Author Visit & Giveaway: An Interview with Jay Bell, April's Author of the Month!

Happy Earth Day!

As BMBR's author of the month, Jay Bell has been the talk of the clubhouse this month, beginning with our infamous April Happy Hour Chat about Kamikaze Boys in which we might have discussed more things than simply the book *coughs "weenies" coughs*. =)

We were lucky enough to have the lovely and fabulous Jay Bell visit recently. *cheers* He chatted with us about books, angst, romance, and wieners, so check out the interview below and then look for the details on how to enter the giveaway!

BMBR: How easy/difficult was it to write about the bullying in Kamikaze Boys? It was very difficult to read at times and we wondered if you ever experienced anything like David had to deal with?

JB: I’m afraid it was all too easy to write about bullying because I’ve experienced both sides of the coin. Around the time I was twelve years old, I was living in small town Missouri. For whatever reason, I was pretty full of myself, and I’m not proud to admit that I bullied other kids. Not many of them, and certainly not the entire time I was growing up, but those last few years in Missouri brought out an ugly side of me. Fortunately we soon moved to Texas where I got a healthy dose of my own medicine. A little too much of that medicine actually, because I felt like I was overdosing. I might have pushed a few kids around in my past, but at least those were one-on-one encounters. In Houston, an entire group of guys gave me shit on a daily basis. Every morning I woke up with dread in my stomach, knowing that even if I fought back, I was greatly outnumbered. A scrawny trembling lion can’t do much against the entire pride. As upsetting as these experiences were, I’m glad I didn’t make it through my youth unscathed. I hate to think of the person I would have become had I stayed in that small town. While I’ll never thank the bullies who made years of my life so difficult, I’m relieved that I suffered enough to never be one of them again.

BMBR: What was your favorite moment between David and Connor from Kamikaze Boys?

JB: Probably when they take a road trip down to Florida and end up dancing on the beach at night. The scene is relatively small and unimportant, but they’ve finally left all their problems behind, even if only temporarily. That’s a feeling I know well, and the reason I look forward to every vacation I take with my husband. Not that our lives are filled with so much drama, but it still feels good to get away, to find a little moment just for us alone.

BMBR: At the end of Spring you said you were going to write more in the "Something Like..." series but it wouldn't be what we expect. Can you give up any more clues as to what's coming next? And what does that mean for Caesar?

JB: The trouble with telling people that you’re doing the unexpected is that they start expecting all sorts of amazing things. Many have already speculated that I’m writing Emma’s story, which is more outside the box than what I’m aiming for at the moment. Mostly I just meant that the next couple of books wouldn’t focus on the major characters we met in Something Like Spring. Previously we met Benjamin Bentley, and then got a book for each of his love interests. If I was following that same formula, I would now do the same for Jason Grant, but I don’t intend to. So no book from William or Caesar’s point of view. That having been said, the next two books have quite a lot to do with William and Caesar, in a roundabout sort of way. We will see more of their stories, and if there are enough unanswered questions at the end, maybe they will get their own books eventually. Or maybe I really will write Emma’s story, just to see what happens. At the very least, that would allow us to spend more time with Ben and Tim.   

BMBR: Can we expect anything else from the Loka Legends series? In other words, will there be any more of Kio in the future?

JB: I’d love to complete the Loka Legends series with the third and final book. I already have the plot worked out in my mind. It’s just a matter of finding the time. Sadly, the market for gay fantasy is pretty flimsy. I get the impression that most fantasy fans are content to read mainstream authors. When those same readers crave a story with gay characters, they turn to a genre which focuses on the relationship itself, which is what romance is so good for. I try to do both in the Loka Legends series, since romance and relationships are still a major part of the plot. I won’t pretend it’s not a tough sell though. Regardless, the next time I need a break from writing contemporary romance, I’ll happily escape back into a world full of talking cats, lovesick boys, and rainbow powered magic.

BMBR: Your books can be pretty angsty (that might be an understatement :D). Do you enjoy reading angsty books yourself?

JB: Oh god yes! I’m an angst junky, especially when it comes to stories with younger characters. The entire time I was growing up, I had people telling me I was oversensitive. I never understood that really. Did they mean I feel too much? Is that even possible? If so, perhaps that’s why young characters work so well for me, because the teen years and early twenties are full of so many conflicting emotions and desires. The confusion of figuring out one’s identity, those first clumsy steps into the realm of love, the intensity of those early relationships… The tide isn’t just high—it’s a wave so huge that it’s blocking out the sun! So yeah, I dig that angsty energy. Older people still feel these things too, but our reactions are a lot less interesting. By the time someone is forty, we shouldn’t be throwing pebbles at someone’s window in the middle of the night, just because we feel desperate to see them. … Or should we?

BMBR: Your Seasons books like to steal all the Jay Bell spotlight. Are there any other books on your backlist that you especially love and think deserve some of the spotlight?

JB: Kamikaze Boys, since it could so easily be a part of the Something Like… series. Heck, maybe someday I’ll find a way of merging the two continuities. I also wish more people would give Hell’s Pawn a try, since it’s probably the most original story I’ve ever written. I worry the concept scares most people away, sounding like it’s about armies and Hell, when really it’s the story of a man trying to find his place in the world. It just happens to be the world after this one, but at heart, I feel it’s still a very relatable situation.

 BMBR: Frankfurters or Sausages?

JB: Soy wieners. I’ve had a not-so-successful flirtation with vegetarianism for years now. I never gave up fish completely, and there’s a Chinese buffet not far from us that has irresistible sweet and spicy chicken. I haven’t intentionally eaten beef or pork for well over a decade, but if I’m on a flight and they serve me something with pig or cow in it, I’ll happily consume it rather than let it go to waste. So I’m not sure what I am exactly, but I try to keep my meat consumption minimal. Sadly, this means living in a country famous for its sausages without ever having tried one. My husband Andreas is the same way, although I never asked him to be. Neither of us are preachy about what we or anyone chooses as their diet. We’re simply very fond of animals and thus try to eat them as little as possible, despite them being extremely delicious.

BMBR: What's your most romantic memory?

JB: That’s a tough one. In my experience, those events considered to be the most romantic—weddings, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day—usually aren’t. They can be nice and memorable, but rarely are they spontaneous enough to be romantic. Instead, Cupid’s magic seems to appear at random. Maybe Andreas and I will be sharing a bottle of wine or two while watching old music videos. Or we’ll head out to the city to shop but end up strolling leisurely through a park. There are times you simply connect with that other person, and the circumstances and surroundings don’t matter much. I’m kind of avoiding the real answer though, because two things instantly popped into mind. One is a little too private and naughty to share. As for the other… here goes:

For the past couple of years, whenever I fly home to the United States to see my family and friends, I cry. I’m not the kind of guy that gets weepy, especially when I’m sad. I’m more likely to do that weird happy-cry thing, but that’s pretty rare too. Even when I’m heartbroken with sorrow, it usually takes a drink or two to squeeze manly tears out of my eyes. But these days, when I know I’ll be saying goodbye to my husband for a few weeks, I usually cry when it comes time for us to part. Actually, I hold it in until he turns away, making sure he doesn’t see. Just the idea of being apart from him hurts me enough that I realize just how lucky I am. Andreas is one of the best people I’ve met in the world, if not the best, and sometimes it takes stepping away from him to remember that. So while it might not sound traditionally romantic, there’s a guy in my life so wonderful that being away from him brings me to my knees and well… that seems pretty amazing to me. And so I cry.

*brushes tear away*

That was simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing that memory with us, Jay. It's not hard to imagine where you get the inspiration for the romance and emotions found in your books. =)

The incomparable Jay Bell has brought with him a goodie that he's chosen just for you. Yay! He's toted along a copy of Hell's Pawn (winner's choice of ebook or paperback!) to give to one lucky reader.

How to enter: Please leave a comment on this BMBR post with a means of contacting you (e.g., email, Twitter name, Goodreads account, etc.). Also, if you feel like sharing, let us know...do you enjoy angsty reads?

The contest closes at 10PM (Pacific time) on April 30, 2014, and a winner will be contacted shortly thereafter through the contact info provided in the comment. Please respond within 48 hours or else another winner will be selected.

Thanks for visiting us, Jay, and happy reading to all!


P.S. As Author of the Month, Jay Bell is an honorary unicorn here in the BMBR clubhouse. Please welcome his unicornian alter ego, Hemlock Fair Mister!

Hemlock is often very naughty and is always being told off.

He is handsome to look upon, and he makes wishes come true.

Review: Royce Ree Omnibus by Aldous Mercer

Royce needs to pull off the biggest heist the Universe has ever seen, or it's bye-bye cushy government job, hello cleaning toilets in a dive-bar on Baga-V. To succeed, he will need help from the last person he'd ever ask. And maybe, along the way, he'll get another shot at a love he thought he'd lost forever...

This Omnibus Edition collects Parts #1 - #5 in one volume.

What an intro!  I knew immediately that Royce and I were going to get along great. Aldous Mercer picked exactly the right words to pique my interest.  I was delighted by all the showing, and with such an economy of words that each one was important to the story.  I was giddy and fervently hoping this was going to continue.

Sci-fi isn't my normal genre, but what I've read, I enjoyed.  Probably comes from a childhood watching reruns of the original Star Trek TV series with my father, quizzing him on characters.  It's easy for me to get confused, though, so I was happy when I was able to follow the story without a problem.

The characters:
Royce had integrity, but was also willing to walk the edges and play in the gray areas. He played the long game well, and was able to adjust quickly to changing circumstances.  He was also a master of avoidance,  sidestepping questions, misdirecting attention and doing whatever else he could to avoid sharing information.  A tough agent, but vulnerable when it came to Les.

Les was earnest, loyal, and honorable. He was softhearted, but willing to do what needed to be done. A bit naive, sometimes, but smart, and it didn't take him too long to figure things out.

Watching them interact?  The dancing they did around each other? The tension? Priceless.

The story:
Unexpected, original, funny, exciting, sweet, intense, suspenseful...brilliant.
And so many twists...one surprise after another.  Towards the end, I was in a constant state of shock, or awe.  I still have questions, though, so I'll be anxiously waiting for the next installment :)
Warning: This was definitely more sci-fi than romance.  There was plenty of sweet longing, and UST, but don't expect any steamy bedroom scenes.  It didn't bother me because the story and characters were so interesting and entertaining...okay, maybe it bothered me a little ;)
Also, I'm usually not a fan of disrupted timelines...jumps forward or back, but it worked here.  Just be sure to pay attention to where the story is on the timeline or it can get confusing.

The writing:
I already mentioned the wonderful word choices and the author's talent for showing us what was happening.  There was so much more, though.  I loved how we were given information in bits and pieces, like watching a puzzle slowly being put together.  Some of that information was in the smallest of details, stunning details that left such an impression on me. Oh, yes, I was giddy as I read this. And the humor! Thoughts and comments interjected with such perfect timing, I read them over and over in appreciation, never failing to laugh or grin.  It was more than funny one liners, though.  There was an overall sense of tongue in cheek humor embedded throughout this intriguing spy thriller and I loved it.

Aldous Mercer...I love your words.

This story...I will be thinking of this story for a long time.


Side notes:
I loved the introduction of Les' dimple, and I wish we'd seen more of it.

Sci-fi terms were introduced naturally and I easily discerned their meaning through context. There were some typos and other small editing errors, but they didn't distract.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Fangirl Moment: Review: At His Throat, A Promise by Lilith Grey

In the slave city of Spire, Ellis has been discarded. His former master, a man who was supposed to teach him and take care of him, passed away, leaving Ellis alone and in danger of being taken to the Facility. Ellis is desperate to avoid that fate. He seeks a master to take him on, guiding him into adulthood as well as a profession. Ellis has had desire stolen from him—he’s been trained to blush, to submit, to give in. He doesn’t know how to cope with William, a man who wants the real Ellis.

William is a Master, a man born in a neighbour city that does not deal in slavery. He has had bad experiences with slaves in the past, but all that changes when he rescues Harte, a young slave whose abusive master had all but destroyed him. Together, they are content in their mutual roles, not looking for anything more. But when Ellis catches the eye of Harte, and by extension, William, their relationship changes in ways for which they are unprepared.

Harte is a born submissive, a young man who lives for his role. He’s bratty but genuine. William, his master, is his entire life. Harte never expected to have room in his heart for another, but Ellis is beautiful and different and fills a place in his life that he hadn’t known was empty.

If only Ellis could learn to ask for what he desired, what he needed, then maybe William and Harte could help him. But Ellis is trapped inside himself, insecure and afraid. To stay with William, he only has to ask...but that’s the one thing Ellis cannot do...






First: I love slave fic.
Second: I love sweet slave boys.
Third: I love a master who tends to his slave boys.

So, this book and I?

I don’t know what it is about these slave stories but, gawd, they get to me. They make me have all sorts of feels. The idea of having to rely on someone so completely, having no choices be your own is fascinating to me. On the other hand, being in such control over someone else’s well-being is equally as fascinating. There’s always such a complex relationship and I just wanna get all up in the angst. Dip it in chocolate and rub it all over myself.

Ellis. Sweet Ellis. His master has just died and is now looking for a new one. If he can’t find someone to take him in he gets sent back to the Facility where unowned slaves are kept. Ellis finds Harte - another slave - and they hit it off pretty quickly. Harte convinces his Master, William, to sponsor Ellis and to help him find a permanent master. William, who can’t deny Harte anything, sponsors Ellis and takes him home. But, William never intends to have a second slave so the plan is to find someone for Ellis. Harte is enough for William and is all he wants. He is a submissive to the core. Yeah, he can be a pain, speaks out of turn, can throw a little fit, but he thrives in submitting to his Master. It’s obvious to Ellis from the beginning that Harte and William have a deep connection with one another and don’t have the typical master/slave relationship. Unlike Harte, Ellis isn’t a natural at this and really has to work at it, but he desperately wants to. He wants so badly to be wanted.

I loved these three. Ellis was so stubborn. He was obviously wanted by both William and Harte. If he just spoke up when asked he could have avoided a lot of his struggles. Ah well, that’s just who he was. He would do anything to just be a good boy, even if it meant leaving William and Harte.

I especially loved Harte. He was such an adorable, slutty little thing. He was very open with his emotions and just a sweet character. Oh, William. Their Master. What slave boy wouldn’t love William? He is basically the most perfectest master ever. There was so much chemistry between all of them. Whether it was all three of them or just two of them, their relationship felt real.

This pushed all the right buttons for me... loving master, slave boys(!), complex characters with an equally complex relationship, angst and some of my favorite kinks. 

Group Review: Heart of a Hero (The Triple Towers #1) by James Cox

Be Warned: m/m sex, rimming, sex toys, spanking, bondage

He made it to paradise on a lie...

Kallen is a hero. He single-handed ended the war. At least, that’s what everyone thinks. The truth is that he was at the right place at the right time. As the hero, he gets a room in the heavenly triple towers and enough mouths on his body to please him every hour of every day.

However, guilt and danger rise when a man starts searching for the truth. When the investigator is this sexy, he may just blow his secret, among other things.

Lorn is furious when the spy among them is named as his dead younger brother. He is determined to find the truth of what happened even if it means destroying the nation’s hero or the man he’s slowly falling for.

In Kallen’s world, bravery will get a person killed, so how exactly is he supposed to prove to Lorn that he has the heart of a hero?

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/heart-of-a-hero-by-james-cox/

Can we take just a brief pause to admire the warning at the beginning of the blurb?

Firstly, we love that the "warning" is at the beginning. It's begging us to read and love ALL the things and boy howdy did we ever! James has been such a great sport tolerating all our shenanigans and he's either a glutton for punishment, or we really aren't all that bad outside the clubhouse. I'm thinking combo platter of both.

When James sent his new book to us I immediately hoarded it, then felt a little guilty (not really) and I told the other Uni's that I had it in my sweaty little hooves, was going to review it and did anybody want it. The response was global, literally and so we pushed back the original review date to have a Unicorn dog pile of love all over Heart of a Hero.

Breann - The Collar Loving Queen of Kinky Slave Boys:

Fast-paced, LOL one-liners, fun and sexxxay. Everything James Cox does best. And, for me, this was the best I’ve read from him.

Kellan is awesome and not your typical hero. Heart of a hero? Maybe in the end, but not so much in the beginning. He was really just looking out for himself and judging by where he came from, I can’t say I blame the guy.

Lorn isn’t going to let Kellan get away with playing the hero. Nuh-uh. But can he do this and ignore how effing sexy Kellan is? Nuh-uh.

They were hot and they were rough. Yes, please! When hands started going for necks you could hear me cheering them on, “Grab it! Hold it! Right there!”

Heart of a Hero is my favorite James Cox so far. There’s a great sci-fi story set in an interesting, futuristic world. But, at the same time, it’s still an erotic romance at heart and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The two were balanced perfectly and I was drawn in by both sub-genres.

Oh, and the mini-cliffy at the end? Gah! *waits not so patiently for book 2*

Sunny - Patron Saint of Obscure Porn Gif Hunting:

One quick peek and my interest was caught right away. This was so entertaining, with an interesting dystopian world, great MCs, and irreverent humor, all mixed with James' signature porny goodness that is very much appreciated at Boy Meets Boy Reviews. There were editing issues, but I didn't let that affect my enjoyment of the story.

For me, the best part of the story was the characters. Kellan *sigh* was sweet, and just a little bit naughty. I wanted to hug him. And maybe spank him. Lorn, the usually disciplined Master Sergeant, was a good match for Kellan, even as he tried, unsuccessfully, to resist the Wastrel.

The world building and the story itself were also good, although Lorn was so easily distracted by Kellan, even with his determination to clear his brother's name, that I couldn't take the mystery part of the story too seriously. I wasn't too disappointed, though, because while I liked the more serious investigation, I also enjoyed the silliness that was mixed in. And then there were some moments that were so touching that I was taken aback. It was like a gift bag full of all kinds of goodies.

One question... When is the next book coming out?!  

Lorix - Princess of Extraneous U's and Epically Hot Birthday Porn:

Fun and hot and sexy and somebody needs to get to work on those flavouring shots, stat. I loved this book, the characters were great, the story fun - in short it was everything you expect from James Cox and more, I’m looking forward to book 2.

A few days after I’ve read it and my dwelling thought? Seriously, scientists need to work on those flavouring shots, there ain’t a man in this world gonna have trouble getting blown if you can make it taste like chocolate. Just sayin’. ;)

Ann - Bun Fetishist and Admitted Sean Cody Boys Stalker:

Oh James, how do I love thee and thine heroes?

SO freakin’ much! This story is exactly why I like reading James’ dystopian and sci-fi stories. There’s interesting world building, mystery, adventure, smarky heroes and the best sexy times in the universe.

I fell in love with Kallen right away, he’s cemented himself as one of my all-time favorite heroes. Or, anti-heroes as the case may be. Lorn is the traditional idea of a hero here, struggling to figure out how to clear his brothers’ name while fighting his attraction to Kallen, the “false hero”. No one can fight the attraction to Kallen, I mean really, who would want to, and the two form a bond that neither have had in their lives before. This is when the story went beyond a fun apocalyptic sexy time romp to a real love story and I really love the two of them together.

The unexpected twist at the end sets up the next story for our heroes and by the end of this one I would absolutely say that Kallen has proven that he has a heart of a hero too. I got goosebumps at the ending. It was awful for them, but was so perfect it’s got me so anxious for the next installment. A highly recommended fun, sexy, sweet and adventurous read.

*********************************************************************

So, there you go. Loved and recommended by Unicorns everywhere! In honor of James and given that the Stallion has now really opened himself up to the internet about his inner wants and wishes, I think it's time to post this epic artwork that hangs above the sofa in the clubhouse. Lovingly created by our own Natasha, suitable for framing . . .

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

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Review: Only Love by Garrett Leigh

The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

So, another overnight marathon read of a Garrett Leigh book for me. Happens every time one comes out and I regret nothing. This is an amazing story and I loved it, the characters, the hurt, the hope, I loved it all. I also read every Garrett Leigh book with a dear friend over at GR, Isaac. I met him through the short story Gypsy Rain and we've read them all together since. Since Garrett's stories are known to break your heart it's always nice to have a hand to hold while reading, even if it is virtual and across the world. There was so much we both wanted to say and I know I didn't cover everything so Isaac's review is right after mine. I think between the two of us we managed to say everything we needed to. Oh, who am I kidding? We didn't but at least you'll get two reader's thoughts and hopefully it will motivate you to read this amazing book.

Ann:

Only Love is about Max and Jed. They are two men who come together out of circumstances that neither chose, but try to make the best out of and unexpectedly find something in each other. Both men are physically damaged, one by war and one by genetics, but they have to live with their illnesses for the rest of their lives. It’s something that weighs on each of them and they both ask themselves, how do I take care of the man I’m falling in love with when I can barely take care of myself? Add to the mix they are very proud men who hate that they need help. I really appreciated the subtlety the author used to show the very thing that kept them at arms’ length from each other, their pride, was the thing they truly understood and respected in each other. The reticence that each man had about their insecurities was not overdone at all, so I could completely appreciate and empathize with how they felt without getting frustrated at their stubbornness.

A running theme for Jed throughout the book is his overwhelming feeling of apathy that both plagued and confused him. Honestly, there were so many moments in Jed’s life that were heartbreaking, but this was the worst for me. His army career is over due to his illness and he’s finishing out his last days of service.

“His crew had three weeks left of their marathon tour of Iraq, and it felt like fate. His military career was over, and he didn’t much care. The depth of his apathy surprised him. He’d given the Army more than a decade of his life, and with his days numbered, he’d expected to feel more. Instead he felt nothing . . .nothing but a flat sense of impending doom. War had sucked the life from him, but without it, what was he?”

For the first time in forever he is without direction and dealing with the chronic pain leaves him floating through his days. He doesn’t sleep and he can’t eat but he still carries the world on his shoulders and it isn’t until he meets Max that he sees a little light. Max recognizes the apathy in Jed and quietly begins caretaking him. Max really is a caregiver by nature who doesn’t trust his ability to take care of someone else. Jed really is the perfect person for Max to look after. Max knew that

“he (Jed) was perfectly capable of looking after himself. His worry, he supposed, was that Jed wouldn’t bother.”

Some of the sweetest moments are the little things that Max does. Jed is trained to notice everything and he sees and appreciates all the little things so much. For every little thing that Max does, Jed does things for Max in kind and it’s a quiet courtship that I enjoyed reading immensely.

The secondary characters are very strong and there isn’t one who doesn’t add to getting to know Max and Jed. Jed’s army team is met in flashbacks and in one case, the most heart wrenching letter ever written. Towards the end we get introduced to the remaining members and throughout, there was no doubt of the connection these men shared. The flashbacks were heartbreaking and hard to read, but they explained so much about Jed, his relationship with Glenn and Paul especially. Paul, the closest person to Jed in his entire life, who we only know through flashbacks and that damn letter is central to who Jed is and while their relationship was obviously complex and too undefined to explain, they kept each other sane through the insanity of their missions. Max’s family is great, as is Carla, Dan and their whole clan. The most important secondary character has to be Flo, Max’s helper dog. I fell in love with Flo as fast as she fell for Jed. Now Nick, Jed’s brother, I still want to punch, that never changed.

At one point Max summed up Jed perfectly with “He said exactly what he thought or nothing at all”. It’s so simple but really profound and really summed up what always impresses me about Garrett’s writing. In Only Love, Jed and Max, well Jed especially, are very private and quiet people. Max needs the calm and quiet to keep his brain in line and Jed needs it to keep his demons at bay. The quiet cabin at the lake is the perfect place for them and considering how little they say, it’s amazing how much I felt like I knew them. All their deeds had purpose and I was shown how they felt throughout, I didn’t have to be told every change in mood. I felt that I could read them as well as if I was in the same room with them.

I’ve read a couple other reviews and I know there have been a few comments from other readers about the amount of sex in this one. I think just because, if you’ve read Garrett’s other works, you know that sex was how those characters connected and communicated. This was different though and I can completely respect that difference because it made sense. Anything else I would have questioned. It wasn’t like Max and Jed didn’t have sex and didn’t connect, because believe me, they did, and how. But, Jed is suffering from a chronic illness, for them to fuck like bunnies would not have made sense to me. What did make sense was how much Jed loved to kiss Max and those moments were so very special. Considering how he had lived and loved up until that point, it was no wonder simple kissing could be so incredibly intimate.

I do have to tell you about one of my favorite things in the book, it was very subtle and I absolutely loved it. There were two separate moments where one man filed away something about the other that they discovered. Things they wanted to remember because making the other happy was becoming more and more important. So, Max has a “Jed” part of his brain and Jed has a “Max” part of his brain.

When you read Only Love, plan on reading Awake and Alive immediately after. Only Love is about the meat and potatoes while Awake and Alive is dessert and it cannot be missed. The few little things I thought were missing in Only Love were provided in Awake and Alive, it really does complete Max and Jed’s story.


Isaac:

FINALLY. I wrote my review...and some jabbering too...

Because lemme tell you, I'm in bits. Again. As ever with Garrett Leigh, I've had to take a day or so to get myself together. Only Love is perfectly titled. I'm a mess.

Okay, okay... Now to be coherent...

I'm not going to summarize the plot and I'll try my best not to spoil, but read with caution. If you haven't read the book, all I can say is you freakin have to. Go get it now!

Right: the MCs...

I was always going to love Jed. Wounded, grouchy war vet. Tattooed. Well read. LINGUISTIC. I was gone from the blurb.

Max crept up on me. Epileptic, sweet and kind, it took me a while to see the layers Garrett Leigh cleverly wrote into him.

And Flo. That dog gave me my first major drop kick of feelz. I've read service dogs in books before and always smiled fondly, but the way this dog became integral to the plot, and the military dog from Jed's past too....major, major feelz.

Family plays a strong part in this novel, and yet again, the author has taken a very different slant on the usual nuclear family. There are blood ties here, but the two MCs are both deeply bonded to outsiders, the Valesco siblings and parents, Jed to his surviving men and their families. I liked this very much. In a book filled with much tragedy, it was a beacon of hope and warmth.

Of the secondary characters I particularly loved Carla and Dan. Dan kinda reminded me of Joe from Roads, that fraternal love he had for Jed felt like an old friend and reminded me that though Jed was often stubborn and closed off, he was a man loved dearly by so many.

And don't get me started on Paul. The dude was dead from the first chapter but his letter slayed me. I know we all say we're weeping over a book in our reviews time and time again, but that letter was a masterpiece in emotive writing.

From the military boys, I loved Glenn and I wished there had been more of him. I kinda feel he was dangled in front of me, only to disappear at the end of the book. Yeah, yeah, the book was about Jed and Max, not some straight army doctor, but I felt a click for the dude.

Sue me.

My minor gripes... One thing I picked up on, both reading and from another reviewer, was the lack of the traditional 'I love you' dialogue between the two MC's. I noticed this in Garrett Leigh's other books too, so i'm assuming it's a kinda signature for her, but in this particular book, though I never doubted the depth of feeling between Jed and Max, I felt that maybe Max especially needed to be TOLD that Jed loved him, by Jed, maybe more than once, given what they go through.

So yeah, not a big quibble, and like Heather the Dentist said in her excellent review, in this book actions do indeed speak louder than words. The emotions are palpable on every page and though this book broke my heart in many ways, I couldn't put it down.

What else, what else...

Sex. There isn't much of it, which surprised me given the intensity of the Roads series and the dirty pleasure of the authors porn star novella, Bullet. The passion between Jed and Max is there, but it very much takes a backseat to the plot and until I read the missing moment (Awake and Alive) it almost felt like an afterthought.

I say afterthought, because now, after scanning over the book again and taking some time to consider the characters and the plot, I'm not altogether sure the book needed more sex than it had. The plot of this book is a story of real enduring love and I didn't feel like I needed a bunch of on page blow jobs to make it better.

Need and like are different things though, and not gonna lie, even broken, Jed was smokin hot and more of him nekkid and dominating Max woulda made my already blown away perfect day.

So, to sum up, this book is amazing. Beautifully crafted, it's a sweet, slow burning, heartbreaking ride that still aches even now. Jed and Max both have tragic stories and ongoing hardships they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, but out of heartache comes hope and the ending of this book is just beautiful.

This is the ultimate hurt/comfort book. The ultimate wounded war vet book. The ultimate man and his dog book.

But above all, an enduring love story that left a scar on me. Bravo, Garrett Leigh. You never fail to surprise me.

A copy of this book was provided for an honest review

Review: Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change.

The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.

Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

"Too sad to review yet, my heart needs to recover. I think a girl should be warned by fellow Unicorns if her heart is going to be stomped all over."

This is the status that is still on my goodreads review from when I read this book back in January. Jay Bell is a favourite author with many of the Unicorns and after all their chat about how brilliant he was I decided I need to try some of his stuff. Naturally I chose the series he is best known for and started with Something Like Summer. And I loved it, I really did.

Jay Bell has a very easy to read style of writing. His characters' draw you in and make you want to read more...and a bit more...and maybe just a tad more...
I loved Ben and Tim. They were both so well rounded, neither were perfectly good or completely bad. Do bad things happen to good people? Damn right they do. Do good people make ill advised decisions? You bet. It wasn't clear cut, straight forward, black 'n' white, good and bad.
As well as Ben and Time we meet many other characters, Alison and Jace are two that feature prominently. They are brilliant - Jace particularly stole my heart, he was fun and loving and kind and generous, I have a thing for many secondary characters and Jace is a winner in my book.

The story is written in three parts, 1996, 1999 and 2003. We see Ben grow up, deal with his feelings, with his friendships and relationships. Like many of Jay Bell's books this has a secondary storyline of bullying. It's there, subtly woven into the story, showing enormous understanding of the mental toll bullying can have.
The story was apprehensive - yet satisfying. It was angsty in a natural way, a way that didn't feel forced or conveniently there just for the story. It was romantic - boy was it romantic. Love is definitely an overriding theme in this story - and not just sex though that's there *cheesy grin* - but love, proper, in your soul, love.

So why the long time without a review? This book is fun, it's dramatic, it's romantic - it's that book you can't put down. The characters draw you in, you become embroiled in their lives. It's the kind of book that gives you the worst book hangover. But, at times, it's sad - like I said it broke my heart. It wasn't that the ending wasn't happy but the journey was difficult. It's taken me this long, in a totally good way, to prepare myself to write this review.

I'm being vague because I would hate to ruin this book for anyone - I think you all should read it. But my kindness to you is to tell you to get the tissues ready beforehand and maybe some sellotape to help patch your heart back up at the end.

Review: Rules of the Chef (Southern Charm #1) by Nicole Dennis

When hotelier Samuel Ashford arrives to change things, Southern Charm chef Dakota Mitchell fights against it and nothing will be the same.

Learning about the sale of his beloved home – The Southern Charm, chef and co-owner Dakota Mitchell is having a hard time with the potential changes. He wants nothing else to alter.

Chosen by his family's company Ashford Hotels to re-create the Charm into the latest chain of boutique hotels, Samuel Ashford enters the Deep South. Inside the overgrown, run down appearance, he learns the Charm is run by people who care and love the building, the delicious food, and their guests.

Can these two put aside differences and arguments to save the Charm? Even if it means they find a little love along the way.

I really loved the premise of this story. I was expecting enemies to lovers, southern charm, quirky secondary characters and a small town I wanted to visit on vacation. The story started out well, Dakota is slightly cantankerous, but given the news his business partner is selling his half of the business to a big hotel chain I could sympathize with him. When Samuel shows up the metaphorical fur flies and of course there is attraction. The tension was delicious and when Dakota stopped an argument with a heated angry kiss I was like “woohoo, here we go!”

What followed was a push and pull of emotional whiplash. Honestly, Dakota became a little exhausting. I get that he is passionate about his restaurant and I can forgive artists for a little crazy behavior and I do see a chef as an artist. But to me he read as just plain unstable and I kind of felt bad for Samuel. Dakota had a reaction at one point that was just over the top and it took me out of the moment. There was begging on knees involved. Samuel just kept commenting about what a good kisser Dakota was though, so lucky for Dakota or Samuel may have lost his patience and hightailed it back to New York.

There were a few practical things that threw me off. I can usually be pretty forgiving with one or two licenses with reality when it comes to moving a story along, but these just didn’t make sense to me, especially given the fact that the whole crux of the story is the business of the hotel. Samuel Ashford is part of the Ashford family who owns the powerful Ashford hotel chain. So, I was a little surprised that Samuel spent so much time on his own sorting paperwork. Seriously, that was most of what he did, sorting and filing. At least that is how it was described. It sounds nitpicky, but it seemed like a waste of resources when someone, anyone could have helped him. I know he was waiting on Chandler to come down from Corporate (more on Chandler in a minute), but come on somebody could help the guy and move the process along.

Then, when Dakota was telling Samuel about one of his employees who had a sick mother and Samuel makes a comment about employees getting health insurance (good, obviously) and then “I’ll see what we can do to waive the time (to wait to join the health care plan) for Dorian and his mom and figure out a way around her pre-existing condition.” Hmmm. I don’t think that is how insurance works. I even did a little research (yeah, I geeked out a little, plus I’ve done HR work) and apparently it is VERY difficult and VERY rare to add a parent to health insurance much less one with a very serious pre-existing medical condition, you don’t just “find a way around it”. So, yeah, sorry, I geeked out a lot. But when stuff is thrown out so casually and it’s so not accurate, the whole “business” aspect of the story loses credibility. I need the basics to be a little believable and at least ballpark accurate.

 There was repeated reference to a character that I kept waiting to meet. Chandler sounded intriguing and when he still hadn’t been introduced by the 70% mark I was getting a little concerned he may never show. Apparently he is a whiz with numbers and Samuel’s best friend, but he has some anxiety issues that make travel difficult. He could really be a great character, unfortunately he was never introduced in this story so that was a bit of a letdown. There were some great secondary characters though, Mal, one of Dakota’s assistants, Cecile, the hostess and Elise, the front desk manager. I liked all of them a lot and conversations with them were much more organic than conversations between Samuel and Dakota.

The conversations between Samuel and Dakota were honest in that they told exactly what they felt, but that was part of the problem, I was told, not shown how they felt for each other. As their relationship progressed it became even more so. Quotes like:

“I want to hold you like I did our first morning together. It was the first time being true to ourselves and our desires.”

That doesn’t sound like a natural part of a conversation and if I’ve been shown that, I don’t need to be told, the second sentence makes the declaration sound awkward and soap opera-ish. A little editing would have helped the conversations.

During the last quarter of the book a lot of new characters were introduced and serious drama happened. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to get wrapped up in the small portion of the story left. We met a contractor, sheriff, doctor, and we are led to believe we will meet a landscaper and accountant. And guess what, they are all gay and all hot. Although I’m assuming the gay and hot on the landscaper and assuming the hot on the accountant, because we know he is gay from Samuel’s description. The contractor, sheriff and Dakota are all quite tall apparently and it was pointed out repeatedly in comparison to Samuel’s more diminutive stature. They were referred to as “the taller males” and at one point Samuel “flushed under the wonderful masculine attention”. During the whole story Samuel was the one with the voice of reason and strength and in a sentence or two and with the introduction of a couple of characters it seemed he was emasculated before my very eyes. I get he was flattered, but he’s a grown man and not a blushing virgin bride. That kind of bummed me out.

The story ends with a HFN, sort of as Samuel has only committed to extending his stay, the mystery of the shoddy bookkeeping was not solved, the other late breaking drama was not solved and a lot of doors to sequels were opened, but this one gave no closure. I’m totally fine with sequels and series, I love them, but this just ended so I felt a little gipped at the end. I’m curious to see who the sequel will be about and will look into it when it’s released because I still love the premise of this series. I’m hoping the next story will get a little bit more traction because I know that sometimes it takes a book or two for a series to find its groove. I hope the Southern Charm series finds its own groove in the next book.

A copy of this story was provided in exchange for an honest review

Only Love by Garrett Leigh Teaser

The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.


We are lucky, lucky unicorns to be part of Garrett Leigh's blog tour for Only Love. I stayed up RIDICULOUSLY late/early to read this. There was no putting it down for me and I'll be posting my review as soon as I marinate in all the feelings a little more. In the meantime though, Garrett has been kind enough to share an excerpt, the beginning of Chapter 8 from Only Love.

Enjoy, I know you will!

Chapter Eight

The next couple weeks passed Jed by in a blur of painful physical therapy. Carla Valesco kept her promise to push him hard, and her sessions were tough—tougher than he’d ever imagined. He spent four days a week pushing his body to its absolute limits and the rest of his time putting it back together. His muscles burned and his bones ached, but he didn’t mind. For the first time in months, his pain was productive. And yet, despite significant progress, in his darker moments it was hard not to feel depressed by his body’s restrictions. He felt brittle and weak, like the man who had run cross-country with the weight of full combat kit was gone forever.

The onset of a bitter winter hadn’t helped. At first, the thin dusting of snow was beautiful. It brought with it a brief, awestruck calm, like man and beast were asleep, but the wet Oregon days weren’t cold enough to keep the world peacefully white for long. By day, the slush was halfhearted and wet, but at night it froze to perilous ice, and the real fear of falling unnerved Jed far more than he cared to admit. His saving grace was Max. Jed left the cabin each morning to find the yard cleared and the truck scraped. He was a little bemused by the unobtrusive care Max had decided to take of him, and he was grateful. Grateful and… something. It had been a long time since he’d been cared for by anyone, let alone another man. One of his buddies taking an extra patrol didn’t count. That was work. Max? Max was… fuck, Jed had no idea.

All he knew was he felt drawn to Max in a way he hadn’t felt since he met Paul. Back then, he’d been captivated by Paul’s easy ways and wicked humor, but despite his addictive, devilish grin and the unresolved complications between them, it wasn’t the same as the way Max’s gleaming eyes made his head spin. Some days it unsettled him to the point where he avoided Max, and yet others, he found he couldn’t get enough. He hadn’t decided which sort of day it was when he drifted out of the hospital one cold afternoon a week or so before Christmas to find Max perched on the back of his truck…


All I can say is, YES, the whole book is this good.

Review: Curiosity Killed Shaney by J.C. Wallace

Shaney's curiosity is always getting him into trouble, including stumbling into a ritualistic circle and being imbued with an energy that will eventually tear him apart. He soon finds that Hudson, a man he cares for deeply, might be responsible for his misfortune. Add in the betrayal of his best friend Todd and the desire of a demented occultist named Silas determined to control the energy inside of him and there seems to be no way out. Can Shaney find a way to rid his body of the nefarious energy before he dies a horrible death?

I instantly loved Shaney. Good thing, since it's told from his POV! He's quirky, fun and completely likeable. He's always getting himself into trouble, but it's always with the best of intentions. Truly, it is.

Shaney's love interest, Hudson, is equally likeable with his mildly stand-off-ish attitude and unexpected devotion to Shaney.  I say unexpected because we didn't really know Hudson's feelings until he decides that Shaney is his and he isn't going to let anyone eff with him. Me likes him, I do.

"Shaney had felt like the center of Hudson's universe, but he couldn't be. He wasn't anyone's everything. Pain in the arse, yes. Pain in the neck, definitely. Bane of existence, absolutely. But everything? Everything was a polished, sparkly ball of perfect, while Shaney was a defective, tarnished ball of flawed human being."

To say Shaney has a low self-image might be an understatement, so anyone who's able to make him see his own awesomeness is a winner for me.

I instantly fell for both our heroes and they instantly fell for each other. It didn't really happen until around the halfway point but it still felt insta to me. Maybe because there wasn't much flirting or knowledge of their mutual attraction until BAM! they were calling each other 'Baby'. Which I am a total sucker for, BTW, so I wasn't really all that bothered by it. It was cute, endearing and well, I liked it about them.

Okay. So.

Our heroes? They were great!

The paranormal, witchy, symbols, geometry, magical stuff? Not really.

It was too much. Once I got a grasp on the who and what and how, something or someone else was thrown in and I was forced to figure everything out again. If it were kept simpler I think it would have worked well. By simpler I mean taking a couple of the ideas and really fleshing them out. If I start to feel confused when reading because I feel like there's too much being shoved at me, I lose interest. And that's what happened here towards the end. I was really loving it and was totally feeling Shaney, but bit by bit my brain got all muddled and I was gone.

The first half was 4 solid hearts! Second half... about a 2. So, I ended up with 3. I'd definitely read on, especially if we were given Todd's story.

A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Violence Begets by P.T. Denys

After a tragic accident devastates his family, 16-year-old Rick St. James starts his junior year of high school alone in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. When he meets Kevin Vincent, he’s too distracted by the promise of new friends to see that Kevin has secrets of his own.

Having created an environment where he's feared and admired by his classmates, Kevin finds pleasure in using his good looks and violence to control and manipulate those around him. Secretly, he cruises the gay club scene, turning tricks to earn money so he can party and get high.

As Rick’s dad becomes increasingly violent and abusive at home, the two form a surprising and volatile trust. In this battle of wills, their precarious friendship will either keep their lives from blowing up around them or possibly light the fuse that will cause the explosion.

My initial reaction to this book -

I could not stop reading this book, it was brilliant and beautiful. It was also brutal and unbelievably sad and I won't forget it for a long time.

I may write a more extensive review once my head and heart have healed a little.

Well a week has passed but I'm still struggling to put into words how much I loved this book. Be warned, it is sad - it is more than sad, it's tragic - from the beginning to the end. Yet in the middle something beautiful blossoms. Have you ever seen a patch of weed with a pretty flower in the middle, well that is this book to me.

I'm not going to rehash the blurb or the story, there's no point. I will say at the start I HATED Kevin...just goes to show, don't judge a book by it's cover, or don't make assumptions til you know the full story. Yeah, it was one of those books that made you stop and think about your interactions and responses to people. Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. Instead of being preachy though, this story made me love the characters and because of that I felt every, single moment of their pain. Each and every one and it still hurts.

Not an easy read - but a must read. A real must read.

Review: Small Circles by Megan Duke

Small Circles is the story of four friends over four years of their young adult lives in Tennessee. Starting in their sophomore year at a boarding school and continuing through their freshman year at different universities, the friends face the same trials most teenagers face today, as well as a few other things. This inspiring story touches base with the struggles of defining oneself in spite of homosexuality, drug addiction, suicide, and heartbreak. Most of all it sends one message: it’s okay to be happy.

  
When we talked about the blog and discussed our heart rating system at some point one of the Unicorns suggested a broken heart for DNF books or books that an individual reviewer just finds impossible to rate. I have to admit, though I love chief designer extraordinaire Natasha's design, I didn't think I'd ever use it. I mean you either like a book or not, right? In a book you don't like there are usually aspects to be found that are good, even with a book you really don't like a review can be written to explain why you've chosen the rating you have. The most negative review can be written without being a slag fest. So, beautiful though this heart is, I knew I would never have to use it.

Then I read Small Circles.

Before I start this review I will give my usual disclaimer that, to me, the most beautiful thing about reading is that it is entirely an individualistic pursuit. What one loves another doesn't. Even the most famously popular books have their critics (and not all of them are trolls looking to hell raise some controversy in this quiet little bookland of ours) - heck even in the clubhouse we disagree strongly on what we like and don't like. *Shocked face* I know right? But it's true, you only have to read our monthly bookchat to see. So when I finished this book, with no freaking idea what to with it, what I felt about it, how to contemplate writing a review I decide to see what others thought of it. I perused the reviews on GoodReads and to my surprise it has garnered an average of 4.55 stars. What????? Did these people read a different book to me? Nope - they just had a different opinion, which is good, no car crash, no drama, nothing to see here folks. (Well apart from the review that is).

So from the beginning;

This inspiring story touches base with the struggles of defining oneself in spite of homosexuality...

This was the promise I loved. That a book has homosexual characters but it isn't all about their sexuality. The recognition that teens are struggling with many issues and whilst their sexual orientation/preferences may be one of them, it isn't all of them.

Did it deliver?

In many ways it did, we followed the lives of these teens throughout High School. Three boys and one girl whose lives were intermingled in that way that only happens to teenagers. Paxton and Larson have been friends forever, then Owen joins their group. The feisty 12 year old who stuck up for Larson when he was being bullied fitted into the threesome easily and the trio became four when Jade joined at the beginning of the story.

I loved the interactions and dynamics between the four of them. That ease that comes with years of friendships - the angst of growing up. Life had been particularly hard for Paxton and he didn't always make the best choices to help him cope. Larson, the openly gay one of the group and Paxton's best friend, did what he could to help - he listened and advised and tried to steer his friend on the right tracks. But Paxton wasn't always honest and Larson was dealing with his own teenage angst. Add in some complicated love triangles (squares) and secrets between these guys and it all becomes one big, hormonal, angst fest.

So far so good. 

The writing is easy to read, Megan Duke has some fabulous characters, some real and raw scenarios and some definite understanding of what it's like to be a hormonally charged teen.
I did have one complaint at this point and that is that it seemed at times to rush. In an averaged sized book we got through four years of life. It was set out in these four years of High School and, in my opinion, each year could have been a separate book. The issues and tribulations penned in each portion of the book could have been written more in depth, at times resolutions seemed to come a little quickly and easily in order for the next problem to appear. This is my take on it, how I felt. Not badly written just a little....convenient at times. The troubles were hooking though and I wanted to keep reading. I invested in the characters, I wanted it all to work out for them. I really did.

I have to be honest here, I can't write this portion, the bit that explains my rating, without some kind of spoilerage going on - so if you really don't want to know, stop reading now. Please, I don't like spoilers but I can't justify my rating without it.


So why the broken heart rating?

Because it did break my heart, but not in a way that I felt was relevant or necessary to the story. One of the MC's dies. So? Yeah, I know, though I'm an HEA kinda girl I can and have read and highly rated books that has an MC death. Some of them have left me distraught - a good book draws you in, makes you fall in love with the characters. In the M/M genre I can think of three books straight off the top of my head that had me in that gut wrenching place (I won't name them because if you've not read them I don't want to spoil them), that awful place where you genuinely feel like you have lost a good friend. You're grieving with the other characters but some of it is your loss too. It's only a book, only fiction you cry. I know and sure, once the book hangover's cleared, I've got up and carried on. But for that moment in time it is as real to me as an actual death, a good author has that knack.

What I don't like is a death that seems irrelevant to the story, appears to be there just for a touch of drama and that 'Oh my fucking fuck I did not see that coming,' moment. Those plot lines I really don't like. I know in real life shit happens. It really happens and we can't control it - but part of the beauty of reading is to escape from real life. I don't need 100% butterflies and unicorns and hearts and flowers and glittery rainbows. (Well Unicorns I always need) but yeah I need the other stuff some of the time. I like it a lot of the time, in my reading I really, really enjoy it - but a well written, relevant angst fest I can get onside with. I can become involved with and I can even be happy at the finish. Death for drama I can't. I left the reading of this book feeling deflated and - well I suppose angry, angry that I'd invested myself in these characters, that life and the HEA I'd hoped for, that I'd seemed to be getting, was snatched away from me. I felt let down and so close to the end of the book I didn't have time to resolve those feelings. I was just left hanging and hating the time I had invested in it. So that's why I chose the broken heart. It wasn't an easy choice - the writing is good, it was just the closing storyline that I had the problem with.

A copy of this novel was given to us in exchange for an honest review.

Review: From Darkness to Darkness (Loka Legends #2) by Jay Bell

From the cradle to the grave…

The Black Oligarch is dead. Some call his replacement a boy, others call him a threat. Cole lost everything the night he became Oligarch: his family, his home… even Jonah. Now he’s alone, left only with painful memories and the power to destroy the Five Lands.

When Dylan is sent to help Cole, he finds they have more in common than expected. They hope to build a new life together, but dark forces have other plans for them. The dead are rising, bringing secrets from the past that threaten to change their lives forever. Can Dylan guide a young man through the darkness and protect those he loves without making the ultimate sacrifice?

**My desperate attempt at a spoiler free review**

So, I'm in love. I'm in love with a cat. A big, talking cat.

Kio has stolen my heart with his loyalty and snark, and I'm not sure if I'll ever get it back.

But, I digress.

Dylan, Tyjinn and Kio are back and thrust into another adventure where they set out to do more than should be expected of any of them.

We're introduced to Cole as he loses everything he loves most, including his boyfriend Jonah. Dylan is then sent by his father to get Cole after his father sees what has happened to him. But on the return, Cole is influenced by someone less than trustworthy, Thistle, who promises to help him get back what it is he wants most. Jonah.

And, really, who can blame the kid? He's just lost it all, of course he'll do what it takes to get back the most important person in his life.

Now, Thistle. I kinda liked the guy. I sympathized with him more than once and could kind of see where he was coming from. Yeah, he was all kinds of cray and disturbed, but the glimpses into his past did help to make him a tad likeable, even for a villain.

What I enjoyed most about this Loka book (besides Kio) was the different directions in the plot. This wasn't Dylan's story like the first book, nor was is Cole's book. We have a whole cast of great characters all working in different ways against Thistle.

My favorite of these sub-plots was that we learned quite a bit about Kio's parents and his past. But in my desperate attempt at 'no spoilers' I won't say much more about that. Except that I was more than surprised at where he came from and more than pleased with Kio's reaction.

From Darkness to Darkness was just that... pretty dark. Much darker than the first with much more heartache. No big surprise here, but Jay Bell did manage to squeeze a couple tears out of me. It's like he knows exactly which strings to tug.

This is, first and foremost, a fantasy adventure. But there is a great love story that, I'd say, is pretty epic, too.

"Dylan grabbed Tyjinn and kissed him. This is why he loved him. Not for his handsome face or beautiful body, not for his power, talent, or all the other traits that had first made Tyjinn so alluring. No, Dylan loved him for his heart, which despite his cool exterior, burned with endless passion for him, for truth, for everything right and just."

As a romance reader, I enjoyed every scene that Dylan and Tyjinn shared. Their relationship has grown since the last book and I love where they are now. And I not only had their story to gush over, but Cole and Jonah's as well.

Group Review: Tough Love by Heidi Cullinan (Love Fest)

Tough Love, Special Delivery, Book 3

Crescencio “Chenco” Ortiz pulled himself up by his garter straps after his father’s will yanked the financial rug from under his spank-me pumps. He doesn’t need anyone, yet when Steve Vance steps into his life, the prospect of having a sexy leather daddy on tap begins to take on a certain appeal.

There’s a hitch when he learns Steve is friends with Mitch Tedsoe—the half-brother Chenco never knew except through his father’s twisted lies. Despite his reservations, soon Chenco is living his dreams, including a performing gig in Vegas. Now if only he could get Steve to see him as more than just a boy in need of saving.

Steve’s attraction to Chenco is overshadowed by too many demons, ones he knows his would-be lover is too young to slay. Yet as he gets to know the bright, determined young man whose drag act redefines fierce, Steve’s inner sadist trembles with need. He begins to realize Chenco’s relentless tough love might be the only thing that will finally set him free.

Warning: This story contains glamorous drag queens, exhibitionist secondary characters, and no-holds-barred BDSM play, including watersports. Readers advised they may well leave this novel feeling uncharacteristically fierce.

This is a bittersweet moment in the clubhouse. We all just finished Book #3 of the Special Delivery series and DAMMITALLTOHELL did we have a good time reading and loving this series together or what? We couldn’t wait to get to this story and not a one of us was disappointed (except for it being over, hence the bittersweet). Tough Love was especially fun because while Special Delivery and Double Blind were new to a few, they were an awesome re-read to others, Tough Love was new to us all. The beauty is, now Tough Love can (and will) be a re-read, guaranteed. Thank you Heidi for making us look at blue semis, poker, cat posters and drag queens in a whole new, and incredibly amazing, light!

And now, Unicorn thoughts . . . . .

Also - some of these reviews may contain some spoilers, consider yourself warned!


Miss Sunny Says:

The characters: More Mitch, Sam, Randy, Ethan, and Crabtree? Sign me up! Add in Chenco and Caramela, who I loved, and I was feeling a little giddy. Steve was likeable, and at first, I really liked him, but later on, I felt disconnected from him as he struggled with different worries. Also, Steve's BDSM preferences were outside my comfort zone, which made it even more difficult for me to connect with him. All in all, though, these were interesting, complex personalities that contrasted with each other even as they worked well as a family. 5 big shiny stars

The writing: So much emotion shown through words. Beautiful, consistent characterization. Great details that were slipped into the story. A few spots with too much telling, though, and a lot happened off page, just enough to make me say, wait, what about... 4 stars

The story: Simple, interesting, kept me engaged, but more a vehicle for the characters to interact. Strong beginning. I loved meeting Steve, Chenco, and Caramela, and I loved how Steve understood Carmela right away.
-The BDSM didn't work for me for me as much as it did in the earlier books. ***SPOILER*** ...especially the sadism; serious pain at that level and for its own sake was difficult for me to read about and the needle play went further than I was prepared for. Watersports? In general, it just confuses me.  I did like other parts of the BDSM play, though.
-Caramela was such a great character, I wish she'd been present more often. It felt like she was too easily put away.
-I also wish we'd had more Chenco and Mitch time. They were brothers meeting for the first time and we barely saw them together. Chenco had more page time with Randy and Sam.
-After a strong and interesting start, it felt like the story stalled a bit, started to meander. Actually, the whole story was like that, strong scenes that grabbed me interspersed with a lot of telling, summarizing, wrapping up. 3 stars

Overall, 4 stars, but I'm not sure I would have liked it as much as I did if I hadn't read and loved the other books first.

Favorite quote: "Chenco swallowed a whimper. 'I'm not a princess, bitch, I'm a queen.'"

Side note: I don't think he means to, but Randy tends to steal the show. His personality is so big it draws most of the attention in every scene he's in. Sam does something similar, not just because of who he is, but also because of how everyone else reacts to him. Those two seem to be the main players, even in this story about other people. Of course, that might be my impression because that's just how they affect me :)

Miss Lorix Says:

So we're back with the series that made me realise I like a little kink in my reading. *cough* a lot of kink if it involves Randy *cough*

And this gem was certainly no let down. Before I start I will echo Sunny's thoughts that I may not have read/enjoyed this so much without having read the previous two in the series - who knows I may have done, but, as I had already read them and couldn't unread them, it'll forever remain a mystery.

So as well as Sam, Mitch, Randy, Ethan & Crabtree (scary, scary man) we meet Steve & Chenco & Caramela. Caramela is Chenco's drag queen persona and boy does she rule the roost. She was a fabulous character but I also loved her alter ego Chenco. I also loved Steve, a lot. He made me feel safe - he made me feel like Chenco was safe with him. Strange really as he had some kinks going on that I couldn't relate to. The beauty of Heidi Cullinan's writing is that, though I couldn't understand the needle or watersports (or if I'm honest some of the more basic BDSM stuff) I could totally understand the characters' need for them. If I took each individual kink and analysed it in the cold light of day I wouldn't 'get it', but I had such empathy for the characters, purely due to Heidi's writing, that I did get it. I understood their needs and desires and the way they dealt with release and pain and love. In short Heidi Cullinan is a genius.

Of course the original three characters, in particular Randy, were my favourites - I'm pretty sure as long as they have stories to tell I will never get tired of reading them.

Miss Breann Says:

 "Bossy McBosserpants. Big old Dom, don't-you-fuck-with-me, I-run-the-room Steve Vance."

*purrs*

Yup, I liked Steve. A whole hell of a lot. I completely agree with Lori's take on him, he was safe. Chenco and Caramela were safe with him. He helped them discover things about themselves that they didn't even know existed. Things they didn't know they wanted, let alone needed.

I'm talking about Caramela and Chenco as two separate people, because really, that's what they were. Of course, Caramela was a part of Chenco all the time, but when she came out to play everyone around knew who they were talking to. She's 100% badass and I love, love her for it.

The sex. Ooooooh holy BDSM hotness, the sex. Their chemistry, they had such chemistry I almost couldn't stand it. The way they fit together was completely perfect.

"Even if you were fifty-five, tonight I'd call you boy. It's not about your age. It's your role. Being a man is tough work. Being a boy is something we all miss, and some of us never got it. Right now you get to be a boy. You can be tired, you can be petulant, you can be scared. It doesn't matter. I'm your man right now, the only one you need. You can lay it all down and be a boy. In fact, I require you to."

*THUD*

I really loved all the BDSM elements they shared together. I love what they represented to each other and how they were done. They only deepened what they had and it only deepened my love for Steve and Chenco.

Unlike my fellow unicorns here, it's been quite a while since I've read the first two. I loved this with or without the rest of the series. It's a forever favorite of mine. It was dirty and kinky and loving and just fucking hot. Holy fuck, it was hot.

Miss Jenni Lea Says:

Well. Lemme just tell you about this here little story. First, we have Chenco. Chenco the scared little rabbit who hides behind his alter ego (Caramela the Fierce One) because he doesn't know how else to deal with the shit life has thrown at him. He meets Steve The Badass Dom soon after his asshat of a father dies and leaves him abso-freaking-lutely nothing. Nothing but a headache, that is. Oh, and Chenco is Mitch's half brother, but you already know that from the blurb so we won't rehash it here.

I seriously think this is my favorite of the series. Now, I know what you're thinking, "what?!?!? What about RANDY?!?!?!". Yes, yes, Randy is still (and always will be) my favorite character but story-wise, this one knocked it outta the park for me. There was just so much excitement! They were doin' stuff and saying stuff and doin' more stuff and I just ate it all up. I think part of the reason it was my favorite is because it didn't just focus on Chenco and Steve but on all of the characters. I gained more insight into the mind of Crabtree. I got to see Sam grow up and be even more confident in himself than ever before. And I got to see Ethan from a totally different perspective (I ♥ Ethan!).

Even though the kinks in here weren't my kind of thing I still found myself engrossed in the scenes and I was able to get a feel of how much Chenco and Steve were into it and how much it affected them and it really came across in a respectful and entertaining manner.

So, do I recommend you read this book? Why yes, yes I do. Read it. Right now. Now I say!

Miss Ann (that would be me) Says:

Tough Love is pretty much the epitome of why I love reading Heidi Cullinan’s books. The characters have SO many dimensions, that no matter what their kink is, be it needles or Disney princesses, I get it. I don’t have to understand it for myself, but I so understand it for her characters.

Reading the “warning” at the bottom of the blurb, I should think I would say, “Oh, hell no!” And yeah, for me, “Oh, hell no!” But for Steve and Chenco, the kink was so beyond the act itself, it was almost as if the act didn’t matter, it wasn’t the point. The point was what the act represented the symbolism of respect, trust and release. All things that both Steve and Chenco needed so desperately.

I love that her characters can’t be pigeonholed. Sure Steve is a leather daddy and Chenco is his sub learning all about pain play. At first Chenco seems to be in a desperate state and Steve is going to be his savior, but as the story progressed, I had to wonder, who was saving whom here. Every pairing in this series is so spot on perfect and these two are absolutely no exception. And, while I love the story, love to read more about my favorite characters (and meet new ones, Caramela – HELLO!) and love the filthy sweetness of it all, what I love most is all the layers in which these guys love. Every act is so much more than just an act and speaks to each of them so personally I feel like I know them inside and out. I really can’t recommend this series enough. And while Tough Love may be new, it’s a classic just like the first two.

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