Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

review

Killer Bond (Ward Security Series Book 5) by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: New Release Review

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Daniel Hendricks wants a vacation. Ward Security’s accountant and resident code breaker just needs a little R&R from the chaos and usual shenanigans of the office.

But what was supposed to be a sexy vacation hook-up explodes in his face when he’s mistaken for a rogue secret agent.

Now he’s on the run with CIA agent Edward Raines from Bermuda to Barcelona to Paris as they try to find the secrets the real rogue was attempting to sell before another foreign spy does.

The chemistry between them is off the charts, but how is Daniel supposed to trust a man who had originally set out to kill him?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What a fun book! Even though this is Book 5 in the Ward Security series– which is a spin off of the Unbreakable Bonds series– it is definitely the stand aloniest of all of them. (Yes, I made up a word. You’re welcome)

The story gets almost immediately into the action. Daniel, quiet accountant for Ward Security, is finally on vacation. He doesn’t care that he is alone. Well, not really. But a super hot guy sits next to him on the beach. Flirting leads to dinner leads to what Daniel thinks is a one night stand. But Edward thinks Daniel is a rogue agent out to sell government secrets to the highest bidder. Until the rogue agent and Daniel are in the same room and the similarity is shocking.

And so begins a very James Bond like adventure. With really hot sex. Because as freaked out as Daniel is at the beginning of this adventure, being lied to by Edward AND realizing that Edward had fully intended on killing the rogue agent (him, but not him), he really doesn’t want a roll in the hay again. Buttttttttttt… he can’t help it.

Edward and Daniel traipse through several European countries trying to not only find the information that was set to be sold, but to also figure out who the real rogue agent’s partner is. I loved how Daniel insisted on seeing the sights while also basically running for their lives. It cracked me up. But hey, if that was probably going to be my one and only time in France, I might do the same.

There is very little mention of “the guys” at Ward Security and mostly only one of his coworkers in involved very slightly. So it wasn’t the typical rousing of the troops to save the day. It was pretty much just Daniel and Edward.

Fun, exciting, sexy….and a happily ever after. Must read.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

On Shaky Ground by Andrew Grey: Release Day Review

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Martin Graham built his business from the ground up with hard work and intuition. Due to a degenerative eye disease, he’s learned to rely on his other senses to feel out the competition. To realize his dream, he just needs to broker one last deal… and finally secure an assistant.

Brock Littleton is desperate for money—desperate enough take the job no one else wants: assistant to demanding, fussy, intensely private Mr. Graham.

Everything about Brock gets under Martin’s skin in ways he never expected, making him realize a successful business isn’t the only component to a happy future. But as Martin’s deal comes together, one of the prices could be the relationship with Brock that Martin is just starting to believe could be real.

Previously published in Boundless Love Anthology by Andrew Grey, November 2018.

Title: On Shaky Ground
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: June 14, 2019
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 70

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Short and sweet….
Martin had started at the bottom and made his way to the very top, even though he faces struggles with degenerative blindness and assistants that only make his job harder. When the last one leaves and messes with the order of his office and his files, he needs someone that can understand that he needs order and familiarity as well as competence and a willingness to help him with everyday things. Although he was said to be a giant pain and very hard to work for… Brock didn’t seem to have a problem.

Brock had graduated college with an MBA, so being someone’s assistant wasn’t quite what he had in mind. Still, with the economy like it is, folks are lucky to get a job at all, much less in their chosen field. He already had a tiny cluttered apartment because it was all he could afford and if he didn’t take the job, he’d be forced to move back home with his mother.

Fortunately, Martin hires him on the spot and Brock proves that he takes his job very seriously… When an out of town business trips takes them away for the weekend together, after a few too many drinks shmusing the company they’re looking to invest in…. they end up together.

Now, I’m not big on boss and employee romances, but this didn’t feel like one. Not really. The two guys had such quick chemistry and Martin wasn’t as demanding or bullheaded and they made him appear in the beginning. Brock was patient and seemed to know everything Martin needed before he even said, and he was there for Martin and even a bit protective.

There was no drama or any real angst, even though I thought for sure that Chester was going to be a problem. Even to the very end, I kept expecting him to do something deceitful, but everything went smoothly and everyone was healthy and happy and together in the end. It was a short, sweet read and definitely worth the read.

4 pieces of eye candy

Who We Used to Be by Dara Nelson: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Pre-Release Review

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Ten years ago Zeke Malloy had everything:

A happy childhood, a shot at a state championship wrestling title, a best friend, a boyfriend (albeit a secret one but that was okay because, once they graduated, that would change).

He had love, happiness……a heart.

All of that changed in the blink of an eye.

One moment he was deliriously happy, looking forward to a future with Digger Brandt, building a life, a home, a forever, with him.

And then it was gone, disappearing like the tears that flowed down Zeke’s cheeks as he watched from the back of the church as Digger married Lisa – with his father sitting proudly in the front pew.  Those tears were still flowing when he walked out of that church and went directly to the nearest recruiting office.  Because he didn’t just lose the love of his life that day, he lost his hopes, his dreams, he lost…..himself.

For the next ten years he was a machine – the best Marine, the best friend, but like a machine, he did it all without a beating heart.  His was dead…..or was it?

Was ten years too long?

Was a broken heart too much?

Zeke didn’t know.  Hell, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know.

From the moment Digger walked up behind him and said in that smooth, sexy voice that used to light Zeke up six ways from Sunday, “The man I knew never had a problem with it,”, the only thing Zeke knew now was that he was about to find out.

Book Title:  Who We Used to Be (Do-Over Series, Book 1)

Author: Dara Nelson

Publisher: Dare Publishing

Cover Artist: Dara Nelson

Cover Photo: Dan Skinner/DWS Photography

Release Date: June 15, 2019

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Second-chance love

Themes: Forgiveness

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 51 356 words/280  pages

Add on Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Zeke stared at the amber colored liquid in his glass while trying to figure out what he was feeling.  That was just the thing. He wasn’t feeling anything.

He was numb.

If he really allowed himself to think about it, he’d been numb for a decade.  Since the day he’d opened his front door and had seen that invitation sticking out from under his doormat.  That was the last day he’d felt anything at all. And what he’d felt then was total, utter devastation as he collapsed onto the porch swing as those words penetrated his brain.  Such a profound sense of not only sadness, but the devastating knowledge that life as he knew it was over.

Everything he thought he knew was shattered.

How could he do this?

Everything he thought he could have was gone.

Did he know her?  Had he been cheating the whole time?

And anger – god there was so much anger.

The cowardly fucker didn’t even have the balls to look him in the eye when he destroyed him. 

He swore he could feel his heart shattering into a million pieces.  It was also the day that he lost all hope of finding his happily ever after.

It was the day he was forced to come to terms with the fact that he and Digger were not meant to be.

Shit.  Every time one of Zeke’s crappy relationships ended, he always thought of Digger.

Digger Brandt.  The first boy he’d kissed.  The first boy he’d touched. The first…and only…. boy he’d ever loved.

Digger Brandt.  The man who had destroyed Zeke Malloy.  Ruined him for all others.

“Fuck,” he mumbled as he scrubbed a hand over his face.  He really needed to stop doing this.

He had to find a way to get over Digger Brandt once and for all.

But how?

As he brought his glass up until it touched his lips, he felt a presence behind him, the heat of someone close, someone big, someone strong, someone that Zeke might be able to get lost in.

“I don’t bottom,” he said, getting that shit outta the way right quick.

A deep chuckle rumbled out of the man’s chest.  It was so sexy it made Zeke’s balls tingle.

“The man I knew never had a problem with it.”

Zeke’s eyes squeezed shut.

He knew that voice.

He’d felt that voice.

He’d swallowed that voice into his body when the man came, dozens of times.

He still heard that voice every time he jacked off, despite trying to fight it with everything he had.

If he allowed himself to, he could easily get lost in that voice again.

He shook his head.

No.  Not again.  Never again.

“The boy you knew doesn’t exist anymore,” he growled and then he tipped back his glass, welcoming the burn as the liquid slid down his throat.

He felt the change in the man behind him, knew without looking that he’d gone from self-assured, cocky even, to unsteady, remorseful…..guilty.

Good.

“Zeke, I….”
“Don’t, Digger.  Just fucking don’t.  Go back to your perfect house, your white picket fence, your beautiful wife, your two point five kids.  Go back to whatever fake little happy life you built and leave me the fuck alone.”

God.  Ten fucking years of trying to forget him erased in sixty seconds.

He signaled to Joe, the bartender, for another and tried to ignore the fact that he could still feel Digger behind him.

When Digger slid onto the empty stool next to Zeke, he wanted to turn and walk out.

But he couldn’t.

He felt like he was anchored to his spot with a one-ton boulder.

To be honest, he was anchored, but not by a boulder; by a six-foot-one heart-breaking asshole named Douglas Digger Brandt.

Zeke refused to turn and look at the man.

Truth be told, he was afraid to look.

Afraid that he just might drop to his knees and beg the man to love him, to really love him, the way Zeke thought he had all those years ago, the way Zeke had loved him, the way a still fucking loved him.

 Hell, he’d probably even offer to be his dirty little secret if Digger asked him to.

Just anything to get the man to touch him one more time.

Nobody had ever touched Zeke the way that Digger had, like he was trying to fuse them together, like he was pulling whatever it was that made Zeke, Zeke, into himself. He didn’t even have to touch Zeke’s dick, although that was amazing too. Just the tips of his fingers on Zeke’s skin or the brush of his lips on his neck made Zeke feel like he was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Everything that was Digger slid effortlessly together with Zeke like the pieces of a perfect puzzle.

A puzzle whose pieces Digger had scattered to the wind the moment he had walked away.

Maybe nobody had ever touched Zeke like that since because he’d never allowed it, because he’d never let someone get that close.

Never again.

A heartbreak like that was something you never forgot – it changed you.

You ever just in the mood to cry?

That’s where I was when I read this blurb. I knew it was going to be one to kick me in the feels. I was not wrong. Zeke and Digger were young, sure, but there love was so big and important, netiher one of them doubted their forever… that was, until

Zeke came home and found a wedding invitation to Zeke’s very hetero wedding. It all happens before the book starts, but you get the first few chapters of his heartbreak….

Then we get to see Digger’s heartbreak and his reasons that things happened the way they did all those years ago. I have to admit…. I didn’t feel like they were good enough. I mean, he and Zeke were both adults… and ten years is a really long time to let things go on that way when you live with regret every single day and still love each other…. I mean, a decade, especially from that age is like a whole lifetime.

Zeke was in the military, has this whole family of brothers that now apparently own a garage together and kind of remind me of the Golden Girls….

SO MUCH DRAMA!!! With everyone! You could not go one chapter without the most random drama.

Do guys really talk about their feelings and cry that much around each other? I mean, I know good friends and family, I’ve got tons of them….and maybe the guys I know or have read about just don’t get that invested in their friends life or relationships…it was odd to me. I loved that they’re all so close and I love that they all support each other though….but again…. There was so much drama with so many different people, I just couldn’t keep up.

And who was Diggers dad? He was a big shot in the community, sure… but did that mean he could kill people and get away with it, just cuz his son is gay and wouldn’t produce an heir? It was just so unbelievable to me.

Anyway… backing up..here it is ten years later and Digger and his wife are divorced but still best friends, because she wants him to be happy. Another odd part to me… why they let it go on for ten whole years…. But now Digger is back and will stop at nothing to get Zeke to just stop and talk to him. The wife seems kind of crappy about it, but chick, your husband did kind of break the guy… Zeke isn’t having it though… he says at least 125 times that he can’t do this… and the number of times these two jumped to conclusions…. The wrong conclusions just made me want to pull my hair out.

And the ex-boyfriend trashing the house and then coming to ask for money…. So much cringe. I haaaate when bad guys just get away with being bad guys… I needed karmic justice.

Eventually though, after Digger fighting for his man back, things work out the way they’re supposed to. The dad isn’t a problem like I thought he was going to be. I dunno why he seemed so scary well into adulthood, but he was over and done with pretty quickly.

I am very curious about Dallas and Bulldog, but I don’t think I wanna revisit this family of so much meddling and drama. I think I’ll leave it here. I’m glad everything worked out for these two, second chances are always satisfying, and I liked both guys and loved them together, but this one just wasn’t for me. It was just too much….

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

I did not choose to write…..writing chose me

Kendel Duncan is the pen name for Dara Nelson. Why a pen name? I first chose it because I was initially writing in two different genres (M/F Paranormal and Gay Romance).  I’ve since transitioned into a strictly gay romance author – writing romance, action, suspense and second chance romances.

I’ve tackled subjects that I’m very proud of, including losing a spouse, living with HIV, among other things.

I was born and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California but have made my home in the Pacific Northwest for more than two decades.  My husband & I live on a small farm surrounded by chickens, goats, 5 dogs, and a cat, in the shadow of stunning Mt Rainier.

With my grown children and grandchildren nearby, my life is always busy, happy and full of laughter.

I am an active Blogger, having created Love Unchained Book Reviewsout of my love for all things reading – mostly MM books.

Owner of Dare Publishing & Design– Offering quality, affordable services for indie authors, including:

Editing, Publishing, Book Cover Design and more!

When I’m not on the phone with my best friend (which is at least once every day) – I am an avid, addicted reader.  It is my passion, my escape, my joy
And I am most definitely a writer.  The characters in my head are constantly demanding that their story be told.
But above all that – I am a human being. My passion for people is unparalleled, my firm belief in Love is Love unwavering, my hope that all can be accepted, undying. I do not write because I want to, I do it because I haveto.  I write because these voices, these beautiful men, have chosen me to tell their stories – and how damn lucky am I for that?

As an author, I write under both my name and my pen name (Kendel Duncan), with total transparency and honesty.

Dara Nelson is the author of:

Author of the successful ‘Healing Hearts’ series (Love in the Aftermath, Love After Chaos, Love Worth Fighting For – and more to come soon)

“5 stars5 stars  Amazing!!”

“Highly recommended”

“This is not your average romance story. It is so much more. A book that touched my heart.”

“OMG!!! This was probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.”

“This is the first time I’ve read anything from Dara Nelson, but it won’t be the last. I need more of her writing!”

Under the pen name Kendel Duncan:

Author of the popular & critically acclaimed ‘Black Ops Heroes’ series and the new top-selling ‘Doyle Global Securities’ series

“I can’t recommend Kendel Duncan or Black Ops Heroes ENOUGH!!!! OMG, everyone who likes strong vulnerable men will love these stories!!!”

“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THIS AMAZING SERIES!!!!!”

“I love how you keep the story going and keep all the characters interesting. Can’t wait for the next book!”

“The emotions are so raw and just I don’t have the right words to express how amazing the books are. You have to read them to understand. I can’t wait for the next installment!!”

Author Links

Blog/Website

Twitter:  @daranel

Facebook

Instagram: @daranel1

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Close to Home (Sawyer’s Ferry #4) by Cate Ashwood: Release Day Review

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Witt:
I excelled at two things: systems engineering and going completely unnoticed.
The engineering took work and determination. The invisibility came naturally. Until one day, the wrong person noticed me. Battered and broken, I fled, escaping to Sawyer’s Ferry and the only friends I’d ever had.
Now, I just needed to figure out what I was going to do next.

Mason:
Life was good.
I had a great job, good friends, and a family who loved me. Even my roommate was decent. At least he was until he let his nudist brother come to visit. The opportunity to house-sit and help an injured friend couldn’t have come at a better time.
All I’d needed was to avoid an awkward situation for a few days, but I got more than I bargained for when my entire uncomplicated life flipped upside down. The last thing I’d been looking for was love, but it wasn’t until Witt that I realized just how much I’d been missing out on.

Title: Close to Home

Series: Sawyer’s Ferry: Book 4

Author: Cate Ashwood

Release Date: May 31st, 2019

Genre: Contemporary m/m romance

Length: ~50,000 words

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

We’re back in Sawyer’s Ferry!

I was really looking forward to this one, with Mason (who works with Barrett at the brewery), and Witt, who is friends with Logan and Jackson.

We jump into the story right after Witt is viciously attacked in his bed and fleeing to get as far away from the place and the person who did it, as quickly as he can. It takes us a little bit to find out who did it and the why is still unknown, although I guess some people are just terrible people and don’t need an excuse to be that way…. but he ends up blacking out while waiting in his car to board the ferry to Sawyer’s Ferry. He’s luckily found by friends and taken to the hospital where Logan and Jackson step in to take him home with them until he gets better.

Playing hockey with Jackson, he confides in his team captain, Mason on what happened with Witt, and having met him before and having a little crush on him, Mason wanted badly to make sure that Witt was okay.

I loved how sweet and patient Mason was, and how much he cared about people, most especially Witt. When Jackson and Logan have to go out of town and then have a scheduled trip planned that’ll take them away from the healing Witt for a few weeks, they’re worried about leaving Witt alone, until Mason volunteers to stay with him and look after him until he starts feeling better. The situations at his own house, though kind of funny and kind of horrible, means he’s jumping at the chance to do it. Not only because he wants to spend more time with Witt, but also because he just doesn’t want to be around the nudists that are related to his roommate. I can’t say I blame them, that whole side story there irritated me. How rude.

Through it all though, while the men get to know each other and learn to trust each other, they’re also falling for each other. Mason wants to take care of Witt and protect him; he’s never far from Mason’s mind and he does everything he can to take things slow for Witt.

Witt has always lived his life for someone else; doing what he could to make someone else happy… so having someone like Mason in his life, who puts him first and cares about him so much, and just wants to make him happy… is exactly what he needed. Teaching him how to defend himself and showing him that it’s okay to be his own person and do what he wants for himself for a change, it was exactly what Witt needed. I loved it. They complimented each other so well, it didn’t feel like the insta-love, co-dependent thing that it could’ve been because of the situation. It felt real and authentic and genuine, and it was all just so sweet.

I loved the friends they all had and seeing everyone from the town. I liked that
Mason had this huge accepting family, and I would’ve liked to have seen them get to meet Witt because if anyone needed a big accepting family, it was Witt… so that kinda sucked, but meh, that may be me just being selfish and wanting more.

I also liked the man responsible for hurting Witt, didn’t get away with. I hate hate hate reading a story and the bad people just get away with being evil, vile people.
Though I’d have liked some petty karmic justice, painful and equally as evil as the hate he put out there… but I was happy he got what he did, plus a broken arm LOL so, good enough for me!

I’m really excited to see who’s next. I hope this series goes a long way, and maybe Brody’s next? Fingers crossed. Loved these two together and can’t wait to see more of them in future stories.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Arctic Wild: An Alaska Romance (Frozen Hearts Book 2) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

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When a plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, the best place to land is in the arms of a younger man…

Hotshot attorney Reuben Graham has finally agreed to take a vacation, when his plane suddenly plunges into the Alaskan wilderness.

Just his luck.

But his frustrations have only begun as he finds himself stranded with the injured, and superhot, pilot, a man who’s endearingly sociable—and much too young for Reuben to be wanting him this badly.

As the sole provider for his sisters and ailing father, Tobias Kooly is devastated to learn his injuries will prevent him from working or even making it back home. So when Reuben insists on giving him a place to recover, not even Toby’s pride can make him refuse. He’s never been tempted by a silver fox before, but something about Reuben is impossible to resist.

Recuperating in Reuben’s care is the last thing Toby expected, yet the closer they become, the more incredibly right it feels, prompting workaholic Reuben to question the life he’s been living. But when the pressure Toby’s under starts closing in, both men will have to decide if there’s room in their hearts for a love they never saw coming.

Amazon

I love this author, so in all honesty I didn’t even read the blurb first. HA! So color me surprised when the plane crashed. (not a spoiler at all)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. As I said, I am a big fan of this author AND I am a bit obsessed with Alaska. I was all in.

We got a brief glimpse of Toby in the first book. The happy go lucky one night stand guy who kind of seemed to be putting on a bit of a front. Turns out he was. Mostly that he was the sole provider for his family including his disabled father and 2 college age sisters. So not only is he bummed when his tour group drops from 3 people to 1 but also that the one person is grumpy and attached to his phone for work. And, yanno, the whole plane crash thing.

Let me be honest here, I didn’t feel the connection between Reuben and Toby. Not before the crash or after. I really felt like the story was more about Reuben and his daughter reconnecting.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some very hot sex scenes. But with his daughter in the picture with them, there was very little flirting and no touching or pda. Even their nighttime activities didn’t seem to have that clandestine excitement.

There were a few other things that were just off for me. Mostly concerning the aftermath of the plane crash. But if you’ve read my reviews, you know I am a picky bitch and stickler for details.

It was an enjoyable read, the sex scenes were hot if not detached and I really enjoyed the relationship between Reuben and his daughter.

3 Pieces of Eye Candy

Nothing Special by A.E. Via: Audiobook Review

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Detective Cashel “Cash” Godfrey is big, tattooed, and angry so people typically keep their distance. He’s fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six-foot-four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn’t expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis “Leo” Day.

Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic and the only one that can make Cash smile. He’s proud, out, and one bad-ass detective.

Together, Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta’s ever seen. Able to communicate and understand each other, without even having to voice it, they quickly climb up the promotional ranks.

When Cash saves Leo’s life in a raid that turns deadly, Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does…something special. But Leo fears he’ll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash’s heart.

Audible

Amazon Ebook

I love this series, it’s at the top of re-read list. So, imagine my excitement when Mrs. Via said she was working to put it out in audio format. I may have fangirled a little.

God and Day and two of the most entertaining and lovable characters I have ever read. They are funny, caring, compassionate and tough as nails. Not only do we get to see God and Day transition from partners are work to partners at home, we also get to ride along with some of their hilarious antics on the job. This story has it all; jokes, gun fights, closeted co-workers, and just enough of a sad backstory to balance out the story.

If ever there was a man that was made to be the voice of Detective Cashel Godfrey it was Aiden Snow. His voice is the perfect mix of deep rumbles and smooth honey. He was able to bring to life a story that I have read too many times to count and make me fall in love with it all over again. It was almost like reading it for the first time. I can’t wait to see what magic he brings to Embracing His Syn.

5 Pieces of Eye Candy