Posts Tagged With: Teenagers

Book Review: In the Desert by Elliot Joyce

Reviewed by Ami

Title: In the Desert
Author: Elliot Joyce
Series: States of Love
Heroes: Wren/Felipe
Genre: Contemporary YA
Length: 106 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 4, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Can a Navajo trans teen and a nerdy Catholic find the place they belong… and maybe themselves? In the desert, anything is possible….

When Wren came out as transgender before his senior year, it cost him most of his friends. His father hopes joining a Boy Scout troop might help Wren meet other young men his age and be accepted for who he is.

Felipe Nieves wants the new guy in the troop to feel comfortable, and he reaches out to Wren. They become fast friends… with something more beneath the surface. Those feelings confuse Felipe, since his religion considers this a sin—and he’s always assumed he was straight—but he can’t help pining for Wren. Asking him out will take courage, and getting together won’t be easy… but through their friendship, both young men might find their identities… and learn to embrace them in a unique coming-of-age story set against the beauty of the American Southwest.
Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Intersection of Purgatory and Paradise by A.J. Thomas

Reviewed by Susan65

25065285Title: The Intersection of Purgatory and Paradise
Author: A.J. Thomas
Series: Least Likely Partnership #3
Heroes: Christopher/Doug
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 204 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Life in small-town Montana has become hell for former San Diego homicide detective Christopher Hayes. No one will hire him, he has made the seething racism his lover Doug Heavy Runner faces at work worse by adding homophobia to the mix, and his most recent jog through town ends when two gay-bashing teenagers hit him in the head with a rock. Deputy Sheriff Doug Heavy Runner has never overcome the abusive relationship that traumatized and shattered him as a young adult. The memories, the lingering shame, and the fear he has never acknowledged have left him resigned to endure the discrimination he faces in Elkin. But he can’t stand it when Christopher becomes a target for that same hatred.

When the mutilated body of one of the boys who assaulted Christopher is found in Doug’s garage, Christopher and Doug return from a vacation in San Diego and uncover a tangle of secrets, lies, and tragedy lurking beneath Elkin’s small-town façade. With their relationship at a crossroads, they’ll have to work together to catch the killer and maybe find a paradise of their own.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: It Was a Thursday by Carol Lynne

Reviewed by Morgan 

27465447Title: It Was a Thursday
Author: Carol Lynne
Heroes: Mark Kurtz/Lane Warner
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 118 Pages
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  It was a Thursday. The day one eighteen-year-old gunman would change the lives of an entire town.

Principal Mark Kurtz loved his school. He worked hard to give his students every advantage in life, but he could have never predicted that on a warm day in May, a distraught senior would commit an unimaginable act of vengeance on his classmates.

In the aftermath of the shooting that left both students and faculty members dead, Mark must deal with his own guilt while trying to help those around him feel safe once again.

Mark’s problems are compounded when an old flame, Lane Warner, arrives in town to help treat the trauma victims. How can he possibly deal with his own guilt, be there for his seventeen-year-old son and confront the part of himself he’s always denied while trying to heal a broken community?
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Split by Mel Bossa

Reviewed by Susan65

10392104Title: Split
Author: Mel Bossa
Series: Nick & Derek #1
Heroes: Nick/Derek
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Stroke Books
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Quiet and imaginative, Derek O’Reilly spends a lot of time watching a movie in his head. His fiancé Nathan, aka “Mr. Alpha”, wonders why Derek hasn’t taken any interest in their wedding planning. Aunt Fran—his spiritual guru—would like to know when her guilt-tripping nephew became some kind of kept boy. One evening, she drops Derek’s childhood journal on his lap, forcing him to remember the name he’s been trying to forget since he was eleven years old. Nicolai Lund.

Nick was Derek’s neighbor—and first love.

Weeks before Derek’s engagement party, a chance meeting with Nick catapults Derek into the past. Nick could flood Derek’s stale existence like a blond tidal wave, but Nick isn’t that sixteen-year-old rebel anymore. He’s a man hardened by invisible scars.

As Derek reads through his diary, Nick and Derek’s powerful relationship sways between past and present, sweeping over their emotional landscape, revealing what they were, still are, and might yet be to each other.

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2011, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Redeeming Hope by Shell Taylor

26531063Guest Reviewed by Morgan 

Title: Redeeming Hope
Author: Shell Taylor
Series: Home for Hope #1
Heroes: Elijah Langley/Adam Lancaster
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 205 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 5, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Fifteen years ago Elijah Langley’s world came to an abrupt halt with the death of his high school boyfriend. He keeps his past—and his sexual orientation—hidden until he attends a fundraiser for The Center for HOPE, an LGBT youth center, where he meets Adam Lancaster, HOPE’s infuriatingly stubborn and sexy founder.

A survivor of a turbulent childhood, Adam understands better than most the challenges his youth face. He’s drawn to Elijah’s baby blues and devilish smile but refuses to compromise his values and climb back into the closet for anyone—not even the man showering time and money on HOPE. Months of constant flirting wear down Adam’s resolve until he surrenders to his desires, but Elijah can’t shake his demons.

When a youth from the center is brutally assaulted, Elijah must find a way to confront the fears and memories that are starting to ruin his life, so he can stand strong for those he loves.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Tigers on the Run by Sean Kennedy

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Tigers on the Run
Author: Sean Kennedy
Series: Tigers and Devils #3
Heroes: Simon/Declan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 260 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 13, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Young Australian Micah Johnson is the first AFL player to be out at the beginning of his career. Retired professional football player Declan Tyler mentors Micah, but he finds it difficult, as Micah is prone to making poor life choices that land him in trouble. Nothing Dec can’t handle. He’s been there, done that, more times than he’d like to admit. Being Simon Murray’s partner all these years has Dec quite experienced in long-suffering and mishaps.

As usual, Simon thinks everything is going along just fine until his assistant, Coby, tells him a secret involving an old nemesis. Simon and Dec’s problems mash together, and to solve them, they must undertake a thousand-kilometer round trip in which issues will have to be sorted out, apologies are finally given, and a runaway kid is retrieved and returned to his worried parents.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Desdemona Darkly: When Mickey Met Hugh by Mathew Ortiz

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Desdemona Darkly
Author: Mathew Ortiz
Heroes: Mickey Sherwood/Hugh Brannough
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 155 Pages
Publisher: Mathew Ortiz
Release Date: January 23, 2015
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Are we rolling?”
“Yes Mr. Sherwood. Just say the lines as we rehearsed.”
“Got it.”
Mickey nodded and sucked in a lungful of air. Blowing it out, he began. “Welcome to Desdemona Darkly, your premier online site for adult toys and accessories. I’m here to introduce myself and tell you about our site and staff. My name is Mickey Sherwood Co-Founder and CEO of Desdemona Darkly. My staff and I are committed to providing you with only the highest quality intimate products and superb customer service. We have the online site to order from or if you wish, you can speak to one of our customer service team members, if you have questions with your order. You can also call us if you have any questions at all, regarding our products. Our phone lines are open twenty-four seven for your convenience. Making you happy and satisfied is our primary goal, here at Desdemona Darkly. Thank you again for choosing us, for your personal pleasuring needs.”
“And cut.”
Mickey grinned. “Was that good?”
“Excellent Mr. Sherwood.”
Mickey slid out of his chair, grinning. With this new commercial, he was hoping to increase sales for his company. So far everything was a success in his world, except his love life. Phfft, what else is new? Flicking on his phone he checked his messages. He had stopped by the studio to film the commercial before heading to the docks. A customs official, a Mr. Hugh Brannough, was cocking up the shipment of some of their badly needed merchandize. Well Mr. Brannough, I’m coming for you!
A shiver suddenly raced down Hugh’s spine, as he sat at his desk at the docks. I wonder what the hell that was about? Shrugging, he went back to work…
Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Violence Begets… by P.T. Denys

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Violence Begets…
Author: P.T. Denys
Heroes: Kevin/Rick
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 284 Pages
Publisher: P.T. Denys
Release Date: December 22, 2013
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  After a tragic accident devastates his family, 16-year-old Rick St. James starts his junior year of high school alone in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. When he meets Kevin Vincent, he’s too distracted by the promise of new friends to see that Kevin has secrets of his own.

Having created an environment where he’s feared and admired by his classmates, Kevin finds pleasure in using his good looks and violence to control and manipulate those around him. Secretly, he cruises the gay club scene, turning tricks to earn money so he can party and get high.

As Rick’s dad becomes increasingly violent and abusive at home, the two form a surprising and volatile trust. In this battle of wills, their precarious friendship will either keep their lives from blowing up around them or possibly light the fuse that will cause the explosion.
Continue reading

Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Suburban Legend by B.J. Sheppard

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Suburban Legend
Author: B.J. Sheppard
Heroes: Aaron
Genre: MM Horror
Length: 134 Pages
Publisher: B.J. Sheppard
Release Date: October 31, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Halloween is coming, and as the parents of Damsel Creek celebrate the occasion in style, the teen population of the sleepy town are forced into caring for their youngest counterparts. As Aaron settles in to a night of babysitting at the house of the Chief of Police, he faces strange occurrences at every turn. With news of a killer on the loose, he tries to convince himself his mind is playing tricks on him, but when a series of menacing phone calls alert him that the threat is real, he has no other option than to fight. Can Aaron make it through the night as the target of a stalker who desires his death, or will Halloween be coming early this year?

Are you brave enough to read what happens when the line between real life and horror blurs?
A situation horror from the author of ‘The Rainbow Connection’ series and ‘That Day in Spring’.

Warning: scenes of violence, terror, and little to no romance. This is a tale of horror. Expect no love scenes.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Rekindling of Love by Derrick Knight

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: The Rekindling of Love
Author: Derrick Knight
Series: The Innkeeper #1
Heroes: Dwyer Von Strohm/John Fitzgerald
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 350 Pages
Publisher: Derrick Knight
Release Date: April 10, 2014
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dwyer Von Strohm thought his life was perfect. He had a great job as a pharmaceutical sales representative; he lived in Chicago’s premiere gay community, drove an expensive car, and had an unlimited number of hot gay men to pursue. Dwyer thought his was living the life he had always dreamed. Then one day he becomes a causality of a poor economy. In a very short time, Dwyer loses his job, loses his status in the gay community and is reduced to living a lonely existence.

Dwyer’s situation forces him to move back home and live with his parents in the small town of Glasburg Illinois. Dwyer had left Glasburg many years ago because the love of his life, John Fitzgerald, had broken his heart. Dwyer reunites with gay friends from high school who are facing their own life challenges.

Soon Dwyer and John’s paths collide and it is evident both men still have strong feelings for each other. Will Dwyer find it in his heart to forgive John or will he let the demons from their past prevent them from rekindling the love they once shared?
Continue reading

Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment