Tanya Chris

Aftermath (Ever After book 3) by Tanya Chris: Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

June 27, 2019 by Denise

The Ever After series concludes in Aftermath. Tragedy, redemption, love… Ever After

Once upon a time, Casey flirted with a pretty boy at a bar, and that changed everything. Recently released from jail, he’s starting to rebuild without the family who raised him to hate himself. He’s got a new job, a room at his aunt’s, and community service hours at an LGBTQIA community center. But his biggest challenge is figuring out how to live as the one thing his father and brother drilled into him he could never be: a gay man.

Once upon a time, Brooks was a confident Dom with a particular taste for bigger men. But since his run-in with a dangerous homophobe, he’s lost his touch. Big, buff guys are hot but scary, and hurting people isn’t as much fun as it used to be.

Until he meets Casey, the big guy with the problematic past. Casey’s willing to do anything, but does his submission stem from healthy kink or from an unhealthy need to be punished? And is Brooks doling out release or revenge? Two people who share a past as violent as theirs could never fall in love. Unless, somewhere in the aftermath, there’s forgiveness.

Content warning: internalized homophobia, homophobic language, and references to homophobic hate crimes that have occurred in the past

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Casey.” Brooks waited until Casey glanced up at him. “I’m not shaming you, okay? I’m just saying there’s safer ways of getting that feeling. Assuming you liked the feeling.” He wouldn’t ask if Casey had liked it. It wasn’t his business, and besides, he could guess.

Casey still didn’t say anything, so Brooks stood up. “All right, good talk. If you ever have any questions….”

“You’ve done it?” Casey’s words stopped him just as he was about to escape from the room. Apparently they were going to talk, after all. He shut the door and leaned back against it.

“I don’t choke people. There’s really no way to do that safely. Safer, but never safe. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“But other stuff?” Casey asked his boots. They were work boots, well-worn and hideous. Huge. Which of course didn’t mean anything.

“I’ve been in the scene since I turned eighteen, so yeah, I’ve done stuff. I could point you to some resources, give you a few links.”

Casey shuffled those large boots of his across the floor. “Which one are you?” he asked with a quick upward glance, curiosity brimming in his eyes. “Are you the one who hits people or the one who gets hit?”

“That’s personal.”

“Oh.” And there went the eyes back to the floor again.

“Fine. I’m a Dom. Does it matter? I’m going to point you to the same resources either way.”

Casey opened his mouth, and Brooks suddenly knew what was about to come out of it.

“No,” he said, before Casey could ask. “Definitely not.”

“Why not?”

For a moment, Brooks was tempted. God, imagine laying into this slab of a man, putting his marks all over him. Or just getting him to kneel. It didn’t even have to be physical. The emotional high of having his enemy kneeling at his feet would carry Brooks for a month.

But, God. No. Enemy. That wasn’t at all what BDSM was about. He couldn’t go into a scene literally wanting to hurt the person subbing for him.

“You said it wasn’t safe,” Casey said, “what I did. So show me safe.”

Book 3 of a trilogy. Yes, you absolutely need to read the first two books.

A super quick recap: Book 1, brother of man accused of murdering his boyfriend and the brother’s lawyer fall in love. Even though the lawyer is a hard core sub and masochist and the other might be but fights it.

Book 2: Newly acquitted Dom/sadist and lawyer’s assistant lawyer- who isn’t a sub or masochist fall in love.

And book 3. This one centers on one of the guys, Casey, who actually was responsible for the murder (and more). Although really it was his brother. Whatever. This kid needs a smack in the head.

He wants to make amends, so when he sees one of his victims, Brooks, in a bar, he follows him home. BRILLIANT. Also, he only ever tries to make amends with this one guy.

Brooks was a dom until the gay bashing and now he is afraid. Totally understandable. So you know the best way to get over it? Get in a relationship with a baby gay/ baby sub who helped beat you up. *eye roll*

I’m sorry, I am all about redemption and I could have really rooted for Casey’s redemption. If it wasn’t with their first victim. It just made no sense to me.

The book was definitely the BDSM’est of the three books, but it was for all the wrong reasons. Casey wants to be beaten as punishment and Brooks wants to do the beating as retribution. COME ON. No dom worth his weight in floggers would do that.

I did really enjoy the other story line involving the LGBT center and the kids- especially one kid- there. I liked seeing such a positive portrayal of an LGBT center and that it wasn’t just for runaways, but also for LGBT kids who were totally accepted but wanted to hang in a safe space.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t.

3 Pieces of Eye Candy

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Predestination Unknown by Tanya Chris: Quick Review

November 4, 2017 by Denise

Luther is almost enjoying a rainy day in Salem, Massachusetts on All Hallow’s Eve when his pursuit of a light-haired, light-skinned guy in a Pilgrim costume sends him crashing back in time to Salem 1692 and the start of the Salem witchcraft trials.

Ezekiel was only going about his chores when a gay, bi-racial man from the future dropped into his life. He doesn’t know Luther is from 2017, not from Boston. He doesn’t know that it’s OK to feel about a man the way he’s coming to feel about Luther. And he has no idea that the wealthy, white men running Salem are about to hang twenty people for the trumped-up crime of witchcraft.

Ezekiel has a lot to learn, both in bed and out, and he’s going to have to get up to speed fast if he and Luther are going to prevent a Colonial American tragedy, one that has already kind of happened. Is our future predestined? Or can Luther and Ezekiel change the course of their country for the better?

Predestination Unknown is a full-length M/M time travel romance featuring a bi-racial man from 2017 who travels back in time to the Salem witchcraft trials.

Content warning: Some unsympathetic secondary characters hold and express racist views. Most of these are immediately refuted by other characters, but a few comments go uncorrected.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This is a time travel, historical gay romance where hero Luther is transported back to 1692 Salem just in time for the witch trials. There he meets Ezekiel, a young Puritan who lives with his family on a farm outside town. Ezekiel and his family take Luther in, help him land a job and along the way, Luther and Ezekiel just might change history as they find themselves in the middle of THE witch hunt.

I love the time period, and it’s always interesting to see how an author handles time travel and all that goes with it: the mechanics of the leap, how he realizes he’s traveled, who he meets and how to explain this whole thing to them, how desperate the traveler is to get back, the obstacles he faces (particularly since Luther is a young black man) and to change history or leave it as it was. I don’t actually know much about the attitudes and views of the Puritans except that they were pretty strict, so I’m not even really sure how accepting a family would be for a young black man to come stay with them. Not to mention how easy it would be for a young man of the times to not only acknowledge his homosexuality but to begin a relationship with another man under his family’s and community’s noses. I can’t imagine it would ever happen, and yet I don’t even care.

This was a cute, fun, quick read. I won’t totally spoil the ending except to say that I liked it even though I was a little sad, which isn’t unusual since either someone is leaving their world behind or the heroes go their separate ways.

3 pieces of eye candy

Aftercare by Tanya Chris: Quick 5* Review

June 19, 2017 by Denise

Aayan Denir knows Garrett Hillier was once a high-powered defense attorney, and—thanks to a leaked photograph—he knows Garrett is sexually submissive, which makes him ideally qualified to defend Aayan’s brother from the charge of murdering his sub. Aayan would do anything to protect Syed, even if he doesn’t understand how Syed could hurt someone he loves. He could never hurt Garrett. He only wants to take care of him—love him, serve him, cherish him. And maybe torture him. Just a little.

Garrett probably shouldn’t be dating his client’s brother. Right? And what’s the use in a confirmed sub dating a guy who doesn’t want to be a Dom anyway? The important thing is to get Syed cleared of the discriminatory murder charge he’s facing. Aayan is a distraction. But for the first time in the three lonely years since Garrett’s husband died, he’s feeling hope, ambition, and desire. Can he give up the pain he craves to find the love he needs?

As Syed’s trial date looms, Aayan and Garrett explore what a BDSM relationship means for them, and what they mean to each other.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

First, I have to say… I’m not a big fan of D/s… Nothing wrong with it, of course, it’s just not my thing. In saying that, I really, really enjoyed this story!
Aayan’s brother Syed is being accused of murdering his long-time partner, Jamie. Nobody is listening to his plea’s of innocence because he’s also a Dom and Jamie was his sub. To the police and the prosecutor, they only see that Syed hurt his lover, nothing else… I can see where people would see that, but… people form their own opinions that they nothing about… I do it too, so… I could see the reality of it. Meanwhile, Aayan is fighting the attraction he and Garret have to one another, because Garret is also a submissive and Aayan has a problem with that due to his religion and personal morals, I guess. I could also see where he was coming from… Wanting something but not believing it was okay to have.

I loved how Aayan loved Garret and how he wanted to take care of him, even from the beginning. He wanted to be everything to him, because he’d fallen in love with Garret, before he’d even met him. It makes sense….just read it and you’ll see. I’ve seen some reviews call it, creepy. I thought it was romantic LOL maybe I’m creepy, too!

So, in this story, we have Syed maintaining his innocence, because he loved his partner.
Aayan trying to be what Garret needs him to be.
Garret trying to be okay with moving on from the husband he lost from cancer a few years prior and getting back into dating and then being thrust into this intense, lust-filled relationship with Aayan… sigh… there’s a lot going on, but I promise it’s worth it! Once I picked it up, I honestly couldn’t put it down. Really, REALLY good read!

And the ending… for those HEA seekers, like myself… I loved that ending. I’d love to read more about these two, or even a couple of the side characters… Like Syed or the other attorney Dashiell… maybe even together 😛

5 pieces of eye candy from me… 5 well deserved pieces!