Posts Tagged With: pirates

Book Review: No Remedy by Christine D’Abo

Reviewed by Susan65

9226149Title: No Remedy
Author: Christine D’Abo
Series: Bounty #2
Heroes: Mace/Alec/Byron
Genre: MMF Sci-Fi
Length: 245 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: May 30, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: For months, Mace Simms has been seeking an antidote for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec Roiten, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Posing as a research assistant, Mace offers the elusive genius all the help she can, ignoring the explosive chemistry between them. Soon they’re close to a cure.

But then Alec’s former love Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty on Alec’s head, and all that careful research gets left behind when they’re forced to flee. And when Byron realizes the tip-off about Alec was a ruse by his rivals to lure him out into the open to kill him, the bounty hunt turns into a three-person scramble for survival.

Byron wants his old lover back, Alec is consumed by a haunting secret about the poison he’s desperate to defeat, and Mace is caught between them. But she’s beginning to think that’s exactly where she belongs as the three are drawn together in their race against death.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2016, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Careened by Bey Deckard

Reviewed by JustJen

28274586Title: Careened
Author: Bey Deckard
Series: Baal’s Heart #3.5
Heroes: Tom/Jon/Baltsaros
Genre: MMM Fantasy
Length: 42 Pages
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: December 22, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  A Baal’s Heart short, following the events in Fated: Blood and Redemption.

Plagued by terrible dreams, Jon begins to distance himself from Baltsaros and Tom. Perhaps a little holiday cheer is just the thing to help the three of them find common ground again.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Bey Deckard: Setting the Stage + Giveaway!

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Setting the Stage

by Bey Deckard

One of the best things about writing alternate-world stories is coming up with setting. I’ve travelled quite a bit and have a background in history, two things that really helped me to create what (I hope) come across as plausible and interesting settings in the Baal’s Heart books. I’m going to take this opportunity and talk about a few of them today.

The Ship

ship

 The majority of the pirates’ time happens aboard Baal’s Heart, the pirate ship that Baltsaros captains. I call it a corvette (yes, that’s where the car got its name!), which is a small, manoeuvrable warship that’s similar in size and function to a sloop-of-war. When I first set out to write Caged, I had planned on basing the pirate ship on the HMS Beagle, the Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop that took Darwin on his expedition (to go along with Jon’s theme of evolution) but in the end I settled on something smaller because I wanted a reduced crew. That being said, the Heart is a corvette that’s not very corvette-y… Only a few of them in real history had the raised quarterdeck that holds the captain’s quarters, and most of them were slightly longer and had more guns—the Heart is a measly 78 feet in length and has only 8 guns on deck. However, the few alterations I made to the ship do mimic the ones that were done to the aforementioned Beagle… I still wanted a nod to history there. Just little details to make me happy, really.

Madierus

madierus

Oh Madierus… beautiful jewel-like island in the middle of a warm, turquoise sea. The island is partially based on Barbados, an island in the Caribbean that I consider my home away from home. However, unlike Barbados, Madierus is a volcanic island… I literally just wanted an excuse to write the waterfall scene, and a crater/old lava tubes seemed like the most fun way to write it. Now, though I don’t do a lot of description of the island itself beyond the basics, I can say that it’s also based on the islands up north at the mouth of the St. Lawrence… high and rocky on each end and grassy/forested in the middle. Only instead of pine trees, we have palms. Much nicer, in my opinion.

The palace on Madierus is mostly set in blues and gold to contrast with Baltsaros’s habit of wearing blacks and reds to show that it is really Abetha’s domain and not his. The covered walkway that leads to his tower, however, is of northern design (Baltsaros’s homelands) and plays a role in the events of Fated.

Baltsaros’s birthplace

hometown

 I’m not going to name it here… it’s part of the story in Fated. However, I will say that it’s partially based on where I grew up in Northern Québec (pine trees, cold, and blackflies!), on Ragnar Lothbrok’s harbour in Kattegat (hello Vikings!), and… well… Ancient Greece (you’ll have to read Fated to understand why that last one is!).

All over the books exist references to parts of our world’s history, all mashed together to make the world and timeline of Baal’s Heart unique from our own. You have medieval English dishes presented alongside Northern African ones, Moroccan covered markets paired with Mayan temples, antique concepts like the firmament contrasted with the advent of electricity… a world where Ancient Egyptian ways of treating chest wounds are still used and 19th century hypodermic needles have already been invented.

Yup… setting is really fun to write, and with these books, had a great time of it!

Check here for more information on Baal’s Heart.

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About Fated:  Blood and Redemption

1With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together.

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet

Release Date: April 11, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Be sure to check out Jen’s review of Fated!

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About Bey Deckard

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires, and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.

You can find out more about Bey on his Website, Facebook or Goodreads.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Bey is giving away an ebook copy of Caged:  Love and Treachery on the High Seas (Baal’s Heart Book 1)!! To enter, just click the link below!

 Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Book Review: Fated: Blood and Redemption by Bey Deckard

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Fated: Blood and Redemption
Author: Bey Deckard
Series: Baal’s Heart #3
Heroes: Baltsaros/Jon/Tom
Genre: MM Fantasy
Length: 350 Pages
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: April 11, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together.

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Bloody Aria by Lorraine Ulrich

Reviewed by Nikyta

BloodyAriaLGTitle: Bloody Aria
Author: Lorraine Ulrich
Series: The Laitha Chronicles #2
Heroes: Antoine & Rivas
Genre: M/M Steampunk
Length: 220 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 6, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When the aero Antoine Suvalese is traveling on comes under attack by the infamous pirate ship, the Bloody Aria, Antoine is taken hostage by theAria’s dreaded captain, Rivas the Ramshot. Antoine is uncertain if he’s to be ransomed to his father, owner of the powerful Suva Coal Company, or something far more sinister. While awaiting his fate, Antoine is unexpectedly accepted into the crew.

Sailing on the Bloody Aria opens Antoine’s eyes to a wider world and his unexpected attraction to the handsome pirate captain who holds him captive. When he realizes the attraction is reciprocated, Antoine is intrigued. But can he afford to trust Rivas when everyone on the Ariaseems to have their own agenda?

Antoine learns there was more to his kidnapping than money, and that morality isn’t as simple as he grew up believing. As the date of the ransom exchange draws near, so do the forces conspiring against theBloody Aria‘s crew. Antoine will have to determine who he can trust and who will profit from betraying him, or none of them will survive the imminent confrontation.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Ransom by Lee Rowan

Reviewed by Heather C

23004959Title: Ransom
Author: Lee Rowan
Series: Royal Navy #1
Heroes: David Archer/William Marshall
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 1, 2014 (3rd ed.)
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: An officer, a gentleman… and a sodomite. The first two earn him honor and respect, the third may cost him his life. David Archer realizes how hopeless his attraction to his fellow midshipman is from the moment a newly-arrived William Marshall challenges a sexually abusive shipmate to a duel – and shoots him dead.

To Marshall, the Navy is his one chance to move beyond his humble beginnings. While others spend shore leave carousing, he curls up with a navigation text. When they and their captain are abducted, Archer and Marshall become pawns in a renegade’s sadistic game. To protect the man he loves, David Archer chooses to face his own demons of past abuse returned in a different form. When Marshall learns of Archer’s sacrifice, he discovers what he feels for Davy runs stronger and deeper than friendship. He’s in love, for the first time in his life, and he wants to know all about this new emotion.

But first they must escape. Only then will they find out if they can preserve their love without losing their lives.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Clockwork Bargain by Therese Woodson

Reviewed by Nikyta

23359314Title: Clockwork Bargain
Author: Therese Woodson
Series: Aerial City #2
Heroes: Malachi & Ian
Genre: M/M Steampunk
Length: 64 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 12, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Malachi Covington, sole heir to the Covington Shipping empire and raised sheltered by his uncle, has taken a daring step and departed as a crewman aboard the airship Mockingbird. He’s experiencing new places, new foods, and new cultures, and he’s in love for the first time. Life couldn’t be better.

Of course, his good fortune cannot last. His companion and pilot, Ian Molloy, comes down with Swamp Water Fever, a life-threatening illness. During their desperate attempts to save him, the Mockingbird is set upon by airship pirates. Malachi must take drastic action and strike a bargain with the pirate captain to ensure Ian’s safety.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Bey Deckard: Let’s Talk Threesomes! + Giveaway!

Honorary_Blogger_Post

The Power of Three

by Bey Deckard

While not typical, Caged and Sacrificed contain a ménage relationship. Was this something you planned on from the onset?

I did. The plan was to have an established relationship between Tom and Baltsaros—something comfortable and familiar that worked great, yet was missing the vital element needed to transform it into something both fierce and profound. That keystone was a lonely, inexperienced young man whose hope was running on empty.

Throwing Jon into the mix was nothing short of cruel. Yes, it was a little like dropping him overboard and hoping he could swim, but the one who bore the brunt of the cruelty was not Jon. Hey, sometimes you have to take something apart to fix it… and hope all the pain was worth it.

When you have a relationship between three, the easy settling that happens with a couple takes longer. Sometimes it never happens at all; the relationship just continues shifting like a restless sea. Especially when you’re dealing with intense bravado, major insecurities, and—let’s face it—some pretty serious personality flaws and disturbing hobbies.

Though their nascent relationship is shaky, Jon, Tom and Baltsaros fill the gaps in each other’s armour and, in the end, that will make them stronger.

I hope.

You also manage to give pretty equal face time to each character, with each having their own insecurities, etc. Is this something you have to really concentrate on making happen as you write? Does any one character try to steal more time than the others *cough*Tom*cough*? Do you have ways of keeping the other(s) quiet until it’s their turn?

