Posts Tagged With: Drugs

Book Review: Stones in the Road by Nick Wilgus

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Stones in the Road
Author: Nick Wilgus
Series: Sugar Tree #2
Heroes: Wiley Cantrell/Jackson Ledbetter
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 300 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 30, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When his snobbish future in-laws travel all the way from Boston to visit, wise-cracking Southerner Wiley Cantrell learns that gay marriage is not without its disadvantages. Occupied by concerns over the health of his special needs son Noah, a meth baby who was not expected to live and who is now on the cusp of puberty, the antics of Wiley’s outrageous would-be mother-in-law and severely conservative father-in-law strain his relationship with Jackson Ledbetter, a pediatric nurse who poses problems of his own. As their respective families meet and greet, each just as meddlesome and inflexible as the other, North meets South and the fireworks and cultural misunderstandings are plenty.

A tornado blows through the small Mississippi town where Wiley’s mother lives, wrecking his mother’s house and leaving their lives in disarray. Then Jackson’s secret drug addiction comes to light, and Wiley and Noah are devastated. With so many stones in the road, Wiley and Jackson find their dream of becoming a real family falling apart. Though Wiley relies on humor to cope, he’ll need something more to keep his happily ever after from slipping away.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Fire and Water by Andrew Grey

Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Fire and Water
Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Related to Bronco’s Boys
Heroes: Red Markham/Terry Baumgartner
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 200 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 15, 2014
Available at:  Dreamspinner Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Officer Red Markham knows about the ugly side of life after a car accident left him scarred and his parents dead. His job policing the streets of Carlisle, PA, only adds to the ugliness, and lately, drug overdoses have been on the rise. One afternoon, Red is dispatched to the local Y for a drowning accident involving a child. Arriving on site, he finds the boy rescued by lifeguard Terry Baumgartner. Of course, Red isn’t surprised when gorgeous Terry won’t give him and his ugly mug the time of day.

Overhearing one of the officer’s comment about him being shallow opens Terry’s eyes. Maybe he isn’t as kindhearted as he always thought. His friend Julie suggests he help those less fortunate by delivering food to the elderly. On his route he meets outspoken Margie, a woman who says what’s on her mind. Turns out, she’s Officer Red’s aunt.

Red and Terry’s worlds collide as Red tries to track the source of the drugs and protect Terry from an ex-boyfriend who won’t take no for an answer. Together they might discover a chance for more than they expected—if they can see beyond what’s on the surface.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Facing Demons by Lynley Wayne

Reviewed by JustJen

5Title: Facing Demons
Author: Lynley Wayne
Series: Scars #3
Heroes: Seth Dempsey/Cameron Reyes
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 379 Pages
Publisher: MLR Press
Release Date: October 3, 2014
Available at: MLR Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  When demons from his past interfere with his present, Cam knows Seth is the only one he can trust to help him face them.

At the age of fifteen, Seth Dempsey gave his heart to Cameron Reyes. Three years later, Cam shattered it when he walked away. When Cam blows back into Seth’s life years later, Seth knows he will do whatever it takes to ensure Cam doesn’t slip away again. Even if it means going up against a corrupt DEA agent and a drug cartel.

Cameron Reyes was born on the wrong side of the tracks. He fell in love with Seth, but knew the only way to keep him safe was to leave, no matter how much it hurt. Eleven years later, when his life implodes, he knows the only person he can trust is the boy whose heart he broke all those years ago.

While they fight to stay one step ahead of everyone and clear Cam’s name, can they learn to work together in order to face down the demons of the past and find the happily ever after they have dreamed of?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: (Watch Me) Break You by Avril Ashton

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title:  (Watch Me) Break You
Author:  Avril Ashton
Series:  Run This Town #1
Heroes: Dima Zhirkov/Xavier “X” Storm
Genre:  MM Contemporary
Length: 212 Pages
Publisher:  Avril Ashton
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Here comes trouble…

Men. Women. Drugs. Dima Zhirkov’s favorite things. Add in the element of danger and he should be right as rain. But not today. It’s not working, hasn’t for a long time. He’s grasping at the flimsiest of straws to prove he’s indeed strong enough to run his streets. Until he sets eyes on him. In the midst of a room full of strangers, Dima is drawn to a man as cold and dangerous as he’s beautiful. Captivated, Dima embarks on a ruthless campaign to get his new toy into bed.

Here comes the danger…

Xavier “X” Storm is content to pull the strings while someone else handles the day to day dealings of his gang, The Rude Boys. He’s after what Dima holds closest—the Coney Island streets. He contracts out the job of killing the Russian, except Dima isn’t that easy to kill. When he suddenly shows up in X’s path, tempting him to indulge in the dirtiest play, he finds Dima isn’t all that easy to shake, either. His cocky attitude and rough submission tempts X to go where he’d vowed to never return, and they plunge head first into an affair fueled by possessive obsession.

Run for cover

Sex and pain Dima can handle, and X delivers the most depraved kind. Their connection is explosive, their games addictive, but Dima can end it whenever he wishes. He doesn’t see that X is breaking him down, giving Dima everything he wants and even more than he ever thought to need. By the time he realizes who X is and what he wants, Dima is raw and bullet riddled. It’s run or fight. And Dima doesn’t back down. Neither does X.

Warning: Includes strong BDSM elements.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

3Title: Shattered Glass
Author: Dani Alexander
Narrator: Joseph Northton
Series: Shattered Glass #1
Heroes: Peter Cotton and Austin Glass
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: Book – 360 Pages; Audio – 11 Hours, 16 Minutes
Publisher: Dani Alexander
Release Date: Book – January 31, 2012; Audio – April 14, 2014
Available at: Audible and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A male prostitute, a mangy cat, a murder, and an obsession that threatens his career, his impending marriage and his life…nothing is going as planned for Austin Glass.

Austin Glass seems to have it all: a loving fiancée, a future with the FBI, and a healthy-sized trust fund. At least on the surface. He also has a grin and a wisecrack for every situation. But the smile he presents to the world hides a painful past he’s buried too deeply to remember, and his quips mask bitterness and insecurity. Austin has himself and most of the whole world fooled – until he meets a redhead in a pair of bunny slippers.

As events unfold in the biggest case of his life, Austin’s carefully planned future unravels, and he finds himself pushed into making quick, life-changing decisions. But can he trust himself or anything he feels, when each event seems to be just a series of volatile reactions?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Innocent Lies by J.W. Phillips

Guest Reviewed by MsMiz (Tina)

Innocent LiesTitle: Innocent Lies
Author: J.W. Phillips
Hero/Heroine: Ethan, ‘E’ (not a hero), Dylan/‘Privy’
Genre: M/F Contemporary
Length: 280 pages
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: May 30, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  **WARNING: This is NOT a sweet and sappy romance. It’s dark, twisted, and not for the faint of heart. If you prefer HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY this is NOT the book for you. Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.**

Most would view Dylan’s life as a living Hell, but she discovered what Hell really was.

Twenty year old, Dylan was minding her own business when twenty-six year old Ethan sat down at her table. All she wanted was peace from her past. He offered her the protection and calm she had never known. That was until she learned how much of that past he was a part of.

If life had taught Dylan Summers anything it was that not everyone gets a happily ever after. Continue reading

Categories: 2 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Vipers Run by Stephanie Tyler

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Vipers Run
Author: Stephanie Tyler
Series: Skulls Creek #1
Hero/Heroine: Cage/Calla
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Available at: Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  The Vipers Motorcycle Club has strict rules for their brotherhood and the women who enter it. Now one Viper is about to find out how much trouble one woman can be……

Former Army Ranger Christian Cage Owens joined the Vipers Motorcycle Club for its sense of brotherhood. In return, he pledged to live outside the law, protecting club members and their families, as well as keeping other MCs out of Skulls Creek. But when Cage discovers that a rival MC—one Cage has an all too familiar past with—plans to push meth into his town, he calls an old Army buddy turned private investigator who’s helped the Vipers in the past. By doing so, Cage endangers both his friend and Calla, a woman who works in the PI’s office. Now he’s made it his mission to track Calla down and do whatever it takes to protect her.

Thanks to the phone call with Cage, Calla knows she’s formed a deep connection to a dangerous man. She quickly discovers that although he may live by a different set of rules, Cage is an honorable man who wants to be more than her protector—if only she can accept his dangerous lifestyle. But Calla comes to Skulls Creek with her own set of secrets…secrets that threaten to tear her and Cage—and the Vipers MC—apart. As they put their newfound love to the ultimate test, Cage will risk everything he cares about to save her……
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Review: Hostile Ground by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt

Reviewed by JustJen

Hostile GroundTitle: Hostile Ground
Author: Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt
Heroes: Mahir/Ridley
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 362 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: May 12, 2014
Available at: Riptide PublishingAmazonBarnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: . After the deaths of three undercover cops investigating a drug ring in a seedy strip club in Seattle, Detective Mahir Hussain has been sent to finish the job. He joins the club’s security team in the hopes of finding enough evidence to bust the operation before the men in charge find a reason to put him in a shallow grave.

To protect the strippers, only gay men can work the club. Ridley, the cold and intimidating head of security, knows exactly how to test potential new hires—including Mahir. From the minute they meet, Mahir and Ridley engage in a dangerous dance of sex and mind games. Mahir needs to find his evidence before Ridley figures out he’s a cop—and before they both grow too close to betray one another.

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

Gay For You Week Review: Love the Sinner by Avril Ashton

Reviewed by JustJen

Love the SinnerTitle: Love the Sinner
Author: Avril Ashton
Series: Brooklyn Sinners #1
Heroes: Gabriel Ashby/Angelo Pagan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 229 Pages
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Release Date: May 9, 2012
Available at: Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Detective Gabriel Ashby has never looked twice at another man, yet the criminal across from him, the man he’s interrogating, isn’t like any other. Gabe can’t deal with the sudden, intense need he has for one of NYPD’s Most Wanted. Everyone close to Angelo Pagan ends up dead, with the smug gang leader standing amid the rubble. Gabe would love nothing more than to bust Angelo’s ass and lock him up. So why is he seeing the bastard in his dreams at night?

Angelo Pagan knows attraction to Gabe is suicide. He’s resolute to ignore the chemistry…until a police raid goes wrong. He critically injures Gabe, changing the trajectory of both their lives. Now the two can’t get close enough. They settle into a forbidden affair threatened by lies and betrayal, living on different sides of the law with no way of breaching the gap between them. With the authorities looking to make an example of Angelo, Gabe has to decide if it’s really worth it to hate the sin but love the sinner.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2012, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Fight by Kelly Wyre

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Fight
Author: Kelly Wyre
Heroes: Nathan Hunt/Hale Fury
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 243 pages
Publisher: Loose Id
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Available at: Loose Id, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: To Nathan Hunt, honesty is anything but the best policy. Telling the truth has gotten him nothing but heartache and pain; so lying about who he is and what he wants seems to be the only path to job security and friends. Hell, it even brings him a hollow kind of happiness.

Except, that’s not much of a life for any man. Especially one with Nathan’s passions. Desperate to cure his self-made misery, Nathan agrees to go along with a con that will score cash for Nathan to start over. There’s just one problem: lying is getting harder by the day. And a con who can’t lie, is a con who gets caught.

Nathan’s attempts to distract himself from his moral quandary lead him to a mysterious, intoxicating man named Fury. The Mixed Martial Arts fighter knows a thing or two about lies and pasts better left buried. He and Nathan have something else in common – they both want to be with someone who lets them be themselves.

Together, they undertake a journey that proves honesty is more dangerous and more difficult than either of them could have imagined. And as they combat addiction, thugs, guns, and their own inner demons, Nathan and Fury can only hope that their battle to be together will be worth the bitter fight. Continue reading

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