Guest Review: The Stolen Suitor by Eli Easton

All of Clyde’s Corner, Montana, knows local dandy Chris Ramsey will marry Trix Stubben, young widow and heir to the richest ranch in the area. But one woman isn’t too keen on the idea. Mabe Crassen wants to get her hands on that ranch, so she sets her older son to court Trix, and her younger son, Jeremy, to distract Chris and lure him astray.

Jeremy Crassen thinks his mother’s scheme is crazy. But he wants desperately to go off to college, which Mabe will agree to—if he seduces Chris. How will shy, virginal, secretly gay Jeremy attract Chris, who seems determined to do the right thing and marry Trix? Jeremy can’t compete with a rich female widow. Or can he?

Guest Reviewer: Chelsea


LOVED THIS!!!! God Eli Easton is amazing. Every time I see one of her books I hesitate and automatically think, ‘this will be to young adult and two cutesy’, and EVERY time I read the book I give it 5 stars and fall in love. I have officially learnt my lesson. I LOVE Eli Easton!!!

I think what won this book over for me so utterly was the fact that every single character had depth, and every single character was someone you fell for and fell in love with. This story is predominantly Chris and Jeremy’s story but we also get POV’s from Eric, Trix, Billy and Mabe, each having their own story within this book. Don’t worry M/M lovers, no girly bits in this book.

I actually really just want to talk about the four main characters because these guys are the ones who captured my heart.

Jeremy - He is my favourite! Jeremy has such a funny quirky personality. Someone who is stuck in the stories that fill his head, he draws confidence from the characters that he creates. He had me laughing ALOT throughout this book.

“He tucked his shoulders back and stuck out his chest. Girls do that, you dork. You’ve got nothin’ to stick out.
Right. He squared his shoulders and stuck out his ass instead. It looked like he had to go to the bathroom.”

Jeremy is quite shy, and just wants to save to go to college, but is always overlooked for being a Crassen, the trailer Park trash of Clyde’s Corner.

“And Jeremy wanted nothing more than to get out of this stupid town and move someplace where people didn’t know his past, where he could just be Jeremy and not Jeremy Crassen. He couldn’t even hear his own name in his head without the sneer that typically went with it.”

Chris - Chris is so intent on looking after Trix and Janie after his best friend (and Trix’s husband) dies suddenly, that he plans to marry Trix even though he’s gay (not that anybody at Clyde's Corner knows that).

At first I was a bit annoyed with Chris, because this is obviously a very bad plan, especially when he starts feeling more for Jeremy. However as we learn more about his insecurities and see him become more smitten with Jeremy, I couldn’t help but root for him.

“Jeremy just winked at him and left the store. Chris was unable to think of anything else for a good three hours.”

Trix - Trix broke my heart. Having lost her husband and being left with her 4 year old daughter and a ranch to run, she worried about being alone and Janie not having a father, so she gratefully accepts Chris’ attentions and see’s marrying him as her best choice.

When it’s Trix’s POV you get a glimpse into her depression and the everyday struggle to appear ok, as well as helping her daughter, who is confused and angry that her father isn’t there any longer.

“Her mother reached over to pat her hand. “Don’t let anyone rush you. You’re gonna be fine.” Was she? What did that even mean? What was the definition of “fine?” Not committing suicide? Being able to smile again and mean it?”

She definitely had the hardest story out of the four, and I may or may not have….*whispers*.. definitely did… cried when she got her Happily Ever After.

Eric - Argh, I wanted sooooo much more of Eric, he is the character that went through the most changes but we saw him the least. Eric is a dead-beat. Never had a real job, smokes, drinks constantly and generally dresses and acts like a homeless person. Then he gets a nudge in Trix’s direction, the girl he’s had a crush on since he was eleven, and completely turns his life around to help her out and win her over.

Like I said we didn’t get a lot of Eric’s POV and he deals with a lot in this book. Some is spoilerish, so I won’t mention it, but his is the character I will remember the most when thinking of this book.

LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!!! I was laughing and crying and felt frustration, loss and helplessness, as well as hope and determination, and it was all wrapped up in a sweet Eli Easton story. Win!!

Dreamspinner Press
Goodreads
Booklikes

Guest Review: Love on Location by Lucy Felthouse

When Theo Samuels heads off to film on location in the village of Stoneydale, he’s expecting drama to take place on camera, not off. But when he meets gorgeous local lad, Eddie Henderson, he struggles to ignore his attraction. A relationship between the two of them would be utterly impractical, yet they’re drawn together nonetheless. Can they overcome the seemingly endless hurdles between them? Or is their fling destined to remain as just that?

Note: Love on Location has been previously released as part of the Brit Boys: On Boys boxed set.

Guest Reviewer: Chelsea

Eddie and Theo meet in a small English village where Theo has the leading role in a new film. They have an instant attraction to each other, but due to the fact that they’re both not out yet, they instead start a friendship and a secret affair.

These two were very cute together, they were like shy bumbling teenagers, including all of the emotional outbursts. Unfortunately I felt that the romantic side was rather rushed, but I did enjoy reading about their developing friendship, and the sex scene was extremely hot.

“...all I can think about is parting those pale cheeks, exposing your tight hole, lubing you up and pushing deep inside…”

However, it’s very mean to tease me with a line like this…

“He’d always been fond of rough play in the bedroom—fast, furious fucking, biting, scratching, even some spanking.”

...and not deliver!

The problem with this story was it wasn’t anything particularly special. It had no unique qualities that made it stand out as either a celebrity story or a friends-to-lovers.

There was also a bit of a time jump which took most of the romantic development of their relationship away. I would have loved to have seen the friendship and lust turn into love. It would have made the ending more meaningful as well, if we'd seen their feelings for each other grow, rather than just cutting past it all.

This was a sweet book, I enjoyed the characters and their friendship but the romantic relationship was lacking, it just didn't have that wow factor. Maybe some spanking would have helped ;-)

For more information on Goodreads or Booklikes!

Review: Fantasy for a Gentleman (A Planet Called Wish #2) by Caitlin Ricci

For two decades Corbin Leroux has worked on the planet Wish as a high-priced companion. He loves his life where physical pleasure is encouraged and has no intention of quitting it. Corbin sees his clients almost as part of his family. Not even when bounty hunter Emmanuel Leoniste comes to kill him will Corbin roll over and give up his lifestyle.

Despite being a hired killer, Emmanuel lives by a strict moral code. Killing whores is acceptable, and easy. Or it was until he met up with Corbin. Worn down by the pesky Corbin’s resolve, Emmanuel accepts Corbin's bribe and calls off the hit. But the truce might not last. Emmanuel’s mounting desires for Corbin cause problems. He refuses to allow anyone close enough to become intimate with him, especially someone like Corbin. Yet with each smile and soft kiss, Emmanuel’s emotional shield is dismantled piece by piece.

Emmanuel can't stand that Corbin is a high-priced companion. And he really can't stand that he wants Corbin all to himself. Emmanuel's all mixed up inside with contradictory feels.

Corbin has been working on Wish as a paid escort for some time now and he loves his job. He loves that he's there for his clients when they need him most, whether it's for sex or not. To him and his clients, his work is important.

And then there was a hit set on him and Emmanuel was hired for the job. Well, he was unsuccessful (obvs) and got more than he bargained for when chatting it up with Corbin.

Emmanuel went from assassin to keeping Corbin safe pretty quick there. But, hey, a guy wants what a guy wants. And he did want Corbin, but he hated Corbin's profession. I mean he really really loathed it and was constantly calling Corbin names. I get it. It can't be the easiest thing to see someone your attracted to get paid to be with other people. But Emmanuel was a hitman. Dude doesn't really have much room to talk about professions. But he was there for Corbin when it really mattered, so it made up for the name-calling. Somewhat.

While my feelings for Emmanuel are a bit wishy-washy, I really like Corbin. Yeah, he was paid to be with people and have sex with them and do (almost) anything they desired. And he didn't care one bit. He loved his job and wasn't going to justify himself to anybody. Especially not some hitman guy who can't seem to make up his mind about Corbin. He let Emmanuel have it when he was being contradictory. He wasn't going to be pushed around and let Emmanuel know he couldn't have it both ways. I like a character than can stand up for themselves, but still be a kind-hearted person. Corbin wouldn't be bullied, but he had a lot of love in him to give. It was obvious from the way he cared for all his clients. Not to mention, the way he's taken care of his brother over the years. He was just a great character to read about.

There wasn't too much of a plot, aside from the romance. There were some shenanigans where rescuing was needed, but it didn't take too much page time. This story was a romance first, which is what I prefer in sci-fi stories. I like sci-fi, but I want the couple to be the focus, not the world-building and/or mystery. And that's exactly what I found here.

All in all, Fantasy for a Gentleman is a good sequel in what's shaping up to be a fun series.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find more info on Goodreads and Dreamspinner Press.

Blog Tour: Fantasy for a Gentleman (A Planet Called Wish #2) by Caitlin Ricci

Caitlin Ricci is here with us today to talk about her newest, Fantasy for a Gentleman, and gives some insight into her writing process!

Hey out there and thanks for having me. My newest sci fi novel, Fantasy for a Gentleman, comes out on February 19th from Dreamspinner Press and I'd love to tell you a bit about the music behind this novel.

When I write I often see the scenes of the book like they're individual parts of a movie and sometimes there's music that goes perfectly with those scenes. A lot of the time that music happens to be Five Finger Death Punch or One Republic. But in an alien world with spaceships, bounty hunters, peacekeepers, and companions-- all on a pleasure planet called Wish, my usual music choices just weren't working and I was finding myself getting stuck.

I listen to music when I write and it inspires and motivates me. The TV can sometimes be on, but more often than not I find it distracting to watch TV while I'm trying to write. When my usual music choices aren't working for a book I have Pandora shuffle all of my stations together and I try to write until something really starts to work.

For Fantasy for a Gentleman, that music happened to be Elements by Lindsey Stirling. You can see the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6LD2B_kDQ and I definitely recommend the video. What she can do with a violin while she's dancing is amazing.

I kept Lindsey's music on while I wrote those first few scenes and plotted out the rest and by the end of the novel I had written this one almost entirely to her music. Elements, Shadows, Crystallize, Take Flight, Moon Trance, and Stars Align all had a big part in bringing this book together and keeping me going. I especially love the video for Crystallize since it was shot in an ice castle here in Colorado.

If you get a chance, please check out her music, and if you like your sci fi with a companion who loves his job and would never give it up, along with a bounty hunter who is trying to kill him at every turn, I hope you'll give Fantasy for a Gentleman a try. This is the second book in my A Planet Called Wish series, but this novel is about a new couple so you don't have to read the first book, To the Highest Bidder, to understand what's happening in this one but it will help and if you read the second then go back to the first you'll already know the big secret in the first.
Thank you for spending some time with me today.

About the Author:
Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful husband and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.

Website
www.CaitlinRicci.com
Email
authorcaitlinricci@gmail.com

For two decades Corbin Leroux has worked on the planet Wish as a high-priced companion. He loves his life where physical pleasure is encouraged and has no intention of quitting it. Corbin sees his clients almost as part of his family. Not even when bounty hunter Emmanuel Leoniste comes to kill him will Corbin roll over and give up his lifestyle.

Despite being a hired killer, Emmanuel lives by a strict moral code. Killing whores is acceptable, and easy. Or it was until he met up with Corbin. Worn down by the pesky Corbin’s resolve, Emmanuel accepts Corbin's bribe and calls off the hit. But the truce might not last. Emmanuel’s mounting desires for Corbin cause problems. He refuses to allow anyone close enough to become intimate with him, especially someone like Corbin. Yet with each smile and soft kiss, Emmanuel’s emotional shield is dismantled piece by piece.

Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7435

Review and Teaser: Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary by Jordan Castillo Price. Audio Version: Narrated by Gomez Pugh

Michael is a waif in eyeliner who's determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Wild Bill's got the hots for Michael and will stop at nothing to go home with him. Forget about moonlit castles and windswept moors. These bad boys haunt all-night diners and cheap motels, cut-rate department stores and long, lonely stretches of the interstate. Ride along with Wild Bill and Michael as the twists and turns of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary unfold in America's heartland.

Channeling Morpheus Teaser:
I slid my tongue over his and caught it on his fang, and the taste of my blood mixed with the taste of Bill’s mouth. He made a small sound that could have been pleasure or pain.

He flicked his half-smoked cigarette out the window with stunning accuracy. His fingertips brushed my face, gentle touches I could hardly feel. I slipped my arms around him and pulled him closer. I was tough. He didn’t have to worry about breaking me.

He pressed his body against mine, and he kissed me. He threaded his fingers through my wet hair and explored my coppery mouth. My tongue bled.

We both gasped for air when he finally broke the kiss.

“Just a little taste,” he said. “That’s what I keep telling myself. I can stop any time.” He pressed his forehead into mine and breathed carefully. “Any time.”

“Drink,” I said. “I can spare it. She didn’t take much.”

He smiled, I think. He was hard to read in the near-dark, and so close. “I’m not talking about blood.”

Review:
Everyone has a go-to, auto-buy author, and Jordan Castillo Price is one of mine. And her audio-books are one of my favourites because I REALLY love Gomez Pugh's narration. Even with that in mind I was a tad unsure about this one, it's not that I don't like vampires, I do, even the sparkly ones but they felt so done. I didn't want to listen to something that I've heard before or read before. I should have learnt my lesson with Magic Mansion, I think I've got to accept that if Jordan Castillo Price writes it, I'm going to love it.

This book (or these books, as this audio is actually a collection of the first five stories in the Channeling Morpheus series) are sexy. They are gritty, interesting, funny at times, and (I have to mention it again) sexy as hell.

I'm not sure if I liked Michael or Wild Bill best. I think probably Michael, he is very determined, I loved his spirit, his fight. He had an edge to him but also a naivety. He wasn't the seasoned vamp hunter who knew it all. He wasn't so fixed minded that he couldn't alter his thoughts and opinions but he also wasn't completely wet behind the ears. He could think on his feet, he didn't let himself get thrown by changes to situations he couldn't alter.

Wild Bill is almost his opposite. He seemed to be surviving, rather than living, to me. Something about Michael changed him though, brought out his protective side. It was kinda like trying to protect a hedgehog. I liked it though, I liked the dynamics between these two.

The story(ies) twists and turns. It manages to keep the physical storyline and the emotional one equal in importance. Both played an important part in what made this story great. Some of the scenes were strangely erotic - even when they weren't supposed to be. Well they probably were supposed to be, but not for the characters, just us readers. I mean, I should find Michael chained to the bath tub and - well read it, you'll see - it should be scary and I should be wanting him to escape (and I did), but it was also pretty damn erotic. Well, I thought so at least.

JCP has a way of writing characters that manage to be deadly romantic - without being at all romantic. I would much rather read these characters than a thousand super sickly sweet heart throbs stories, or a thousand sex-every-two-pages stories. To my mind the grittyness, the realness (yep, I know one's a vamp) of the characters is so much more...everything. Maybe I just even like my fantasy real? I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!! If you've not read this author yet, you really, really need to. She's amazing.

For more information, see Goodreads.


Want to know more?
gritty, urban vampire tales
These novelette-length stories are scary as hell and packed with freaky sex. Michael is a waif in eyeliner who's determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Wild Bill's got his eye on Michael, and he's willing to do anything to go home with him. If the romance between Gomez & Morticia gives you goosebumps of delight, if you look forward to Halloween movie marathons all year long, if you've got a soft spot for fake fog and black lights, then Channeling Morpheus is the series for you!

On March 24, 2015 I’ll be releasing Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary Ebook Box Set, which includes novelettes 1-5 and correlates to the first paperback. A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion Ebook Box Set will release later in 2015.

Book Info:
Title:Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary Ebook Box Set
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Length: 72,000 words
ISBN: 978-1-935540- 74-8
Publisher: JCP Books
Cover Artist: Jordan Castillo Price
Buy Links:  Amazon - Amazon UK - BN - iTunes - Smashwords - Kobo
Official Website: channelingmorpheus.com