Posts Tagged With: Grief

Book Review: Big Spoon & Teddy Bear by Princess S.O.

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Big Spoon & Teddy Bear
Author: Princess S.O.
Series: Teddy Bear Collection #2
Heroes: Gage/Boomer
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 113 Pages
Publisher: Princess S.O.
Release Date: December 4, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Smashwords
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  For years Gage has been turning men into steel, athletes into warriors of strength, competitors into medalists. But Gage isn’t looking for any more empty trophies, he’s looking for something far more meaningful.

When Gage takes a new job at an old gym, he doesn’t expect his entire life to get a workout, just a change of pace. At first it doesn’t seem like much and about the only plus is the endless view of rugged and well worked man-candy in the form of weightlifters and Strongman competitors that he’d be training and working with. He figures he has it made the minute he walks in the front door in that sense. But in truth, it isn’t enough. He wants a place to set down roots. More importantly, he wants someone to take root with.

Because he’s gay, Gage had always been told to just be happy with what he got, but there’s something about Boomer. A quiet, towering mountain of a Bear that was the gym’s manager who has Gage hoping for more than just daydreaming about the large physique. And that alone promises to put a spark back into the life of a lonely, freckled ginger.
You’re never too old for a teddy bear, right?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: My Cowboy Homecoming by Z.A. Maxfield

Guest Reviewed by Gyn 

1Title: My Cowboy Homecoming
Author: Z.A. Maxfield
Series: The Cowboys #3
Heroes: Tripp/Lucho
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 317 Pages
Publisher: Penguin/Intermix
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Available at:  Penguin/Intermix, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Love can heal the deepest wounds…
A sense of duty brings a soldier home…but a passionate cowboy makes him want to stay.

After his brother’s tragic death, Tripp has to leave the army and return to New Mexico to take care of his mother while his father is in prison for arson. Seeking work at the J-Bar Ranch, Tripp is immediately drawn to injured cowboy Lucho Reyes, whose foot was accidentally crushed by a rescue horse. But will the sins of the father interfere with the desires of the son? Tripp’s father may be responsible for the death of Lucho’s grandfather. Now Tripp must balance caring for his mother, repairing his father’s damages, and trying to win the heart of a man who has every reason to hate him and his family…
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Audio Review: Feels Like Home by Rowan McAllister

Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Feels Like Home
Author: Rowan McAllister
Narrator: Michael Stellman
Series: I’ll be home for Christmas
Heroes: Jeremy Porter and Paul McClellan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: Book – 78 Pages / Audio – 1 Hour, 46 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – December 1, 2011 / Audio – November 10, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: It’s only three days ’til Christmas. Jeremy Porter is still grieving over his mother’s death, and Paul McClellan is a lonely divorcee just trying to make it home even though the only one waiting for him is his cat. It may seem like a miserable combination, but when Jeremy saves Paul from being hit by a car during a nasty snowstorm, their connection and chemistry are undeniable. It’s easy to cuddle up with a stranger when you’re snowed in but can a holiday affair turn into more if being together feels like home?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Bells of Times Square by Amy Lane

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: The Bells of Times Square
Author: Amy Lane
Heroes: Nate Meyer
Genre:  MM Historical
Length: 236 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: December 15, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Every New Year’s Eve since 1946, Nate Meyer has ventured alone to Times Square to listen for the ghostly church bells he and his long-lost wartime lover vowed to hear together. This year, however, his grandson Blaine is pushing Nate through the Manhattan streets, revealing his secrets to his silent, stroke-stricken grandfather.

When Blaine introduces his boyfriend to his beloved grandfather, he has no idea that Nate holds a similar secret. As they endure the chilly death of the old year, Nate is drawn back in memory to a much earlier time . . . and to Walter.

Long before, in a peace carefully crafted in the heart of wartime tumult, Nate and Walter forged a loving home in the midst of violence and chaos. But nothing in war is permanent, and now all Nate has is memories of a man his family never knew existed. And a hope that he’ll finally hear the church bells that will unite everybody—including the lovers who hid the best and most sacred parts of their hearts.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ariel Tachna Week Review: Alliance in Blood

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Alliance in Blood
Author: Ariel Tachna
Series: Partnership in Blood #1
Heroes: Alain Magnier/Orlando St. Clair
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 235 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 11, 2008
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Can a desperate wizard and a bitter, disillusioned vampire find a way to build the partnership that could save their world?

In a world rocked by magical war, vampires are seen by many as less than human, as the stereotypical creatures of the night who prey on others. But as the war intensifies, the wizards know they need an advantage to turn the tide in their favor: the strength and edge the vampires can give them in the battle against the dark wizards who seek to destroy life as they know it.

In a dangerous move and show of good will, the wizards ask the leader of the vampires to meet with them, so that they might plead their cause. One desperate man, Alain Magnier, and one bitter, disillusioned vampire, Orlando St. Clair, meet in Paris, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance of their decision: Will the vampires join the cause and form a partnership with the wizards to win the war?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Published Before 2010, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Summer Symphony by Brandon Shire

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Summer Symphony
Author: Brandon Shire
Heroes: Martin Zoric/Ren Wakahisa
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 164 Pages
Publisher: TPG Books
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Available at: TPG Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Martin Zoric had vivid dreams of fatherhood, of a small hand pressed to his, of pink dresses and girlish laughter. Then his wife had a stillbirth and his world fell apart.

