review

Confessions: Robbie by Ella Frank: New Release Review

March 26, 2018 by Denise

Relationships are complex.
Love ever-changing.
And when it comes to rules of the heart,
they were made to be broken…

That’s what Robert Antonio Bianchi was telling himself, anyway.
Otherwise, he really had no excuse for what—or who—he’d done.

No excuse, except for his lonely heart, a pitcher of margaritas, four Bitter Bitches, and the apparent need to confess all his weaknesses to the two men he knew would bring him nothing but trouble.

But trouble was nothing new.

Just ask his crazy sisters or any of his friends, and they’d be the first to tell you:
If there was a bad decision to be made, Robbie always had a knack for making it.

And thus begins the story of the priest, the princess, and the prick.

Amazon

Truth be told, I don’t always jump on the popular band wagon. When books get super hyped, it gives me pause. There is nothing wrong with having a big fandom- I think it is fab. But I also think that same fandom will read anything their favorite author(s) put out.

But……………….I needed to read this. Robbie has intrigued me since we met him in Try/Take/Trust (I can’t remember which) and he just seemed so sad. So needing love and affection and attention. So I was ready to jump in. And this book did.not.disappont.

Menage is a difficult trope. Some are ok, some are good and some are truly terrible. This one though? So effing good. Add into the mix of bringing a third into a well established relationship and this could have gone all sorts of wrong.

And Robbie deserves this. This guy held a torch for Logan for so long. But Julien and Priest snuffed it right out. I loved how they wooed him. They took the time to wine, dine and romance him. Robbie probably would have easily slept with Julien (and maybe even Priest. Maybe) after the drunken text. But they didn’t take advantage of him like that.

And yes, they do take care of him in ways. But never in a way that seems like he can’t take care of himself. They are both just so ALPHA, they need someone to allow them the pleasure of caring for someone like that.

And Julien and Priest. YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I need and want more! Of course I really REALLY want more Priest and he will be book three. **Pouts** But I need Julien as well.

Yes, the sex scene were literally the hottest I have ever read. Menage can get clumsy. Who’s hand is where, body positions, etc etc. But that was not a problem at all with this book. Whew.

Robbie, Priest and Julien do not disappoint. I cannot wait for more

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Runner by Parker Williams: Audiobook Review

March 23, 2018 by Denise

Matt Bowers’ life ended at 16, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear, and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For 10 years, he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence.

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos, and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

Audible

Amazon Ebook

Dreamspinner Press

After suffering an attack at 16, Matt suffers from extreme OCD and PTSD. He has locked himself away from the world in a cabin miles from town. He has turned his land into a self-sustaining oasis. He grows his own food, he fishes and hunts on his last and has almost no contact with the outside world. Then one day his world is turned upside down when someone starts jogging past his house everyday. The first sighting sent Matt into a panic attack to rival all panic attacks. Matt tried calling the sheriff to see if he could stop him, but the runner isn’t breaking any laws. Slowly, Matt comes to expect the runner at the same time everyday. One day when he doesn’t show up Matt’s world tips again. Can he leave his carefully constructed world to find out what happened to his runner?

My heart broke for Matt so many times throughout this story. His reaction to the attack was extreme, but how could it not be? He was 16, with very little if any coping skills. His mom did him a great disservice, she wan’t strong enough to get him the help he needed and so he retreated into himself where he knew he was safe and then eventually to his compound.

The runner, Charlie was an intriguing character. I love that he pushed Matt’s boundaries without being pushy or mean. He knew when to push and when to back off. He was so caring and understanding.

I loved the amount of detail in Matt’s compound. When Parker Williams described it I could actually visualize it and Patrick Zeller brought it to life with his perfect narration. From the greenhouse to the lake and all the gardens.

The thing that made me love this story was that Matt fell in love with Charlie and that made him want to get help to fix his issues, but Charlie made his see that he loved him issues and all and if he was getting help it was for himself. That he was loved either way, warts and all.

The story line was not at all predictable, as soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen something else would. I love that. The characters and the setting were well developed and rich with detail.

I fell in love with this story when I first read the book. I didn’t think I could love it any more than I already did, but Patrick Zeller has a great talent for narration. He took the story to the next level.

5 pieces of eye candy

Ten Mile Bottom by Teodora Kostova: Release Day Review

March 21, 2018 by Denise

Hitting rock bottom is just the beginning…

I’m a son, a brother, a friend.
A writer.
An addict.
Dead.
Cardiac arrest isn’t enough to keep me dead, though. The doctors brought me back, but for what?

At twenty four I’ve already achieved what most people do in a life time. I’m a successful author, own a flat in the heart of London and drive my dream sports car.
Or at least that’s what people see.
Once the spotlight fades, I’m left alone with my overactive mind, alcohol and drugs the only way to quiet down the noise.
Until an overdose nearly kills me and drags everyone I love down with me.
With the help of my best friend, I leave London and its toxic influence behind, moving to a small town in the outskirts of Cambridge to try and put my life back together again.

If only it were that easy.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I finished this book a few days ago and had to sit and let it work in my head before I could write the review. I’ve read quite a few- maybe even most- of this author’s books. I’ve enjoyed them all. But nothing like this one.

This was, by far, her most character driven story. Finn, at the very center, broke my heart in so many ways. An addict with a toxic mother, fame that came too early and a best friend who enabled and participated in the worst of his behavior. And Ben, the forever do gooder trying to make up for one mistake he made as a kid.

Although Finn is technically on the road to recovery, he is stuck in a pattern of helplessness that he brings on himself. And although Ben sees the good, Finn can’t get past the bad. Ultimately, Finn has to face his fears, his life, his mother, in order to move forward.

Never did the author fall back on plot devices we see so often-the giant fight caused by a simple misunderstanding, running away from the other person, the big break up. Which just made the story all the stronger for me.

There were definitely scenes- even sentences- that hit me right where it hurts. But isn’t that one of the reasons to love a book? Because you can connect with it in some way on a personal level? And knowing that aspects of the story were completely personal for the author is what made it so compelling.

Without spoilers, there were small things that kept this from being a 5 POEC for me. But really, 5 POEC is ridiculously rare for me. This book was incredible.

4 1/2 Pieces of eye candy

Living On Air by Susan Mac Nicol: New Release Review

March 19, 2018 by Denise

For aerialist, Cary Stilwell, aside from performing forty feet in the air, life holds little comfort until he meets Rhys McIntyre, who punctures all of Cary’s defenses.

PIERCING THE NIGHT
Cary Stilwell has been existing since he was ten years old, and each year it gets harder to find meaning in his bleak life. The only exception – his work. As a top-billed aerialist in a popular travelling circus, he enjoys accolades and applause, but little else. When notable photographer, Rhys McIntyre, joins the circus to catalogue its inner workings, Cary fights the attraction that hits him from the moment they meet. But a kind soul wrapped in a beautiful body has a way of battering all the walls Cary has built around his cold, dark heart.

WITH LIGHT
Rhys McIntyre is on his third iteration of reinventing himself. Once a hotdog financier, he embraced his passion for photography and became an eminent war photo journalist. Until one too many bullets lodged in his body, and he gave up the front lines for the softer side of chronicling life. When he accepts the assignment to record life in a circus, the last thing he expects is to find the man crush of his dreams. Except Cary Stilwell is a cold, tortured man who seems incapable of any warm emotion, never mind love. But Rhys is known for his persistence, and this time the pay-off might be more than he could have ever imagined.

This book delves into subjects some people may find disturbing. There are elements of the main characters’ pasts that include paedophilia, the dark side of religion, and the horrors of war. Aspects of the story include self-harm, depression, and suicide, and the book is set in a circus where clowns are featured.

None of these elements are gratuitous, but instead are included because they are part of the human condition, and are essential to our main characters’ journeys. I hope you join Cary and Rhys as they navigate their way to love.

Title: Living On Air

Author: Susan Mac Nicol

Released on February 22nd 2018

Amazon US

Amazon UK

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iTunes

Barnes and Noble

I don’t give 5 pieces of eye candy easily, or even very often. Not even if a book makes me cry (and by the way, why am I not used to this? EVERY SINGLE TIME I pick up a Susan Mac Nicol book, I don’t just cry, I cry buckets, and my heart rips out…), or laugh a ton. It has to be a book that I would read again, without hesitation–well, I do hesitate at crying over and over, but that’s a story for a different day. But Susan Mac Nicol puts so much into her books, hits the feels so hard, and tells a story that you may not think you are going to love, based on the topic, but that will make you root for the one who is hurting so very much. And once again, she does it.

Living On Air is one of those books for me. It was hard to read in many places. I just wanted to Cary up in a cuddly blank and take all his pain away. And there was so much pain! And so many reasons for it. (Small spoiler ahead) Cary harming himself was difficult to read, seeing how he felt the physical pain of cutting helped him to ease the emotional pain that he couldn’t escape from. He literally ran away to the circus to hide.

Rhys had his own pain that he brought into their relationship, but generally was able to keep a sunny personality. He also didn’t allow Cary’s pain and lashing out to make him forget the man he was. He wasn’t willing to give up the person he was, in order to allow Cary to emotionally beat him up. He wanted Cary to know that no matter what he would be there for him, whenever he called, but wouldn’t allow their relationship to be one where he was dragged down. I had so much respect for Rhys for that. That isn’t easy to do, especially when you see how much someone you care about is falling apart.

The ending was literally an HFN, and the characters even described it that way, and it was exactly as it should have been. There could be no expectations with someone who was as demon-ridden as Cary that he would be reading for an HEA after a few months. That kind of pain takes years to scab over, and likely would never fully heal. As a reader, I am always looking for the HEA, but if that was there it would have seemed shallow and unrealistic. However, as a reader, I will also beg Sue to please, please write a short at a later time with a follow up to these men, to see how they have progressed as they start a new life together (hopefully).

5 pieces of eye candy, and an entire box of tissues for Living On Air.

https://bit.ly/2ojsmHx

Susan Mac Nicol is a self-confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, geek and nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that…

She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason. She likes to think of herself as a ‘half full’ kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested.

In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people.

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Twisted and Tied by Mary Calmes: Release Day Review * 2

March 13, 2018 by Denise

Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones finally has everything he ever wanted. He’s head-over-heels in love and married to the man of his dreams, his partner Ian Doyle, he’s doing well at work, and all his friends are in good places as well. Things are all tied up nicely… until they’re not.

Change has never been easy for Miro, and when situations at work force the team he’s come to depend on to break apart, and, worst of all, when his and Ian’s individual strengths put them on two separate paths, he’s pretty certain everything just went up in smoke. But before he can even worry about the future, his past comes for a visit, shaking his world up even more. It’s hard to tell what road he should truly be on, but as he learns some paths are forged and others are discovered, it might be that where he’s going is the right course after all. If he can navigate all the twists and turns, he and Ian might just get their happily ever after.

Title: Twisted and Tied
Series: Marshals: Book Four
Author: Mary Calmes
Release Date: March 13, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBD (Novel)

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Sigh…Ian and Miro…and a good amount of Sam Kage, which I will never ever complain about.

In this one, I started off a little disappointed because the guys were married and we didn’t get to see this big elaborate wedding that I felt like Miro would’ve wanted…. But I shouldn’t have worried, I know better than to doubt this author… everything was perfect, and when you read it, you’ll totally get it.

There’s a lot going on, as there usually is in this particular series, but it’s all art of seeing these two grow, not only as a couple, but also as characters. Things kind of get thrown up in the air, when Sam Kage shakes things up a little bit regarding his team and their new roles. It creates some tension between Miro and Ian, and I could see where they were both coming from, so it was hard for me to pick a side! Not that you have to, but….well, you’ll see.

What I loved about this one, is that in the other books in this series.. I felt like Miro was the strong one…. Not physically, that’s not what I mean… But he was confident and so sure about everything and he knew who he was and was okay with that. He didn’t struggle like Ian did, so I felt like Miro was the one with the reigns the majority of the time, keeping Ian together, reassuring him and being there for him in the ways that only Miro could. And in this one, we see Miro depending on Ian a little bit more, and Ian being the one that needed to do the reassuring. I mean, even in last books with all the Hartley and all that Miro had gone through with him… being kidnaped and tortured and all that, Miro was still the one that kept it together so Ian would be okay. Not that it was ever a problem, because, that’s just how their relationship worked… but in this one, it was nice to see the shoe on the other foot.

Speaking of Hartley…he’s back. Of course he is, that’s no secret… and while I know I’m probably a minority in this, for all the terrible things he’s done… I still found it hard to hate him in this one. Who I did hate though, was Miró’s coven sisters husband…You will too, and I wasn’t expecting that…and I don’t know how relevant it is to the story, because it was kinda just thrown in there, but…. Ugh, didn’t like that…

But, back to Hartley… I felt like Miro got some closure there, which I was relieved about. He also rooves that its true what he’s always said, nobody knows Harley like Miro and it gets proven several times in this page turner.

Side note, I was really worried about Cabot and Drake in the last one, and if you read my reviews at all, I made it very clear as to why, and I am leased to say that Im so happy with the way all that turned out…And I’m over the moon with the way Ian and Miro turned out.

I want to gush, and I’m probably uber vague and annoying because of it, but if you’ve been waiting for this book like I have, and you’re anxious to know what happens.. I promise, it’s well worth the wait, and you’re going to fall in love with these guys all over again. It’s impossible not to!!!

No surprise here, but this one was 5 very deserved pieces of eye candy from me!

So…. this is the first book in a spin-off series of A Matter of Time. I thought I couldn’t love anyone as much as I do Jory Harcourte and then Mary Calmes threw Miro Jones at me. It was love at first sight.

Sam Kage has been promoted from US Marshall to Supervisory Deputy in charge of his own team. Miro Jones and Ian Doyle have been partners for 3 years. Miro has been in love with his partner for every bit of those three years assuming his affections will never be returned because Ian is terminally straight.

Ian Doyle is as tough as they come, an Army Ranger and badass US Marshall. He never plays by the rules but knows without a doubt that Miro will always have his back. Ian has always treated Miro more like a boyfriend than a best friend or partner, just minus the sex. When Miro is hurt in the line of duty while Ian is off playing Army Ranger it causes him to rethink his position.

Just when Ian and Miro start to focus on a future together a tough witness relocation assignment has them wondering if they’ll survive long enough to see happily ever after.

I don’t know where to begin. The story was so entertaining, the plot and attention to detail was amazing. The characters were all well developed and so relatable, even the secondary characters.

Ian and Miro, what can I say. They made my top ten favorite couples of all time list. Ian is so tough on the outside but so caring with Miro at the same time. Miro has a great sense of humor and the internal dialogue was hysterical.

This series is definitely going to be reread often. If you haven’t read it yet give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

5 pieces of eye candy

Unraveled by K.M. Neuhold: Exclusive Excerpt, Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

March 7, 2018 by Denise

Clay:
My mind and body are full of chaos; the only time I can truly feel free is when my hands, arms, and legs are secured. Just because I want to be bound, able to give over my pleasure entirely to another person, doesn’t mean I want to be controlled, humiliated, or made to endure pain. I’m a successful, happy, confident adult man who wants a lover to tie him up. Why is that so scandalous? And why is it so difficult to find? It doesn’t help that I’ve developed a hopeless crush on my straight roommate. Maybe a fulfilling relationship isn’t in the cards for me.

Max:
I’m completely out of control of my life. My ex is trying to take my daughter away from me… again, my dream of owning my own motorcycle repair shop seems out of reach, and somehow, I find myself a thirty-two-year-old man who can’t afford to have a place without a roommate. So, it’s no huge surprise that the idea of being given complete control over someone’s body and pleasure is a major turn-on. I never had any inkling I might be into guys, until my best friend told me he likes to be tied up. Now I’m losing sleep, imagining him bound and begging for me. I can’t figure out if it’s just the kink or if it’s possible I’m falling for him.

UNRAVELED

A HEATHENS INK SPIN OFF

K.M. NEUHOLD

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 02.08.18

COVER DESIGN: K.M. Neuhold

COVER PHOTO: StockPhoto

Amazon

When I get off work, I have a few hours to kill before Clay gets home. I decide it’s the perfect time to do a little research.

I grab my laptop and settle on my bed. Clay’s reactions to dominance are at odds with what he told me he needs, and I know I have to gain a better understanding of how to take care of him.

After slogging through a few porn sites that aren’t at all helpful in figuring anything out. I finally find a blog by a couple in a D/s relationship.

I read through several posts and come to two major conclusions: First, Clay may only think he doesn’t like dominance because he’s never had a partner he’s trusted before. And second, it’s my job to read Clay’s body language and give him what I know he needs.

The main thing I’ve taken away from our previous conversations was that Clay doesn’t want humiliation and he doesn’t want pain. Maybe he doesn’t realize it’s possible for me to use some dominance to simply care for him.

The front door opens, and I close my laptop. “Honey, I’m home,” Clay calls out, and I smile.

I will give him everything he needs.

Sigh…. Okay, so I might have skipped a couple to get here, but the mmm, isn’t really my thing, but, you bet Im gonna go back and read Adam and Nox!

So, okay, in this one, we have Clay and Max, and having only read the first one in this series, I wasn’t familiar with them, but I am a sucker for a hot dad, so… it was a given.

So, Max has shared custody of his daughter Gigi, and seriously, she is so cute…. She has Max and his roommate and best friend Clay, wrapped around her little finger. Clay is a dancer at his own place, and very much out and proud, and Max is his straight bestie…. Trouble, right ?

However, here lately, they’ve been seeing each other in a new light, because Max is gorgeous, and so good with his daughter, and then Clay is so good with Maxs daughter, and they’re best friends, right …. If you’re gonna fall for someone, it should absolutely be your best friend!! In my opinion at least! They’re perfect for each other!

However, Clay has some kinks and he hasn’t had much luck with finding someone compatible in the ast. Nothin major, just a little bit of binding, and rope play… hot right ?

Well, after hearing about it and seeing a picture of Clay bound, Max is intrigued and it opens a world of possibility to both of them.

Things are amazing for a while, but then Maxs ex drops a bombshell on him that she’s leaving and taking his daughter with her….and ya’ll, I know she wasn’t being made to be the bad guy, but I HATED that so much. She was getting married, so presumably already living with the guy and had known him for a while, but you don’t tell your child’s father until you’re already moving…. Nu uh…. Not gonna fly…then tell me that you’re taking said kid across the country and not only is nobody doing anything about it, they take it to a judge and the judge just said, OKAY….. again, no way, honey…NOT GONNA FLY…. But it does…

Say whaaaaaaaaatttttttt ? …. I know, I know… I was thinking the same thing…

Now, while were on the topic of ignorance… Maxs brothers and the way they regarded their brother’s gay bestie, regardless of them not knowing he was with him, was a MAJOR no, no…. I understand ignorance can be forgiven, and they did okay in the end, but… no, I grew up with racist grandparents, and a homophobic family, and still…. By 5 years old, I was crying each time I heard the words they were using and I knew better at 5! My father called me a sympathizer…. Are you kidding me ? ….I didn’t like that either.

Other than that, though, those two things… I loved the way these guys loved each other. I loved how Max knew and loved what Clay needed, and as heartbreaking as it was, Clay knew what Max needed and let him go. Be still my heart right. I was gutted…
The end though, couldn’t have been more perfect, Or, it would’ve been amazing had Gigi got to see her Clay… but, there’ll be other books, right ?

Next time, hopefully.

4 pieces of eye candy from me!