Review: Death by Dick by James Cox (A Cox Club Story #2)

The day a hooker dropped dead on Kyler’s dick changed his life forever…

When Kyler graduated high school, he wanted to give himself a gift and that was his first blowjob from a sexy male hooker. Then said hooker drops dead in his lap. Yeah, he has that kind of bad luck. Now, the police are after him, he can’t go home because of an abusive father and he ends up working at The Cox Club, a small town gay gentlemen’s club.

Seamus is on his first undercover mission for the FBI. The problem is that he doesn’t think their terrorist suspect Kyler is guilty. Oh, and there’s also the matter of giving Kyler a hand job … on the FBI’s hidden camera. His first field mission may be his last.

When bullets start flying it’s up to Seamus to find out the truth and he has to do it before Kyler becomes a victim.

The COX is a man of impactful sentences and not many can title a book “Death by Dick” and have said death be a major vehicle for one of the MC’s actions. Plus, the dick has a plural meaning so the title alone has way more depth than just the pleasure of an initial chuckle at the COXloquialism. 

Kyler had my heart from the beginning of the story, I knew I’d be protective of him and rooting for him right away. He’s young, not dumb, but a little naive and ending up in a Gentleman’s Club could have been all measures of wrong for him, instead though, he ends up at The Cox Club with a wonderful group of secondary characters, save for one enormous asshole, and they all (except for the asshole) take Kyler under their proverbial wings.

From the beginning Kyler thinks he has one major problem, a major problem he’s been running from (keep the title in mind). While that problem isn’t his actual problem, he does have another, much larger problem he doesn’t even know about. Yet. Enter Seamus; undercover FBI agent sent to investigate Kyler as a possible terrorist threat. You know he didn’t do anything, I know he didn’t do anything, Kyler has no clue what’s happening and Seamus is very quickly a smitten kitten with everything about his suspect.

Throughout the story, Seamus is not a very good undercover dude. He breaks the rules right and left, but if you throw the FBI procedure manual out the window and enjoy the investigation for the launching point it is for a relationship between Kyler and Seamus, you’ll be good.

Seamus’ lack of clandestine skills and his inability to keep his dick to himself when it comes to Kyler is not lost on Seamus. He gave undercover work a shot and he knows it’s not going to be for him long term, so he just needs to finish this assignment and move on. He’s gotten way too close to Kyler, in soooooo many ways and he’s convinced Kyler is innocent. The undercover thing does add a ‘just right’ touch of conflict though. All this nonsense has to come crashing down at some point, but by the time it all does, I was sold on the relationship between the two of them, pack of lies and all.

Kyler may have been younger, but he really had a level head on him, especially in comparison to Seamus. Seamus just couldn’t pull it together professionally when it came to Kyler and it was honestly really sweet. And dirty. Because, COX. I enjoyed reading the two of them together a lot and their conversations read organically even though they were keeping so much from each other. The details didn’t seem to matter since they clicked on a higher level and I think that’s what made me believe in them when the “shit got real”.

Special Unicorn shout out to the secondary characters, mainly Sebastian, Coco and Seamus’ da. I loved every bit of page time these three got. Seamus and his da though, those moments were the best.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: The Devil's Cum in His Eye (A Cox Club Story #1) by James Cox

Cop by day, erotic writer by night, stripper on the weekends and Tomkin Coburn just found a dead body in his bedroom. But which occupation lead to murder?

Coburn has his teenage son in tow and a detective that seems to be interested in his butt as well as his innocence. He’ll do anything to protect his kid and the intense feelings he has for Detective Luke Early. The evidence quickly mounts up against Coburn, murder weapon, body fluids and oh yeah, no one in the world seems to know who the dead guy is.

Together, Coburn and Luke find themselves in the path of a killer but can they unravel the mystery before it’s too late?

It’s been entirely too long since I’ve read a story by James Cox and I’ve missed his words terribly. The Devil’s Cum in His Eye was a great story to get me back into bed with the Cox and I had a great time. His stories never fail to entertain and they’re a great weekend read, a treat you deserve at the end of a week full of reality’s BS.

The Devil’s Cum in His Eye is the story of two cops who are thrown together in a slightly less than meet-cute manner. Coburn has woken up next to a dead very casual acquaintance-with-benefits and Luke is the detective who shows up on the scene. It’s Luke’s case and the two of them shouldn’t spend time together, but there is no fun in that and the two of them are ridiculously attracted to one another sooo, they break all the rules while working to prove Coburn’s innocence in the slaying of the BJ buddy.

Coburn also has a teenage son who is his whole life. Their backstory gives the necessary depth to their relationship and I liked the family aspect the author put in this story. It fit for all the MC’s and I would love to read more about them and actually would have loved for this story to be twice as long. They would be my only niggle. The story had a lot to work with and while nothing is left out and all the questions were answered, I would have just loved more of all of it. The interactions between all the characters, not just the MC’s, were great. I loved Jake’s partner, and would have liked to meet Tom’s girlfriend, not to mention just more of the MC’s together in general. There were great dynamics here and I want more.

One of the things I really appreciate in Cox stories is the relative lack of angst between the two MC’s once the attraction gets acknowledged. Not that they may not have outside influences that affect the “getting together” timeframe, but they are always honest about their feelings and ask for what they want. It’s really refreshing and one of the reasons I’m such a fan. Sure, the MC’s are generally horny as hell, I’ve got no problem with that, but they have no problem admitting they want more and go for it. I love it. I get more time with the MC’s together and they always seem more fully fleshed out to me.

The mystery is solved, but not without loss and this is an example where I wanted more of all the characters involved. It was heartbreaking and I loved how they were all so supportive of one another. I just wasn’t ready to let it all go.

I’m hoping for more in the series soon. I’m heading to Evernight now to get a copy of Lawless so I can read Mickey’s story (you meet him briefly in this one) and I’m ready to get back to the Cox Club world. Kudos to the author for naming the strip club after himself, I mean, why wouldn’t you? And also for the working so many keys to the investigation into the title. Loved it!

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Release Blitz + Giveaway: As I Am by Melissa Collins

As I Am by Melissa Collins is officially released! Celebrate with the author and enter through her Facebook page for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

As I Am by Melissa Collins is LIVE!
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Chase Hansen. Broke. College drop out. Male stripper.

My life wasn't at all what I imagined it would be. I should have been finishing up college, interning with a well-respected business, partying with my friends. But instead, I was raising my seventeen year old brother, struggling to make ends meet. Love wasn't even on my radar. Besides, what did I have to offer? A few crumpled singles pulled from my G-string? Defeated and exhausted, I knew I had zero chance of finding someone to love me just as I am.

Noah Carpenter. Angry. Betrayed. Doctor.

Just when I thought my life was going exactly as it should, everything turned upside down. With my final rotation in medical school complete, I finally achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. What I never expected was to catch the man of my dreams in our bed with the man of his. Beyond infuriated, I struggled to piece together the remnants of my life. Just when I'd decided to give up on love altogether, I found a man who loved me just as I am.

Cover design: Sommer Stein at Perfect Pear Creative Covers

Photography: Christopher John at CJC Photography

Models: Sam Wiles and Aaron Michael Bell

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Melissa Collins Author Page

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Collins has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice: English teacher. Her hope was to share her passion for reading and the escapism of books to her students. Having spent more than a decade in front of a classroom, she can easily say that it’s been a dream.
Her passion for writing didn’t start until more recently. When she was home on maternity leave in early 2012, she read her first romance novel and her head filled with the passion, angst and laughter of the characters who she read about it. It wasn’t long before characters of her own took shape in her mind. Their lives took over Melissa’s brain and The Love Series was born.

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Guest Review: Encore by Ruth Clampett

When shy programmer, Charlie, is dragged to a "Magic Mike” club in Hollywood by his co-workers, the last thing he expects is to be pulled onstage. But when he’s approached by Ramon, a dancer whose only focus is to bring him pleasure, something awakens in Charlie that can’t be denied.

Yet heated attraction only goes so far when one man dreams of true love and a life finally fulfilled, and the other is still grieving the one he lost, and the mistake that cost him everything.

Can a realist and a dreamer from two different worlds move forward and build a future together, or will their painful pasts keep them from fulfilling their destiny?

***This standalone is a M/M love story with graphic sex.***

Reviewer: Annika

Drama, drama, and more drama. What a mess!

It kind of feels like the author went on a crazy shopping spree for ideas for her book and then threw everything in there. She really threw anything and everything into it. And in the end it was just a mess. But maybe she was going for the soap opera vibe? I don't know, but it sure did read like one.

I never warmed to Charlie. He comes across like immature and a bit childish. Which is odd, because in a way he had to grow up overnight when he lost his parents and his sister ended up in a wheelchair due to a car accident. You'd think that after something like that, the struggles that he and his sister went through, he'd have grown a backbone. But he never did. He came across as this meek and innocent/insecure and almost child-like man. Needless to say; he annoyed me for most of the book.

Then you have Ramon who also is all over the place. Happy and bouncy, but also depressed and mellow. Kind, but also a cruel and inconsiderate. Add to it a past that he doesn't want to let go of and ones that comes back to haunt him....

I never really felt the connection between Charlie and Ramon, they never made sense to me as a couple. And even less how they started out and the insta-love/obsessive stalker vibe over it all. Nothing about the characters or the plot felt believable (or even likable) to me and I struggled my way through this book.

I won't go into the plot because most of it didn't make sense. In a way there wasn't really one, but there was still too much of it.... (Like I said - it didn't make any sense)

This was my first Clampett book, and sadly it will most likely be my last.

A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Maelstrom by Kass Barrow

When Kylor Knightley, a multi-millionaire nightclub owner, is out talent-spotting at an open mic event in London’s Limehouse district, the last thing the stiff-lipped Brit expects is to fall head-over-heels for a devastatingly handsome singer ten years his junior.

Born in New York, twenty-two-year-old Eden McFadden now calls London home and has ambitions of making it big in the capital’s music scene. In the meantime, the feisty free spirit is secretly rocking it as a stripper at a gay club in Soho. But when fate brings him and Kylor together in Limehouse, it starts a chain of events that tears both of their worlds apart.

It’s going to take some serious attitude adjustment for the smart-mouthed stripper and the arrogant British gent to find common ground, but the attraction is too strong to ignore. Sometimes you have to trust in fate and see where it takes you.

Okay that was…. that. Such a shame as well, as I was really enjoying the first 50%. We start off by meeting Kylor, an upper class English businessman. He is in the midst of being blown away by the beautiful voice of the singer at the local pub’s amautur night. But the singer, Eden, slips away before Kylor can get his number so he hunts his singer down to a gay strip club. There’s no denying their chemistry, but Kylor wants Eden to become a proper singer and headline his new nightclub and he doesn’t date employees, so that's that. And that is where the 50% mark is, from here on out things got weird and rather ridiculous.

Eden is the most juvenile character, (who adamantly denies it) I have ever read. I don’t even know if teenagers are this stupid and melodramatic. Eden had been working at the nightclub for one month, there had been no clue’s from Kylor that he was interested in anything more. However, Eden was sure they were meant for something more, so much so that after a kiss (that was dared by friends?!) which was mutual but Kylor pulled away from due to their audience, caused Eden to cry himself to sleep and then think this:

If his future didn’t lie with Kylor Knightley, the status quo simply wasn’t an option. He had no choice. He had to take drastic steps to save himself from being dragged over the edge of the black abyss he was staring into.

This was after not one conversation about possibly being anything more than employee and employer…. they weren’t even close to being friends!!! Oh and spoiler, he then decides to move to a different country because ‘he is so done with Kylor’. Whatever! There was absolutely nothing there to begin with!!

I won’t go into what happened for the next 50%, because it doesn’t get any better. The only thing I did like was Kylor, he was actually reasonable, except for the fact that he liked Eden.

Also if Eden wasn’t bad enough, there was only one sex scene and it was fade to black before the foreplay and the end drama (if it ever stopped) made the entire story redundant. Which is stupid!

I can’t recommend this story, but you know, I don’t like saying that as it could work for some. So read other reviews and make an informed choice yadda yadda ya…. I’m out.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Maelstrom by Kass Barrow

Welcome Kass Barrow and Signal Boost Promotions as they celebrate the release of Maelstrom from JMS Books! Check out more info on the sexy tale and enter the giveaway for a chance to win an eBook copy of Maelstrom!

Buy Links: JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK


Length: 69,000 words


Publisher: JMS Books 


Blurb


When Kylor Knightley, a multi-millionaire nightclub owner, is out talent-spotting at an open mic event in London’s Limehouse district, the last thing the stiff-lipped Brit expects is to fall head-over-heels for a devastatingly handsome singer ten years his junior.


Born in New York, twenty-two-year-old Eden McFadden now calls London home and has ambitions of making it big in the capital’s music scene. In the meantime, the feisty free spirit is secretly rocking it as a stripper at a gay club in Soho. But when fate brings him and Kylor together in Limehouse, it starts a chain of events that tears both of their worlds apart.


It’s going to take some serious attitude adjustment for the smart-mouthed stripper and the arrogant British gent to find common ground, but the attraction is too strong to ignore. Sometimes you have to trust in fate and see where it takes you.


Excerpt


Eden was so pumped about meeting the guy with the sparkling turquoise eyes that he couldn’t wait to tell someone. He wasn’t usually one to gossip, but he’d pulled up a chair alongside Blade, who was busy removing his guyliner. Eden was talking to Blade’s reflection in the mirror, relating the moment he’d looked down and seen the gorgeous guy staring back up at him.

Just then someone shouted, “Which of you is green?” and there was the stranger; standing in the doorway next to a security guard.

Eden sat gawking at his visitor and all the strength drained out of his body as if someone had pulled his plug. Blade nudged him. “Don’t just sit there. That’s your guy, isn’t it? God, he really is gorge!”

Eden slowly got to his feet, praying his knees wouldn’t give way, and shoved a shaky hand in the air. “That package is for me.”

The weak attempt at humour was his way of handling the embarrassment he felt because he knew that if the token had been black or pink the security guard wouldn’t have needed to ask whose it was. Everyone knew Stemmy’s tokens were black and Oberon’s were pink. But this was only the second time Eden had handed out a token. The last time he’d invited a guy backstage, his guest had been under the mistaken impression the token entitled him to instant sexual gratification, but Eden hadn’t been that into the guy.

The guard nodded at Eden’s visitor and left.

Still in just his pink briefs, Eden scurried back to his own station and rummaged around in his duffel bag for a clean top. The first thing to come to hand was his old Keep Calm and Carry On Funking T-shirt. He quickly pulled it on and rolled it down his sweat-dampened chest and abs. Then he stood by his dressing table, ready to greet his guest, with one hand resting on the table for support. Eden knew he shouldn’t be getting this worked up over someone he’d only just clapped eyes on. He had no idea what the guy was like. I haven’t even spoken to him yet. Maybe he’s just a good-looking asshole in a suit.

As the guy approached, Eden’s eyes widened in awe. It felt like he was watching the scene through a slow motion filter. He was entranced by the rhythmic sway of the guy’s narrow hips and everything else in the room faded to a blur. The guy’s suit jacket was unbuttoned and his left hand rested inside the trouser pocket, while his right arm hung loose by his side. It was like a breath of self-assured elegance had wafted into the room.

And then there was his hair. It was glorious. A flame-coloured shock of tumbling waves, its hue changed as the light danced over it, like an abstract of wildfire and scorched earth. It jarred with the image of the sophisticated city gent in the cool blue suit. It was hypnotising, the way the picture was so wrong and yet so right.

Eden could tell straight away this guy was no bit player on life’s stage. He had a starring role. You could tell from his arrogant swagger that the only rules he ever played by were his own. He was like a dream come true to Eden. A guy with “Fuck Me” written all over him and a seriously hot “Fuck You” attitude to compliment the looks.

Eden swallowed hard. Where have you been all my life?


Author Bio


Kass Barrow lives 100 miles north of London in a small town in the farming county of Lincolnshire. Despite always having lived in the same area she has seen a fair bit of the world, from the eerie innards of the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid, to the majestic vistas that come with snowboarding in the Rockies.


However, none of these life experiences prepared her for the emotional roller-coaster ride of penning a novel. Now she has become so accustomed to having four handsome gents in her life – her husband, her dog and her two main characters – that she can’t imagine life any other way.

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Review: Bullet (Blue Boy #1) by Garrett Leigh

Levi Ramone entered the gay porn market for one reason, and one reason only–he needed the cash to pay his momma's spiraling gambling debts.

Seven years later, he's a veteran with a reputation as one of Blue Boy Studio's most ruthless tops, and when his boss suggests it's time for a change, he finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Figuratively speaking, at least.

Enter Sonny Valentine, a go-go dancer at Blue's sister club, Silver's. Levi has secretly admired Sonny from afar for years, but there's one problem–he can't stand Sonny and the feeling is entirely mutual. When Levi learns Sonny is to play the third part in a scene he considers his worst nightmare, he figures things can't get any worse.

But when preparations for the scene from hell collide with tragic events in his personal life, he finds his fast growing, red hot attraction to Sonny the one thing left between him and a bullet.

Always fashionably late to the party...

Look at the table setting at the Blue Boy party!

I think I might one of the few stragglers who hasn't read Bullet. This is also my second Garrett Leigh. Can I still visit the party with my low Leigh credentials? I promise after reading the re-release version of Bullet...I'll make more an effort to read her work.

The novella stars seasoned porn actor Levi Ramone is a well known top in the industry. Ripped, bearded and rough, Levi is a lumbersexual wet dream. (Oh the new cover fits him, does it not?)Does he enjoy his job? In a way, yes. He gets all the ass he wants and doesn't have to worry about commitments. But...he's virtually alone. His father committed suicide and his mother is an alcoholic with a grudge against her son, Levi doesn't have really close connections. The majority of his money is pay for his mother's bills despite her animosity towards him. He's desperate for cash to help.

It's a sad existence.

Enter the "bitchy twink" (in Levi's eyes) Sonny, a fellow Blue Boy porn actor who also works at the pron studio's go-go club as a dancer/stripper. Sonny sees there is more than meets the eye to Levi. He calls Levi out for not being into his porn scenes, being too aggressive and not considerate. When Sonny and Levi's boss offers more money to star in a threesome, Levi accepts. Even though Sonny gets under his skin and the fact that he'll have to lost his butt cherry.

That setup though...

"Dude, you don't want to go there for the first time without a good lead off. Do you want me to suck you off?"
"What? No!"
"You're kinda coy for a hard-core porn star. It's cute."

Sonny picks through the wall Levi builds around himself. He also helps Levi discover the untapped pleasures...below. As the upcoming bottoming scene looms as the novella progresses, there is also Levi's broken home/ dealing with a harridan of an alcoholic mother.

Now I thought it might've went one way with the mother, I was not expecting some of the resulting blows from that front. Or bottom assistance/prep/seduction

Though Sonny is helping his future scene actor out, there seems to be an underlying current of care...along with the obvious attraction between both men. Also for a book about porn, it's not as sex filled as you might think. I'm still new to Leigh's writing style, but methinks angst is her forte, yes? There was definitely a decent amount of emotions from Sonny to help carry this novella along, along with the obvious courting via anal play.

When Sonny and Levi finally culminate the obvious courting...the book ends!

Where is the rest of the story? I had to stop myself from shaking my Kindle upside down. There is no way Levi and Sonny just ends the relationship like that.

Right?

*listens to the squawking from the party*

There's follow up in the rest of the series? Is that so?

Well, hell looks like I need to rest of this series! I'm so curious to see what happens with the other characters. And Sonny and Levi of course...there's a hint of unresolved drug abuse somewhere along the line.

I'm invested.

Gonna see if I can get my Garrett Leigh dance card filled out now that I've joined the party:

I enjoy what I've read so far.

Recommended for readers who like some angst, some sexy and characters that have some baggage too.

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Review: Strip Shot: The Prequel to Behind the Velvet Curtain by Matt Converse

We've all seen strippers up on stage. Did you ever wonder how they got there? The answer might surprise you.

Michael is a scrawny kid from Ohio who moves to San Francisco with his boyfriend Kenny. He loves everything about the city, except the guy he's with. When things turn ugly, how will he escape and how will he survive on his own, completely alone in the big city?

Along the way, he meets an eccentric cast of characters in his own personal Oz. An unlikely and not so yellow brick road with unexpected twists and turns lead him to the stage, but what will he find when he gets there? Will he have what it takes to make it as a stripper? Sometimes, you only get one shot.

Twenty-One year old Michael has always known he was destined to move away from his sleepy Ohio town and go somewhere exciting. With his boyfriend Kenny, they take off to San Francisco, California, and Michael feels like this is exactly where he was supposed to be.

Settling into his new environment proves to be a work in progress, but he meets some great people who help him come out of his shell, and forge his path to becoming a stripper.

One of the most notable parts of this story for me, is Michael’s sexuality, and his preferences regarding sex with men. I really appreciated that Michael had very clear feelings about penetrative sex, and this was demonstrated in both his interactions with men, and his own internal musings. Most, if not all, the gay erotic stories I’ve read over the last two years, have revolved around anal penetration, and I was really pleased that Michael’s preference for oral sex only, was made clear from the beginning, and remained consistent throughout the story. It was a refreshing reminder that not all people enjoy penetration, either receiving or giving, and that sex can be just as fun and sexy without it.

Michael’s confidence was really nice. He was comfortable in his own skin, and appeared to thrive in his environment once he settled into the city. There wasn’t really a chance to find out how he was in Ohio because the story begins as he and Kenny are leaving the State, and heading towards their goal of San Francisco. All I had to go on was his memory of events and how stifling he believed them to be. I would have liked to know more about how his behaviour was different in Ohio than it was in California.

Some of the scenes in this story didn’t quite fit into the overall plot, and I wasn’t particularly engaged in those parts of the story. Michael’s dreams didn’t interest me, and I would have preferred not to read about them. I do think the author has a knack for writing some creepy shit, but I think that would have served better not to be included in this story. It didn’t seem to take the plot anywhere that I could see, and became distracting, with no clear overall message.

This story needs a thorough edit. Some parts of Michael’s internal dialogue was repetitive, and unnecessary. I think a full edit and polish would do this story a lot of good. Another thing that was missing was the engaging of all senses. It would have created a more three-dimensional experience.

I liked Michael’s journey, and I thought some tightening of the storyline would have made him a less scattered character. His thoughts seemed to jump around alot, and it took a lot longer to get to the point of the monologues. I enjoyed the direction of the story, and the reason for Michael choosing the job he did. His confidence and easy-going nature made him a nice character to follow.

I was disappointed in the flippant and dismissive nature with the complex issue of domestic violence. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to reflect Michael’s naivety about this issue, but it certainly did showcase how young and sheltered he was, even within the freedoms and growing potential provided by San Francisco. It was a major sticking point for me, and I’ve been rattled by it for a few days.

Overall this story had potential, and was interesting. I liked Michael’s character, and his journey to a big city. I would take a chance on the author in future, as his skills in writing develop, because the subject matter overall is something I am interested in reading more about. With the small horror element added in via Michael’s dreams, I can see this author doing really well in that genre, once the writing is tightened up.

A review copy was provided by the author for an honest review

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Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9JPYQU

Review: Červenà by Louise Lyons

When Joel Jones finds homeless Russian Sasha outside his gay nightclub in Prague, he cannot find it in his heart to turn him away, so he offers him a home and a job as a dancer and stripper.

Despite a fifteen-year age gap, romance develops between them but is interrupted when Joel has to return to England for many weeks to deal with a death in the family.

Upon Joel’s return, he is horrified to discover his business partner, Karel, has gambled away the club’s money and put them all at risk. Joel buys him out of the club, but when Karel continues to gamble, the people he owes pursue Joel for the debt instead—and they’ll stop at nothing to get paid.

Suddenly Joel and those he cares about—especially Sasha—are in danger, and Joel finds himself with no choice but to seek the help of known criminal, Vincenc Jankovic. Ensuring a happy future for himself and Sasha will mean a struggle and some difficult decisions, but Joel is determined to protect what they’ve built together.

Words I'd hope to describe Červenà (prior to reading): hot, plotty, and a believable romance.

Words to describe after reading: soft, sugary fluff and sweet.

And none of the words I'd hope to see.

A book that has crime, a big age gap, cultural differences, opposites attract...weak, too ambitious and boring. Never thought I'd see the day.

As the blurb states, Joel is a premier gay nightclub owner in Prague. The Brit has a heart of gold and is very sweet to all. He know he's "soft hearted". And has doormat underneath the "boss" facade. He saves a homeless youth who calls himself Sasha. Sasha is twenty, been living on the streets for years due to being kicked out by his homophobic parents. Joel takes one look at Sasha, sneaking food out of the club's yard and offers him a job on the spot. That should have been my first warning sign. Or maybe the nonsensical MANTEARS at Sasha revealing his name is false (under no duress) at 6%.

Thus began a never ending rush into insta-love, script like dialogue and poor development (which the characters remarked on from time to time) in Červenà.

What do you get when the entire plot is not only given in the blurb, but is completed before the halfway mark?

A lot of unnecessary filler and no romance development.

Let's get into my ARC quibbles, shall we?

There were many which I hope are problems of the ARC version and not in the final such as:

- The length & pace - They work hand in hand due to the fact the pace is lopsided - lukewarm start lead to rushed info dumpy middle and dragged out ending. The blurb was promising but when the reader is told every thing and still don't get a sense of the main characters or characters for that matter, it makes for a lackluster read. The length could work as long as the weak spots are formed, trimmed and expanded on when needed. Maybe it's fixed on the published version?

- The characters  - flatter than a pancake flatbread sandwich with flatulence. With the style of telling so heavy in this novel, any sense of with main character is lost anytime there was promise. Joel read older than 35, maybe this was cleaned up in the final version but he was out of character for owning a business like Červenà. He was too polite, any conflict he had was readily explained within the next few sentences and he was more troubled about a headache than dealing with a shady partner from the moment there was a hint of trouble. Just writing he was "soft" didn't cut it. And the way Sasha is readily accepted into his world without giving a sense of the harsh life he left behind...c'mon now. Writing homeless characters who are barely homeless in the story is a pet peeve of mine. Why introduce a homeless character if it'll barely be used?  Both were too cookie cutter and their caricature of their characters didn't fit. At one point, Joel tells Sasha (who said he didn't mind stripping) that Sasha doesn't like stripping, he will need to look into a new job. Too many missteps made for a uneven read.

- The style - info dump central and waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much telling. Nothing is shown. The conflict read too difficult for what the author could offer. If softness and romance was the aim, it should have stuck there. The story suffered from this style.

There were also parts that read underdeveloped and not researched. An example:

- Filipov - I do hope in the final version the mistake with Sasha's sister is corrected. I'm not fluent in Russian but I knew his sister being named, "Elena Filipov" was wrong. It should have been Filipova. Sadly, a quick search would have shown the area the author chose wouldn't have worked for Sasha's hometown. Book says he's from Russia, online that surname is prominent in Bulgaria. This is from less than a minute research. So...

I'm not the type of reader who gets excited just because strippers as a plot point are used in a book. I actually expect some work and research on the author's part to make an interesting read. A land where there are probably 100 (or more) romance books featuring strippers, it should stand out or at least attempt to.

This book is too polite and too ambitious. It'd probably work best if it was kept simple, lost the crime since it was sloppily handled with polite "criminals" and tied up way too easily in sentences when it should have been chapters.

I did not like the main characters, I'm pretty sure once Sasha is exposed to more than just the savior/boss he can do so much better. It came off as gratitude rather than love. It's a little sad actually. Criminals who offer their home for you to recover from injuries. Sales of businesses and contracts to be completed in a matter of hours. Love that is told to happen after the main characters remark they haven't spent any time together (it shows). The entire story could have been a 60pg novella at that rate.

My rating is for the attempt (though it fell short), the sex wasn't anything to write home about but it was decently done.

Probably won't be reading more from this author - the style didn't work for me.

Recommended for readers who prefer telling, not learning much from the characters or story, extremely easy answers to conflict and sugar.

Find more on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

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.