Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Jane Davitt

Unicorn favorite Jane Davitt dropped off a depraved little dumpling for our reading pleasure today!

Schooling Him

“You’ve dishonored the house, Somerton.”

“I—I didn’t mean to cheat, but my father—If I failed this year—“

“Cheat?” I lean in close, every inch the Head Boy, eying his pale face and terror-glazed eyes with approval. “Everyone cheats. You got caught. And gave up the name of the boy you bought the crib from to escape a harsher punishment. Denville’s a particular friend of mine and I take his suspension personally.”

“I didn’t know. Please—I’m to be caned in front of the school tomorrow. Isn’t that enough?”

I’m looking forward to that. I’ll be on stage with the headmaster, handing him the heavy cane with another in reserve in case the first breaks, helping him draw down the trousers shielding shrinking flesh from the bite and sting of seasoned wood. I’d prefer to wield the cane, but the headmaster is an expert at placing precise, deep cuts and it’s educational to watch him work. After all, we are at school to learn.

“Not even a little. You’ll take my discipline first, my boy. Tomorrow you receive pain. Give me an antonym for pain.”

“Pleasure?”

“Why, that’s excellent. You paid attention to one lesson, at least. Yes. My pleasure, of course. On your knees, boy. You’ll apologize, then suck me until I tell you to stop. Then I’ll bugger your arse until you’re squealing as loudly as you did to the headmaster. And after that, well, it’s back to your mouth again. I’m damned if I’m cleaning the stink of you off me myself. “

He’s shaking, spluttering broken sentences, showing a shocking lack of clarity of thought. I roll my eyes and push him to his knees. I’m already hard, already aching for the wet succulence of his mouth and the tight clench of his hole. He’ll scream for me, kneel to me, serve me.

And if he comes, he’ll lick up every drop.

When Matron lets him out of the San, I’ll break the good news he’s to be my new fag. I’m sure it’ll comfort him to know he has one friend in the school.

Because, there’s one compensation for belonging to me, body and soul. No one else gets to touch him.

Unless I permit it, of course. After all, a chap who doesn’t share with his chums isn’t the kind we want here at Heatherton Hall, is it?

We unicorns thank Jane Davitt for "Schooling Him" on Boy Meets Boy Reviews! Let her know what you thought in the comments! Some of us are just going to ice off now.

Thanks to Riptide Publishing, 1 lucky US resident will win 3 paperback ARCs (not finalized versions):

• Freckles by Amy Lane
• Murder Once Seen by J.T. Hall
• Whiteout by Elyse Springer

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway is open until 12:00AM (EST time) on 11/22/16. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner! 

Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner. Good luck!

About the author

At the age of eight I decided to write a book. I found a blank notebook, wrote 'Chapter One' at the start, scribbled a few hundred words about triplets with improbable names, then lost interest. Jump forward three decades and I still wanted to write a book, but the dim realization was dawning that meant I had to actually, well, write something.

Yes, it surprised me too.

So I did. Not about triplets, but love, angst, hot and spicy smut, and for the most part they're m/m romances.

I look at the shelf in my library where I keep the books with my name on them and yeah, there they are. I did it.

That eight-year-old me expected a lot of her future self though. Being an astronaut was also on the list. Did not do that.

Sorry, younger me. Here, have a wine gum.

Links:
Website
Goodreads
Twitter

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway here!

Re-Release Day Tag Team Review: Timing (Timing #1) by Mary Calmes

Stefan Joss just can’t win. Not only does he have to go to Texas in the middle of summer to be the man of honor in his best friend Charlotte’s wedding, but he’s expected to negotiate a million-dollar business deal at the same time. Worst of all, he’s thrown for a loop when he arrives to see the one man Charlotte promised wouldn’t be there: her brother, Rand Holloway.

Stefan and Rand have been mortal enemies since the day they met, so Stefan is shocked when a temporary cease-fire sees the usual hostility replaced by instant chemistry. Though leery of the unexpected feelings, Stefan is swayed by a sincere revelation from Rand, and he decides to give Rand a chance.

But their budding romance is threatened when Stefan’s business deal goes wrong: the owner of the last ranch he needs to secure for the company is murdered. Stefan’s in for the surprise of his life as he finds himself in danger as well.

Hi, JL here.  Today we're doing something a little different.  My best pal Red (aka Sara) and I have had many discussions about certain books over the years.  We email back and forth letting each other know what we find funny or hot or swoonworthy.  Usually, one of us will read a book that we absolutely love and email something along the lines of, "OHMYGAWD you have to read this!!!!!!!!!!"   But our longest (and my most favorite) emails are when the other one finally picks up the book the first has been raving over.  Timing is one of those books.  We're going to review this from the perspectives of one who has already read it (me - numerous times) and one who is reading it for the first time.  And, just for shits and giggles, we thought we'd share our emails with you too.

The following review contains instances of squeeing, swooning and fangirling.  May cause bleeding of the ears and eyes to roll right out of your head.  

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

 

JENNI LEA - 5 BILLION STARS

I have read this book so many times, y’all!  Seriously.  I think my latest count is eleventy kajillion and one.  This is my go-to comfort read.  Whenever I have a book hangover and I need to cleanse my palate for my next read, I read this book.  When I finish a particularly dark or depressing book, I read this to make me feel happy again.  If I read a terrible book, I pick this up to remind myself there’s good stuff out there.  Whenever I’m bored, I’ll read this book.  And, whenever I’m jonesing for some good ole Calmes Crack, I get my fix right here.

So, when Red agreed to buddy read this with me I was over the moon!  Immediately the emails started coming in.

Red:  "It’s been killing me since that first day when I walked in and you looked up at me and it was like I got hit by lightning.”

“Fighting with you was all I had, you know?”

“You know how sick I am of watching other people touch you?”

The man had it really bad for me, and I never had a clue.

I AM DEAD!!!!!!

JL:  I TOLD YOU!

RAND IS THE BEST!

Red:  DUUUUDE! I am dead. They are gonna have the sex and I am so on board with all of this. I love that he watched Stef for so long  but kept his distance and was just DONE and needed to have him. THIS IS SO GOOD! I love Mary Calmes.

Red:  So using this quote! LOL

“If it was any more perfect, I’d be dead.”

JL:  Now you see why everyone raves about Rand.  I'm so happy you're finally reading this.  :)

I read and re-read this book for many reasons, the biggest one being Rand.  He’s the epitome of book boyfriends.  He’s perfect in every way.  The man can be such an asshole but the minute he opens his mouth all is forgiven and I’m swooning like a proper Southern lady.

“Kiss me,” he said, his eyes locked on mine, absorbing me.  “Just once.  If it’s bad, if I freak out or if you do… fine, we’ll forget all this.”  It wasn’t a good idea.  “Come on, you have nothing to lose.  “I have you to lose, and I just got you,” I confessed, terrified.  “You’ll never lose me, I swear.”

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited?”

“You’re gonna be mine.”

“You know, you look really good under me.  I knew you would.”

“I have to be closer,”

“You fit me just right,”

“I can’t seem to let go.”

“You get that I’m not leaving your bed, right?”

 See???  How can you not fall in love with this guy?  Now, going by the quotes above, you would think Rand is a perfect gentleman.  Maybe a bit mild mannered.  You would be wrong.  Rand is the Alpha male to end all Alpha males.  He’s strong and confident and growly and bull-headed.  He sees what he wants and takes it and fuck anybody who gets in his way.  He takes not one single shit from anyone.  But most of all, what makes him so truly magnificent to me is his heritage.  You see, Rand is what we native Texans call a Good Ol’ Boy.  A little bit of rough mixed in with classic Southern gentleman.  And it is shown most clearly through his words.  What I like to call  Texasisms.

“That dog don’t hunt.”

...he got a wild hair up his butt…

“You’re gonna be sorry,” he growled at me.  “I am fixin’ to put you over the hood of my truck if you don’t quit.”

 It’s like music to my ears, that way of speaking.  As I am a displaced Texan who has been away from my home state for far too long, I sometimes get a little bit homesick.  But reading words like these eases the heartache some by making me feel like I’m home.  I can actually hear the accent in my head when reading and let me tell you, Rand has the sexiest voice!  Sort of a cross between Randy Travis and George Strait.

“You were made just for me,” he said, leaning back and panting, staring down into my face.  “Only for me… this is gonna be a forever thing, Stef, me and you.”

*sigh*

Anywho, as hard as it is to believe, there’s a lot more to this book than just Rand.  This has all the cracky goodness you’ve come to expect in a Mary Calmes book.  There’s action and adventure, an MC who is golden-perfect and everyone loves him (especially women), orphans, murder and, of course, some seriously hot love scenes.  I mean, hot damn Mary can write passion like no other!  Makes me break out in a sweat just reading it.

JL:  Damn! I forgot just how hot this book is.

"Scream my name, Stef... scream it loud."

UNF!

Red:  And I read it at work! It was so hot.  I loved Rand being all I need to be inside you... He gets dirty when they do it in the laundry room too.  SO GOOD.

And Mary Calmes writes mature, thought provoking literature that makes me feel smarter just from having opened the book.  It’s so proper I feel as though I should get dressed up in my Sunday best before reading.

Red:  Mary Calmes keeping it real and classy! LOL "I squeezed her so tight she farted."

JL:  Haha!  I was waiting for you to get to that part.

Last but certainly not least, I feel I must comment on the new cover.  Because damned if that ain’t Rand gracing it.  I thought about finding some hot cowboy gifs and pics for my review but really, what can compare with that cover?  My mama always said don’t mess with perfection and that cover is so freaking perfect so no cowboys pics for this review.

So, what did we learn from this review?  Probably not much of nothin’ except that Rand is perfect, Mary Calmes is a goddess and Jenni Lea has a serious addiction to crack.  I am a Calmes Crack Whore and proud of it.  If you're looking for a coherent review, you'll have to read Sara's below 'cause all I've got left to say is a bunch of squees and sighs and words of praise to She Who Can Write No Wrong.  

Now, excuse me while I go read this again and again.  I'll be gone awhile so don't wait up! 

  

SARA - ALL THE STARS!

When it comes to Mary Calmes there are a good number of readers who get why I can’t get enough of her books. But there is one reader, one whom I love and adore who told me I would love a book from her (my first) with a ginger cowboy… and I loved that book. This reader, this amazing woman also told me that I would be able to handle my first shifter book, because it was by Mary Calmes and not only did I handle it, I loved and totally understood the magical world that was built around Logan and Jin Church. So when it came for me to finally read this book, the story of Rand and Stefan… who else would I buddy read it with than my darling and gorgeous, Jenni Lea.

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. It’s just timing.

Where oh where do I begin with this? Well first I knew who the couple was and when I learned that Stefan was best friends with Rand’s sister, Charlotte, I was waiting for the meet cute to happen because meet cutes are my favorite but I didn’t get one. Instead I got a meet rude courtesy of one Rand Halloway to one adorable Stefan Joss and I was not a happy ginger. It really set a tone for Rand but I was assured by my girl that he has the qualities of my favorite type of Alpha Male – the redeemable asshole – so I let it slide and waited for him to fix the mess.

Rand Holloway was, as a rule, stoic, sarcastic, blunt, and unaware of his own strength. 

Rand Halloway is also crack no, he’s not tainted like crack, Rand is a pure as the white driven snow and I cannot stand the way his words melt me into goo because he’s not real. He needs to be real. With all the technology we have why can’t someone create 3D models of Calmes perfect men and make them real? At least make them purchasable so I can hide them in my closet and play with them at will… don’t look at me like that! Can you imagine putting a life-size Rand on a horse and watching his hair move and those thighs grip and him tap the tip of his hat as he… what was I saying? Oh yeah, I LOVE RAND!

Red:  I love that the "shoot first and ask questions later" ranch hands with guns across their laps are thanking Stef for making their boss happy and their lives a bit easier! It's a crack up how easy most folks are taking this and how Rands mom keeps hinting that she knows and holy shit is Charlotte gonna flip when she finds out!

JL:  I told you the crack was especially potent in this batch.  It's complete fantasy.   Totally unrealistic.   But I wouldn't change a single word of it.  That's what makes it so special.

Red:  It is and now someone is trying to kill Stef! I just love the hell out of it. I have been reading at work since I pulled something in my neck and really can't do much but sit here and grimace. The book is totally helping!

Also, I adore the friendship between Stefan and Charlotte. It's so damn pure and good and crazy insane!

JL:  Heh. Most people don't like Charlotte.  I do though.

Red:  I was just ranting about how can people NOT like Charlotte in a draft! I'm nuts but Stefan just showed up at the ranch and Rand said he thought he missed his chance and made me cry.

JL:  I've heard people say she's super annoying but I never thought so.

JL:  You know who Charlotte reminds me of?  Aruna.   A bit whackadoodle but in an endearing way.

Red:  I love the women she writes as companions. Aruna was nutty but she FIT Miro just like Charlotte fits Stef.

JL:  Yes, exactly!  I can't see Stef having anyone else as a best friend.   Or Miro either.

JL:  A best friend should be able to call you out on your shit while supporting you 100% anyway.   Love you,  not in spite of your flaws,  but because of them.  This is Charlotte.   She's fierce and strong and perfect for Stef.

Red:  Exactly! Even when she needs Ben in a different way she still needs Stef and I LOVE that she knew Rand and Stef were hot for one another but would never own up to it so she just let them play it all out. She's great!

I honestly don’t know where to go from here with this review, wait, I lied. I want to talk about Charlotte for a minute because I loved that girl. I loved how she and Stefan became roommates and before they could be separated, they moved off campus together. I adored how fiercely these two loved one another and how loyal they are. Stefan is nothing without his best friend and Charlotte would be nothing without Stefan. Even when he isn’t the holder of all her secrets anymore as she prepares to walk down the aisle to wed Ben, he is everything to her! It was great to see her not only want Stefan around but need him. It’s a special kind of need that is only between the best of friends and these two are indeed that. Without one another, they wouldn't survive and their friendship is twisted and terrific. They have no boundaries with one another and it's great because sometimes, you need that one person who knows it all, the down and dirty behind all the pretty and still loves you no matter what. But along with being Charlotte's best friend, Stef stands up for all that she loves as well, including Ben, and all that he has done for Charlotte endears him to May which aids in her acceptance of Rand and Stef being together. They are soul mates! Ugh.

Also, I mean, she’s Rand’s sister so without her, they never would have met and BOOM! She is amazing.

“You don’t have to be my knight in shining armor for me to love you dearly, desperately, and totally. And not just because you saved me, not because we shared this secret, but because of all the rest… all our history.”

 Back to the romance of the story. It was everything I could hope and want for in a Mary Calmes book. We have the Alpha Male with the heart of gold. The beautiful golden boy who everyone loves and wants. We have a wonderful cast of family and friends and we have guns and bullets with men running for their lives and being saved by the one they loved, men being held close and chastised all while being told just how much they are loved and wanted. Sigh. This was so good. An enemies to “call a truce for the wedding” friends to the all-out swoon fest that is named Rand Holloway romance. Seriously? I fell so hard for these two and that new cover IS ALL THE RAND ALL THE WAY! Those eyes… ridiculous and sexy and so full of heart.

Red:  Charlotte is reading Stefan the riot act about how he just disappears from peoples lives and I think I am Stefan. After admitting that, do I get a Rand of my own? Cowboy can lay his ownership on my ginger ass anytime he wants and do it with coconut oil if the olive isn't available.

JL:  Lol!

Well, if that's all it takes to get a Rand, plan on me disappearing from time to time.

Red:  I'm done. What the fuck do I do with my life now? Do I wait for the new version of After the Sunset or just read the one I have because I need more.

Red:  Sigh. I just loved this. I am trying to write more coherent sentences other that SQUEEE and UNF and  Oh shit, Duck Stef and run from the dudes trying to kill or feed you!

JL:  Haha!  That's how most of my Calmes reviews are.

When do we get the new and shiny version of book two??? I have a need for it. A strong need, baby.

Okay, I’ll stop now because I have a butt load of highlights with notes that just say “Re-Read” because they were too great to read only once. Who the hell am I kidding? This book is too great to read only once. Someone cover me… I’m going back in!

 
Tune in next time when we review After the Sunset, the second book in the Timing series!

 
 Find it at Dreamspinner Press and on Goodreads!

Review: Red Hot (Sex & Mayhem #5) by KA Merikan

--- Live fast. Die young. Fuck hard.---

Red Jack. Rude. Crude. Horny ginger mess. In love with… himself.
Loki. Deadbeat. Volatile. Stalker. Terminally ill. Fatally in love.

When it comes to men, Red Jack has three rules. The guy has to be hot, out of town, and not up for repeats. It’s a good way to keep the gay flings far away from the eyes of his brothers in the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club, and he will make damn sure it stays that way. When a hookup takes an ominous turn, and the sexy stranger turns up at his house, the heat is on. Loki invades his life and just won’t leave, wreaking havoc wherever he follows Jack, but getting rid of him becomes harder with every kiss.

The world crumbles around Loki when he finds out he has cancer. As if his life wasn’t shit enough already. With only a few months left, he decides to live to the fullest and get every last wish on his bucket list fulfilled. One of those is fucking the hot bearded biker he meets the same night he got the bad news. Big, confident, and dangerous, Red Jack is all Loki ever wanted in a man. After all, he deserves one last shot at love. Who cares if Red Jack is a stubborn, closeted asshole? Loki knows what he wants, and he won’t settle for anything less. Even if it kills him. 

Well, holy shit and fuck-me-sideways, this was good.

First, the cover. *stares* *drools* It's gorgeous! Amiright?

Second, LOKI! Crazier than shit, he is. Loki was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. With not much time left, he made a bucket list. He added "fuck a ginger" to his list. I mean, who wouldn't, really? To fulfill this item he scheduled a hot meet-up with Red Jack.

Red Jack was mean, rude and arrogant. When he hooked up with guys, it's a one time thing and only blow jobs. That way he wouldn't be gay. He did his thing with Loki and moved on. Until Loki turned up at his house, making himself comfortable.

Loki inserted himself into Red Jack's life. He showed up and decided he's going to be Red Jack's boyfriend. It was awkward, to say the least. It was so awesomely awkward.

"Never in Red Jack's life had anyone pursued him this intensely. It was... weird. 'Invasion of privacy' didn't cut it."

Loki took things to an extreme level, but really made no apologies for himself. He was dying, he wanted this guy as his boyfriend and he was going to have it. Beyond the cray-cray, he really just wanted someone there for him in his last months. He wanted someone to miss him and he was going to make Red Jack that person.

"You know I won't change, right? I'm not gonna become some super-gay dude, no matter how much bacon you make for me?"

Oh, Red Jack. Ha! If you only knew. He constantly complained about Loki and his craziness, but he totally loved it at the same time. Red Jack has this huge ego. He overcompensates for his insecurities from his red hair with his arrogance. So even though Loki is driving him insane, all the strokes to his ego are never a bad thing.

"'Yeah? I'm all you can think about?' Red Jack grinned."

Uh huh. He loved all of Loki's unwanted attention.

Hot sex was hot. Dirty talk was dirrrrttttyyyyyyy. All wrong and degrading. *smack lips* These two were sexy. There were sexy-times aplenty, but also some very, very graphic and violent scenes. Red Jack went to great lengths for Loki and it was so wrong, but it warmed Loki's little crazy heart. And that's all that mattered to Red Jack.

Loki and Red Jack's story was hot, graphic, brutal, and sometimes a little outlandish, with a few sweet moments sprinkled in. Completely unputdownable.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan

Love will grow through the cracks you leave open.

Ranch hand Roe Davis absolutely never mixes business with pleasure—until he runs into his boss, Travis Loving, at the only gay bar within two hundred miles.

Getting involved with the ranch owner is a bad idea, but Roe’s and Travis’s bedroom kinks line up against one another like a pair of custom-cut rails. As long as they’re both clear this is sex on the side, no relationship, no interfering with the job, they could make it work.

Shut out by his family years ago, Roe survived by steadfastly refusing to settle into so much as a post office box. As his affair with Travis grows into more than just sex, Roe’s past catches up with him, threatening the thin ray of happiness he’s found, reminding him it’s well past time he went on his way.

But even a loner gets lonely, and at this point, there’s nowhere left to run. The shame and sorrow of what he’s lost will stay with Roe wherever he goes—until he’s ready to let love lead him home.

 "Unbutton your fly and put your hands on the table."

*THUD*

Oh, how I love Travis & Roe.

Roe has been moving around the country since he was kicked out of his home for being gay. He doesn’t stay in one place too long. He doesn’t get attached. Then, he finds himself working at Nowhere Ranch and he is able to build himself a nice life there. When he decides to go to a gay bar neighboring city he finds his boss, Travis, there as well. While talking and drinking at the bar they realize that they’re both looking for the same thing. Some good ol’ slutty, kinky fun.

OHMIGOD. Holy Hot Damn -- this was some serious sex. Roe likes feeling like a slut. He wants to be dirty and wrong. And, OH BOY, did Travis oblige. When they start their sexual escapades the deal is this: Just -hotcrazyfistingholyshitdidtheyjustdothat- Sex, No Relationship. Well, we’ve seen this a million times folks and we know how it will turn out. But, regardless of the predictability of their relationship I loved the story between Travis and Roe. 

Roe has worked so hard at building his walls, he’s convinced himself that he doesn’t do friendship. With anyone. He spends his birthday and holiday’s alone and wants to keep it that way. His family deserted him, so what’s to stop others from doing the same? That was until Hayley came along and demolished his little safe haven he thinks he’s built around himself. She decided she was going to be his friend and DARN IT, she did. Slowly but surely, Roe opens himself up more and more to the people around him. He’s starting to realize that not everyone will leave him and he is capable of being loved and loving someone in return. I adored Hayley. She’s one tough cookie and proved to Roe how family is supposed to be. 

While Roe easily accepts his status of “friends” with Hayley, he’s not as accepting of the word “relationship” with Travis. In fact, neither one of them are at first. But as time goes on they grow closer and a bond between them forms. I mean, c’mon, you have to have some real trust with someone to do the things and scenes that these two did. I appreciated that there was a struggle to accept their new feelings for each other. This was something that they battled and fought. It was hard for them to accept that what they have is more than friends with benefits. What they had was real and worth the risk. 

I'm pretty sure I've raved about Iggy Toma a time or two. So, let's make it three. My goodness, he is talented. He brings the characters and their dialogue to life. His intonation is spot on and he makes you feel everything happening. Honestly, if Iggy Toma narrates it, I'm going to listen. I'd listen to him read a chemistry book.

I’ve love Heidi Cullinan. She’s able to write one seriously hot book, while still having a strong, heartfelt romance along with it. This book was absolutely not all about their sexual relationship. Yes, that’s how it started, but it turned into so much more. 

 A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Channeling Morpheus (Channeling Morpheus #1-5) by Jordan Castillo Price

Michael is a waif in eyeliner who's determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth.

Wild Bill's got the hots for Michael, and will stop at nothing to go home with him.

Forget about moonlit castles and windswept moors. These bad boys haunt all-night diners and cheap motels, cut-rate department stores and long, lonely stretches of the Interstate. Ride along with Wild Bill and Michael as the twists and turns of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary unfold in America's Heartland.

 "Mallet? Check. Wooden stake- hickory, of course? Check. Crucifix? Check. Holy water? Check. Eyeliner? Check."

This was on page one and all I could think was OMG THERE'S GUYLINER.

Then we met Wild Bill...

"He was... amazing. Tall and lean, with ripped up jeans and spiked blond hair, earrings, a snake tattoo on his neck and chipped black nail polish."

Well, fuck me, could they be any sexier? 

Ah yes, I found that they can.

Channeling Morpheus is a set of the first 5 novellas in crazy ride with Michael and Wild Bill. Michael is set out to find and kill the vampire who murdered his best friend, Scary Mary. Along the way, he meets Wild Bill. Bill decides to join in on the fun and help Michael out. Only thing is, Wild Bill is a vamp himself. Which kind of put a wrench in Michael's whole "all vamps are evil" theory. 

But, holy hell, thank the book gods that he did. 

Now, this isn't your run-of-the-mill vampire romance. Ha! No, it is certainly not. It's dark and gritty and twisted and creepy as all get out. And it's also sexy as fuck.

All the stories are under 100 pages, which makes for a fast paced read because a lot happens in each installment. Michael continues on his journey to rid the world of the bad vampires, but at the same time, learning more about them. It certainly makes me curious to know where they go from here. 

I totally felt the connection between Bill and Michael deepen throughout the novellas. 

"I'd been combing through my vocabulary for a word that meant lust-smacked. And skinless. And fucked up, and scared, and invincible. But I'd come up empty-handed. 

All I could say was, 'I love you, you know.' Because that was about as close as I could come up with words."

That, my unicorn friends, is great writing right there. This describes so perfectly what I felt between them. Something raw and lusty. I would have felt this regardless of this quote being there or not, it was woven into every part of their relationship. 

I loved the POV switches. Each book alternates the POV and book 1 started with Michael, so I was a little thrown when I started the second novella. It took me a minute to realize that it was Bill, but I was too ecstatic to be bothered.

All in all.. I FREAKING LOVED IT. Will I pick up the rest of the series? I'll give you one guess.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more info on Goodreads.

Review: Just This Once by A.J. Ridges

When the geeky kid Nick used to bully returns home as a successful and incredibly sexy man, Nick’s hidden desires flair to life. 

Nick is all grown up, but he still can’t admit his feelings for Seth. After one shared night of pleasure, Nick walks away confused and insecure. However, when another man is suddenly interested in Seth, Nick has a decision to make — face his fears and fight for what he wants, or risk losing Seth forever...


This is a complete, short, smutty romance containing explicit m/m sexual situations, content and language, intended for adult readers.

This is another sexy little story by A.J. Ridges. (I previously reviewed Just A Game here.). This one is a friends-to-lovers story and it starts out with a bang. Literally! As the blurb states, Seth and Nick "shared a night of pleasure". However, instead of that being the start of a new and fulfilling relationship, it left them both alone and confused.

Honestly, the premise behind Nick and Seth having sex the first time is a bit absurd if you try to rationalize it but I just rolled with it. I chose to read this story as erotica, not to be taken too seriously. Now don't dismiss this just because it's erotica. This story does have an underlying romance so it’s more than just porn. It's the story of Nick and Seth overcoming their past so they can have a future. I’d call it a “fantasy erotic romance”. 

"Just This Once" is a fun and entertaining read. A.J. delivers steamy sex and a short, romantic story all in one neat little package. Get you copy for less than a buck at Amazon or Smashwords.

A copy was provided by the Author for an honest review. This is an erotic short story and I rated it accordingly.

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Review: As Spring Rain by Valentina Heart

Gabriel is hell-bent on self-destruction. Every man he chooses is a man who will hurt him, and when he can't find others to do it he turns to hurting himself. Whatever it takes to bury the wrenching, forbidden, but inescapable feelings tearing him apart.

But everyone has a breaking point, and when his twin brother Michael comes to pick up the pieces something will have to give before there aren't any pieces left…

Warning: this story contains incest

Michael and Gabriel live together and have been lusting after each other for years. But neither one does anything about it because of the whole twin thing. Ya know, it can be frowned upon. Not here though!

Gabriel's character is so self-destructive and angsty. Everything becomes an issue, an issue that he can't fix without Michael's help. He's completely co-dependent on his brother. All of this I would be okay with but... Is it because of his parents? Or because of his want for his brother? Or all of his exes? Is he depressed? I'm not sure. It was unclear why he's such a mess. There was a lot of telling about Gabriel's bad choices and determination to hurt himself. All of the background was focused on his road to self-destruction, but I still never got a real grasp on who he is and why he's this way.

Regardless..........

hot twins are HOT.

Their first scene together was intense. It was raw and gritty and sexy. It was dirty and real and messy. It's what I was waiting for. All the build up led to one passionate scene. 

But then, what? Michael is all better? I don't believe it. I think I saw that there's going to be a sequel and, goodness, I hope so. This needs a better conclusion than BOOM! they have sex and everything is grand. Michael has way too much to work through for it to end here. 

Did I like it? Well, I couldn't put it down, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed my experience. There was too much hurt for me to find this enjoyable. I was intrigued and I want to know more, so yeah, I recommend it. Make sure to read the blurb and the triggers first.

 A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Just a Game by A.J. Ridges

When Bryan reluctantly agrees to let his new neighbor, Ben come over to watch the hockey game, he has no idea that his gay roommate, Tim is home or that Tim has company – male company. While Ben and Bryan are forced to endure the telltale sounds of sex coming from Tim’s bedroom, desires they never knew existed come to the surface.

This book contains erotic m/m sexual content and language that is intended for adult readers.

Just a Game is by a new author so when the request came in I waffled quite a bit before accepting the book for review. I'm glad I said "yes"! This is what I'd call a fantasy erotic romance. Fantasy as in something you'd fantasize about, not fantasy as in unicorns and fairies. It is double GFY and smokin HOT!

I don't want to spoil anything in this short story so I'm just going to make a few observations and let you decide if it's right for you.

My very first thought as I began reading was "whoa, Ben & Tim?" (MCs from Jay Bell's "Something Like...." series) but it didn't take but a page or two to get over that shock and it never crossed my mind again. Tim is not one of the two main characters, he's Bryan's roommate.

I mentioned fantasy earlier. You're going to need to suspend reality just a bit here in order for this to work. I expected this going in because I knew it was a short story and I knew it was GFY. If you know that ahead of time, like I did, it will allow you to enjoy the story without the expectation that it's true to life. I hate mentioning this but I feel I need to; there's unprotected (bareback) sex in this story. Again, I read this as fantasy so it didn't bother me but I know it's a deal breaker for some.

There's not a lot of romance here but there is a touch and it ends with a HFN.

If you're intrigued and you're willing to give this a chance, I don't think you'll be disappointed. This story is available at Smashwords and Amazon for $.99. I enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author.

A copy was provided by the Author for an honest review. This is an erotic short story and I rated it accordingly.

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Review: The Roommate Situation by Zoe X. Rider

College freshman Shane Hahn finds himself unexpectedly shuffled to a new dorm room--which is fine by him, but his over-involved mother takes one look at toothpick-chewing, motorcycle-riding Derek McClain, his new roommate, and gets on the phone with the school. The school requires that Shane be the one to file the room-change paperwork, but Shane's reluctant.

He's attracted to Derek's independence, even though that independence means Derek has to pay his own way through college, which he does by making leather products (you know: belts, wallets...bondage gear) and selling it online. Shane isn't even allowed to work while he's in school, much less join a band, which is what he really wants to do with his life. Unfortunately, his parents are holding his guitar hostage until he can prove he's taking his future seriously.

When he decides he needs a way to come up with cash--the kind his parents won't find out about--so he can buy a guitar his parents can't take away from him, he turns to Derek with what sounds like a win-win solution: he'll model bondage gear for Derek's online store photos, Derek will get more sales, and Shane will get a cut. The one thing he doesn't factor into his plan is the giddy stomach-flip feeling Derek McClain causes whenever he walks in the room--and what that might mean for them when Derek starts locking leather cuffs on his wrists.

I read this book because a friend was reading it and I couldn't ignore her goodreads updates any longer! Sara has great taste in books and when she loves something that much, I'm pretty sure I will too. The thing is, even with those tempting updates, the cover and blurb nearly put me off! I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm turning into a cover snob (I know exactly which designer I blame for that) and the blurb - while it does tell you what the book is about, it really doesn't do it justice. IMO anyway *shrugs*.

This book is so good. It has the best build up of sexual tension and that first kiss O.M.G. While the blurb makes it sound like it's going to venture into quite raunchy ground (or at least, that was my interpretation) this manages to be hot, with a bit of kink, but not downright porn. Not that there is anything wrong with reading some pornier work but this, this beats that hands down.

I completely fell for Shane and Derek. One hundred percent in love with them both. In fact, I was not ready for it to be the end of their story, not by a long shot. I even found Derek being a smoker sexy and I loathe and detest smoking (I know, I know). The secondary characters are fantastic - particularly Derek's family. I swear I could read more about the whole lot of them. 

The writing is great, it pulls you into the story and leaves you unable to put it down (or apparently find the authors backlist and read every damn thing on it, as anyone who gets my goodread feed will attest to - sorry :/). This is Zoe X Rider's only full length novel to date and IMO it's the best - but I couldn't get enough of her shorter pieces too. If I fall for a writing style I fall hard and this author has made it to my auto-buy list. I would highly recommend if you like NA/college stories, I promise this won't disappoint.