Posts Tagged With: Holiday

Book Review: Model Christmas by Jaime Samms

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Model Christmas
Author: Jaime Samms
Heroes: Sebastian & Cody
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 40 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 6, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sebastian ‘s ideal Christmas looks nothing like his picture-perfect childhood experiences, but neither should it be spent wandering the cold streets alone and homeless.

Cody has no time for the holidays if he wants to eat. He needs a new model for his next commission–and he needs him now.

Seb can’t go home and Cody’s model took his pay and left. Both men are in dire straits, so when they meet over soup-kitchen chili they each see the answer to their problems in the other.

They never expected more than a means to an end, but now, that perfect Christmas might be as simple as seeing what’s right in front of them
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: A Distant Drum by Amy Rae Durreson

Reviewed by Ami

Title: A Distant Drum
Author: Amy Rae Durreson
Heroes: Alex & Nik
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 89 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 20, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Christmas is coming… but Alex is running away.

Panicked by the prospect of spending Christmas with his boyfriend’s disapproving parents, Alex flees to the old houseboat in the Norfolk Broads his uncle left him. But when a freak snowstorm traps him there, Alex soon realises he’s not the only heartbroken lover haunting the shores of Halsham Broad.

Two hundred years ago, drummer boy Jack Sadler drowned skating over thin ice to meet his lover. Now, whenever the Broad freezes over, he returns and brings a curse with him.

And every night Alex spends trapped in the icebound boat, he hears the beat of a distant drum draw closer…
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Christmas Blues by Leigh Jarrett

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Christmas Blues
Author: Leigh Jarrett
Heroes: Ryan & Michael
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 146 pages
Publisher: Steambath Press
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: After Ryan lost his wife to cancer, leaving him with three kids to raise on his own, he never thought he’d find any kind of companionship ever again. Especially not with someone like Michael.

The last time Ryan saw his little brother’s annoying childhood friend, Michael, he’d been a geeky, pimply-faced thirteen-year-old. That was just before Michael and his family moved to New York.

There was an eight-year age difference between them, and being in college at the time, Ryan had never wanted to waste his breath talking to some immature teenage kid when he could be doing homework or making out with his girlfriend instead.

Sixteen years later, a chance meeting at a coffee shop in Denver changes both of their lives. Michael, recently divorced from his wife, has two kids of his own, and a thriving recording studio.

He’s no longer the Mikey Ryan remembers.

Getting the whole brood together for a Thanksgiving crafting extravaganza, and their mutual love of the blues cements Ryan and Michael’s friendship into something neither one of them could have ever expected. Christmas is fast approaching.

How far will their newfound friendship take them?
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Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Trusting Jack by Ruby Moone

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Trusting Jack
Author: Ruby Moore
Series: MC Securities #1
Heroes: Jack & Michael
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 181 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 10, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: With only a few days to go until Christmas, Michael Cross has to admit there is something amiss about his latest employee, Jack Whelan. Quiet, jumpy, thin… he never seems to eat. He is also incredibly gorgeous with dark spiky hair that Michael aches to touch. But as his boss, Jack is off limits. And when it comes to relationships, he…well, he sucks.

Jack Whelan is at the end of his tether. He’s living rough in the middle of winter, and paying off a massive debt, so getting a job with MC Securities is a lifeline. His new boss is also the hottest guy ever. Geeky, broody, and scarily clever.

When Michael stumbles upon the reality of Jack’s life, he offers to help. But as Michael’s feelings deepen, and Jack’s terrible past catches up with him, Michael has to decide between believing in the awful truth that is staring him in the face, or trusting Jack.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Salvaging Claus Day by J. Alan Veerkamp

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Salvaging Claus Day
Author: J. Alan Veerkamp
Series: 2017 Advent Calendar Daily – Stocking Stuffers
Heroes: Filo & Luz
Genre: M/M Sci-Fi
Length: 34 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2017
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: For three years, Filo has reveled in silence and solitude as the sole occupant of a space station, where he maintains the communication satellite.

Everything changes with the appearance of Luz Espina’s lifepod. Filo shares many interests with the flirtatious Luz, though Filo’s isolation has strained his communication skills. Still, Luz pushes all his buttons… and reminds him of the last man he was attracted to—an attraction that ended in disaster because the man was straight. When Luz learns Filo has never celebrated a holiday, he vows to cobble together a Claus Day celebration for them to share. But is it merely a friendly gesture… or something more? Continue reading

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

Book Review: Not Just For Christmas by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Not Just for Christmas
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Heroes: Ben & Jason
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 48k words
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Ben has Christmas, cats, and mistletoe on his side…. Jason doesn’t stand a chance

For Ben Slater, moving back to Bristol means being closer to his family, living with his best mate, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. But there’s also Jason, his best mate’s eldest brother. Ben’s had a crush on Jason for as long as he can remember, but the eleven-year age gap has always seemed insurmountable.