Funny you mention Tom. He’s the one who crowds me the most while I write. It’s like he’s sitting behind me, reading over my shoulder as I write. Then he stops cleaning his fingernails with his knife… or puts down the mug of beer… or pulls the cheroot out of his mouth and leans over to jab a finger at my screen, saying stuff like “Why the fuck wouldn’t I kill him right there, mate? Bloody hells, I ain’t a fuckin’ yellow belly!” or suggesting completely inane things like punching sharks, or learning to breathe underwater, or finding hidden treasure buried by Romas that contains a clue to Baltsa— Wait, that one was a good suggestion. Forget I said anything.

Anyway… when Tom finally annoys me enough, I just get Baltsaros to tie him up in a really uncomfortable position for an hour or two, and I get some peace and quiet.

Jon does actually get more face time/POV because he’s not as jaded as the other two, and he’s more observant. As much as Tom is able to spot a tail, or Baltsaros can quickly calculate how much someone is worth to him, it’s Jon who sees everything with open eyes and a quick mind honed by years of neglect.
It’s often through Jon that I’m able to show the softer sides of the captain and his first mate, so he’s not only important to them… he’s important to me as a writer.

And… he’s very polite and never drinks milk straight from the container… or stares at me with eyes like chips of black glass, just waiting to put me in my place should I embarrass him.

Threesomes. Gorgeous in their complexities, perilous in their fragility… and extremely satisfying to write.

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About Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires

Sacrificed-cover-600x400

Reunited once more, the crew of Baal’s Heart must make the long and treacherous journey south to the towering spires of the Devil’s Isles. The path through the mountain range is fraught with peril; mayhem and tragedy plague the pirate ship, but what the men find beyond the spires is the most shocking of all.

In this sequel to the acclaimed Caged, the pirates are dragged into a dangerous new world by Captain Baltsaros’s all-consuming obsession. In the midst of terror and chaos, Jon learns that the captain and first mate have been keeping secrets from him. But will the truth tear them apart?

Release Date: October 15, 2014
Available for Preorder at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

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About Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas

1

Sheltered and lonely, Jon’s life changes drastically when a strange ship sails into the harbour of his small port town one day. Trapped between the possessive pirate captain and his murderous first mate, he must learn to adapt or he will lose himself completely. An epic tale of love, treachery and revelation, this first installment of the Baal’s Heart trilogy brings you into the lives of three men so bound together by jealousy and lies that they must sail to the very ends of the earth to find forgiveness.

Deckard’s first novel is a masterful portrayal of sorrow, hope, and passion, with a narrative that twists the reader through a world set in the Golden Age of Piracy. A thrilling look into the darker side of human nature, Caged effortlessly melds serious historical fantasy with five star erotica.

Release Date: April 16, 2014
Available at: Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

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About Bey Deckard

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires, and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.

You can find out more about Bey on his Website, Facebook or Goodreads.

Blogger_Giveaway

Bey has graciously offered up an eBook copy of Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends October 17, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s reviews of Caged and Sacrificed to see what she thought of them!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Book Review: Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires by Bey Deckard

Reviewed by JustJen

5Title: Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires
Author: Bey Deckard
Series: Baal’s Heart #2
Heroes: Baltsaros/Tom/Jon
Genre: MM Historical Fantasy
Length: 380 Pages
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: October 15, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Reunited once more, the crew of Baal’s Heart must make the long and treacherous journey south to the towering spires of the Devil’s Isles. The path through the mountain range is fraught with peril; mayhem and tragedy plague the pirate ship, but what the men find beyond the spires is the most shocking of all.

In this sequel to the acclaimed Caged, the pirates are dragged into a dangerous new world by Captain Baltsaros’s all-consuming obsession. In the midst of terror and chaos, Jon learns that the captain and first mate have been keeping secrets from him. But will the truth tear them apart?
Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pirates Week Review: Falling for the Pirate by Amber Lin

Reviewed by Heather C

22494012Title:  Falling for the Pirate
Author: Amber Lin
Series: Men of Fortune #2
Hero/Heroine: Nate Bowen/Juliana Hargate
Genre: MF Historical Romance
Length: 189 Pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: July 21, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Vengeance is a dish best served in bed…

London, 1812

After the deaths of his parents and a dark, troubled childhood, Captain Nate Bowen vowed he would have his revenge. But he never expected to have the tool of his revenge dropped so neatly into his lap. Juliana Hargate is not only the daughter of his enemy, but is destitute, very much alone—and exquisitely desirable.

And now that Nate has saved her life, she’s at his complete mercy…

Captive. All Juliana wanted was to clear her father’s name. Instead, she’s been struck with amnesia—unable to recall even her name—and imprisoned by a tall, imposing, and entirely unscrupulous pirate.A pirate whose eyes seem to look past her skirts and many petticoats, and whose touch sends delicious ripples of desire through her. With every passing day, she finds herself tempted to give him the very thing he’s determined to take…
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2014, Theme Week | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment