Posts Tagged With: Past Abuse

Book Review: The Quarterback by Mackenzie Blair

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: The Quarterback
Author: Mackenzie Blair
Heroes: Matt Lancaster/Trevor Kim
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 304 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: September 9, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Matt Lancaster is the star quarterback at Bodine College, a small Southern Division II school with an ultra-conservative Dean of Athletics. Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden. Until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him.

In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.

Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ever after for both of them.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Trust and Obey by T.S. McKinney

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Trust and Obey
Author: T.S. McKinney
Heroes: Landry & Brookes
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 258 pages
Publisher: Painted Hearts Publishing
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Available at: Painted Hearts PublishingAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: For the past few years, Landry has been able to tuck the horrors of his past into a nice, neat compartment inside his head. He’s been focused on his future instead of dwelling on a past he can’t change. All this changes when Jericho Brookes struts into his life. Piece by piece, Brookes tears down the walls surrounding Landry’s heart – leaving him raw and vulnerable. Every time they’re together, Landry opens up more…gives more. Can Brookes be trusted with Landry’s heart?

When Landry’s past comes calling, will Brookes be friend or foe?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Battered & Bruised, but not broken by T.L. Travis and Piper Kay

Reviewed by JustJen

Title:Battered & Bruised, but not broken
Authors: T.L. Travis and Piper Kay
Heroes: Hunter/Elliott
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 125 Pages
Publisher: Encompass Ink
Release Date: August 18, 2017
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Battered & bruised, but not broken, is an erotic, male/male, gay romance/gay erotica novel. It’s the culmination of two lost souls finding what they didn’t know they were looking for.

Hunter’s an ex-con, always in the wrong place at the wrong times, which is how he landed up in prison. He’s looking to start anew, when in walks Elliott.

Timid , sheltered, Elliott, has his life in order. Or so he thinks. That is until, Hunter, introduces him to a whole new world.

Both are battling demons from the past, but what happens when their two worlds collide?
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Review: Empty Net by Avon Gale/Scott R. Smith

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Empty Net
Author: Avon Gale
Narrator: Scott R. Smith
Series: Scoring Chances #4
Heroes: Isaac Drake/Laurent St. Savoy
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 6 Hours, 38 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Available at: Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.

Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.

Please be advised: This book does contain some non-graphic references to past childhood physical/emotional abuse as well as issues relating to ED (bulimia and restricted eating, disordered thoughts about eating).
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dual Book Review: Crossing Jordan by Shannon West

Reviewed by JustJen and Susan65

Title: Crossing Jordan
Author: Shannon West
Heroes: Jace O’Neal/Will Jordan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 135 Pages
Publisher: MLR Press
Release Date: May 12, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  A complicated web of lies threatens Jace’s life and he must fight his way to happiness through a maze of romance, murder and intrigue.

Jace O’Neal is slowly rebuilding his life after a disastrous romance with an actor named Dylan Malone in NYC sends him back to Atlanta in disgrace. Living with his mother and his brother, a fourteen-year-old with Fragile X syndrome, one of the known causes of autism, Jace is pursued by Malone, who finally persuades him into another relationship. Then Dylan goes missing and the evidence left at the scene points to Jace’s involvement.

The detective on the case, Will Jordan, is drawn to Jace right away, and learns that Jace’s former lover was manipulative and cruel. Will fights his attraction to Jace as he seeks the truth of what happened to Malone. As more clues emerge and point to Jace, Jordan begins to believe Jace is in danger. A complicated web of lies threatens Jace’s life and he must fight his way to happiness through a maze of romance, murder and intrigue.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Fraud Twice Felt by J.T. Hall

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Fraud Twice Felt
Author: J.T. Hall
Series: The Oddities #2
Heroes: Derwin Bryant/Elliot Leed
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 368 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: May 29, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Three weeks after solving his old boyfriend’s murder, bounty hunter Derwin Bryant is trying to let go of the past and embrace his new life with Elliot Leed, a former rentboy and fellow Oddity. Elliot, meanwhile, is trying to adjust to working at Bob’s Bail Bonds and having a real relationship despite his strange power of Object Reading. Hanging over the couple is the fear that Roy Yoshiro, notorious gang lord, will make good on his threats to claim Elliot. If that happens, not even Derwin’s superhuman strength will be enough to protect the man he loves.

Their concerns are overshadowed when Derwin’s friend asks for help finding her missing son. It’s not long before the case takes Derwin and Elliot back to the crime-ridden underbelly of the city and straight into Yoshiro’s clutches. Two gangs are vying for power, and Derwin and Elliot get caught in the middle of their very public fight.

Derwin and Elliot must find a way to thwart both gangs’ plans and escape alive. This time, one misstep could spell disaster for all the inhabitants of Nis.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Broken Wings by Houston Michaels

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Broken Wings
Author: Houston Michaels
Series: Phoenix Reborn #1
Heroes: Gabriel O’Roarke/Nickolas Tanner
Genre: MM Contemporary BDSM
Length: 104 Pages
Publisher: Unleashed Ink
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Proud to have served his country, Gabriel O’Roarke returned from war unable to recognize the man he had become. While war was hell, it was the aftereffects that were slowly eating away at his soul. Returning to civilian life after surviving events that should have killed him, he struggles to adjust and find himself again. Suffering from PTSD, he is without hope, until a chance encounter with one of the men who saved his life changes things.

Gabriel never imagined Nickolas Tanner would be into the lifestyle, so running into him at a BDSM club is a surprise. The patient and caring Dom is exactly what Gabriel needs, but everything he fears. After suffering captivity, Gabriel struggles to let himself go, to submit to another man. He craves regaining that part of himself, but worries it is forever lost. Nickolas’ steady domination gives him something he has thought lost long ago – hope.

Can a broken submissive, damaged by captivity and torture, learn to fly again?
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Arctic Restitution by Lynn Kelling

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Arctic Restitution
Author: Lynn Kelling
Series: Arctic Absolution #3
Heroes: Jaye/Dixon
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 80,000 words
Publisher: Forbidden Fiction Publishing
Release Date: May 23, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  As he approaches his twenty-second birthday, the three-year anniversary of the brutal attack in an alley that nearly cost him his life in a few different ways, Jaye Larson thinks he’s left behind the ghosts from his years spent incarcerated, but when he’s delivered a mysterious letter with terrifying implications, old monsters rear their ugly heads. His normal new life in remote Zus, Alaska, with his lover, Dixon Rowe, the heart of a found-family that supports Jaye in ways he’s never before dreamed possible, is threatened by old deals and ties he begins to fear may never be broken. While old alliances strive to draw Jaye backward, Dixon and the rest of their family are called to step up to keep him steady. When the letter turns out to be just the first clue in a chain leading both Jaye and Dixon back inside the walls of the Federal Corrections Institute of Sheridan, Oregon, all of them are left facing carefully-held secrets and terrible new truths that refuse to be ignored.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Strike of Hot Iron by Charlie Richards

Reviewed by Morgan 

Title: The Strike of Hot Iron
Author: Charlie Richards
Series: A Loving Nip #13
Heroes: Pascal/Abner
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 92 Pages
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Release Date: May 19, 2017
Available at:  eXtasy Books
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Just a little Love Bite: When a dingo shifter finds a reluctant mate, he needs plenty of help from his friends.

Pascal agreed to move with his two brothers to a vampire coven which runs a dude and cattle ranch. With both of his brothers wrapped up in their mates, he has plenty of opportunity to explore. He accepts his sexuality as he learns his likes, dislikes, and craving, which include submitting to a dominant lover. With abuse part of Pascal’s past, his brothers don’t understand why he occasionally sports bruises from sex he claims is consensual.

When the new blacksmith arrives at the ranch, Pascal finally understands what his brothers had talked about when describing the mate-pull. Abner Johnson is all he can think about. Unfortunately, while the huge redhead is okay with a little fun, he doesn’t want a relationship…with anyone. He’s also upfront about his feelings on biting–don’t even try it.

Can Pascal get help wooing his mate from his family and friends, even when they don’t understand his desires?
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Categories: 2 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Morgan's Reviews, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Revelation by Sloane Kennedy

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Revelation
Author: Sloane Kennedy
Series: The Protectors #7
Heroes: Cain/Ethan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 336 Pages
Publisher: Sloane Kennedy
Release Date: April 7, 2017
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: “I trusted once. I won’t make that mistake again…”
An ugly childhood and devastating betrayal have left 25-year-old Cain Jensen scarred inside and out. Protecting himself means keeping everyone at arm’s length and protecting others means never getting emotionally involved. In the three years since he’s joined an underground vigilante group, every life he saves helps ease the guilt of the ones that were lost to him so long ago. So when he’s sent to a remote cabin in the Cascade Mountains just north of Seattle to follow up on the disappearance of his boss’s co-worker, his only thought is to see that justice is served, no matter what the circumstances.

But nothing he’s ever experienced has prepared the cold-hearted and very straight Cain for who he finds on that mountain…or the intense need to suddenly offer more than just protection.

“I’ve finally managed to break free, but I’ve never felt more trapped in my entire life…”
Ethan Rhodes has been running for six months, but it’s never fast enough, it’s never far enough. At 30 years old, the talented ER Doctor should be spending his days saving other people’s lives, not worrying about his own. But he knows that the four years of physical and emotional abuse he’s suffered at the hands of his volatile ex are nothing compared to what will happen when Ethan runs out of places to hide, especially after taking something from the man he once was sure would be the love of his life.

A violent episode that has Ethan narrowly escaping death leads to a quiet cabin in the mountains where his battered body will have time to heal before he and the young girl relying on him need to run again. But everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious stranger who threatens to give Ethan something he’d finally accepted was gone forever…hope.

“I didn’t see this coming. I don’t think he did either…”

To get to the truth, Cain must first get through Ethan’s defenses, but watching the other man’s walls start to come down forces Cain to face his own past. And as the tremulous connection between the two men grows and gives way to something more, both will need to decide if they’re willing to risk giving each other the one thing that has cost them so much in the past…trust.

Will two men who’ve vowed never to let someone close again let down their guard long enough to find each other, or will they let their pasts determine their future?

Trigger Warning: This book includes references to physical, emotional and sexual abuse so please proceed with caution

Note: This book contains M/M sexual content and is intended for mature audiences.

***This is Book 7 in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone story – no cliffhangers.***

The Protectors series crosses over with some of my other series, so for the most enjoyment, they should be read in this order, but it is not required:

Book 1 – Absolution (M/M/M)
Book 2 – Salvation (M/M)
Book 3 – Retribution (M/M)
Logan’s Need (Escort Series #3) (M/M)
Redeeming Rafe (Barretti Security Series #2) (M/M)
Saving Ren (Barretti Security Series #3) (M/M/M)
Freeing Zane (Barretti Security Series #4) (M/M)
Book 4 – Forsaken (M/M)
Book 5 – Vengeance (M/M/M)
Book 5.5 – A Protectors Family Christmas
Book 6 – Atonement (M/M)
Book 7 – Revelation (M/M)
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2017, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment