Release Blitz + Giveaway: Captured (Cold Love #1) by Scarlet Blackwell

 

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Captured (Cold Love, Book 1)

Author: Scarlet Blackwell

Publisher: Scarlet Books

Cover Artist: B4Jay

Release Date: August 8, 2022

Genre: Contemporary small-town m/m romance, crime/thriller

Tropes: Enemies to lovers

Themes: Forced proximity, hurt/comfort, angst

Heat Rating: 4 flames   

Length: 46 000 words

It is book 1 in the Cold Love series, but does not end on a cliffhanger. (HEA)

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

“I’m not going anywhere until I’ve slept in your nice warm bed. If you haven’t got an electric blanket, I’ll expect you to warm me up personally.”

Blurb 

Who is the man with the gun? Friend or foe? Enemy or lover?

Ethan

I saw my way out and took it. I never dreamed it would be complicated by someone as distracting as Gabriel.

Gabriel

I thought my cabin was safe in a snowstorm until he arrived. Shivering, blue with cold and armed with a gun. The hottest thing to ever happen to me.

Horror writer Gabriel’s worst nightmare is about to come true…

Alaska is home to Gabriel Black two months of the year when he retreats to his isolated cabin to write. But with his relationship on the rocks, life is treating him badly. He doesn’t think things can get any worse when a storm strikes, keeping him snowed in, but he’s wrong. 

His solitude is invaded by armed intruder Ethan, his origin a mystery. Ethan is an enigma, a man surely on the run, maybe a dangerous criminal, but Gabriel is drawn to Ethan’s broken spirit and damaged soul. Ethan is so much more than he first appears and Gabriel wants to know what he hides.

Heat ignites between Gabriel and Ethan and the lines between captive and captor soon start to blur. What secrets is Ethan keeping and will Gabriel be prepared to risk all for him?

Trigger warnings: Scenes of violence and murder. Mentions of rape. Homophobic language. Strong language and sexual scenes. 

Excerpt 

 Dense, fat snowflakes fell from the dark sky. Caught by a raging wind, they were whipped up into a vicious storm. Gabriel Black glanced out the kitchen window into the night. He wasn’t too concerned about being snowed in. He had plenty of food and the cabin was snug. It was par for the course here and conducive to his work. He had a sentence whirling around and around inside his head like the snowflakes outside. He tested it aloud, changing the words, listening to the sound on his tongue.

Gabriel cursed, startled out of his reverie as the toaster coughed up two slices of blackened bread and the smoke alarm kicked in with an ear-piercing shriek. He grabbed the key to the French window and fumbled a moment before he yanked it open. A blast of freezing night air chilled him instantly to the bone. Shivering, he waved a dish towel under the smoke alarm. 

A flash of movement registered at the periphery of his vision, black against the snow lying thick on the porch outside. Startled, he turned just as a tall figure sidled through the window and levelled a gun at him.

Gabriel froze. Icy fingers crept down his back as he stared at the man in his home. The intruder was in his late thirties, a couple of inches taller than Gabriel and broader across the shoulders and chest. He wore a thin shirt, jeans and flimsy canvas shoes, despite the weather outside being at least ten below. His untidy black hair was wet with snow. His pale, attractive face was dominated by large green eyes. A few days’ worth of dark stubble lined his jaw. His lips and nose were blue and he trembled violently, his teeth chattering together.

“Knock that off.” He raised his voice over the annoying shrill of the smoke alarm.

Gabriel glared at him. He wafted the towel again and again until the alarm shut off, leaving sudden silence broken only by the sound of the intruder slamming the window shut and pocketing the key.

The two men faced each other across the kitchen. Gabriel’s heart surged with terror. All the heat had deserted the kitchen after being open to the elements of the frozen north for only a few seconds. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or cold that made him shake. He looked down the barrel of the gun and wondered if tonight would be his last. It was almost funny. He’d expected south central Alaska in the middle of a howling snowstorm to be the safest haven you could find. Who could have predicted a half-dressed man to suddenly hijack Gabriel’s perfect solitude? Who in their right mind was out in this?

He found his voice and spoke far more bravely than he felt. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

The man stepped closer, right into Gabriel’s personal space. His face was like stone, but still he couldn’t stop his shivering. “You don’t get to ask questions. I want some dry clothes.” He prodded Gabriel hard with the gun in his chest. “Move.”

Gabriel turned around. He led the intruder through the living room. The crackling fire warmed him again. He reached the stairs and climbed on wooden legs, wondering if he could turn suddenly and surprise the man, kicking the gun from his hand. But his uninvited guest followed so closely behind him, their bodies were almost touching and when he reached the top, Gabriel felt the gun digging into the small of his back.

When they entered the bedroom, his guest gestured at the wardrobe.  “Come on. I want the thickest sweater you got.”

Gabriel chose some lounge pants and a hooded fleece-lined sweater that he wore to chop logs for the fire.

“Underwear and two pairs of socks,” the man with the gun said. 

Gabriel plucked the items from a chest of drawers. He threw the lot into a heap on the bed and glared once more at the intruder. The guy didn’t look remotely intimidated. If anything, he appeared amused.

“Stand over by the window while I change. Don’t even think of trying anything because I swear I will shoot you in the head before you can move.”

Gabriel positioned himself as directed so the man stood between him and the door. He watched as the guy placed the gun on the nightstand. The key to the kitchen window joined it. Then he pulled something from the back pocket of his pants and laid them down too. A pair of handcuffs.

What the fuck?

About the Author 

Scarlet writes mainly contemporary m/m love stories that usually deal with dark themes. Her trope is enemies-to-lovers and there’s often a hot cop thrown into the equation. She likes unusual settings and atypical, flawed heroes. Her work is X-rated and her themes are not for the faint-hearted, but a HEA is always assured.

Author Links

Blog/Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram 

Amazon Central  |  BookBub  |  BookSirens

Giveaway

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Review: Forbidden by Scarlet Blackwell

When things are forbidden, you merely want them more…

Vice-president David should have had it all–nice cars, the most expensive restaurants and the finest clothes. But he hides a secret from all his colleagues–he’s gay. He’s too scared to come out at work so he spends his evenings cruising for company and frequenting strip clubs. In one such place, he meets pole dancer Jeremy, a young man with problems of his own. Jeremy’s controlled by his boss Donny and soon David’s interest starts to spell danger for them both…

So my first Scarlet Blackwell. I was warned she writes very crazy, over the top characters and stories, this book was definitely that! I don’t know if it was the forewarning, but I really enjoyed this story.

David is the vice-president of a big corporate company and deep in the closet. He decides to check out a seedy gay strip club and falls in insta-lust with one of the dancers, Jeremy. Jeremy works for Donny, and here enters our caricature bad guy. Donny is a seedy club owner/pimp/rapist and has a special obsession for Jeremy.

I actually really liked David and Jeremy’s relationship, yes it's insta-lust/love, but if you know that going in, I think it works. They're both hesitant to start something serious, but can't deny the attraction and ‘connection’ they share. David still has to work through coming to terms with leaving the closet and Jeremy needs to escape the clutches of Donny. Their ‘connection’ was definitely more based on the physical than emotional, but they had enough deeper thoughts for it not to feel like pwp (porn without plot).

The stripping was really really good! I could have definitely used more dancing scenes.

Goodness this book was FULL of sex and it was HOT! It was rough and dirty and all round yummy! if this is normal of Blackwell books, I’m officially a fan.

The story lost a couple of points for me with the end scene, where David goes and ‘takes care’ of Donny. It was all a little too much to be good fun and when it was all over, Jeremy was sad because he didn’t have a job anymore… because that makes sense when your boss rapes you regularly.

This was such good crazy fun! if you know not to take this seriously and you enjoy crazy characters, over the top storylines and super hot sex, I’d say give this a go.

Check out on Goodreads!

Purchase Links:
NineStar Press: http://ninestarpress.com/product/forbidden-scarlet-blackwell/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Scarlet-Blackwell-ebook/dp/B018Q8E5SU

Interested in learning about the author & read an excerpt? Check out the info below!

Author Bio

Scarlet likes cats and hats and firmly believes that the only thing better than one attractive man is two attractive men.

Email: scarlet.blackwell@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.scarletblackwell.com/Pages/default.aspx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScarletBlckwl?lang=en-gb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarlet.blackwell
Blog: http://scarletblackwell.blogspot.co.uk/

Excerpt

©Copyright Scarlet Blackwell 2015
All rights reserved.

Coxx was new to him. A last stop at the end of a night of solitary drinking. Somewhere he’d always wanted to go but had been afraid to. Not that night. That night alcohol gave him courage beyond his wildest dreams. After his tough day at work, he didn’t care about denying himself anymore.

The seedy male strip club was nestled at the ass end of West Hollywood, tucked away almost apologetically among the back streets. Its windows promised hot male dancers to cater to every whim. The carpet was sticky, but the beer was cold. A long runway featured shiny brass poles currently occupied by two dancers. The place was half-full, a slow night.

David Ackroyd sat on a stool at the edge of the stage, his gaze on the lithe blond at the end of the runway. He hadn’t expected to find any of the dancers worth more than titillation, but since the young man first slunk from behind the velvet curtains, he’d had David’s rapt attention.

He was average height with a lean, tanned body. All strong limbs and toned muscle, he wore nothing more than a sparkly silver thong and silly matching boots. The dancer’s plump, pert ass mesmerised David as he shook it in time to an old Mötley Crüe song and gyrated in front of a group of four giggling women.

Perhaps David hadn’t expected to see women in a place like Coxx, but why not? Ogling nearly naked men wasn’t the province of gay men alone; women had as much right to get their kicks as he did. The blond dancer played up to his audience by sliding to his knees and letting the women stroke his thighs and press bills into his thong. David doubted he would let his male admirers get quite so fresh with him. Having a man grope you was different. More intimidating, fraught with risk.

David took a swallow of Jack Daniel’s and Coke, wishing for a better look at the blond dancer. He glanced at the other man on the runway, a brunet. He was ripped and hard but nothing special to look at. He seemed tired, jaded and only spared each person at the edge of the stage fleeting attention. That was fine by David. He only had eyes for the blond.

Fluidly, the dancer stood up, moved a few steps back to the pole in the middle of the stage, and swung himself around it, wrapping his long limbs gracefully about the steel. David stared. The man hung upside down, ankles clinging, six-packed abdomen rippling. Then, he dismounted, stalked across the runway and stood with legs spread and hands on his hips, facing David. He seemed to wait as though for approval. David gulped as he lifted his gaze up the dancer’s magnificent body, lingering on the enticing bulge in his underwear. The blond was nearly too pretty to be called handsome.

Maybe late twenties with perfect skin and large, almond-shaped eyes of piercing blue. A smile curled around the edges of his plump, sensual mouth as if he knew every one of David’s thoughts. Like he had watched him out of the corner of his eye and known David was salivating for a bit of the dancer’s attention.

David’s cock stirred. It filled with blood, pressing against his underwear with a sweet ache. He forgot where he was and drowned in the thrill of an attractive man seeking him out. David imagined they were in a nightclub, and he could take this beautiful stranger home if he wanted to and make love to him all night without money changing hands. He took another swallow of his drink as the man spun around, bent at the waist, and shook his ripe buttocks. Reaching back, the dancer stroked his own backside with lingering, sensual touches and pulled his cheeks just far enough apart that the string on the ridiculous thong shifted, barely covering a hint of pink pucker.

David clutched his knees and ground his teeth. His rampant cock raged against his pants. The dancer turned around. One hand on his thigh, fingers perilously close to his package, he swivelled his hips, thrusting his groin in David’s direction.

David watched raptly as the blond inched his fingers closer to the sparkling material covering his assets. His fingertips traced the bulge between his legs before he cupped himself and rubbed overtly. David licked his lips. The flimsy thong seemed to expand. Was the dancer getting hard? It was difficult to see in the darkness and playing shadows, but the underwear seemed strained to bursting, and the blond stroked his cock and balls as if he was very excited.

David placed his hands on the edge of the runway. He ached to touch, but he wouldn’t be that guy, grabbing disrespectfully and forgetting his boundaries. Now if the blond wanted to invite him to delve into that sparkly bill-stuffed pouch right here in front of all these people, that would be a different matter. David would give him the handjob of his life, no worries. Hell, he would open his mouth and let the dancer fuck it to his heart’s content right then if he wanted to.

The blond moved closer. He slid to his knees with thighs wide apart. David stared up at the sweat glistening on the dancer’s face and torso. He smelled the guy’s cologne, heady and spicy, and it made his cock jolt and throb. His fingers twitched. The dancer smiled. He gripped David’s right hand at the wrist and brought it to him, deliberately placing it on his own upper thigh.

His flesh was like damp silk. David stifled a groan. The blond guided David’s fingers to his inner thigh, electric-blue eyes never leaving his. When his touch grazed heavy balls, David thought he would whimper with desire. The blond’s hard-on was evident from this angle; his cockhead almost reared over the top of the overstuffed pouch. He ran his tongue slowly over his lips and then pressed David’s hand right into his groin, over a rigid pole, generous in every way.

David caught his breath. He closed his fingers around the dancer’s turgid shaft, squeezing gently but with greed, aware of overstepping the mark and ready to be apologetic.

A moment later, the blond jerked away. He skipped back to the pole and wound himself around it a couple of times before blowing kisses in the general direction of all those watching. Then, he disappeared behind the curtain.

David sat in crushing disappointment. His heart raced, and his cock threatened to explode. His desire dampened his underwear. He tried to rationalise to himself what had just happened. A scorching encounter with a man paid to interact with his audience. A bonus in every way at the end of a draining day. He smiled ruefully and finished his drink, adjusting himself discreetly before sliding from the stool. Drink and lust made him unsteady when he stood. He weaved his way to the exit and vowed he’d never come here again.

Review: The Captain's Man (Captain #1) & The Captain's Beloved (Captain #2) by Scarlett Blackwell

The captain always goes down with his ship…

Josh is left heartbroken and lacking self-esteem when his partner leaves him for another man. He has to take a two-week Mediterranean cruise on his own and it’s a good job his crazy neighbors, Erik and Freddie, are there to take him in hand and make him realize his true potential.

There’s another man who recognizes Josh’s obvious worth, too—the guy in charge of the ship, Captain Kane Kessler. A six-feet-two Adonis with a body just made for sin.

But Josh doesn’t want a fling and flings are what Kane specializes in when he’s working. Nevertheless, the two instantly collide—a meeting of like minds and desperate bodies. While Josh tries to come to terms with the fact that he will be another notch on the captain’s bedpost at the end of the holiday, Kane begins to realize two weeks might not be enough to get everything he needs from Josh…

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of auto-fellatio and voyeurism/exhibitionism.

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released under the same title. It has been re-edited for re-release.

All aboard the Magic Peen Cruise of the Greek Isles!

I'm surprised the magic peen didn't generate enough power for a trip around the world, but the two weeks sailing around the Greek Isles proved more than enough time for Josh to fall in lub with Captain Cocksure and his magic peen. Actually, they both have amazeballs rebound capabilities. I'm thinking things would begin to get sore and even chafe but who cares about such middling tasks when you're in LUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, right? Right. I'm still at a loss as to how they went from 'fuck you' to 'fuck me' in a blink but mine is not to question why.

So, what we have here is a one handed read with a peculiar m/f vibe. You know the drill. Alpha-hole alpha treats the damsel like shit 95% of the time, she then drama llama's on him like nobody's business, playing games and trying to make him jelly when she's not crying in her ouzo over how he could treat her like this!!! When they're not locked in the beast with two backs they're saying horrible things to each other or worse which is where my suspend disbelief band snapped.

It's no secret I enjoy kink. I'm not wholly opposed to alpha-holes either. I mean, I'm not dating one, but to each their own. Where I start to get fussy is when that line is blurred, when important things get assumed. Within BDSM there is (or should be) a structure, boundaries, so when/if someone gets slapped you assume they want to be. When/if someone gets pushed down, has their hair pulled, is generally roughed up and maybe even humiliated I assume they've negotiated these things beforehand with a safeword if things go too far. In the absence of that construct it's just abuse. If it goes further and one party fucks the other while they're struggling and saying 'no', that's rape. And I can't support that message even if it's crouched in but they're so hot for each other or their passion is so raw.

I read these back to back and most of these concerns are addressed in the sequel, but still. I cannot abide such behavior being explained away because the characters thrive on a steady diet of drama and spin around on a constant loop of fucking and fighting. That dog just ain't gonna hunt.

The fucking was P-L-E-N-T-I-F-U-L too. And some of it was pretty hot. These two have the stamina of teens but their rebound time would put them to shame! There is also a completely lovable, hypersexual, mouthy, hella gay secondary character named Freddie who is the shining star of this show. I need a Freddie. Hell, everyone needs a Freddie!

Recommend for those who do not possess the pesky ethics I do. Still 2 Hearts because of Freddie.

*pets Freddie*

A summer fling just wasn’t enough for Kane…

It’s been four months since Josh Addison fell for Kane Kessler, the captain of his vacation cruise liner. He never thought to set eyes on him again but Kane’s come all the way to Anchorage to see him.

For Kane this is a casual hookup during his downtime. He wants to prevent his heart getting involved at all costs. But Josh, hopelessly in love, has different ideas…

Reader Advisory: This book contains public sex, voyeurism, ménage and sex with food. This book is best read in sequence as a sequel to The Captain's Man.

Publisher's Note: This book has previously been released by Pride Publishing. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release.

The Magic Peen went NEXT LEVEL in the sequel. They put some serious miles on the fuck truck to Pound Town. I hope their truck's not a lease cuz they're gonna get PENALized when they turn that sucker in. *high fives self*

You will need your suspend disbelief goggles because Captain Cocksure and his maiden boy enter FSoG territory in the sequel. The game playing turns manipulative once the douchey cheating ex is introduced and what better way to ensure your beloved stays true than to insinuate to the alpha that if he leaves she may have no choice but to go back to him? You know how territorial they are! Nothing'll make an alpha need to mark his territory than the hint of another male sniffing around on their territory! 

You know what step 2 is, right? Lots of sex. Make sure their partner NEVER forgets who can fuck them into oblivion! Sex fixes all the problems. Who needs to talk when you could make the sweet lub? Also, why talk when every single time you do one of you ends up pissed off or crying? 

Did I mention how much sex there is? Because even I got bored with all the sex. Then again, it did become a little same same. Parts of it are hot. Blackwell definitely thinks outside the box and I do like a cock slut bottom with an exhibitionist kink, but even I tire of the finger lube before fucking, hair pulling and all the arching. There are only so many times one can have THE MOST AMAZMATASTIC ORGASM OF THEIR LIFE!!! before I start side eyeing them. Every once in a while you gotta mail it in onacounta LIFE. But I won't lie I mostly enjoyed it even though Josh may as well have a pussy. There's even a sex scene that is logistically impossible in the manlove. I'm not even mentioning some of the adjectives used to describe him.

Captain Cocksure takes to defending his woman even by fisticuffs a la The Grey One, but he still can't commit because reasons. The ending is predictable and easy peasy. Thankfully Freddie makes another appearance and he's just as OTT as ever.

Not a think piece but still pretty hot. I'd recommend skipping over all the talking bits.

A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more about this series on Goodreads.

Anniversary Shenanigans: Ninestar Press Launch & Giveaway!

We're tickled pink to welcome Ninestar Press to the Anniversary Shenanigans today. In case you didn't know today is their official launch! 

Here's a little introduction to the newest LGBTQA publisher!

Fans of quality LGBTQA fiction have been anticipating the launch of brand-new publisher NineStar Press. 

NineStar Press was created to meet the reading needs of people across the LGBTQA spectrum. The company was formed when founder Lisa Cox, who has years of experience both as an author and editor of LGBTQA fiction, noticed a gap in the market that wasn’t being filled. Though many publishing houses are focused on straight and male/male fiction and romance, Lisa saw that few were offering high-quality, professionally edited and formatted books outside of those markets.

Though NineStar Press will offer plenty gay fiction and romance, it is also committed to publishing books featuring lesbian, bisexual, trans*, queer, and asexual characters. It will release only the best, most engaging LGBTQA stories that you’ll want to read again and again.

What Can You Expect From NineStar Press?

Already, the publisher has a battery of books waiting to be pre-ordered by LGBTQA readers. The stories run the gamut of genres, lengths, and sexualities, from short male/male erotica to fantasy with a lesbian protagonist to contemporary romantic suspense.

Fans of fantasy fiction will also find much to love about Brooke Radley’s Nightshade. It centers on a young mage named Eleanor, who has to infiltrate a thieves’ guild to find the source of a drug that’s ravaging her city. But once she’s reached the inner circle of the Nightshade Brotherhood, she’s drawn to a beautiful and elusive thief called Cassandra. Can she risk betraying Cassandra to do what needs to be done for the good of her city?

Noted erotica and erotic romance writer Elizabeth Coldwell brings two initial short erotic pieces to the line-up with the seasonal Happy Christmas, Sir, about a sub who wants to please his Dom, and Trickster, about a bounty hunter who’s drawn to his handsome target.

Fans of seasonal romances and erotic stories will find a lot to choose from, too.  Check out the site to see offerings from male romance writer Olley White, erotic romance writer Gillian St. Kevern, and lesbian novella writer Lucy Carey.

There are too many to list here, so check out www.ninestarpress.com to see what else is on offer. 

Welcome to the neighborhood, Ninestar Press! Consider yourselves unicorned.

Whether you like it or not. 

And they're generously giving away two of their new releases to one lucky winner!

Defiant Loyalties by Elizabeth Wilde is one of the novels to be released. It follows the story of Jack Preston, whose life is thrown into a dangerous game of lies and espionage, when an assassination attempt is made on his oppressive father’s life. He finds solace in an unlikely place—in the man who was tasked with killing his father. The heat level is high on this erotic romance…and the tension higher. 

When things are forbidden, you merely want them more…

Vice-president David should have had it all–nice cars, the most expensive restaurants and the finest clothes. But he hides a secret from all his colleagues–he’s gay. He’s too scared to come out at work so he spends his evenings cruising for company and frequenting strip clubs. In one such place, he meets pole dancer Jeremy, a young man with problems of his own. Jeremy’s controlled by his boss Donny and soon David’s interest starts to spell danger for them both…

To enter to win ebook copies of these, please leave a comment with some means of contacting you (e.g. email, Twitter handle, link to Goodreads account, etc.)

The giveaway is open until 10 PM PST November 30, 2015. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner whom we will select using a highly scientific "names in a hat" method (or, you know, an internet randomizer). Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hrs or we will choose another winner.

Review: Stand and Deliver by Scarlet Blackwell

When Lucien Mayer is held captive by dangerous but seductive highwaymen, does he escape, or does he give in to his heart’s desire?

Lucien, Earl of Ravensberry, has the looks, the title, the house and all the money in the world. What he’s lacking in his humdrum life of loneliness is someone to warm his sheets at night. When he’s kidnapped by five highwaymen one night, things start looking up. This is the most exciting thing to happen to him in forever.

But Lucien’s life is in danger. Dante, the tough, self-appointed leader of the band, doesn’t have a lot of time for captives and vows to kill him—after he’s used Lucien’s body as he desires. Then there’s Ambrosius, Dante’s best friend, a damaged, reclusive individual who appeals to Lucien from the outset. The feeling is mutual, and Lucien is soon braving a whirlwind of emotions. He had never thought to fall for an outlaw, and he is torn between escaping and satisfying the needs of his heart. All he knows is, life will never be the same again…

Lucien seemed to have it all, on the outside. But he's lonely and tired of his mundane life. Lucky for him he gets kidnapped by some highwaymen!

Wait. Huh?

Lucien gets kidnapped and instead of planning escape, he pops a boner.

First off, the kidnapping scene was very confusing to me. There was a lot of "the man with the green eyes" or "the man with the dark eyes" going on and I couldn't keep track of who was who. I had Dante and Ambrosius mixed up for the longest time, and this is a short book, so... I was all over the place character-wise.

Lucien was really intrigued by Ambrosius. He was the most sane and level-headed of the group and they had a connection almost right away. Ambrosius had a heartbreaking past and I felt for his character. He and Lucien were good together, they didn't wow me, but I understood their attraction.

Now Dante... I have mixed feeling about that (sexy?) wacko. He has no use for Lucien and wants to dispose of him, after he uses his body in delicious ways, of course. Dante is just mean and gruff and vows to take what he wants from Lucien. To which Lucien protests, but then secretly wants. I never really connected with Dante and I'm not sure of his purpose in the relationship between Lucien and Ambrosius. His character was left way open for a sequel. 

And guess what? This is a historical romance. But you wouldn't know that based on the cover and not really from the blurb either. While I like the cover, I do wish it gave off a historical vibe. 

Stand and Deliver was OK. I liked the main couple, Lucien and Ambrosius, but otherwise this didn't really stand out for me. It needed more fleshing out, especially Dante's character.

 A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Nine One One by Scarlet Blackwell

Damon can’t forget 9/11 and all the precious things he lost…

It’s ten years after the horror of 9/11. Former NYPD cop Damon Summerfield was there. He lost his firefighter partner, Justin, in the collapse of the twin towers and fled to Canada to attempt to rebuild his shattered life. Now he is back in New York for Christmas with his family for the first time since his loss.

Still deep in mourning with no end in sight, he visits Justin's favourite bar near ground zero and there meets Simon, a firefighter with the FDNY and fellow survivor of 9/11. Simon is smitten by him from the start, and despite feeling the same way, Damon can't bear to give them a chance, not when he thinks Simon's job will tear them apart someday too…

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.

9/11

Horrifying. Tragic. Devastating.

I won't rehash the events of that day. But it's an open wound on America.

Thirteen years and a few months later and I can still remember that day. Remember the following weeks, watching the despair from real life victims' family members and those on television. I can't even watch a movie about that day to this day. And I kind of psyched myself on reading this story to see if I could do it. I tried reading another romance that featured 9/11 events, a few years ago and couldn't do it.

Now years later and I tried a different romance by an author I'm familiar with...and I finished. I zoned out while reading a few flashbacks, couldn't help comparing to what I remember from that day. (I wasn't at Ground Zero, let's say 50 blocks away or so) My reaction to this story might be a little skewed compared to another reader. Can't believe I'm sharing so I'll leave it at that, please. :)

I found the story was typical Scarlet Blackwell - angst, heaving alpha men, a mishmash of a British America (seriously, Totally Bound - an American editor can help edit these Britishisms out of a book that is supposed to be based in America), a conflict that seems to be not easily resolved but a bridge is built by the end to seek an answer and a fitting ending. I don't think it was her best work. Good enough for what she set out to accomplish: a man grieving for his dead lover finds possible love in NYC ten years later at Ground Zero during the holidays.

Damon is ex-NYPD, living now in Montreal, away from the agony of losing his love, Justin that summer day on 9/11. Justin was a firefighter who died trying to save lives. Damon has been celibate for ten years, still a mess, refusing counseling and not dealing with his ghosts. On Christmas Eve, he meets another firefighter, Simon in a bar. And though he tries to avoid the man, fate keeps putting these two together.

Now I understand what the author was going here but I had to suspend my reality because I doubt these two would actually keep meeting each other so easily. Maybe it was the magic of Jizzmas that brought them together? And semen sorcery for those men being able to come so much. Maybe it could be said for a certain someone's ten year drought but I used my reality-suspension rubber band to believe that bit.

Damon's internal struggles with finding another man attractive was...good enough too. I like reading about love being found after loss, so it had the right ingredients - inner turmoil, self loathing, grief, guilt. Did I buy the entire story? *side eyes* Yeah, I guess it's alright.

The guys got together fairly quickly. A week actually, so you get some New Year's Eve action too. There was hot sex, rimming action, all night banging by muscular, tall guys who almost sounded American but not quite. Little phrases or actions didn't read New Yorker or American which again, an editor familiar with the country the book is based in would go a long way.

Overall, a sad and hot number. The author did research the events and included Ground Zero info. And she wrote romance and made something happy from that...wound.

Pretty decent read. I enjoyed the key elements of the romance. A little over dramatic at a few parts which this author is known for. Compared to some over the top antics I've read from her in the past, the antics in this book were muted. I enjoyed the ending the most. It ended with a beginning, a promise of more. I do hope those two find love from what feels like a hopeless place and maintain it. I'd say it's a tentative HEA with room for more.

Maybe I'll try to give that other romance a chance in the near future.

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Review: Manbot by Scarlet Blackwell

If a robot is programmed to obey your every need, wouldn’t you take advantage?

It’s the future and every home in the US owns a manbot or fembot—robots designed to make life easier and obey an owner’s every command.

When Gray Benedict's friend Mitchell expresses a sexual interest in his manbot George, it sets Gray to thinking about his own hotbot, Kavan, a six foot three powerhouse set to obey Gray's every whim. Gray doesn't want to take advantage of a machine but he’s lonely and needs satisfying.

Kavan makes it clear he's happy to serve and he carries detailed manuals on satisfying a human completely. Something about him is way too human though and he reaches Gray on a primal level. Soon the unthinkable is happening: Gray is falling for his manbot.

When it’s offered, what’s a man in love supposed to do?

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.

Imagine living in a society where every household had an humanoid robot. Think of all the cooking, cleaning and chores that could be done. Need a babysitter? A companion? A sex partner?

Don't worry, the robots don't look like this.

Gray, the owner of Kavan--the 6'3", well hung and plump arsed robot, has been treating his robot like a human in the last year since he got him. Kavan has been learning and assimilating, it is what he was programmed to do as all robots in this world the author created are.

But what happens to robots that develop feelings?

The author packs a unique punch in this novella. It's not my first human/robot MM romance but this was certainly one of the better stories about this subject. Gray is a lonely teacher who has a crappy, prick of a friend who has began sexing his own robot whether his robot wants it or not.

This only pushes Gray to humanize Kavan more than normal. But the thing about it that Kavan starts to develop feelings, quirks a human side. It was sweet and odd at the same time. I loved the bits of Kavan's robotic side - he spoke so plainly that it read funny (in a good way). Gray, the befuddled ginger that he is, can't help falling for his robot and before you start thinking this is a story about a man and his overgrown sex toy, it isn't.

Yes, there is some smoking hot sex scenes. (I mean, this is Scarlet Blackwell) But there's a quirky plot with some feels and minor crime. The story ends in a HFN way but when I think about it, what the possibility of a robot/human relationship could really be? What happens if Kavan malfunctions or his battery short circuits? Or he rusts out? There are plenty of questions to be asked about their staying power but at the core of it all, this story is a romance.

And with the odds stacked against them, I actually bought into Gray and Kavan's feelings for one another. Gray was a good guy who didn't start his relationship with Kavan with lecherous ideas in mind. That is what made this story work for me. I do recommend for readers who want to try something different but still has a romantic feel and aren't caught up in a definite HEA.

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