Posts Tagged With: MMA

Book Review: Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Beauregard and the Beast
Author: Evie Drae
Series: Once Upon a Vegas Night #1
Heroes: Adam & Bo
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 206 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.

Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he prepares for the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.

Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn’t expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But Bo is pleasantly surprised when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won’t be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.

But just as their relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Sugar Boss by Charity Parkerson

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Sugar Boss
Author: Charity Parkerson
Series: Sugar Daddies #2
Heroes: Maverick & Zander
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Punk & Sissy Publications
Release Date: July 9, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Zander didn’t get where he is by playing nice. Everyone has a price. Maverick is no exception.

Maverick knew when he met Zander he’d have to set boundaries. Zander Kapra already has more than any one man should, and Maverick doesn’t intend to join the list of faceless men Zander has probably bedded. It doesn’t help that Zander is in the position to make or break Maverick’s MMA career. Maverick would never let any man have that kind of power over him.

As owner of all the Luna hotels and casinos on the West Coast, Zander controls who can enter bet fights in his cages. Maverick caught his eye months ago. Every Friday night, Zander makes a point of being wherever Maverick is, stalking him. Waiting for his chance. There’s something about the cocky fighter. Zander has to have him, but Maverick doesn’t treat him like everyone else. It doesn’t matter. Zander didn’t get where he is by playing nice. He gets who he wants. Whenever he wants them. He won’t allow Maverick to be an exception.

From day one, Maverick and Zander struggle for dominance, but Maverick has bigger problems than Zander’s overbearing ways. Zander’s secrets might be a harder punch than he can take. Continue reading

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

Book Review: Sugar Fighter by Charity Parkerson

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Sugar Fighter
Author: Charity Parkerson
Series: Sugar Daddies #1
Heroes: Zeke/Korey
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 50 Pages
Publisher: Punk & Sissy Publications
Release Date: June 25, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Zeke is the older man. The richer man. The man who plans to give Korey the world.

As MMA’s Light Heavyweight champion, Zeke’s million-dollar matches and multi-million-dollar sponsorships have given him the freedom to do whatever he likes. It pleases him to spoil Korey. Before Zeke’s best friend Charlie was deployed two years ago, he made Zeke swear he’d care for his brother Korey if anything happened to him. When Charlie is killed by a roadside bomb, Zeke takes the young college student in, determined to give him everything he requires to succeed. He never expects to end up hoping he can keep Korey under more than his roof. He needs Korey beneath him.

If Korey had been in his right mind after Charlie’s death, he would’ve turned down Zeke’s offer. By the time he realizes his mistake, he’s already addicted to Zeke’s powerful presence. He never meant to end up dependent on the man’s smiles and hot glances. The money, Korey could live without. The man has him hooked. There’s only one problem—neither man wants to cross the line from friends to lovers, ruining what they have

Continue reading

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

Audio Review: Starting Point by N.R. Walker

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Starting Point
Author: N.R. Walker
Narrator: Sean Crisden
Series: Turning Point #3
Heroes: Matt & Kira
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Release Date: May 30, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: After going past the point of no return and finally reaching breaking point, the only thing Matthew Elliott can do now is start over.

Matthew Elliott is a recovering man. As an ex-cop and ex-fighter, his new job teaching kids at the local community gym about drug awareness and self-defense, is a little bit of both. His new focus on helping street kids is helping him heal, and with Kira by his side, he’s making strides.

Brother and sister, Rueben and Claudia, are homeless kids and they’re very much alone. As they strike a chord with Matt, he does everything in his power to help them. But when Ruby and Claude need more help than he bargained for, it stops being about work, and starts being about home.

The day he met Kira, Matt’s life changed direction, and it’s only now he realizes that everything he’s been through was a lead up to this. It was never about endings. His life, his purpose, was just beginning.
Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Breaking Point by N.R. Walker

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Breaking Point
Author: N.R. Walker
Narrator: Sean Crisden
Series: Turning Point #2
Heroes: Matt/Kira
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 7 Hours
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Release Date: April 26, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:</strong A fight for what’s right becomes a fight for his life.

As guilt plagues him, Matthew Elliott’s world begins to spiral out of control. The harder he holds on, the more it slips through his fingers, and he’s helpless to stop it.

Entering into the underground cage-fighting scene, he starts out fighting for what’s right. The deeper he gets, the more guilt consumes him – the more pain he takes for his penance, and he’s soon fighting for more than justice.

He’s fighting for love.

He’s fighting for his life.

The third edition has a new cover and has been re-edited, though no new content has been added.
Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Risk by Baylin Crow

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Risk
Author: Baylin Crow
Series: N/A
Heroes: Drew/Asher
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 271 Pages
Publisher: Baylin Crow
Release Date: April 25, 218
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: We never should’ve been anything more than roommates.

DREW: Life dealing me a hard blow is nothing new. What’s one more sucker punch?

When my uncle offers me a job working at his MMA training center, I jump at the chance to turn my life around…not upside down and questioning everything I know about myself.

Light Heavyweight Champion Asher Ramsey is the definition of a ladies’ man. His stormy gray eyes and inked skin call to the artist in me and make me itch for my pencils and sketch pad so I can capture every detail. If I’m honest, they make me itch to touch every detail too, which confuses me.

After he offers to let me stay in his guest room, I discover there’s more to Asher than he allows the world to see.

ASHER: My life is a lie. A play written and directed by my PR manager.

With the biggest fight of my career only weeks away, my focus is on securing my title. Losing my belt to some new up-and-comer isn’t an option, and I can’t afford any distractions. Or an unwanted attraction.

When Drew begins working at the gym where I train, my priorities waver. To make things worse, I offer to let him stay with me until he finds a place of his own. It’ll be fine. Sure, I’m attracted to him, but I’m an expert at hiding behind the mask of a straight man. Besides, he’s completely off-limits. Not that it matters–we don’t even play for the same team.

What’s the worst that can happen?
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Making It by Christine D’Abo

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Making It
Author: Christine D’Abo
Series: Ringside Romance #3
Heroes: Eli/Devan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 239 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: August 7, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Devan knows exactly what he wants from life: a good career, a husband who loves him, and a child to call his own. He’s working at the perfect job, and has found the man of his dreams in Eli. That only leaves one box left to tick. When his friend offers to be a surrogate mother for Devan and Eli, he’s convinced all his dreams have come true.

Eli has been fighting his entire life. Fighting to keep his sick mother safe, fighting his frustration, and fighting daily as an up-and-coming MMA star. The one thing he can’t fight is the feeling that he’s made a terrible mistake agreeing to be a father with Devan. On the worst night of their lives, Eli knows Devan is better off without him, and leaves.

When Eli returns three years later he comes face-to-face with Devan and a son who might be his. Devan has moved on with his life, but seeing Eli once again reignites forgotten passion. Yet if Eli wants to make it work with Devan, he must decide if he’s ready for the biggest fight of his life.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Trusting Cade by Luna David

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Trusting Cade
Author: Luna David
Series: Custos Securities #1
Heroes: Zavier “Cade” McCade/Braden Cross
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 380 Pages
Publisher: Luna David
Release Date: February 13, 2016
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: At 38, Zavier “Cade” McCade has it all: a military career he can be proud of, a successful business, and a close knit group of family and friends. A former Army Special Forces Captain, Cade leaves the military to create Custos Securities, a burgeoning protection agency that provides unparalleled security for both civilians and corporations across the U.S.

After a string of disastrous relationships—and a narrow escape from an abusive partner—Braden Cross is finally putting his past to rest. Combining both his passion for baking and his knack for business, Braden owns the Sugar n’ Spice Café with his best friend who concocts exotic coffees and teas that pair perfectly with his decadent confections.

When a stalker sets his sights on Braden, the young pastry chef’s world is turned upside down. More frightened than he cares to admit, and not knowing where to turn, Braden is relieved when Cade steps in to offer his protection. Caught up in a maelstrom of threats, break-ins, and vandalism, the two draw closer together. Braden eventually realizes that he can trust Cade with his life, but he finds himself wondering… can he trust him with his heart?

Author’s Note: For those of you that prefer warnings (trigger or otherwise) for your books, please use the “Look Inside” feature to find the warnings within the first few pages. For those of you that hate warnings–don’t “Look Inside” . . . Happy reading!
Continue reading

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

Book Review: Fighter by Carol Lynne

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Fighter
Author: Carol Lynne
Series: The Brick Yard #1
Heroes: Lucky/Dray
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 261 Pages
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: February 9, 2017
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: For Lucky Gunn, the hardest fight of his life happens outside the cage.

On the South Side of Chicago sits an old gym called The Brick Yard.

Ten years ago, on a bitterly cold day, Lucky Gunn wandered into The Brick Yard dressed in a threadbare jacket, looking for refuge. He hadn’t expected the owner, Tony Brick, to welcome him with a job and a place to sleep when Lucky’s abusive and drug-addicted mother made it too dangerous to return home.

Dray was a gay man living in a world of straight fighters. When his secret was exposed to the media, he dropped out, giving Lucky a piece of advice-if you want to make it as a MMA fighter, bury the part of yourself that won’t be accepted.

Lucky discovered the cage was the perfect place to keep his demons at bay, but when he learns his trainer and mentor, Brick, is suffering from end-stage cancer, he begins to spiral out of control. After eight years, Dray returns to help Lucky and Brick deal with the devastating news.

With Dray so close, Lucky’s old desires return, and Dray teaches him more than how to fight. Torn between his career and the passion he feels for Dray, Lucky’s past demons resurface in full force, threatening his sanity and his budding relationship with Dray.

Despite leaving the cage years earlier, Dray finds himself in the battle of his life with the only man he’s ever loved. Will he stand and fight or walk away like he did years earlier?

Publisher’s Note: This book has previously been released with Pride Publishing under a different title. It has been considerably expanded and re-edited for re-release and now is book one in The Brick Yard series.
Continue reading

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

Early Book Review: Hometown Hero by Cate Cameron

Reviewed by Ami

25476393Title: Hometown Hero
Author: Cate Cameron
Series: Lake Sullivan #2
Heroine/Hero: Zara Hale/Cal Montgomery
Genre: MF Contemporary
Length: 294 Pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Zara Hale escaped Lake Sullivan, Vermont, as a teenager and never planned to return. But a decade later, when her brother Zane is released from prison, she leaves her life as a Mixed Martial Arts champion and heads north, both to support him and to lend her golden-girl status to the opening of a new community center.

Cal Montgomery knows he let down the Hale family ten years ago, but this is his chance to make it up to them. Zane is his best friend. And Zara? She’s stubborn, frustrating, strong, beautiful—irresistible. Once she’s back in town, it isn’t long before their professional relationship turns into something much more intimate.

Though Zara’s hometown celebrity is as surprising as her feelings for Cal, she’s only there for the center and for her family. But as she soon discovers, Cal’s not that easy to leave, and neither are the unexpected comforts of Lake Sullivan.
Continue reading

Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, M/F, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment