Posts Tagged With: Grief

Book Review: Galaxies and Oceans by N.R. Walker

Posted on July 25, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Galaxies and Oceans
Author: N.R. Walker
Heroes: Aubrey & Patrick
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 313 pages
Publisher: BlueHeart Press
Release Date: June 23, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Seizing his one chance to escape, Ethan Hosking leaves his violent ex-boyfriend, leaves his entire life, and walks into the path of a raging bushfire. Desperate to start over, a new man named Aubrey Hobbs walks out of the fire-ravaged forest, alive and alone. With no ID and no money, nothing but his grandfather’s telescope, he goes where the Southern Cross leads him.

Patrick Carney is the resident lighthouse keeper in Hadley Cove, a small town on the remote Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia. After the tragic death of his lover four years ago, he lives a solitary life; just him, a tabby cat, the Indian and Southern Oceans, and a whole lot of loneliness. He’s content with his life until a stranger shows up in town and turns Patrick’s head.

Patrick never expected to be interested in anyone else.

Aubrey never expected to be happy.

Between Aubrey’s love of the stars and Patrick’s love of the ocean, these two fragile hearts must navigate new waters. If they can weather the storm of their pasts, they could very well have a love that eclipses everything.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Safe & Sound by Lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy

Posted on July 24, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Safe & Sound
Author: Lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy
Narrator: Michael Pauley
Series: Twist of Fate #2
Heroes: Aiden & Ash
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 2, 2017
Available at: Amazon & Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: I’ve been drowning for a long time. I never thought I’d find someone who knows what that’s like….

Self-proclaimed playboy, Aiden Vale, has it all – good looks, successful career, plenty of cash in the bank, and an endless supply of men who know the score…that one night is just that. So the last thing he wants, or needs, is to forge a connection that might mean revealing more of himself than he’s ready to. But when fate intervenes, putting Aiden in the path of someone who threatens to knock down his carefully constructed walls, he’s quick to realize the young man he’s become infatuated with is hiding a painful secret.

I finally have a shot at freedom. I’ll never let anyone take that from me ever again….

Ash Valentine is just looking for a way out, and the last thing he wants or needs is another man controlling every aspect of his life. Desperate for the cash that will help him flee his abusive boyfriend, Ash accepts what is supposed to be a temporary job at a local coffee shop. But nothing prepares him for the gorgeous and enigmatic Aiden Vale, and the small acts of kindness the charming coffee shop regular bestows on him or the new friends he begins to make along the way.

Terrified of once again becoming too reliant on someone else to take care of him, Ash refuses Aiden’s repeated offers of help in any form. But when it becomes clear that there’s something more behind Aiden’s need to save him, Ash begins to wonder if he’s found someone who needs saving just as badly.

I know he wants to save me, but what if he’s the one who needs saving….

As their tentative friendship turns into something more, long buried secrets begin to surface. When Aiden’s need to protect Ash clashes with the younger man’s desire for independence, memories of the one he couldn’t save begin to tear at the fragile cords of Aiden’s soul, and he’s forced to face a truth he’s been hiding from for a long time. Continue reading →

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: If the Seas Catch Fire by L.A. Witt

Posted on July 15, 2018 by susan65coug Miss Behaving

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: If the Seas Catch Fire
Author: L.A. Witt
Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo
Heroes: Sergei & Domenico
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: October 19. 2017
Available at: Amazon & Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sergei Andronikov was a child when the Mafia wiped out his family, leaving him with nothing but a hunger for revenge. Years later, through ruthless strategy and tireless patience, he’s a contract killer working for the three families ruling Cape Swan… and he’s nearly in position to bring them all down from the inside.

Domenico “Dom” Maisano is Mafia royalty, a made man… and a hitman. He’s caught up in a violent life he can’t escape, struggling to maintain an image he doesn’t want, and suppressing desires he can’t have.

A chance encounter throws the killers into each other’s paths. Though Dom knows he’s playing a dangerous game, he’s intrigued and keeps coming back. Sergei can’t resist him either—Dom is everything he set out to destroy, but he’s also everything he’s ever ached for in a man.

