Review: Timing by Ashley John

When it comes to love, is timing everything? 

Tom doesn’t have time for a relationship – not now that his fingers are practically touching the promotion he’s spent years chasing. His weekdays are consumed by desperately fighting for his editor’s attention and his weekends are wasted alone with meals for one and his cat for company. 


All Cole has ever wanted is to work on the farm he was raised on, but money is tighter than ever and he is forced to get a job in a bar to keep a roof over him and his auntie’s heads. Time is running out for the farm but he spends his days dreaming about a future he thinks he’ll never have. 


After an unexpected collision at the village train station, their lives suddenly become connected when Cole clumsily spills his coffee on Tom and it sets into motion something greater. Tom is wary of listening to his heart and Cole is distracted by the threat of losing everything. Each possesses something the other desperately needs, but can they ignore bad timing to listen to their hearts?



Before I even start this review, can we take a moment to admire the cover. Isn't it gorgeous?? That smile...

This story made me grin. It was a warm hug of a book that I really enjoyed reading. I must admit, I do have a real soft spot for rural stories. The vibe is, necessarily, different to urban tales and they often become my comfort reads. They feel familiar and comforting, and the trials and tribulations of the characters just resonate with me for some reason. Timing straddles the divide and has both an urban and rural setting, I really liked this.

Ashley John puts a lot into his characters and each individual is just that - individual. Without being wacky or out there he manages to not just create and recreate the same personas time and again. This is appreciated as I like discovering the new characters each book; I don't skim because I've met that person before.

That being said, Ashley John does have his own writing style. Of course, all authors do! I kind of know, not the storyline, but the way the story will go - and again, for a comfort read, a Sunday read, this works really well for me. Timing was no exception. It has all the elements I expected to make up an Ashley John story, but was still unique enough to interesting and enjoyable.

I mean, the romance was just yummy. How often does Timing come into play with relationships? Chance encounters and bad timing written into a love story that was sweet and lovely. Any Ashley John fan will enjoy this book, I'm sure. Those looking for a comfort read would do worse than to check this author out, too.

A copy of this book was given for an honest review.
For more information see Goodreads.

Review: The Places We Say Goodbye by Jordan Taylor

Flep has a great job as a New York City production designer, a blossoming relationship with Torin, and the potential joy of becoming a stepparent to Torin’s two young daughters. Nothing could be better—yet his life is crumbling from the inside out.

Ever since moving in with Torin, Flep has dreamed of muddy trenches, bullet-riddled bodies, and endless horrors which only grow worse and spill into his day-to-day life. Traumatized and sleepless, he slogs on: a soldier afflicted with post-traumatic stress. Only, Flep has never been a soldier, let alone been to war.¬

Fighting for his sanity, Flep turns to unlikely sources for help—even phantoms from another era. It could take a family from 1916 to illuminate his waking nightmares, but the truth may come at the price of losing his new family along the way.





This was a difficult read for me. I struggled to get through it. I considered not finishing it, but I was determined to understand where the author was taking me.

I am still not sure. People who enjoy this sort of reincarnation, past-life, fiction may enjoy this story, but it did not work for me. It was very dry. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary scenes that could have been tightened up, and I just did not understand the relationship between the two main characters.

I most enjoyed the interactions between the kids and Flep as he tried to become part of this blended family. I felt that this was the strongest relationship building out of the entire story, and that made me sad. I actually found zero redeeming qualities in Torin. Married to his work, unwilling to support anyone, and somehow made the children’s need for a more stable household, an attack on him. I found his self-centred nature offputting, and I sort of wanted Flep to find someone else.

The flashbacks were long and tedious. There was nothing interesting about them. Add to the fact that Flep has no idea what is happening, and tends to walk around like a zombie, and this story was slow, exhausting, and depressing. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Flep went crazy, tried to kill himself, or stepped in front of a bus. I felt that would have been a small mercy for him, and would have willingly accept that as the ending.

Character development was poor, and I didn’t get a good idea of who Flep really was. Beyond the bizarre past life stuff, his personality was absent. I wanted to like him, but I didn’t know him. He was boring, his reactions were boring, and the only time I saw a glimpse of him was when he was interacting with the children.

I should have left this as a DNF, to be perfectly honest. While the ending gave a resolution, it wasn’t enough for me to feel like the journey was worth it. As such, I cannot recommend this to anyone.



For more info on Goodreads

More information on The Places We Say Goodbye and author:

Purchase Links:
NineStar Press: http://ninestarpress.com/product/the-places-we-say-goodbye/

Author Bio


Jordan Taylor is the author of numerous novels and stories from the bestselling Angel Paws shorts to the historical fantasy series Lightfall. An avid reader and writer, Jordan also enjoys photography and graphic design, old bookstores, researching World War One, travel, and tweeting about her smooth fox terrier.

Website: www.jordantaylorbooks.com
Twitter: @JordanTaylorLit


Excerpt
Jordan Taylor © 2016
All Rights Reserved

Monday, June 27
A dirt road stretched away, straight and flat, as far as I could see. I stood, then walked. Maybe I was walking all along, but didn’t feel like I had moved.
A dozen horses lay along the road. Fat, white maggots emerged from their nostrils and eye sockets, wriggling over dark fur. Abdomens bulged, grossly distended below summer sun.
A man stepped up to me. Rows of men behind. Packs on their backs and rifles in their hands. Sunlight flashing off steel helmets. This man had a mustache and never glanced at the animals along the road.
“There’s a farm ahead, sir. I’ll have the lads check for a pump.”
Then, in a gloomy building at night. Dust thick on the floor. Men talked around me. I was apart, away from them, beside only one other.
My companion tried to tell me something important. Like with the water pump man, I could not listen. He read from a notebook in his hand.
How could he ask my opinion on poetry? While maggots flopped and convulsed down sunken faces—so crowded, they forced each other out? While the young man in the corner scratched his own head until his fingers were bloody? While another sang about ghost horses as he smoked one cigarette after the next, lighting one with the butt of the last?
Still reading to me, insistent. He jabbed his finger at a page.
I wanted to shoot him. I scrambled to my feet. I said I had to write a postcard.
Then I stood in a river of mud, legs braced, shouting, “Get out of there, Attwater!”
I couldn’t see him, couldn’t feel him, and couldn’t get away myself. Scorching metal flew past my face.
“Attwater!” Panic and mud sucked me back into that dark river.
I woke with a jolt, shivering and disoriented.
The TV plays a cooking competition show. Both girls riveted.
10:00 p.m. and I sit at the kitchen table, laptop open—working. Asleep sitting up. Fresh anxiety that the girls are not in bed. Then remember: Torin asked me to bring them to the restaurant tonight.
I open my mouth to tell Isabelle and Carine they can get ready to go. Parting my lips, I see flopping maggots—bloated like slugs—almost tasting them. I must shut both mouth and eyes for several minutes.
Hands shake on my keyboard. Still nauseated when I inform them we can go.
Only a dream. Only a dream. I wonder if I am trying to reassure—or trying to convince myself.



Series Recap Blog Tour + Giveaway: End Street Volume 1 by Amber Kell & RJ Scott


Authors Amber Kell and RJ Scott are hosting a $20 Amazon or ARe gift card giveaway to celebrate their joint End Street series. Check out the recap on Volume 1 below!

Series Recap Tour & Giveaway

Amber Kell & RJ Scott

 End Street Volume 1

Authors: Amber Kell & RJ Scott

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Buy Links


Paperback Links


Blurb


The Case of the Cupid Curse




Sam Enderson is a human detective who inherits a building from where his Uncle used to run a detective agency. He finds himself working for paranormal creatures despite his resolve to stick with humans only. To supplement his income as a new PI Sam rents out rooms in the large house.



Bob is a vampire and turns up on Sam's doorstep to rent a room. Sparks fly and Sam is attracted to the vampire despite himself.

Sam is cursed by a witch, and has two cases landing on his desk. Werewolves, annoying ghosts and a grumpy gargoyle are enough to drive Sam mad. But somehow in amongst all of this he has to find a missing fae and a missing shifter child.

The Case of the Wicked Wolf 

Naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha make up the intricate story in the race to rescue the missing children.

Sam and Bob have more than just the case of one lost child to handle. Not only is Shelby Hartman missing, but other paranormal children have disappeared. The race to rescue the children is hampered by naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha.

Hartman Hunter is desperate to find his daughter. He turns to the demon Danjal Naamah for help. The problem is that Danjal is the only person Hartman has ever loved—the man he let go for the sake of the pack…

"...With stories that are written by more than one author, there are sometimes gaps in the flow of the writing. There are none here. The writing flows smoothly and seamlessly I wouldn't be able to tell you who wrote what. The world describe within the story was easily imagined as where the characters...."

Author Bios



Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.

When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life, he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing, she remembers she has children who humor her with games of "what if" and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.

Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius, she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.

She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.


E-mail: amberkellwrites@gmail.com








RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either reading or writing. 

RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn't like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.







a Rafflecopter giveaway


Review: Carolyn for Christmas by Lucy Carey

Christmas. It’s supposed to be a time for peace, love, and goodwill to all men. But not for two women when it comes to nabbing the solo spot in the big Christmas concert. To get that spot, they’ll do whatever it takes…

Carolyn Roche and Saoirse Barrett have known—and hated—each other for a long time. Their lives have been dedicated to one-upping each other. Carolyn has worked hard to shake off her poor roots, landing a top job at a major accountancy firm. Saoirse has worked just as hard to set up her own business in the vain hopes of impressing her tough father.

They’re equally matched in life—and in vocal talent. But neither is willing to let the other woman win.

That is, until they find themselves trapped in their old school, with just a bottle of vodka and their memories for company. There, they discover that the hatred they feel for each other might not be hatred after all…


Sidenote to Author: Thank you Lucy Carey for taking the time to introduce the pronunciation of Saoirse’s name. Without it I would have been completely lost and distracted trying to figure it out. Or relegated her name to S in my mind, as this is something I do when I’m too dumb to go on google and listen to a verbal translation. I really appreciate that you accounted for those of us who are hopeless at pronouncing people’s names.

Review:

Carolyn’s relationship with Saoirse has been a battle of wills since they ended their friendship in grade school. But every year they end up in the town Christmas choir together, trying to avoid each other, or staring daggers at each other, pretending not to feel anything.

Carolyn’s mother is dying of cancer, so this year, it is especially important for Carolyn to get the solo at the Christmas choir.

Or course Saoirse wants it to prove herself worthy to her pompous, high bred father. She is determined to snatch it from Carolyn and show how much better she is.

This childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story was really well written. I enjoyed both characters, and their journey back to each other. I liked that they were both very strong women, both succeeding in spite of the pressures of their circumstances, and that in subtle ways, they made accommodations for each other, while pretending to hate each other.

The romance element worked well. I thought they were sweet together, and after working so hard to avoid each other, it was sort of the forgone conclusion that they would end up together somehow.

There is no erotic content in this story. It is strictly romance, with some kisses shared, and a lot of character building. The relationship building was superb, and the flashbacks were not annoying, but constructive, and allowed a glimpse into the relationship they had as children. I really appreciated it in a way I don’t usually enjoy flashbacks. These two sweet children were adorable friends, and I could really feel the sadness of the loss in each of them as adults.

A thoroughly enjoyable Christmas tale, with a somewhat happy for now ending.

A copy was provided in exchange for a review


For more information on Goodreads!

GIVEAWAY + Blog Tour: North Star Trilogy by Posy Roberts


We're delighted to welcome Posy Roberts to the clubhouse today to help celebrate the release of her beloved North Star books in an anthology!

NorthStar-alt Seven years ago, I published the first chapter of my first story online. It ended up being a 300,000-word behemoth, and one of the main characters was bisexual. Three years ago, my North Star trilogy was published by Dreamspinner Press. Again, I wrote about a bisexual man, and in several other stories since, I've had bi characters. When some of my stories got the "I don't get why the character was written as bi when he was obviously gay" treatment, I rolled my eyes and moved on. Drama-Free Zone is posted above my lintel, so I never stepped into it.

Being a bisexual woman married to man, I'm not at all unfamiliar with bierasure, but comments like that make me even more determined to portray the complexities of bisexual characters and other people who don't easily fit into binary boxes.

In the first North Star book, Spark, Kevin moves to a new town just before his junior year in high school and he meets Hugo on the job. Kevin was sure he was straight, but then he finds himself crazily attracted to Hugo. Hugo is gay and open about that with Kevin nearly from the start, thereby creating the first safe space for Kevin to explore his sexuality. He has no idea he'll fall in love with Hugo. The only thing he's certain about at the time is that he cannot have his father find out about what he and Hugo have done.

Kevin ends up hiding behind a girlfriend. Is that ideal in a romance? Heck no. Does it create conflict? You betcha! I don't write idyllic worlds or perfect characters. I write reality and focus on genuine struggles imperfect people encounter when they find love. Relationships are messy and complicated, and the entire North Star trilogy is filled with complications that Hugo and Kevin have to navigate over the years. At first it's their own sexualities, how to tell their families or keep it hidden, and then it's to learn how to be great together. Sadly, college and adulthood interfere, and they end up drifting apart.

NorthStarBanner

Does Kevin go back to being straight after that? Nope. He finds himself attracted to other men, maybe never as strongly as Hugo, but in the interim years, he never once acts on that attraction. Instead, he does what his father expects of him: get married, focus on his career, and have kids. The marriage fails, but not because of his sexuality! It fails because he and his wife drift apart after the kids are born, like about every other couple who has kids. Some are able to hold on and come back together, but a huge number of marriages fail.

When Hugo and Kevin meet years later, there's no doubt that all those old feelings are still there. None whatsoever, but Kevin has never told anyone besides Hugo that he's bisexual. Now he's mid-thirties with kids and an ex? How on earth does he tell his kids this? Will his ex-wife contest their already established custody agreement because of what she will see as his newly defined sexuality?

Kevin's bisexuality is woven throughout this series and brings with it different complications at various stages in the book, from telling his ex and kids to coming out to his mother and his social circle. Much of the world is still quite naïve to what bisexuality means, so I'm glad I'm able to show some that in this trilogy.
Second chances at such perfect love don’t happen every day. Hugo and Kevin immediately know they’re meant to be, but figuring out a way to combine their divergent lives without rocking their well-established boats is the challenge. If that’s even possible. Perhaps their love is worth upending the worlds they know.

Falling in love again is easy. Fitting into each other’s complicated lives isn’t.North Star for WP FI

Hugo and Kevin were best friends and secret lovers in high school, but a chance meeting years later proves that the spark that drew them together before is still there. In Spark, Hugo and Kevin must try to put together a relationship while overcoming the obstacles of coming out, divorce, and children. In Fusion, an unexpected illness may tear apart all they’ve been building. And in Flare, though they’ve finally settled together happily, outside forces are working hard to upset their family.

image009 Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, geocaching, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.


newletter Button facebook Wordpress-icon 64 instagram twitter pinterest bookbub goodreads
Buy here:

Dreamspinner Press Link: http://tinyurl.com/NSbundle
Amazon Universal Link: myBook.to/NorthStar
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IQTRJQO
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/north-star-11
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/north-star/id1135534675?mt=11

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Group Review: Consent by Bruce Rose

Only desperation could drive him to commit such a crime… 

Lonely survivalist Travis Winslet has everything in his underground bunker, everything but a companion. Determined to get his needs met at any cost, Travis decides to hunt for a man the same way he does for food. When he spots a blond-haired, blue-eyed cutie who matches his requirements, he acts. Only to find his target wants to be tied up and abducted.

Kinkster Skye Randall paid his Dom for a kidnap scenario, never expecting he’d come through with a captor who was just the right combination of scary and sexy. But there’s more to his abductor than just a man willing to fulfill all of Skye’s darkest fantasies. When Travis asks for Skye’s consent, Skye realizes the true power of giving himself to his master and what it really means to be submissive.

But what will happen when Skye discovers Travis isn’t the man his Dom hired?


Sometimes when a review request in the clubhouse, we get a unicorn pile of excitement and for some reason it seems to happen more when the blurb mentions something about kinkery. Huh. Strange. So, when that happens we take that unicorn pile and group review the kink. Fantasy Living, Chelsea and myself (Ann) had a menage of a review for Consent and everyone ended up with a sated smile on their face and a happy heart for Skye and Travis. Here's what we all had to say . . .


Fantasy Living - 4 Hearts

This story was really fascinating as an idea. What are the odds, something Travis does try to work out at some point, that he would kidnap a kinkster who was waiting to be kidnapped for a kinky fantasy? Seriously!

Travis is a survivalist who lives off the land. He’s been living in a bunker in the mountains for a while now. But he’s lonely, and for some reason, (probably a result of the mountain air and being alone so long) he thinks that kidnapping some guy from a camp site is a brilliant way to meet a mate. Naturally…..

Skye is camping with his friends, waiting to be kidnapped by his Dom, but when a man, not his Dom, grabs him from the woods, he thinks nothing of it, and believes his Dom has hired someone to make it more realistic.

Back at Travis’ lair they start to interact, and the bond between them grows into something they want to make more permanent. Except Skye still doesn’t know that Travis was not hired to kidnap him, and the kidnapping is real.

I loved this premise. It just sounded so weird (good) to me. I liked the way they bonded, and the way Travis seemed to dissolve into someone good, and not a psychotic kidnapper. His quirks were fun. The way he made his living was something I almost choked over. But it was actually believable, and fitting with the landscape.

Their chemistry was hot. There was so much hotness in that bunker. The kink was edging…….Edging is so hot. Everyone should edge! I’m getting distracted by the hotness of edging. 

Anyway, moving along - the writing was well done. I got a feel for where they were, their personalities, and their developing feelings for each other. The story was well rounded, and the resolution worked well. These two were great together, and I would love to see a follow up on where they are now.

Recommended for most kinky readers who enjoy bondage, kidnap fantasy and edging!


Chelsea - 3.5 Hearts

Great start! A man hunting for another man to take back to his lair. Loved it! Unfortunately it did fizzle a bit, but I'm giving some extra credit due to the author's notes about suspending reality.
“Hey, it’s fantasy time. Don’t take anything you read here seriously…”
It was also fun and pretty damn hot!! Travis lives as loner in a cabin isolated in the woods. He's attempted to ‘take’ men before to help with his loneliness, but has never been very successful. When he sees Skye out camping, he knows he's found his next target. The kicker is, Skye is waiting to be kidnapped as part of a role-playing game set up by his Dom. So things go a little more smoothly than Travis anticipated.


Unfortunately everything was a bit too fluffy for me. Skye and Travis hit it off and most of the book is them getting to know each other and having sex. I wasn't complaining about the sex at all, there was lots of bondage and edging and the edging scenes were particularly delicious.

And then he felt Travis’s tongue sliding against him. Skye angled his hips, offering himself completely. He dug his fingers into his flesh so that he could expose every inch of his needy hole for Travis’s probing tongue. Around and around in a maddening circle he went, heightening his need, tightening his resolve.



Some of the dialogue was slightly stilted and Skye's mood swings were pretty similar to a teenagers, but ‘suspend reality’ so I still had a lot of fun. 

Who knew a story that starts out as a kidnapping ‘dub-con’ could turn into such a fluffy bondage story. Very sweet.


 Ann - 4 Hearts

Suspend belief all ye who enter here!

Which the author states very clearly at the beginning. The set-up is a fantasy, roll with it. Make sure you do that so you can enjoy Consent for the kinky delight that it is. I like to think of it as a pervy rom-com with a twisted meet-cute that brought two charming characters together who wouldn’t have otherwise found one another. And when two guys get a perfect kink alignment, it’s worth an improbable/impossible meeting to make sure these guys got a story.

Travis is a very lonely survivalist with some serious past heartbreak and Skye is a man trying to find his way through his kinkster inclinations. Skye thinks he just needs to keep upping the ante but what he really needs is to find someone who appreciates him and feeds his needs. Turns out, Travis is that guy.

They actually got to know one another pretty well in the short time they were together on Travis’s mountain. I loved the banter between the two of them and that’s where I got the rom-com feel, in the more lighthearted moments. Travis showed Skye what it meant to slow down and appreciate, well, everything. Just because Skye was missing something in his life, didn’t mean he had to have everything harder, faster and more.

Travis taught Skye all about orgasm delay and denial. It was definitely more on the delay side, because they did get off and the denial was a matter of days, but the author worked that tension into his writing really well. It was edging that was delicious to read.
“Making him a party to his own denial increased his longing.” 
There were some very sweet feels that came with the budding relationship between the two of them. Neither could believe what a perfect match they found in the other. But, there was the little thing about the very big lie that would keep them from being together forever. So, there was the sacrifice of an HEA by Travis to save Skye from the truth, but every good love story, no matter how improbable, has a redemptive HEA that has more value that any ending would have the first time around.

So, I’m off to buy more Bruce Rose books. This was my first Rose and I’m definitely a fan. All I have to hear in my head is Travis asking Skye, “Do you consent?” and I’m all in.


For more information on Consent by Bruce Rose, check it out on Goodreads.

Review: Not a Game (Friends #1) by Cardeno C.

An accidental meeting and a misunderstanding lead to a life-altering connection.

A new job, a new city, and hopefully a new life. When chubby gamer Oliver Barnaby receives a job offer from the best boutique game developer in the country, he leaves his family and his less than spectacular existence in Oklahoma without a second’s hesitation. Determined to change more than his career and his geography, Oliver implements a plan to finally land a boyfriend. Step one is improving his skills in the bedroom.

A life that looks perfect on paper, but feels empty in reality. Attractive, successful, charismatic Jaime Snow has a life other people envy. His already booming business is growing. He isn’t lacking in friends. And he has no trouble finding a date. But there’s an emptiness in Jaime’s heart and a hole in his life that only the right man can fill.

An accidental meeting, a misunderstanding, and falling in love. When Oliver and Jaime end up at the same bar at the same time, they each see something they want in the other. Going to bed together that first night is easy. Building the lifetime relationship they both desperately crave will require trust, time, and a little misunderstanding.




 I haven't read any Cardeno C. recently and I think I was due for some because I ADORED this story. 

Oliver is new to town with a new job and he's hoping to add a new boyfriend to that list, as well. He doesn't have much experience with relationships and the experience he does have is not positive. He lacks the confidence to not only to start up a conversation and see where things lead, but just going out to meet new people is terrifying for Oliver. So, he hires an escort to show him the ropes - sexually, that is - and build up his confidence before he gets serious about finding his own guy. 


So Jaime and Oliver meet, but Oliver assumes Jaime is the escort... and he's not. Yeah, it's something that's been done before, but I really love how Cardeno C. went about telling Jaime and Oliver's story.

Oliver is overweight and is seriously self-conscious about it. But when Jaime saw him, he wanted Oliver. Wanted him so bad that he went along with the whole "paid escort" deal. I love that the author wrote a character who isn't what is normally considered "beautiful" and gave him a boyfriend who was so totally turned on by him. Oliver was so dorky and unsure and just adorable. I loved their sex scenes. Oliver wanted to get everything right for Jaime, but he failed to realize that he was already everything Jaime wanted. D'awwwww! After years of putting himself down, he found someone who wouldn't change a thing. It gave me all sorts of happy feels.

The entire premise is based on a Big Misunderstanding. You know those. A lot of readers really don't like those. But not to worry, it was handled very well and the men handled it like... well, men.

I was totally in the mood for some sweet M/M contemporary romance and Not a Game delivered. It so delivered. This one is on the top of my Cardeno C. favorites list. If you need an angst-free, loving romance with some hot sex, Not a Game is perfect.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. 

Find out more info on Goodreads.

Tag Team Review: Fight the Tide (Kick at the Darkness, #2) by Keira Andrews

Adrift in a post-apocalyptic world, they only have each other. Is it enough?

A virus that turns the infected into zombie-like killers spreads through a burning world thrown into lawless chaos. Lovers Parker and Adam have escaped to the open sea when they hear a message over the airwaves from a place called Salvation Island—a supposed safe haven.

Orphaned as a child, werewolf Adam has always longed for a pack. He’s eager to investigate the island, but Parker doesn’t think for a nanosecond that the voice on the radio can be believed. He doesn’t trust anyone but Adam and is determined to keep it that way. They don’t need anyone else complicating their struggle to survive. Or do they?

Danger on the high seas can surface in a heartbeat, and if Parker and Adam aren’t careful, the current will drag them under.

This gay romance is a dystopian adventure featuring a werewolf, his boyfriend, and their struggle to find a place to call home.

averaged ratings! ;)

Chelsea - 5 Hearts

“Whatever comes, you’re my home.”

This review won't be very comprehensive. It will be full of the ramblings and ravings of a fangirl!

This book has sexy times (that term is far too tame for what Adam and Parker get up too!!).

He stripped off his clothes and jacked himself, pulling his foreskin back from the glistening head. Spreading Parker’s ass, he spit onto his hole. “You want it like this? Want it rough?”
“Yes,” Parker moaned. “Fuck me ’til your cum drips out and I smell like you all over and—”
Adam couldn’t wait another moment before slamming his cock into Parker’s hole.



It's sweet and funny!

“You’re stuck with me now. You might come to regret it. Probably already do.”
With a laugh that sent warmth through Parker’s chest, Adam shook his head. “Nope. You’re stuck with me too.”
“It’s a real hardship. You’re all sweet and brave and gorgeous. Ugh. The shit I have to put up with.”



And it definitely had me tearing up!


A sob tore out of his throat. “I said I wasn’t broken, but I am.”......
Tears spilled from his cheeks, and he couldn’t dam the flow this time.
“We’re all broken,” Adam murmured, one hand stroking over Parker’s head.




This book was less gorey and less suspenseful than the first, mostly because the boys are at sea for the majority of the story so they come across less creepers. I think it was more emotionally stressful than the first, as Parker has to deal with some pretty terrifying experiences and Adam starts to feel empty without a pack/family. But somehow it was still sweet, funny and a generally positive book. Don't know how Andrews does it!

Everything about this series is perfection to me and I am waiting on tenterhooks until the third book is released!!

P.S. If you haven't read this series put it on your TBR list, like right now! Go go! Do it ;-).


Fantasy Living - 4 Hearts


I have mixed feelings about zombie novels, but this series was definitely a solid win for me. I went from Kick the Darkness right into this story. This book is definitely stronger than the first. It goes into more depth with the psychological fallout of this post-apocalyptic experience, and we really get to see how the environmental, and societal change, directly affects the people and their behaviour.

Parker is deeply affected by the betrayal from book one. He is completely untrusting, wants to go it alone, and has no intention of helping/interacting with others. For all he cares, they can all just die, and he and Adam will be safe.

Adam isn’t so damaged. He feels that his instincts work in his favour, and he is able to determine someone’s intent. It’s that werewolf instinct. He wants to connect with a community/pack, and it is just a matter of convincing Parker that they will be safe. But it’s hard to tell whether Adam’s desire for that pack is driving his decisions without considering the entire situation first.

On a side note, I didn’t read the blurb before picking either of these up, I just saw Keira Andrews, remembered that everyone raved about the first one, and decided to go for it. So imagine my delight when this turned into a paranormal-horror. Two of my favourite genres in one.

The relationship development continued on from book one and made this couple more endearing. I really felt for both Parker, and Adam, and understood them both. I enjoyed this next part of their journey, and really appreciated that there was very little relationship drama between them. It makes me believe they are a solid couple.

There were some plot decisions I wasn’t happy about, but that is just because I really liked where this went and the people it included. I thought that all the supporting characters had good depth, and they were people I liked and wanted to get to know. My main complaint is that the author made me like some people too much for people who may not be part of Parker’s and Adam’s life long term.

Having this story mostly set on a boat was a unique reading experience. I thought that was a great move, and whether the technical stuff is true, I believed it.

I am definitely a fan of this series, and will be lining up for any future novels that come out. I enjoyed that this was horror but the focus was not on the gore. There was enough to create an image, but not overdone.

This book cannot be read as a standalone, so make sure you’ve read Kick the Darkness before you pick this up.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review

Find out more on Goodreads!

GIVEAWAY + Blog Tour: Fight the Tide (Kick at the Darkness #2) by Keira Andrews


We're delighted to welcome Keira Andrews today to promote her newest release, Fight the Tide, which is already receiving rave reviews, because who doesn't like a sequel?

Top 5 Movie Sequels That Were Better Than the Originals

Thanks so much to Boy Meets Boy for having me here today! In my new book Fight the Tide (the sequel to Kick at the Darkness), a terrifying virus has been unleashed on humanity, turning normal people into crazed killers. While not technically undead, they are zombies in spirit.

My heroes Parker and Adam were thrust together in a struggle to survive, and that struggle continues in the second part of their journey. I initially wasn’t sure if I’d write a follow-up to KatD, but the characters kept tapping me on the shoulder. Part of my hesitation was that sequels are rarely as good as the originals, and I wondered if I shouldn’t leave well enough alone.

Then I thought of the sequels that are actually better than the originals and decided it was worth the risk to continue Adam and Parker’s story. There will be a third book next year, and also a fourth centered on a young character you’ll meet in Fight the Tide. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Here’s my list of top 5 movie sequels that surpassed the originals:

5. The Godfather II. No list of superior sequels is complete without this masterpiece!




4. Terminator 2. I saw this movie three times in the theater. It blew my teenaged mind. I love the first movie too, but this one had the budget to take the special effects to the next level.




3. The Empire Strikes Back. “I love you.” “I know.” ’Nuff said.




2. X-Men 2. My fave of the franchise, hands down. Enemies forced to work together, an angsty love triangle, and young characters coming of age and finding their power. J’adore.




1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This third movie in the Harry Potter series was a huge leap forward in special effects and the acting ability of the child leads. The story is darker too, and I just love everything about it.




What’s your favorite sequel? (Movie or book.) Let me know!




We also tag team reviewed, Fight the Darkness here!


Adrift in a post-apocalyptic world, they only have each other. Is it enough?

A virus that turns the infected into zombie-like killers spreads through a burning world thrown into lawless chaos. Lovers Parker and Adam have escaped to the open sea when they hear a message over the airwaves from a place called Salvation Island—a supposed safe haven.

Orphaned as a child, werewolf Adam has always longed for a pack. He’s eager to investigate the island, but Parker doesn’t think for a nanosecond that the voice on the radio can be believed. He doesn’t trust anyone but Adam and is determined to keep it that way. They don’t need anyone else complicating their struggle to survive. Or do they?

Danger on the high seas can surface in a heartbeat, and if Parker and Adam aren’t careful, the current will drag them under.

This gay romance is a dystopian adventure featuring a werewolf, his boyfriend, and their struggle to find a place to call home.

Buy now:

Amazon US 
Amazon universal
All Romance
B&N
iTunes
Kobo
Smashwords

Where you can find Keira:

Website
Newsletter
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page



Be sure to enter to win a backlist book of Keira's and don't be shy about telling us what your favorite movie sequel is either!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tag-Team Review: Open Road by M.J. O'Shea

Angus has been with the same guy for ten years. When his boyfriend breaks up with him the night of his thirtieth birthday party and announces his engagement to a twenty-two-year-old less than ten hours later, Angus is… a mess. To put it lightly. He spends days in bed, drinks himself into a stupor every night, and ends up losing his job and his apartment. His best and oldest friend, Reece, decides it’s time for an intervention. And a change of scenery.

Reece and Angus take off on a buddy trip across the US. They don’t have much of a plan; they just start driving. It takes Angus a couple of days to do much more than grunt when Reece talks to him, but slowly he opens up. They drive, talk, heal, shout, drink a bit too much sometimes, dance, meet new friends… and somewhere between Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Maine, they fall in love.

Which was the last thing in the world Angus expected.



Lorix - 4.5 Hearts




Aaaahhhhhh.... I loved this story! It was sweet and romantic and easily devoured in one sitting! I mean, it has my all time favourite theme FRIENDS TO LOVERS...



... seriously, a friends to more theme melts my heart pretty much every time and this was a perfect example. Reece is the boy in the middle - clueless to his friends feelings and, really, to his own worth. Angus is the hero in my eyes, he is just the best friend to Reece, even though he's in love with him, even though Reece's boyfriend hates him, even though he would probably be better off just letting Reece alone. Angus was selfless but not a martyr; he wasn't smarmy or sickening he was just a loveable character. The perfect protag for this book.

Reece - well, I loved Reece in a different way. Reece was a mess. He had spent far too long listening to his arsehole boyfriend, Brad (now there's a character to love to hate), and believing that he wasn't good enough. When we saw him with Angus though, we saw the real Reece. The bit-of-a-slob-not-at-all-organised-heart-or-gold Reece. I wanted him and Angus together soooooo badly!

The story is mainly set during a road trip (go figure, huh) where neither man knows quite where they are going or how long they'll be gone. As they visit various places in the US, from Vegas to New Orleans to New York, their friendship bloomed into something more. I loved how the different places reflected the different moods of the characters and stages of the relationship. How there wasn't one quick easy fix for Reece's ills. How the two MC's were very different in many ways, but also very , very complementary. How the friendship blossomed; it wasn't a one-shag-cures-all scenario.

I would recommend this book for friends-to-more fans. I'd also just rec it generally; if you want a happy, lovely, comforting read, then this is a great choice.

Sheziss - 3 Hearts



If you want a steamy love story, this book is not the one you are looking for.

To give you a hint, the first kiss comes at 72%. Strangely enough, I was never let down or bored. This is my first O’Shea experience and so far I can say that she writes in a quite engaging way.


Angus’s boyfriend, Brad, dumps him at his birthday party. Less than 24h after, it’s announced his engagement with a younger man. Angus can’t overcome this humilliation and pain and his broken heart is taking its toll on him. He loses his partner for 10 years, his job, and his apartment. He can’t get his head above water.

Reece, Angus’s BFF, decides it’s gone too far, so he rents a car and takes Angus far from the maddening crowd of Portland, and see where it takes them.


With each passing scene, with each change of scenery and each food tasting, their bond reawakens and gets stronger and stronger.

Until… maybe it’s not only friendship.


Despite the premise, there is no heavy angst here, but it was really smooth and entertaining. From a technical honest POV, this novel seems taken from a travel blog. I couldn’t bring myself to care when they narrate the experiences in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Indio, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, Washington DC, New York, Portland… in an almost tourist way. In fact I think these episodes are told in such a way that I could vividly imagine them in my head, and made me want to go on a trip to know these places in person. They were entertaining and insightful. They were perfect for the pace at which the the increasingly close relationship advances.


The love story is sweet. They are sweet. I could feel their BFF vibes, their trust in each other. Angus realizes they fit in such a way he is impressed he hadn’t noticed before. And I realized that, too.

I have two major problems, though:

-The ex, Brad, is too exaggerated to be real. He’s a bastard, yeah, but he sort of lives out of the reality. I almost expected him to put on a colorless raincoat and take an ax in his hands like Christian Bale in American Psycho. He sounds like a villain out of a fairy tale rather than a person of flesh and bone.

-The (un)gayness left me scratching my head in confusion. So is Reece homosexual or not? Straight and GFY? Or bisexual? Or gay in the closet? Is he straight and began fantasizing about Angus and with time he developed a platonic devotion and then a sexual desire for Angus specifically or has he always been gay but somehow he managed to hide this from his BFF? Does Reece like girls at all? Or he dated boys and didn’t say anything to Angus? But then he’s not an expert in the gay sex area, so he was simply in the closet dating girls for the sake of appearances or he just wasn’t interested in any man in a sexual sense whatsoever? How come he never told Angus, not his devotion for him nor the attraction for any other man? How come they never discuss this issue when they laid their cards on the table? They trust each other since they were kids and share everything, right? So many questions that need an answer…

All in all, this was worthy of my time.



A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads & Dreamspinner Press.