Jason Armitage works as a vet at his uncle’s practice. He owns a cute cottage on the outskirts of the city, and a loving dog. The one thing missing is someone to share it all with. His brother’s best friend seems a bad choice, but Jason can’t help taking a second look. Ben’s changed a lot since Jason last saw him; both in appearance and attitude. Gone is the shy young boy, replaced with a confident, twenty-four-year-old man.

In the run up to Christmas, the festive period gives Ben the ideal opportunity to show Jason what he has to offer. But concerns for his brother’s feelings hold Jason back. If they have any chance of making this work, Ben must convince Jason that he’s old enough to know what he wants, and Jason needs to believe that a relationship with his brother’s best friend won’t ruin their friendship.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Snowed In by Teodora Kostova

Reviewed by Morgan

snowe_in_cover_smallTitle: Snowed In
Authors: Teodora Kostova
Narrators: Dan Rider
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 3 hours and 7 mins
Publisher: Teodora Kostova
Release Date: November 14, 2016
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Nate has been in love with Quinn, his brother’s best friend, for as long as he can remember. But when he finally gets the chance to show Quinn how he feels, his heart gets broken in the most unexpected way.

Quinn doesn’t believe in miracles, especially not Christmas ones. When he decides to win Nate back he knows it won’t be easy. The last thing he expects is a health scare, a road trip and a vicious snow storm to work in his favor. In the end, a cabin in the woods turns out to be not only the shelter they desperately need, but also Quinn’s very own Christmas miracle.

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne

Reviewed by Ami

51inlKGW6DLTitle: Snowfall on Haven Point
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point #5
Hero/Heroine: Andrea Montgomery/Marshall Bailey
Genre: M/F Contemporary
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Available at:  HQN & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: There’s no place like Haven Point for the holidays, where the snow conspires to bring two wary hearts together for a Christmas to remember

It’s been two rough years since Andrea Montgomery lost her husband, and all she wants is for her children to enjoy their first Christmas in Haven Point. But then Andie’s friend asks a favor—to keep an eye on her brother, Sheriff Marshall Bailey, who’s recovering from a hit and run. Andie will do anything for Wyn, even park her own misgivings to check on her grouchy, wounded bear of a brother.

Marshall hates feeling defenseless and resents the protective impulses that Andie brings out in him. But when a blizzard forces them together for the holidays, something in Marshall begins to thaw. Andie’s gentle nature is a salve, and her kids’ excitement for the holidays makes him forget why he never wanted a family. If only he and Andie can admit what they really want—each other—their Christmas wishes might come true after all.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, M/F, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg

Reviewed by Morgan

28155513Title: How I Met Your Father
Author: L.B. Gregg
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Heroes: Justin Hayes/Jack Bassinger
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 3 Hours, 47 Minutes
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The man of your dreams could be sitting right next to you.

Former boy band member Justin Hayes isn’t looking for a man. He just wants a quiet, scandal-free Christmas at home in Chicago, out of the public eye. But his best friend and bandmate is subjecting everyone to his destination wedding, and Justin can’t dodge the “best man” bullet. All he has to do is get to the island on time, survive the reunion, and get Chuck to the altar with as little drama as possible. What could possibly go wrong?

Jack Bassinger’s own plans for a quiet Christmas have been dashed by the summons to his daughter’s hasty wedding with a man Jack has hardly met. On the bumpy flight to the island, he finds himself comforting a nervous—and extremely attractive—young man. One hasty sexual encounter in an airport bathroom later, they both feel much better. No one ever has to know, after all.

Now Justin and Jack must find a way to explore their attraction, despite the distractions of disapproving family members, unexpected announcements, an impromptu concert, and an island paradise that proves there’s no place like home.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Northern Lights by Asta Idonea

Reviewed by Nikyta

NorthernLightsTitle: Northern Lights
Author: Asta Idonea
Series: Sleigh Ride – 2015 Advent Calendar
Heroes: James & Kari
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 29 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A dream romantic vacation to Iceland to see the Northern Lights turns into a nightmare when James’s workaholic boyfriend, Richard, again insists on putting his work first. After a call from Richard’s office, an argument ends with the couple splitting up for good. Not only has Richard left James, he’s left him abandoned to explore the park alone, where James quickly gets lost. But just when things seem darkest, the Solstice works its magic, and James finds the guiding light he needs. Or it finds him.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment