review

Sea of Love by Nic Starr: RB, New Release Review

October 26, 2021 by Denise

The cruise of a lifetime. A reality TV show about romance. Falling in love is inevitable.

Evan Williams is the type of guy to stick by his friends, especially when they’ve been hurt and need a favour. And if that favour involves the cruise of a lifetime, then how can he say no? Even when it means pretending to be a devoted boyfriend to Amber and having their fake relationship play out on a reality TV show for all the world to see.

Realising his boyfriend is a conceited jerk and dumping him doesn’t stop Harry Bishop from winding up as one half of a supposedly loved-up couple on the Sea of Love TV show. And if that’s not bad enough, he’s faced with temptation in the form of Evan, the perfect blend of boy-next-door-meets-sexy-stud he once crushed on. It’s going to be a long two weeks.

Two weeks of competitions, challenges, and confrontations. They’re here to take out the Sea of Love title—just not with each other—and there can only be one winner. But it turns out that true love isn’t about winning a contest; the real prize comes when you follow your heart.

Sea of Love is a feel-good romance featuring hidden attraction, fake relationships, and friends-to-lovers.

Title: Sea of Love

Author: Nic Starr

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 45,000 words

Genre: Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Okay, ngl, I haven’t read a book by Nic Starr before. In fact, I went and looked at the author’s backlist, to double check, and nope, not one. And I’m really not sure how that happened, or why. I’ve seen the author around on FB, but just haven’t gotten to any of her books. Clearly I’ve been missing out. The author is from Australia, one of my fave places in the world, and so when authors write their characters from there, I just love it. Anyhow, I’m very glad I found a new author that looks like one I can plan to read more of!

This is just a happy little romance. Evan and Harry just fit together, and I really liked that they had known each other previously, so it wasn’t quite an insta-love, more like a “wow, I see you in different light”. Since they had a short time to get to know each other, having a previous connection really helped here.

The game show these two “couples” were on was fun, with little nods to other game type shows. The cooking challenge led to Harry’s hope to become a better cook. #lifegoals Even when the couples went ashore, they didn’t always end up together…you know, like real life. It was just sweet and fun, and made me happy reading it.

They both stuck to their values, until they realized the other was unattached. Then all bets were off. 🙂 Very little angst, even from the ex-boyfriend, who by the way was brilliantly waylaid many a time by Evan’s friend, Amber, without him knowing what was happening.

If you’re looking for a beachy type read, fun and very low angst, I definitely recommend this.

4 pieces of eye candy

Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!

When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family–an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters–and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.

Website: https://nicstarr.com

Dark Horse (The Braided Crop Ranch Book 3) by AE Lister: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

October 25, 2021 by Denise

Adam Marsland has a plan.

He’s been managing the Braided Crop Ranch for six years and wants to bring everybody he can find back for a week of games, competition, and celebration.

Henry Swift was a ponyboy at the BCR during its very first year. He learned to trot, pull a cart, and submit to his trainer. He’s never quite left the experience behind and is excited to receive Adam’s invitation to return.

But it’s not only the Ranch and its sex-positive atmosphere pulling Henry back to the seclusion of the Muskoka wilderness.

Ever since their first frantic and lustful encounter in the woods, Henry’s had a thing for Adam Marsland and his memories of his tumultuous time on the ranch have haunted him for years. Adam’s still at the ranch, and now Henry can go back and discover if the older man has any regret for the way things turned out in the past.

But the gymkhana Adam’s planning means the return of a plethora of ponyboys and trainers and Henry wonders if he will have trouble reminding Adam how much they wanted to be together back then, and how possible it might be for them now, in the midst of the excitement and testosterone.

No one ever said love was easy, but Henry is determined to make the most of his chance.

Title: Dark Horse

Series: The Braided Crop Ranch, Book Three

Author: AE Lister

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 10/19/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 64100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, pony play, age-gap, entertainment, humiliation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, over 40, second chance, reunited

Amazon

Nine Star Press

Goodreads

As I grabbed my bag and headed toward the main house, my nerves got the better of me. I stopped at the steps to the front porch and waited a few moments to get myself together. I took a deep breath, tousled my hair so it wasn’t sitting flat from the heat, and walked forward.

The door creaked open, and I stepped inside the air-conditioned interior. I glanced to the end of the hall where Adam had spoken of placing a gift shop to sell photos and other items related to the BCR. And there it was—a stylized horseshoe on the sign that said Snacks and Souvenirs. I grinned, then focused on the young man at the front desk. There had been so many cars going through the gate they’d posted a staff member there, so I hadn’t yet spoken to anyone at the main house.

“Hi, there,” I said. “I’m registered for the gymkhana.”

The young blond man looked me up and down and pulled out a pen. “Can I have your name, please?”

“Swift. Henry Swift.”

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice say, “Connor, can you get me a readout of everyone who’s arrived so far? I think we’re still waiting for—”

I looked up to see Adam Marsland walking toward me, having emerged from his office. He stopped dead when he saw me.

The hairs on my arms stood up, and my face flushed as our gazes met.

“Henry?” he said, sounding awed. “Is it you?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, grinning.

He looked just the same. Maybe there was a little more salt and pepper in his dark hair, and the wrinkles beside his eyes were deeper. But he was even more handsome than I remembered.

Suddenly, he was embracing me, and I couldn’t believe how familiar he felt after all this time. Six years without him and I still felt this way?

He pressed me against his body, a little longer than having been good friends would have dictated was appropriate, then withdrew as if I’d burned him. He glanced around us, laughing nervously.

“It’s wonderful to see you! You’re just as gorgeous as I remember.”

I blushed. “Aw, shucks. Thanks. You look just the same.”

He held my gaze, and the energy that had sparked between us all those years ago was still there.

This is the third book in this series, with the manager of the ranch being one of the MC’s. The ponyboy is someone the reader hasn’t met before, having been at the ranch the first year it opened, six years prior.

I struggled a little more with this book, than book 2. Not as much with the main characters. They were working their way back to each other, after having had a fling when Henry had been at the ranch the first time. When the event was announced, Henry decided to go and try to work it out with Adam. My struggle was more with returning characters.

Kamal and Owen return for the gymkhana, as well as Jensen, Luke and Noah. And I just can’t seem to get the dynamic with Kamal and Luke. It’s clear that Luke gets off on being humiliated, and that’s cool, and Kamal doesn’t have a problem dishing that out, also cool. However, it’s just such an odd space to be in, and watch from the sidelines. In any other type of book, I would likely see this as a prelude to cheating, and turn away from it instantly. However, these books have sex, a lot of sex, sex between couples, sex between strangers, so it’s obvious that there are a lot of open relationships. But these two are just a bit too angry at each other for my tastes.

I did like the development between Adam and Henry, and really enjoyed having the owner show up and the entire ranch put a show on for her. It was fun to read, even as Adam stressed himself out for it.

3 pieces of eye candy

Double Trouble (Lost and Found, Book 1) by Barbara Elsborg: New Release Review

October 25, 2021 by Denise

Seven years ago
Fifteen-year-old Raffety’s freaked out from the moment he arrives at summer camp. Something isn’t right about the place, parents, kids and the counsellors. The only good thing is Jonah—and their first kiss.
Trouble is Jonah’s middle name. He can’t just ignore that Raffety clearly doesn’t belong at the camp, and risks everything to help him escape, even their budding friendship.
Jonah’s actions have damaging repercussions for both boys. Raffety returns to a very different world than the one he left, one where his mum is terrified of strangers who insist they’re pack. As for Jonah, his father decrees he’s gone too far. His memories of Raffety are wiped and Jonah’s exiled to Faerieland.

Present Day
Breaking cover for his mum’s funeral lands Raffety back in the claws of a pack that never stopped searching for him. The alpha is claiming Raffety’s an omega, and prime breeding material. Erm, no way. Raffety would rather eat his own eyeballs. He needs to figure out a way to escape—and quick.
Indentured to Paranormal Resolutions for his sins, which are many, Jonah’s ordered to extract a mark from the clutches of a pack of werewolves. The mission fills him with dread: the wolves know he stole their gold and if they catch him, they’ll eat his guts, with or without ketchup―gulp! But defying his boss isn’t an option. Not if Jonah wants to live.

Is it chance that Jonah and Raffety end up in the same trap, or is it more? Could fate be giving them both a helping hand, or have they just landed in the worst trouble of their lives?

NOTE FROM AUTHOR
A few scenes in this story appeared in a book that is no longer in publication.
In addition, it is not an Omegaverse story but the possibility of a male shifter getting pregnant is part of the plot. No on-page detail is given.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I only started reading Barbara Elsborg a year or two ago. Her books just weren’t on my radar. But now that they are- I want them all! Everything I have read so far from her has been contemporary romance. But this one is very different. This one explores paranormal beings- werewolves, vampires, fairies, shapeshifters, some without even an identity that we know. I don’t normally gravitate to that trope, but since I am a fan of her work, I decided to give this a try. Glad I did!

Starting when they are teenagers and meet at a summer camp that Raffety thought was for music but is really for paranormals to learn about each other and get along. Raffety has an instant connection with Jonah who befriends him, kisses him and then helps him escape.

There are a couple of time jumps. One going 5 years in the future and then 7 years. Raffety escaped the summer camp, but not the werewolf pack that wants him. Until his mother helps him escape again.

He lives in anonymity until news from home brings him back. But he gets the attention of his old pack, and some vampires. Jonah is also tasked with getting Raffety back to London. Jonah’s memory of Raffety at summer camp was wiped from his mind by his father. So Raffety remembers him, but he doesn’t remember Raffety.

Turns out Raffety and Jonah are both then on the run together. The pack wants them both- but for very different reasons. But they stick together, mostly because the chemistry they had as teens hasn’t waned at all and they can’t keep their hands off of each other.

The various inventive ways they get into and out of trouble is fun to read. There is definitely some excitement involved as well as danger. They also learn a lot about each other and Raffety learns more about other paranormal beings.

There was great world building in this book and it just makes me want more. It seems most of the different species aren’t necessarily friendly with each other, several wanting to claim control. It was fun to read about them all.

Even if paranormal/supernatural whatever isn’t necessarily your jam, I think you will still enjoy this if you are a fan of the author.

4 pieces of eye candy

Spellbound (Fallen Messengers, Book 2) by Ava Marie Salinger: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 19, 2021 by Denise

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?

Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.

When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.

Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?

Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this jaw-dropping, fun-filled ride!

Spellbound

Fallen Messengers, Book 2

By Ava Marie Salinger

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

It was dark by the time Eden logged out of the public computer. She shivered when she stepped out of the cafe. A chilly wind was blowing across the city from the bay, heralding the change of seasons. San Diego in autumn would be warmer than San Francisco. She hunched her shoulders and zipped up her parka.

I should buy some food before I go back.

She got Chinese takeout at a small restaurant close by and decided to eat it while she headed for the hostel. A strange feeling settled over her as she strolled along the half-empty streets, her steps light. It took a while for her to figure out what it was.

Freedom.

She had never felt as relaxed and carefree as she did in this moment. It was as if a giant weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders.

For the first time in years, Eden experienced a surge of optimism.

Getting away from my mother and Hexa was the right thing to do.

She’d almost finished her food and was wondering what to do the next day when a sudden stillness descended around her. Eden slowed and stopped, her skin prickling.

She’d cut across a narrow lane running past a cemetery and church, a shortcut to the hostel. She looked over her shoulder, unease quickening her pulse.

The path behind her was deserted.

Eden stared into the shadows for breathless moments before turning to resume her route. Something shifted in the gloom some hundred feet ahead of her. She froze.

A figure was blocking the lane exit. Another stepped into view next to it. A stench wafted toward Eden. Her eyes widened.

It was the smell of rotting meat.

The guttural rasp that reached her next had her belly clenching in terror. It was a hungry sound. One that craved mayhem and death.

Eden knew instinctively that she was in mortal danger. Yet, her limbs refused to budge.

Move! MOVE, dammit!

The figures lunged toward her.

She twisted on her heels, her body finally unfreezing, the carton of cooling food dropping from her grasp and spilling onto the ground. She staggered to an abrupt halt in the next instant, her breath locking painfully in her throat. Two more shapes were racing along the ground toward her from the opposite end of the lane.

They were not human.

Eden whirled around and jumped onto the fence to her right. She scaled it in a flash, climbed over, and landed awkwardly in the grounds of the cemetery, cuts blooming on her hands from the barbed wire.

The night closed in around her as she darted between trees and bushes, the gravestones looming out of the shadows silent witnesses to the chase. She didn’t have to look behind her to know her pursuers were hot on her trail. She could smell their foul breath on her heels and sense their murderous gaze on her back.

She emerged into an open area next to a water fountain and saw a faint light in one of the rear windows of the chapel that abutted the church. Her heart thumped with a wild burst of hope.

“Help!” Eden shouted. “Please, help—!”

She tripped and fell, her words choking off to a gasp. Air whooshed out of her as she hit the ground hard. Her head struck the courtyard paving. Stars exploded across her vision.

Eden lay stunned for a moment, the world swimming dizzyingly around her.

Get up!

She gritted her teeth and crawled onto her hands and knees, sticky wetness trickling down her forehead from the gash in her hairline. Growls sounded behind her, hot and ravenous.

Eden fumbled for the knife in her pocket, her fingers made clumsy by panic. She staggered to her feet and turned, knuckles white on the handle of the blade, knowing she would have to make her final stand here.

The monsters loomed out of the shadows, their grotesque shapes finally taking form under the starlight. A whimper tumbled from Eden’s lips, unbidden.

I didn’t like this as much as book 1. Sorry. I actually enjoyed the YA secondary characters more than Cassius and Morgan which for those readers wanting a pure MM storyline with character development it may be a little disappointing.

It was still a good book but I would class it as fantasy with romantic elements more than a romance.

I’m not going to rehash the plot but save to say there was a lot of action for those that want it and a large supporting cast.

Just not for me.

3 pieces of eye candy

Ava Marie Salinger is the pen name of an Amazon bestselling urban fantasy author who has always wanted to write scorching hot M/M urban fantasy. In 2021, she launches FALLEN MESSENGERS, her first M/M urban fantasy romance series. She also writes contemporary M/M romance as A.M. Salinger. When she’s not dreaming up hotties to write about, you’ll find Ava creating kickass music playlists to write to, spying on the wildlife in her garden, drooling over gadgets, and eating Chinese.

Subscribe to Ava Newsletter and receive a free prequel short story to Fractured Souls (Fallen Messengers #1) here: https://www.amsalinger.com/subscribe/

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Bad At Love by Aimee Nicole Walker: New Release Review

October 18, 2021 by Denise

Bad at making decisions or bad at love? Either way, Kendall Blakemore doesn’t trust his judgment. He falls too hard, too fast, and always for the wrong guy. Needing a major shakeup, Kendall moves into his own place for the first time and seizes a new career opportunity. But everything he thought he wanted turns out to be the last thing he needs. When loneliness threatens to derail Kendall’s good behavior, he decides to rent out his spare bedroom. What could go wrong? Try a tenant who’s temptation incarnate.

Bad at commitment or born to roam? Either way, US Deputy Marshal Kurt Dandridge feels trapped. Maybe staying in one place for too long is the source of his unhappiness, or maybe it’s because he’s engaged to the wrong person. Finding his fiancé in bed with another man takes care of one problem but creates another. Ridge needs a place to live. He’d leave Savannah altogether if not for his vow to apprehend an elusive fugitive. Renting a room from Kendall Blakemore seems like the perfect solution until Ridge finds himself falling for the alluring man. Would one kiss derail his course? And could he stop at just one?

Hurts so good. Chemistry burns between them—hot, consuming, and impossible to ignore. And why should they? Kendall and Ridge are consenting adults who know the score. Being bad has never felt so good, but it’s a slippery slope to navigate. One misstep could have disastrous consequences for both men.

Bad at Love is a standalone novel within the Sinister in Savannah universe where both characters first appeared. It is not necessary to read that series first. Bad at Love is a romantic suspense that’s heavier on the romance than the suspense.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

So it might’ve taken me a minute to remember who Kendall was. Ok, and Ridge. But that is on me and my really bad memory. But it all came back. Two minor characters in a previous series get center stage and their happily ever after.

Kendall and Ridge meet quite by accident, which is kind of funny because Ridge’s friends have been wanting to set them up forever. Guess they were right.

They meet up again, also by accident. They immediately had chemistry and played off of each other really well. No one was playing coy. Both of these men know what they want. Which is pretty much just sex because they are both convinced they are bad at love. But at the same time they didn’t put up the proverbial walls to keep people out.

Turns out they have 2 things working against them. One I won’t mention because spoiler, but the other is that Ridge plans on moving back to Montana where his family is. Of course he has been saying that for five years.

Kendall is also a bit in flux with his life. Not loving being a paralegal. Then he is promoted to manager at the club and he is able to give up the office job. But he still doesn’t feel like it is a fit for him.

Of course there is drama. Ridge wants to catch the fugitive that has eluded him for years. Kendall’s mother wants to reconcile after basically abandoning him when his step father threw him out. Then another giant case happens that Ridge is in on. Lots of little things happen, several big things happen, and even though I am really thrilled at how Kendall and Ridge find their happily ever after together, I feel like there are loose ends. Yes, of course we can assume that they are tied up at a later date as they don’t really have anything to do with Ridge and Kendall personally, but I like closure.

I am willing to completely overlook those loose ends if there ends up being a book 2.

Overall it was a really good story, good plot points, some really hot scenes, self discovery and some romance. These men were really equals in their partnership and I loved that.

Fans of Aimee Nicole Walker will love it.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Sol: Learning to Love #2 by Con Riley: New Release Review

October 18, 2021 by Denise

Solomon Trebeck’s heart broke the night of his bi-awakening.

Fifteen years later, Sol’s back in Cornwall where it happened, single, shy, and oh-so lonely. Teaching art to kids wasn’t his life plan. Neither is raising a teenage nephew, but with no family left to support him, a live-in job at a boarding school becomes his life raft.

Problem: that life raft is sinking.

Solution: Sol’s first love could have the cash to keep it afloat.

Reconnecting with Jace Pascoe might save the school—the one place Sol’s nephew is happy. Asking for his help opens old wounds, but Jace helps to heal them, fusing Sol’s broken heart back together. However, Jace has his own shadows, no matter how brightly his smile dazzles.

Falling for Jace again could be so easy. It could also be a huge risk when neither of them plans to stay in Cornwall forever….

♥ Featuring sweet angst, hurt/comfort, and second chances for a shy heart, Sol is a standalone MM romance novel in the Learning to Love series with a fulfilling happily ever after. ♥

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Book 1: Charles

Book 3: Luke (coming Feb 2022)

Oh Sol. He piqued my interest back in book 1, Charles. So I was definitely wanting to read his story. And while it seems like a second chance love story, it is almost first chance since back when they were teens they only shared a kiss before life flipped on them.

And while I really enjoyed their story- very little angst as a couple. More outside influences causing stress rather than relationship stress. They were really good together and complimented each other well. Jace assimilated himself into Sol’s life almost without Sol noticing. He made no demands, accepted Sol and his life as is. Which includes a surly teen nephew he is the guardian of, a sister in a care home and a job at a school that might be closing.

Jace also connects with Sol’s nephew pretty much right from the start. Which helps Sol as well. Because 15 year old boys are tough. Add in the trauma he has dealt with and wow.

As I am wont to do, it is the little things. How had Jace been there and for several months and never run into Sol? Jace speaks as if that town is his home, but he is renting a place short term.

A flashback of when they were teens and how they interacted, even on that last night would have been appreciated, but there were enough anecdotes that gave us a clear picture.

We also got some Charles time, but not enough Hugo for my liking. And Luke. The poor headmaster who just wants to run his school and help kids. I can’t wait for his story.

This was a satisfying read with several other plot tendrils that added to the story. Definitely recommend.

4 pieces of eye candy