He listened to the unwanted apologies, stood by his wife as was expected of him, and kept his façade strong and firm for the entire world to see.

But does he have the strength to let go and really grieve?

When Ren Wakahisa landed in Croatia he was hoping to escape the cultural pressures put on him to conform. His family wanted him to forsake love for duty. They viewed his happiness as secondary to familial prosperity.

Does he have the courage to be who he wants to be? Or, will he yield to their wishes?

Summer Symphony is the story of how two men find their answers and what they learn about strength, and grace, and the endurance of love
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Living Again by Brynn Stein

Reviewed by Morgan 

1Title: Living Again
Author: Brynn Stein
Narrator: Randy Fuller
Heroes: Daniel Larson and Jonah Thacker
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: Book – 200 Pages / Audio – 6 Hours, 20 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – July 21, 2014 / Audio – November 6, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Daniel Larson has walled himself off from any possibility of romance since his lover died violently five years ago in Afghanistan. The same bomb that ended his partner’s life took the lower part of Daniel’s left leg. The only support Daniel has, his Uncle Lawrence, is dead-set against anything homosexual, including Daniel.

Now, a popular language teacher at the local university, Daniel’s suffering from a car accident that broke his one good leg. His uncle, who is much better at throwing money at things than offering emotional support, provides a rented power chair and a private in-home nurse. Unbeknownst to his uncle, the nurse comes in the form of a man named Jonah Thacker.

Instantly attracted, Daniel and Jonah fight their mutual feelings in favor of professionalism. They become friends anyway, and Jonah shares his life with Daniel, including his handicapped son, Ethan. As Jonah and Daniel grow closer, Daniel becomes more involved in Jonah and his son’s lives, even being there for Ethan when his medical conditions worsen. But when Daniel’s uncle finds out the nurse he’s hired is male, he uses all of his resources to keep Jonah and Daniel apart.
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Categories: 1.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Gentleman and the Lamplighter by Summer Devon

Reviewed by Heather C

1Title:  The Gentleman and the Lamplighter
Author: Summer Devon
Heroes: Giles Fullerton/John Banks
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 60 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Available Online: Heroes and Heartbreakers December 3, 2014
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: You Can’t Walk Away from Love.
Destroyed by the death of his former schoolmate yet unable to show it publicly, Giles Fullerton has taken to walking the streets of London in the middle of the night, the only time he can safely mourn the only person he’s ever loved—until one chance meeting with a lamplighter changes everything….

But You Can Walk Toward It…
Widower John Banks knows a thing or two about grief, and immediately recognizes a kindred spirit when he finally meets the handsome, haunted gentleman he’s admired from afar. And in fact, the two men discover shared passions and the possibility of a forever love—if they can overcome social taboos, and their own fears….
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Bright Star by Talia R. Blackwood

Reviewed by Susan65

5Title: Bright Star
Author: Talia R. Blackwood
Heroes: Phae/Prince
Genre: MM Sci-Fi
Length: 164 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 8, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: “I am his guardian angel. I don’t know who he is. I know every line of his face—the curve of his lips is carved in my soul—but I don’t know his name. I always called him just Prince.”

Tasked to watch over a young man in suspended animation, Phae, a clone, spends his life alone on an empty spaceship, focused only on the protection of his ward. Prince isn’t scheduled to wake for another twenty years, but an attack on the ship starts the automatic awakening procedure. Prince relieves Phae’s loneliness and teaches him the meaning of love. However, the mission becomes more complicated than either man was led to believe—and far more dangerous. Their destination is a world held hostage, where clones are disposable and Phae is scheduled for “recycling” when his duty is done.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Love You Senseless by Susan Mac Nicol

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Love You Senseless
Author: Susan Mac Nicol
Series: Men of London #1
Heroes: Gideon Kent/Eddie Tripp
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 160 Pages
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing
Release Date: October 9, 2014
Available at: Boroughs Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: One of London’s up-and-coming chefs, Eddie Tripp has just the right recipe to drive tragedy from the mind of Gideon Kent—and leave him senseless with desire.

THE MEN OF LONDON
From Soho to Norwich, there’s no escaping love.

A TASTE OF FOREVER
An award-winning chef with his own restaurant and an inexhaustible passion, Gideon Kent once had everything. Then came tragedy. It stole more than Gideon’s home. He hasn’t cooked since.

Until Eddie Tripp. Fun-loving and vivacious, the Norfolk redhead’s a real up-and-comer in Gideon’s kitchen—and other places. Slim where Gideon’s broad, easy-going where Gideon is growly, he and Gideon seem polar opposites, and yet Eddie conjures flavors that would tempt anyone with a taste for perfection. The sauce of love is already simmering, and this pair is about to dine on the most delicious dish they’ve ever prepared. Because Eddie’s been Gideon’s missing ingredient all along.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments