship.

As curiosity gives way to passion and passion gives way to something deeper, Jason and Derek will have to tackle their own personal demons to bring home the win and earn their happy ending.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Debut Authors, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Legally Wed by Cecil Wilde

Reviewed by Susan65

28516063Title: Legally Wed
Author: Cecil Wilde
Heroes: Blake/Xander
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 107 Pages
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Release Date: January 10, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When your best friend is gay and you are straight life can present some interesting challenges…especially if chance and circumstances conspire and you find yourself married…To each other! Legally Wed from romance author Cecil Wilde is a perfect mix of friendship, love, and humor; with a few twists and turns to keep you turning the pages of this contemporary GLBT romance.

Blake’s a thirty-something lawyer climbing the career ladder to his dream job of DA. He’s sacrificed any kind of life away from work to get to where he’s going, and he’s determined to get there.

Xander’s a contract lawyer stuck in a dead-end job and a string of unfulfilling relationships with men he can’t love. He’s been in love with his best friend almost since they first met in law school, but he’d never say anything, because he knows Blake can’t love him back.

During a desperately needed vacation for both of them, they wake up after a night on the town in Las Vegas–married. To each other. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they soon realize that the story coming out would tank Blake’s career and ruin Xander’s life, so they can’t afford to get a divorce.

Their only choice is to fake it. For Blake, that means pretending he’s not as straight as he’s always said he is, and for Xander, it means the torture of getting what he’s always wanted in the worst possible way. Add to that the trials of married life, and what starts out as an adventure quickly turns sour as life happens, confessions are made, and tragedy strikes.

With his tentatively happy marriage hanging in the balance, Blake must engage in some serious soul-searching to find out that what he’s always wanted had been right in front of him all along. But will it be too late to convince Xander of his intentions, after years of not being able to see him for what he was?

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2016, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Unquiet by Melanie Hansen

Reviewed by JustJen

26833425Title: Unquiet
Author: Melanie Hansen
Series: Resilient Love #3
Heroes: Loren Smith/Eliot Devlin
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 296 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 22, 2016
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Loren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot’s increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at seventeen, Loren is devastated.

Upon meeting again by chance nine years later, Loren is enjoying a successful career as a police officer while Eliot’s life has been a constant struggle for stability. In and out of mental hospitals, with a rap sheet a mile long, he continues to be buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression. Loren’s love and protectiveness for Eliot are deeply ingrained in him, however, and their feelings for each other are quickly rekindled.

Loren has issues of his own he’s dealing with, and trying to understand and cope with Eliot’s bipolar disorder isn’t easy. They believe they’re meant to be, and Eliot brings a fulfillment to Loren’s life that no one else will ever match. But as they both come to realize, love by itself can’t cure all.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Marine Next Door by Terry O’Reilly

Reviewed by Morgan 

28435108Title: The Marine Next Door
Author: Terry O’Reilly
Heroes: Julian Reynolds/Tate Butler
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 79 Pages
Publisher: JMS Books
Release Date: January 3, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Schoolteacher Julian Reynolds is disillusioned with the seedier side of gay life in New York City with its self-absorption, vanity, and preoccupation with sex. When his long-time relationship with his high school sweetheart ends, he returns to his hometown and vows to live a simple life free of the extremes of the gay lifestyle and romantic entanglements. With that end in mind, he rents the carriage house next door to a large Tudor-style home.

Tate Butler, a former student of Julian’s, lives in the big house with his mother. Tate is bitter and withdrawn after losing a leg while serving in the Marine Corps during the war in Afghanistan. Fearing rejection from his mother and blaming himself for his father’s death, Tate stays firmly in the closet and punishes himself by refusing to learn how to walk again.

Can Tate and Julian help heal each other’s pasts and forge a real and lasting future together? Or will the driveway that separates their houses prove too wide a gulf to cross?
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Gingerbread Palace by E.M. Lynley

Reviewed by Morgan

28235595Title: Gingerbread Palace
Author: E.M. Lynley
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Series: Delectable #4
Heroes: Alex Bancroft/Kevin Flint
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 3 Hours, 31 Minutes
Publisher: Silk Road Press
Release Date: December 5, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A week before Christmas, Alex Bancroft’s bakery goes up in flames. When he runs back inside after a dog, firefighter Kevin Flint has to rescue Alex—and Quincy—from the smoldering building, endangering them and inflaming Kevin’s resentment.

Now Alex can’t create the elaborate gingerbread house he donates to a foster-kids charity each year. Fire Station 7 again comes to his rescue, offering their kitchen and their manpower.

Everyone but Kevin Flint, that is. A third-generation firefighter, he’s fearful of stepping too far out of the closet. So when his powerful physical attraction for Alex ends in a sizzling secret encounter in the firehouse, Kevin can’t push Alex far enough away, and Alex returns the cold shoulder.

After a change of heart, Kevin risks his life to prove he’s worthy of Alex’s affection, but without a Christmas miracle, their chances at sweet romance might go up in smoke.

Like all Delectable stories, Gingerbread Palace includes recipes used in the book.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Risk Everything On It by K.A. Mitchell

Reviewed by Susan65

28168696Title: Risk Everything On It
Author: K.A. Mitchell
Series: Ready or Knot #2
Heroes: Jax Conlon/Oz Parsons
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 284 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Former child star and deeply closeted adult actor Jax Conlon needs a boost to his flagging career. He promised his mom, just before she died. He hopes he’s found it in a guest spot with the latest directorial prodigy, but his research for the role gets derailed by an encounter with a handsome stranger with more… hands-on experience.

Oz Parsons is a devoted dad to two amazing little girls. Maybe a little too devoted—he hasn’t had anything resembling a personal life since his ex left, leaving Oz and the girls with broken hearts and abandonment issues. So a hookup with a hot guy is just what he needs to let off some pent-up steam without any complications. There’s something about Jax, though, that’s got him finding reasons to draw things out.

With their goals and families pulling them in two different directions, Oz and Jax have to figure if white-hot chemistry and desire that won’t quit is enough to roll the dice and risk now on forever.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2016, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: No! Jocks Don’t Date Guys by Wade Kelly

Reviewed by Morgan 

27389706Title: No! Jocks Don’t Date Guys
Author: Wade Kelly
Series: Jock #2
Heroes: Chris Jackson/Alonzo Martin
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 294 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 14, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  What is a sexy soccer stud supposed to do when “following family tradition” falls 180 degrees opposite his closeted ideal?

From birth, Chris Jackson has been schooled on how to land a cheerleader. After all, his father married one, and his father’s father before him. Heck, even his older brother married a stereotypical cheerleader the summer before Chris went off to college. For two years, Chris dodges invasive questions about relationships by blaming his lack of female companionship on grueling practices and heavy course loads. But his lack of interest in girls should’ve given his family a clue. It isn’t until Chris mentions meeting a boy that his father’s synapses short-circuit.

Alonzo Martin is anything but a buxom blond. From his black hair, combat boots, and trench coat to his nail polish and guyliner, the mysterious introvert isn’t easily persuaded to date. Alonzo’s insecurities keep Chris at arm’s length, but Alonzo’s painful past might meet its match in the charismatic jock’s winning smile and sense of humor.

When opposites attract, only cheerleaders and gummy bears can help overcome fear and family tradition.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment