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TCO Reviewer: Denise

Guys Like Him (Redemption Ridge Book One): Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Redemption Ridge, Book 1

Kieran Sullivan is broken when he arrives at Redemption Ridge. A wrongful conviction and twenty months in lockup will do that to a man. The ranch is a place for second chances and fresh starts, but for him, it’s an opportunity to discover who set him up. Get in, get answers, and get out. The plan sounds easy enough until Kieran meets an equine specialist whose sunny smile could warm the coldest heart.

Finley Ashe is a sucker for bruised spirits and sad eyes. The horse whisperer and broken-boy magnet is six months into a hiatus from love when Kieran, the king of emotionally unavailable men, gets assigned to work under his supervision. Mutual attraction is gasoline on proximity’s flame, testing Finley’s resistance in new ways.

Priorities shift, shields come down, and truths get exposed. Will the inevitable combustion redeem Kieran and Finley or consume them?

Guys Like Him is book one in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. Guys Like Him contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Two faces came into view—one Finley knew well, the other he’d like to know better. Both men looked at him with grave concern. Their lips moved, but he couldn’t hear them over the alarm. A fire? He didn’t smell smoke. The ringing seemed closer and not as loud as it had been. Finley realized the ringing was in his ears. He locked his gaze on Cash because the other man stole his breath. Finley already had enough problems to contend with and didn’t want to add a lack of oxygen to the mix. Was he breathing? Finley inhaled deeply, testing to see if his lungs worked adequately. The ringing got quieter, but he still couldn’t make out the words Cash said. His boss looked at the stranger, and Finley couldn’t help shifting his gaze too. Christ, he was gorgeous. Black hair swept over a broad forehead. Dark brows slashed down to form a vee over eyes so dark they looked black. The man stared down at him with naked concern and something else in his gaze. The sexy stranger blinked and erected a shield of indifference, but it was too late. Finley recognized the emotion, and it called to something deep inside him like a lone coyote howling for its pack. Butterflies fluttered in Finley’s stomach, and his blood heated with excitement. But how had he ended up on his back in the barn staring at this beautiful lost boy?

A flash of memory detonated, clearing out his brain fog and reducing the ringing in his ears to a subdued hum. Lightning hadn’t struck, at least not literally. Finley had locked eyes with the sexiest man he’d ever seen, and something inside him had detonated with a whoosh. The smoldering stranger had used a flamethrower to light Finley’s dormant pilot light after a six-month relationship detox. He’d always been a little boy crazy with a habit of falling too hard and too fast and always for the wrong guy. But this was… Finley scrunched up his face as he tried to find the right word to describe his reaction, and that’s when he noticed a dull ache in the center of his forehead.

The entire encounter came flooding back in high definition. Gobsmacked by the newcomer’s beauty, Finley had stepped directly on the muck rake. The handle had flown up and cracked him a good one on the forehead, causing him to stagger back and fall onto the bags of bedding. Humiliation heated his cheeks, and he groaned.

“Finley, are you okay?” Cash’s concerned tone and worried blue eyes signaled his boss had mistaken the sound as a sign of physical distress, not mental anguish. Finley tried to sit up and clear the air, but Cash placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to keep him still. “Kieran, I need you to find Rueben Sanchez for me. He has emergency medical training and can assess Finley for a concussion.”

Finley had rattled his cage pretty well, but he was not concussed. “Not—”

Cash silenced his protest with a gentle squeeze. Finley shifted his gaze to the gorgeous man, who seemed to look right through him with those obsidian eyes. This stunning stranger might just be the most broken boy he’d encountered yet. This guy’s pain hovered over him like a rain cloud, stirring Finley’s protective and baser instincts. Oh, baby, come stand under my umbrella.  

A new series by Aimee Nicole Walker…yes, please. The sooner the better, TYVM. And I’m already in love with this series. Go figure. I’m one of this author’s biggest fans, so this is unsurprising.

This new series is aptly named Redemption Ridge, and has the man who runs it, Cash, giving men who served time a chance to get their lives back. In the first story, Kieran comes to Redemption Ridge to get revenge on the man he believes played a part in his wrongful conviction. Then Kieran and Finley meet, and Kieran begins to soften despite himself. He still wants to find the men who framed him, but he begins to understand that maybe he can find some happiness for himself as well.

Finley is such a good fit to Kieran. A huge heart, that falls for the wrong guys every time, but still continues on. This allows for a slow burn between these two. They have the opportunity to get to know each other, finding out their little quirks, to learn to trust each other. All before they fall into bed. They just begin to transition themselves into caring for the other, without their own permission. It’s particularly sweet.

The mystery is partially solved, but of course with this author, there is always an overarching mystery or suspense thread throughout the series, and this one will continue forward into Books 2 and 3.

The side characters help to round out this fantastic book. Finley’s mom is just fantastic (the “lube”…so funny), his sister who is resisting her own happy ending, and the foreman who will hopefully get his own HEA at some point. When you have great side characters, it just fills out a book so well, and this author does it better than most.

Highly recommend. 4.5 pieces of eye candy

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Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me at:
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Under the Arabian Sky (Love Abroad) by Robin Knight: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Find Love Abroad Under the Arabian Sky…

Arthur Somersby is an expert in sand. Working as an arenologist at Oxford University, it’s Arthur’s job to gather research and data on the movement and molecular structure of sand, blending geology, chemistry and biology into one specialty science. But while Arthur’s colleagues conduct their work around the globe — from the Sahara to the Kalahari and beyond — a tragedy in Arthur’s past prevents him from wanting to leave the safety of his office.

That is until one of his colleagues goes missing, presumed dead, and Arthur is called upon to take his place in the distant Arab nation of Oman.

It is there upon the shipless oceans of sand that Arthur meets falcon veterinarian Tariq Hassan. And while the desert heat ignites an instant spark between the two men, a clash of cultures could mean their Arabian love affair is over before it’s even begun.

Can two strangers from opposite worlds overcome the Middle East’s tightly-held religious beliefs and find a way to love one another? Can a connection be made between the science of sand and the spirituality of the desert? Will Arthur’s past and centuries-old traditions keep two souls apart, or will Arthur and Tariq find their happily-ever-after… Under the Arabian Sky?

Under the Arabian Sky is a 40k-word MM romance that will transport you to the deserts of Arabia from the comfort of your favorite reading chair. It can be read as part of the Love Abroad collection or as a stand-alone romance.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Love Abroad collection (9 books)

Lost.

Despite the fact that Tariq knew exactly where he was going, lost was how I felt… but not in a bad way.

No, I felt lost in the best way possible.

After three hours of driving, the desert landscape we came across was like nothing else I’d seen before.

The road disappeared.

The dunes reached for the sun.

And the horizon seemed to run away from us, journeying as far as she could in her quest to touch the bright blue sky.

As civilisation fell away behind us and the burnt orange dunes of the Sharqiya Sands opened up before us, transporting us to a world beyond this one, I felt myself letting go of everything I was, everything I am, everything I knew. The desert unfolded before us, the dunes like the pages in a book of secrets that was forever re-writing itself.

There in Tariq’s Jeep— as I sat beside a man who seemed to be doing everything right if he wanted to capture my heart like a wounded falcon— I felt utterly, completely, wonderfully lost.

We neared the peak of a dune, and he stopped the Jeep.

He shut down the engine, then shouldered his car door open so I did the same, plucking my camera out of the daypack on the backseat and putting the strap of it over my neck.

He walked ahead of me to the crest of the dune, his kandura and ghutra billowing gently in a soft breeze.

I had to stop myself from trembling as I looked at him, this prince of the desert, in so perfect a pose I snatched up my camera and snapped half a dozen pictures of him before he had a chance to turn around and catch me out.

“Arthur! Come and see this!” he called over his shoulder.

My feet sank up to my ankles, but I managed to climb to the top of the dune… at which point the entire world fell at my feet, so much so I might as well have been standing on the top of Mount Everest, only surrounded by sand instead of snow.

“Take it in,” Tariq said. “Just take a deep breath and take it all in. This land is endless. This land is timeless. This land is alive and ever-changing. It is a shipless ocean, each dune forever shifting, forever moving like a wave carrying more grains of sand than stars in the heavens. So many men look up to find their god, their religion. Me? I look to the desert. This is where my spirit lives. This sand— and this sand alone— will guide me to where I need to go. It will always light the way and show me the man I need to be.”

He looked at me. Then, without so much as asking, he took me by the hand. “Sit with me.”

I didn’t question him. I did exactly as he asked. Together the two of us lowered ourselves and sat cross-legged on the sand. He released my hand and said, “You know the science of sand, but have you ever experienced the spirituality of sand?”

In this beautiful, breath-taking, faraway place, it felt unnecessary— almost inappropriate— to respond with words. In the golden glow of the desert, I simply shook my head.

He held up both hands and I did the same.

“Take your right hand and place it on the ground beside you, your palm upon the sand.”

I did as he said, and instantly I felt my body draw upon the warmth of the desert.

“Take your left hand and do the same on your left side. Now… close your eyes and feel the energy of the desert. The positive energy flows in through your right hand… and all the negative energy within you flows out through the left. Can you feel it passing through you? Can you feel the desert cleansing your soul?”

Perhaps it was the sun.

Perhaps it was the desert breeze gently brushing against my skin.

Perhaps it was the melodic tone of Tariq’s voice, his accent, the wisdom I so desperately wanted to hear in his words;

Whatever it was, I felt something that day.

I felt a connection.

I felt my energy become one with the earth.

I felt a pulse surging through me, a heat that rose up into the palm of my right hand and passed through my entire body before exiting back into the earth through my left hand.

At that moment, I felt what I can only describe as a sense of purification.

This is a new to me author, and I loved the premise of this series. I really enjoyed this novella! Unless this author has first hand knowledge of a lot of information that the general public doesn’t know, they did a great job researching this. I had no idea what an arenologist did, or even that it was a thing at all. And my knowledge of anything in Oman, other than it  being a desert was non-existent. However, the author presented it all in a way that made it easy to digest, and fascinating to read. If you don’t want to visit Oman after reading this novella, we need to have a chat. 🙂

Poor Arthur, still grieving and wanting to stay in his little apartment, in his leaking office, and not ever venture out again after his heartbreak. For him to be sent to a place he’d only seen on a map and had no notion what he was getting into, or even how to say “Hello” in the native language, this was very much out of his comfort zone. He bucked up though, and did his best. Meeting and spending time with Tariq really helped him to open back up and trust again. Arthur jumping in and helping when Tariq needed it the most, definitely hits you in the feels.

Tariq was such an amazing contrast, and it was lovely to read, since often you only hear the negative side of being LGBTQ+ within the bounds of the Muslim religion. He felt strongly that he could still honor and love his religion, do right by the world and the people around him, and be gay all at the same time. He was able to walk that line confidently. He cared so deeply about all those around him, and quickly drew Arthur into that circle.

Small side note, considering the impression that is often given about Muslim women, and that they are forced to be meek and defer to their husbands, she was so refreshing to read! She was sassy, clearly loved her family, no matter their faults, and was open and willing to letting an outsider such as Arthur come in and be welcomed. She was a favorite character, to be sure.

This just made me happy to read.

4 pieces of eye candy

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Robin Knight is the author of gay fiction novels, novellas, and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense, and gay comedies.

The heroes of Robin’s books love to spend their time jumping off the page, stumbling through misadventures, and falling in love.

Robin has worked in advertising, politics, journalism, and event management, but nothing is as fun as telling stories.

Connect with Robin:
www.authorrobinknight.com
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Bad Crowd by Chloe B. Young: RB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Sometimes, safety and danger can be the same person.

Gideon Orchard has enough baggage to fill a cargo ship. Two years ago, he left his abusive family, but the urges he’s always tried to suppress won’t be ignored any longer. Desperate to submit, he stumbles into a notorious fetish club…and right into the lap of its captivating manager.

Mal Brannon can’t believe his luck when sweet, scared, and determined Gideon falls into his arms, completely uneducated in BDSM culture and begging for proper instruction. Their romance intensifies more quickly than either of them expects, but an unsavory figure from Mal’s past threatens their relationship and their lives.

Running from the past may be tough, but escaping with their future will be harder.

Title:  Bad Crowd

Series: Bad Crowd, Book One

Author: Chloe B. Young

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 04/04/2023

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 80900

Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, gay, romance, BDSM, clubs, new submissive/experienced Dom, age difference, sex toys, bondage, pain tolerance, family issues

Amazon

NineStar Press

Books2Read

Goodreads

Pink light dripped over the speckled sidewalk like a tongue, alive and coiling with the flickering of the sign. Gideon Orchard’s eyes had the letters burned into them, but he couldn’t look away, despite having read them every day for the past year.

They were brighter on this side of the street. The lurid neon tubes were weeping. Salivating.

He shivered, his skin buzzing. And buzzing again. And again—

“Hello?” The phone was cold against his ear, soothing the strange evening heat of the desert. “Evan?”

“Yeah, hi, sorry. We can’t come. Beth got too drunk, and she yacked everywhere.”

“Oh. That’s fine. Is she okay?”

On the other end of the line, something rubbed over the microphone, and then Gideon heard a pitiful moan and a hacking cough.

“Yeeeeeah, she’ll be good. She just has to sleep it off. Have a good time, though!”

Terror ripped through him. “No, I can’t—”

“Bye!”

The beep in his ear signaled Evan’s exit, leaving Gideon alone on a street that wasn’t quite abandoned. At the traffic light, someone got off the bus Gideon took to and from work every day. They disappeared around the corner before he could think to hide in shame.

Gideon squeezed his eyes shut, his phone biting into his hand. That pain he could handle. It was familiar, useful for clearing his head. The ache in his chest was harder to shake.

Tonight was supposed to be fun. The culmination of weeks of teasing after he’d mentioned this place—Bad Co.—in passing in the lunchroom. His palms got sweaty when he remembered their mirth at his naivete.

“A bar,” Beth had crowed. “How cute are you?”

Beth and Evan were supposed to be here with him, laughing together like they always did, not letting Gideon in on the joke. He still wasn’t sure they’d ever intended to come here with him. He’d replay the sound of Beth’s retching in his head later, trying to discern if it was real or if they’d purposefully abandoned him outside a den of sin.

The light up at the intersection changed, and a little car with wings on the back buzzed past, buffeting Gideon with warm wind even as he reeled from the return of old habits.

There were no dens of sin. And if there were, they wouldn’t be located ten minutes from Gideon’s apartment, on a not-quite main street in Tucson.

Someone laughed, high-pitched and attention-seeking. Gideon turned around, stumbling over his feet in his haste not to be standing outside a place like that.

It was only when the laugh echoed away that Gideon stopped himself.

This couldn’t go on. The wondering. For months, it had built up in his gut every time he walked past, ever since Beth had told him it wasn’t a “normal” bar, but a place for freaks and perverts. On the way here, he’d stopped a dozen times and nearly turned around.

The sign was different in this light. Usually, it was off when he went by or dimmed by the morning light when he came home from the night shift.

He’d turned around to face it, he realized, without noticing. A moth to a lantern.

He couldn’t go on like this. Maybe—hopefully—it would be awful, and he wouldn’t get the release he worried he’d find, but at least he’d know.

The door swung open smoothly, then fell heavily behind him as he walked into a wall of sound. His eyes, sore from staring at the sign, watered at the change in light. There was none now that the haze of pink was gone, only a dim purple glow that grew brighter the longer he blinked.

“Good evening.”

A shape materialized from the darkness, and he almost went right back out the door he’d come in. But he stopped himself at the last moment, standing straight and unmoving except for the shaking of his tightly clenched fists.

Idle hands, his mother’s voice hissed in his ear. Two years out of her reach, and he still couldn’t break the habit of keeping them still. He’d considered trying, just to prove he could, but the risk was too great that he’d become addicted to the ridges of his scars passing under his fingertips. No. His hands would stay still at his sides as long as he could stand it.

“Hello,” he said, his voice steadier than he felt.

The bouncer’s voice rumbled through the blackness. “One?”

“Please.”

Their clothing matched. Gideon had to suppress a manic laugh as he yanked some bills out of his wallet. Their black T-shirts and jeans could have been purchased from the same store, if in very different sizes.

That was where the similarities ended.

Tall and short, dark skin and light, short-buzzed and stubbornly wavy hair, they were as different as they could be, but they’d both ended up here.

Probably for very different reasons.

“Through there,” the bouncer said, handing back a few bills.

Gideon would count them later when he could see the number and had time to worry about his budget. For now, he was too busy worrying about where there would lead him.

A curtain separated the dark-walled, boxy front area he’d been in, and the source of the purple light emanated from behind it.

Sumptuous was the word that first came to mind when he drew the drape back, revealing a foyer that belonged in a mansion, but an abandoned one without the warmth of a crackling fire in the next room.

Sinful was the next, but he swept it away, leaving it—and the person he’d been before this very moment—on the other side of the curtain.

The music was clearer here but still too loud and throbbing to be distinct.

Two women stood by a long, elegant bureau, a study in contrasts just like Gideon and the door man.

One was tall and rail thin, dressed for an office job. Splotches of blue and pink from the lights bounced off her dark, smooth cheekbones.

The other woman…

She was exactly what Gideon had pictured when Beth and Evan had described the place in detail, thinking to shock and educate the naive country boy. This woman was small, and she wore next to nothing except strips of black and so many spikes.

His tongue was thick in his mouth, and he nearly choked on it when those spikes glinted as she glided toward him.

“Hello,” she purred. “First time?”

Only the courtesy beaten into him allowed him to answer. “Yes.”

“Fun! What are you here for? It’s an open play night. No formal demos, just free reign on the floor equipment. The private rooms are all booked, but you can always hang around and see if someone wants to invite you in.”

Her lips glistened as if freshly moistened with something unspeakable, pursing as she waited for an answer he couldn’t give.

A clipboard appeared in her hand from somewhere, the edge flashing sharper than the shards of metal on her shoulders, and she tapped it with the daggers of her fingers. “So? It’s a bit of a maze back there, so I should really show you where you’re going. What are you looking for?”

“I need—”

His throat closed up, keeping the secrets inside. They were comfortable there, had made a home for themselves in a lonely, sunless part of his soul. Buried too deep, even here, where the promise of warmed skin and aching release was so close.

Need was too soft a word for how he yearned.

“I’ve got this one.”

It was the other woman, the tall one in a slim pencil skirt that wouldn’t look out of place at the old church. It fell obediently over her knees as she crossed the space.

“Whatever you say, Lenore.” The spiked woman went back to her clipboard.

“Welcome,” Lenore greeted him, coming to a stop milliseconds before Gideon would have backed up out of her reaching presence. From an invisible pocket in her blazer, she pulled three slim bands. “Which one do you want?”

He stared at them, draped over her hand innocuously. They all looked the same to him, except for their bright colors. He looked and looked, trying to interpret the right answer from her silent insistence, but had to admit, “I don’t know.”

She nodded as if he’d passed some kind of test he hadn’t studied for. “They let other people know what you’re looking for. Like a stoplight, see?” She flattened them out on her palm, pointing at each one. “Green, if you want to play. Yellow, if you’re not sure but wouldn’t mind being asked. Red, if you’re not interested in playing.”

He searched her face for humor, a joke he was missing to explain the repeated use of the word “play.” The spiky woman had used it too.

He’d seen pictures. He’d never been able to make himself read the words that went along with them—typing in keywords letter by letter had been hard enough with shaking hands—but nothing he’d ever seen was close to “playing.”

“Plaything,” maybe. A toy to be used and discarded. Not fun for anyone other than the capricious player. Something to be endured.

Dreadful want shuddered down his back, and he used its momentum to take the green bracelet from Lenore’s hand. He’d come this far. He wasn’t leaving until he’d been cleansed of the demons that kept him up at night.

Lenore watched him struggle with the piece of plastic for a few moments before seeming to take pity on him and fastening it around his wrist while he held still like a child.

“You can change your mind.”

Gideon’s fingers, already still and silent on the edge of the plastic, went tense. He looked to Lenore, who’d tilted her head, studying him.

“At any time, if you’d like a different wristband,” she said. “Just ask someone with a name tag.”

Surprise made his eyebrows furrow. It sounded so…clinical. He hadn’t expected the shadowy world he was entering to have name tags. It didn’t matter. They could dress it up, but this was still a place of sordid pleasure and pain inflicted on those who couldn’t stop craving it.

Lenore’s heels clicked as she stepped away, leaving room for her next question. “Are you ready?”

I read another of this author’s books, Worth It, back when it was released, and enjoyed it, so wanted to try a new series from this author. It was a much different book than that series.

Gideon and Mal had a insta-lust/insta-love happen when meeting in the kink club Mal was running. Gideon, coming from an extremely religious and abusive home finally has the courage to enter it, then has a scene with Mal almost immediately. I struggled with this a bit, because although they talked through some stuff, there were pieces that I felt would have been better served by having deeper discussions. They kept advancing their scenes, and even with a setback or two, moved onward. Their relationship became serious very quickly.

Mal, having lost both is parents, found a father of sorts in someone who was a mob boss. Somehow he was able to keep the business he ran for Nick clean? That seemed improbable to me. Especially with all the other “businesses” Nick ran, it just didn’t ring as realistic. I also struggled with Nick suddenly having issues with Mal, someone he had raised from a teenager to the man he was.

Gideon and Mal, once they found their rhythm became very much in sync, in their private lives, and put the other man first when things became untenable with Nick. They were able to make decisions together as a couple, even as Gideon learned about his submissive side.

The book was somewhat disjointed with their relationship being a big portion in the middle, then the issues with Nick on either end, and lightly sprinkled elsewhere. It didn’t help that the timeline felt a bit off in places, as well. Overall, the book was okay, but not something I would go back to re-read.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Writing is just one of the many ways Chloe gets her storytelling fix. In her other life, she sings and acts to fulfil the urge, and is never far from a stage.

When not writing, Chloe cooks with too much garlic, sharpens her eyeliner to a deadly point, and tries to accept that she’s turning into one of those people who only wears one color. (Pink.)

Author Links

Website: http://www.chloebyoung.carrd.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbyauthor

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Getting Kinky (It’s a Kink Thing) By M.C. Roth: New Release Review

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Book five in the It’s a Kink Thing series

If your husband hates kink, can you still get kinky?

“ You want to kneel, sweetheart?”

Elliot is stuck in life, living a lie while doing his best to pretend he’s happy with his husband Hunter. Hunter has picked up the pieces so many times that Elliot has lost count, and he feels terrible asking for anything more— especially when it’s something that Hunter hates.

But after Elliot convinces Hunter to attend an event at the kink club Unkinked, Elliot finds a place where he doesn’t have to feel ashamed about the submission he craves.

While Hunter pouts on a bar stool in the club, the mysterious Dom Shelvin is more than happy to give Elliot a tour, somehow knowing in moments what Elliot desires so deeply. Elliot can’t let that night be the last time he sets foot inside Unkinked, even if Hunter doesn’ t understand why.

His brave face only lasts so long, and soon he confesses what he really needs— something Hunter can’t give him.

But making a contract with a Dom who isn’t his husband comes with conditions— conditions that Elliot will struggle not to break.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I’ve been enjoying this series, partially because it doesn’t strictly follow the established path of this genre. Each book is just a bit different than another, but a bit more realistic than some bdsm. That being said, this one fell away from the HEA that I was looking for…in part. I won’t go into how and why, but it did, which since I was reading expecting more of an HEA or HFN, I figured out about halfway through that was not going to happen.

Elliot definitely was lying about loving his life, to himself, as much as others. And let’s be honest…his husband was a world class dick in many ways. But he was still put in an awkward position at the beginning.

Shelvin was still willing to put himself in the middle of it, and he doesn’t have any issues with making Elliot kneel right in front of Hunter. He’s definitely the S in bdsm, and doesn’t let Elliot get away with anything. But I wanted to see a bit more of his softer side. That being said, he really didn’t have one.

I didn’t love this, simply because it wasn’t what I was looking for in this book, but still well written, and really hits the realism well.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Liar City: A Novel (Sugar & Vice Book 1) by Allie Therin: New Release Review

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A murder has Seattle on edge, and it falls to a pacifist empath—and a notorious empath hunter—to find the killer before it’s too late

It’s the middle of the night when part-time police consultant and full-time empath Reece gets an anonymous call warning him that his detective sister needs his help. At an out-of-the-way Seattle marina, he discovers that three people have been butchered—including the author of the country’s strictest anti-empathy bill, which is just days from being passed into law.

Soon, Reece’s caller arrives: a shadowy government agent known as The Dead Man, who is rumored to deal exclusively in cases involving empathy. He immediately takes over the investigation, locking out both local PD and the FBI, but, strangely, keeps Reece by his side.

As the two track an ever-growing trail of violence and destruction across Seattle, Reece must navigate a scared and angry city, an irritating attraction to his mysterious agent companion, and a rising fear that perhaps empaths like him aren’t all flight and no fight after all…

“Readers will be yearning for more the minute they finish the final page.” —Library Journal, starred review, on Starcrossed

Sugar & Vice

Book #1: Liar City

Amazon

This author can world build like few others I’ve read before. Just fantastic world building. I felt a bit lost at the beginning, but soon got into it. It’s well worth the time invested.
It has lots of action, intrigue and mystery. The twists and turns in the plot are intricate, and keep the reader guessing.

There is definitely an undertone of how we treat “the other people” which is so relevant to the society we live in today.

Reese was hilarious to me (his rules about driving a car cracked me up), but also tore my heart out from all he had gone through as an empath. He and Grayson together were funny, but this isn’t really a romance, at least not at this point.

However the book worth jumping into this series and finding out what this world is all about, and seeing where these two take us. Also, I am going to jump back and grab the audiobook too, because the only thing that would have made it better is having Joel Leslie read it to me. 🙂

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Dexterity Check (Dungeons and Dating Book 5) by Katherine McIntyre: Quick Review

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Eli’s sworn off irresponsible flirts, and Arjun’s one of the worst—aggravating, provoking, and everything Eli can’t resist.

After fifteen years in the military, Eli Reynolds has returned to San Francisco with broken dreams and a broken heart, courtesy of his now ex-boyfriend. He’s determined to avoid anyone like his cheating ex—which means steering clear of Tabletop Tavern’s resident flirt, Arjun Gupta.

Arjun wants a break. Ever since he added his grandmother’s nursing home to his monthly bills, he’s drowning in debt. On top of his job as chef at Tabletop Tavern, he’s been stripping at nights to cover the extra costs. She’s worth every sleepless hour, but he’s desperate for relief—of any sort. Too bad Tabby’s cousin Eli is too high and mighty for a fling.

Eli and Arjun can’t seem to avoid each other, and with each collision they realize more and more that they might have misjudged—especially when all those sparks spill over into something hot and unforgettable. However, when Eli’s folks decide to move across the country, Eli needs to choose: remain in the place that reminds him of his failures or start over fresh—and if Arjun isn’t here for keeps, Eli can’t risk his heart to stay.

Roll the dice on romance at Tabletop Tavern…

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Okay, so I’m late to the party, what else is new? Dexterity Check is the first book in this series that I’ve read. I don’t have any excuse other than I think I was worried I would get lost in the D&D references. Which, of course, I did. However, the author kept the references easy and light, so the reader didn’t have to actually know anything about D&D to enjoy the book, or the Tabletop Taver (which is a BRILLIANT name, I have to say). So, with my lack of gaming knowledge, I ventured in, and am so glad I did.

I loved Arjun, a snarky, sassy man, who kept himself at a distance from everyone, because he was so afraid of everyone leaving him. He only ever could count on his Nani, and did not want to take any further chances, until he had no choice, and had to ask for some help. Side note: having dealt with my father, all his medical bills, his strokes and other medical issues, I understood the emotions Arjun expressed. The anxiety when you get a phone call in the middle of the night, or you rush over to find out what’s happening, without even stopping to put on your shoes. I lived that, and the way he felt, is exactly how I felt. Alone, scared, and afraid to count on anyone else. And I will say, personally…it was a little hard to read sometimes, but very well done.

Meanwhile, I appreciated that Eli, just home from the military, with a broken heart and no idea what to do was drifting.  Sometimes, former military are portrayed as coming home and just jumping right into life, knowing what they need to do, etc. Eli did not have that. He was bouncing from one thing to another, not putting down more roots than he already had down, trying to rekindle family relationships, and struggled quite obviously with depression. He couldn’t seem to appreciate what he had to give the world, only what the world had given him, in all the negative ways. It was heartbreaking to see how much he struggled to keep moving forward sometimes.

These two settled each other, in different ways. Arjun needed someone steady, someone who would show up when he was needed, even if he wasn’t called. He needed to feel safe, but still held so much up to what he wanted in life. Eli, on the other hand, needed Arjun to bring some light into his life. He needed someone to bring back some fun, and some super sexy times…Arjun fit that bill perfectly. They offset each other in all the best ways.

The side characters, which likely were featured in the previous four books, were a mixture of all types of people, drawn together by the Tabletop Tavern. They supported each other, and enjoyed hanging out playing whatever game was on the docket that day. Eli’s cousin, Tabby, never let Eli feel he wasn’t wanted or cared for. They had a great relationship.

All in all, a good story, with lots of fun and sass. Definitely recommend. And now I may need to go back and check out the rest! Or wait for Charisma Check, book 6 and final in the series to come out in May.