Then Sergei gets the contract he’s been waiting for—the hit that promises to bring the town’s Mafia to its knees.

But when a capo makes an unexpected move, Sergei must choose between dropping the hammer on the families he vowed to annihilate, and protecting the man he swore he wouldn’t love.

And the wrong choice—or even the right one—will destroy them both.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Banded Together by KC Burn

Posted on July 6, 2018 by susan65coug Miss Behaving

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Banded Together
Author: KC Burn
Narrator: Darcy Stark
Heroes: Devlin & Jack
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon & Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Punk’s not dead, but it’s time to redefine life.

Devlin Waters thought he’d have music forever. But the tragic death of his best friend ended the twenty-year run of his punk band, Negative Impression. Unable to process the loss, Devlin distances himself from everyone and everything that reminds him of the band. But forty-one is too young to curl up and wait for the end. In a search for a second career, he finds himself at university with a bunch of kids young enough to be… his kids. His sexy archeology professor, however, makes Devlin think about life beyond his grief….

Dr. Jack Johnson does not appreciate Devlin’s lack of respect, his inability to be serious, or his chronic lateness. Worse, he hates that he’s attracted to a student. When he realizes Devlin is the rock star he crushed on in his youth, he drops his guard—against his better judgment.

Before they can move forward together, Jack must admit to Devlin that he’s not only an admirer, but he also sings in a cover band. How will Devlin react to his ultimate fanboy when his own music has died? Continue reading →

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Edge Jump by Elizabeth Noble

Posted on July 5, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Edge Jump
Author: Elizabeth Noble
Heroes: Brett & Rylan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 72k+ words
Publisher: JMS Books
Release Date: June 16, 2018
Available at: JMS Books & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Brett Rocha retired from pro-hockey while still at the top of his game. Co-owner of a chain of restaurants and an inherited ice skating academy, he seems to have it all. Despite his fame, wealth, and good fortune, though, Brett suddenly finds himself painfully alone.

Ex-Olympic figure skating star Rylan Hennessy transitioned to professional ice dancing with Celia, Brett’s sister and Rylan’s lifelong partner on the ice. Then tragedy strikes, and Rylan’s world is turned upside down, too.

With the unexpected death of Celia, Brett and Rylan are drawn together through their mutual grief. Their bond strengthens when Brett introduces Rylan to BDSM, a lifestyle Rylan has never experienced before. While the mystery of Celia’s murder still needs to be solved, a second tragedy threatens to tear them apart.

Will their relationship survive, or will love be enough to see them through this life altering, harrowing change?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Bitten by the Alpha by Annabelle Jacobs

Posted on June 6, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Bitten by the Alpha
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Series: Regent’s Park Pack #4
Heroes: Gareth/Cam
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 314 Pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Gareth’s heart is set on Cam, but Cam’s heart broke a long time ago.

As alpha of the Regent’s Park Pack, Cam’s focus is always centred on its members—his personal life pushed aside after the death of his wife. Now that his pack has merged with the Primrose Hill shifters, he can’t afford any distractions.

Gareth’s been in love with his alpha for years, but his position as beta complicates matters. Added to the fact Cam still mourns his late wife, Gareth knows his feelings will never be reciprocated, so he buries them deep.

With the two packs already struggling to unite under one alpha, they get a surprise addition—one who causes more tension within the ranks. Under such strain, long-kept secrets are forced into the open. Gareth and Cam must deal with the aftermath, while also keeping the pack’s best interests at heart.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: In the Requiem by Hailey Turner

Posted on May 22, 2018 by susan65coug Miss Behaving

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: In the Requieum
Author: Hailey Turner
Series: Metahuman Files #5
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 432 Pages
Publisher: Hailey Turner
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Never let go.

Weighed down by scandal, Captain Jamie Callahan must choose between saving his family’s reputation and his father’s political aspirations, or taking down the enemy once and for all. Choosing one over the other will have lasting repercussions he can’t escape. Whatever path Jamie ultimately picks, Staff Sergeant Kyle Brannigan will be right by his side to face the consequences. Kyle knows in a situation like this the only way out is through. Together they can make it to the other side, but surviving that journey will take everything they have.

One last chance.

Agent Sean Delaney is learning what it means to be part of Alpha Team through trial by fire. He wouldn’t change it for the world, nor would he give up the life he’s building with Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin. But their time together is threatened by outside forces they can’t outrun. Having put the nightmare of Boston behind him, Alexei is focused on keeping his family safe, but he can’t have eyes on everyone. Alexei knows he can’t ignore the danger on the horizon, and when it strikes, he is unprepared for the tragedy it leaves in its wake.

Risking it all.

The odds are stacked ever higher against Alpha Team, and outmaneuvering a precog is a daunting, almost impossible task. Jamie knows something has to give, and when it does, it just might break him the way nothing else in his life ever could.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Psychopaths & Sinners by Jack L. Pyke

Posted on May 21, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Psychopaths & Sinners
Author: Jack L. Pyke
Series: Don’t #5
Heroes: Gray/Jan/Jack/Martin, Raif/Ash
Genre: MM Thriller
Length: 93,000 words
Publisher: Enspire Publishing
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: “Because us? Psychopaths and sinners… we don’t need fixing, Gray.”

Three bodies, three mutilations, each one with something… unusual inserted into the wounds. The deaths are enough to leave Ash Thomas scrambling around to find someone to trust as the murders hit so close to home and heart.

For Gray Raoul, MI5 director of G-Branch, the deaths offer something else, a fall back into a familiar life where culling serial killers cater to his own darker mindset. But the farther Gray moves away from home, the more he realises serial killer games in the field are nothing compared to who he has locked up back at home. Sometimes walking the fine line between psychopaths and live-in lovers is a far darker game.

For Ash, that might just mean he’s on his own now, facing a killer who has a deadly fascination for pretty young men and dancing Holly Blue butterflies over their skin.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Vampire’s Angel by Damian Serbu

Posted on April 2, 2018 by susan65coug Miss Behaving

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: The Vampire’s Angel
Author: Damian Serbu
Series: The Realm of the Vampire Council #1
Heroes: Xavier/Thomas
Genre: MM Historical Paranormal
Length: 334 Pages
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: March 19, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Set during the French Revolution, The Vampire’s Angel traces the lives of three characters: a Parisian priest (Xavier), his noble sister (Catherine), and a vampire from America (Thomas). The priest and vampire fall in love but hardship ensues as they struggle with separate demons. Thomas resists his impatience and temper, while hiding his undead nature from the man he loves. Xavier combats a devotion to the church and societal obligation, both of which speak against following his heart. As France crumbles around them, Catherine fights to maintain the family’s fortune, even as she falls prey to the schemes of a witchdoctor who casts a spell upon her. Will the death, danger, and catastrophes of a revolution doom these three, or will they find solace from one another and ultimate harmony? Find out in The Vampire’s Angel.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Brave & Beautiful by Elizabeth Varlet

Posted on March 23, 2018 by susan65coug Miss Behaving

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Brave & Beautiful
Author: Elizabeth Varlet
Series: Sassy Boyz #3
Heroes: Tameron “Tam” Kis/Driver Ellis
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 249 Pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: October 9, 2017
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sexy, seductive and hiding dark secrets, the Sassy Boyz return to the stage in Brave & Beautiful

There’s only one relationship that matters to Tameron “Tam” Kis—his love affair with dance. Life’s been pretty shitty, but dance got him through it and now he’s ready to focus on what he loves. He doesn’t have the bandwidth for any distractions—especially not his sexy, not-quite-straight new neighbor.

Driver Ellis doesn’t need anything but his bike and the open road. He wouldn’t trade his drifter lifestyle for anything…until his friend calls in a favor and Driver suddenly finds himself pet-sitting. Driver isn’t thrilled being stuck in one place, though things start to look up when he sets eyes on the gorgeous girl next door.

There’s just one problem… She isn’t a girl at all.

All it takes is one spontaneous dance to turn both Driver’s and Tam’s worlds upside down. They might not have been looking for love, but as things heat up between them, it’s clear life has very different plans.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment