The Well by Marie Sexton

4.5 Stars!

Twelve years after the disappearance and believed murder of his cousin Elise, Haven has come back to his hometown of Hobbsburg with the intention of reconnecting with those who were there that night in hopes of finding answers. His disconnect with Jordan who had been seeing Elise back then has come from his belief that Jordan had actually murdered Elise. Pierce, Jordan’s twin brother, stood by his brother’s innocence and in the end, it drove Haven and Pierce apart. Craig who was dating Elise’s younger sister Linsey was there that night as well but after he and Linsey parted ways in a less than amicable manner he hasn’t spoken to the man again. In fact, all but Craig have moved from Hobbsburg and only Haven and Linsey have remained close.

What I Loved: I love mysteries, especially the whodunnit element when I have to really try to put the clues together. I didn’t have to think too hard who the murderer might be but I still enjoyed putting the pieces together. I liked that we got snippets of what happened in the past that slowly unraveled the story at the same time giving us the look at the present and how the characters are putting together clues and basically solving the crime.

Jordan and Pierce are paranormal investigators with their own television show. Haven writes Horror stories. Craig is a cop. It seems that all the characters from that fateful might have become something in life that was influenced by Elise’s death. The premise of the story surrounds the twins inviting Haven to come on their show. I love the idea of paranormal investigators teaming up with a horror author to check out reports of a haunting that they all might be connected to in some way.

I loved the ghostly, mystical, paranormal feel that the story had because of its subtlety. Yes, these characters are deep in the world of paranormal occurrences and in that sense, it’s front and center throughout the story. However, there is subtlety with what is really happening and that’s what I truly enjoyed.

What I Liked: I really liked the characters. Haven, Pierce and Jordan were all easy to connect with and easy to like. I think the chemistry between Pierce and Haven was there from the beginning of the story and I was anticipating when they would finally act on their attraction, it was kind of a slow burn in my opinion. The romance was not necessarily at the forefront of the story and kind of quietly ran alongside the mystery of what really happened to Elise.

What I Didn’t Like: I have to say I was going into this story with the expectations that it would be scary or chilling. I expected to be scared. That was not the case at all. Yes, this is a murder mystery with paranormal elements but it was not frightening in the least. This is probably good for those readers who would avoid this particular title based on that. For me, however, it was very disappointing.

Overall, I very much enjoyed The Well and thought Marie Sexton did a wonderful job writing the story. While I longed for a more frightening tale, I can not complain about the story itself since I had trouble putting it down for more than a few minutes at a time. I’d definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy a mystery/suspense or ghost stories. Don’t worry if you are not into scary because this one is pretty tame.

***Copy provided to me by the author/publisher via NetGalley for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***

New Release on Amazon

As a demon, Belial has existed for millennia. Having missed his first chance at bonding with his amina a thousand years before, and with his second thousand years of service coming to a close, he’s keen to seek out that special someone. He needs to bond with that one key person, binding him to the mortal plane and freeing him from the Horseman of War’s service. Before seeking out that special person, Belial heads up one last mission to incite a skirmish between a vampire coven and a group of humans. To his surprise, he scents his amina near the vampire coven about to be attacked. Belial comes face to face with the blood-crazed vampire Gabriel…who Belial learns was tortured and experimented on by the very humans set to attack the coven. For the first time in his life, Belial joins a side. While he might save the coven, can he figure out a way to save his own anima…giving them both a chance at a future?

False Start (Eastshore Tigers book 2) by Alison Hendricks.

Dante Mills and Mitch Erickson are both fighting for a starting position this season. With this being Dante’s final year he has to be seen by recruiters if he’s going to go into the NFL Draft. With his dreams of finally being able to take care of his overworked mom he vows to not let anything get in his way, that includes freshman Linebacker Mitch Erickson. 
Mitch dreams of making his father proud something he knows deep down will never happen. He now has one year to show his father that he can win a Football Championship with the Eastshore Tigers or he will have to call it quits and come home. His family expects him to continue the Erickson legacy which doesn’t include football or dating boys. 
With both men competing to be the best they can’t help but find themselves constantly at odds. However no matter how hard they try that can’t seem to fight the attraction towards one another. These two men will have to learn how to work together to ensure they both get what they want, which may or may not include each other. 
I loved both Mitch and Dante and thought their chemistry was great. There were many times however that I found myself frustrated with Dante and his attitude towards Mitch’s background. He spent a lot of time allowing his pride to get in the way and it sometimes got in the way. Mitch was sweet if not a bit naive when it came to life but fierce when he was on the field and I loved that. 
I definitely look forward to more stories in this series.
*Copy provided by author in exchange for and honest review*.

Upcoming Releases I Can’t Wait For!

Release Date: May 27, 2016

Sequel to Romanus

Fireman Mason James thought finding out he is a Romanus—a rare class of gargoyle—would be the surprise of a lifetime, but he’s proven wrong when he discovers he is the son of a comte and goji nobility. But his newly discovered family doesn’t think his gargoyle lover, Luc, is good enough for a goji of Mason’s stature—how could a warrior ever be? But despite the Moreaus’ uncertainty and elitism, they are Mason’s only chance to unravel the mystery behind his mother’s death, find a solution for the class divide that might separate him from Luc, and discover what it truly means to be a Romanus.

Pre-order Dreamspinner Press

Release Date:June 1, 2016

When you find your family, you’ll do anything to keep it.

When Charles Macquarrie inherits a fortune and an international clothing company, he also inherits three young cousins he desperately needs help raising. By a stroke of luck, he discovers and hires Jonathan Lamb, who spent his life in a children’s home due to chronic illness, to be his nanny.

If Jon thought a budding romance with his wealthy boss complicated his life, he has no idea of the hardships awaiting him when he’s charged with embezzlement and kidnapping. But even when threatened by accounting discrepancies and mob connections, Jon and Charles won’t let go of the family they’ve built together without a fight.

Pre-order Dreamspinner Press

Release June 3, 2016

Bullied as a child in small-town Kansas, Jeremy Cox ultimately escaped to Portland, Oregon. Now in his forties, he’s an urban park ranger who does his best to rescue runaways and other street people. His ex-boyfriend, Donny—lost to drinking and drugs six years earlier—appears on his doorstep and inadvertently drags Jeremy into danger. As if dealing with Donny’s issues doesn’t cause enough turmoil, Jeremy meets a fascinating but enigmatic man who carries more than his fair share of problems.

Qayin Hill has almost nothing but skeletons in his closet and demons in his head. A former addict who struggles with anxiety and depression, Qay doesn’t know which of his secrets to reveal to Jeremy—or how to react when Jeremy wants to save him from himself.

Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all.

Pre-order Dreamspinner Press

 

 

 

If at first you don’t succeed…

Jay Northcote

Today is a very important anniversary for me, because three years ago today I signed my first publishing contract.

Content warning for really quite un-British gushing, and something that ended up sounding like an Oscar speech 😉 There is a giveaway at the bottom to make up for it.

Let me tell you how I got started with writing as a career, and why today is a day I will always celebrate.

I took the plunge into writing original fiction during Nanowrimo 2012, and drafted The Little Things in a hyperfocused blur. When it was finished, I submitted it to Samhain and wrote Nothing Serious while I was waiting to hear back from them. I subsequently submitted Nothing Serious to Carina UK (while still waiting to hear from Samhain).

In the middle of March 2013 I got rejections for both books in the space of a week.

As you can…

View original post 398 more words

The Other Man (The Other Man Series Book 1)

 

The Other Man

By D Breeze

Sex is not ‘routine’ any more. There are sex shops decorating the high-street, free porn all over the internet and let’s not even get started on the new BDSM phenomenon. So when things get a little ‘stale’ in the bedroom, what would you do?

Carlie made a suggestion; a suggestion I wanted nothing to do with at first, but she was my wife and I’d have done anything to make her happy. I went along with her plan, even though I really didn’t want to.
It actually worked, for a while.
Until something changed.
Then I wasn’t doing it for her anymore.
Instead, it was all about secret liaisons, stolen moments and the thrill of getting caught.
My life changed overnight and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Lust is an unstoppable emotion when it takes hold.
Rules are broken.
Mistakes are made.
Lives are destroyed.
Be careful what you wish for, because sometimes, that wish can come true.

Zachary Black was her wish.
…Until he became mine.

“I felt like I’d fucked up a lot in my life, but nothing as monumental as this. Somehow, I’d figured it wasn’t quite as bad if Zach was the one making the first move, but the second, the third? That was all me. At any time I could have, and should have, told him to back off. Told him he was wasting his time because I was a happily married man.
     And therein lay the issue.
     Because I wasn’t a happily married man. I was fucking miserable.
My wife didn’t really like me, no matter what she claimed. I spent more time at work than at home. I was learning new things about myself that I wasn’t sure I liked, and more than anything, I was falling in love with a man faster than I could think to stop it.”

Wow I have to say, I had a lot of preconceived notions about this book before reading it and let it sit on my kindle since it first came out. After finally biting the bullet and reading it I have to say I really enjoyed it, far more than I imagined I would. I’m excited for book two and to see more of Blake and Zach.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Possible Spoilers🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I wasn’t sure I’d like Blake, the authors note in the beginning coupled with the fact that I detest cheating made me apprehensive when it came to his character. However I really like Blake and truthfully I felt a bit sorry for him. He had a very selfish and manipulative wife and he truly deserved better. He made mistakes for sure but I could see he wasn’t a bad person, a malicious person out for only his own happiness.

Zach was a little harder to like for me honestly. I felt he was a bit of a manipulator at first as well and I had to question his motives on more than one occasion. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where I changed my mind about him but I did start to like him and by the end I felt he could be good for Blake.

Carlie, I can’t stand her and while I hate to rub salt into people’s wounds I must say she deserved what happened to her marriage. She may have once been a good person but we didn’t really get to see it and her personality didn’t seem to go with how Blake was portrayed. Again it must be said she was manipulative, self centered, immature and moody.

As for the story, the cheating/affair, it didn’t resonate that way with me. Firstly so much of this story is about Blake and Carlie and how over the years their marriage began to disintegrate. How they began to want different things and how communication and the time they spent together drastically changed. His job got in the way, her need to show the world her perfect life became her main focus. Then we are introduced to the other man, a man she brought into the mix after manipulating and emotionally blackmailing Blake.

We see Blake questioning new feelings this man stirs in him and how it effects him, what it means to his marriage. The actual cheating is so small compared to the story as a whole that it’s almost not important in the grand scheme of everything that happens. To me at least it’s more about the end of a marriage, discovering who you truly are and what you want and need in life and having the courage to move on and not settle for something just because it’s easier.

Now off to read book two since this one ended in a cliffhanger!

Noah by Cara Dee

Noah

by Cara Dee

 

Blurb: Have you ever woken up and expected to see destruction everywhere?

In 48 hours, I lost everything. I came home to find my girlfriend of four years with another man. The next day a plane crash ripped my family away from me, shattering me in the process. In many ways, I died that day, too. The fun-loving man who’d lived in the fast lane and loved his career in the film industry was gone. Left was a forty-year-old shell that dwelled at the bottom of a bottle.

Only one person knew what I was going through. My sister’s stepson, who hadn’t been on the plane. Julian knew what it was like to lose everyone he loved, too. He’d stopped showing up at reunions when he was a teenager, so I didn’t know him very well. But I told him at the memorial service he could come out and visit me in LA whenever. One day he did, and I guessed it was as good a day as any to start picking up the pieces and see what was left of us.

Wow!  I absolutely loved this book.  Hands down, 5 star read to me.  Even with my initial apprehension since I am not a big fan of certain themes (May/December or Age-gap romance. Uncle/Nephew) I quickly found myself invested completely in the story.   Cara Dee did a wonderful job handling the relationship between Noah and Julian with minimal angst.  They were a beautiful couple and I liked both characters from beginning to end.

 

Believing Blue by Nicole Colville

Believing Blue (Manchester Ménage Collection #3)

by Nicole Colville

Blurb: Is there a fated path we follow, or is it simply a series of coincidental events?

Police officer Kellan Howard is rumoured to have spent too much time in sub-zero temperatures, leaving him with a block of ice for a heart and women lining up to help thaw it. Mountain climbing is his only love, leaving no time for a relationship, and although meaningless sex satisfies his physical need, it’s empty. When he attends a fatal traffic accident, he didn’t expect his entire life to change. Along with a final message, Kellan is offered something else from the dying man: the chance to fall in love. Kellan’s never considered being with a man, but when he meets Valentino, he’s instantly drawn to him.

Suffering from crippling agoraphobia, talented Italian artist Valentino has a solitary existence, only experiencing life outside the house through his partner Stuart. When their relationship comes to an abrupt end, Kellan helps ease his suffering. A deep bond binds the two men together, and the sexual tension can’t be denied, but Valentino questions if the distance between their very different lives is too much, and if they can bridge the gap by themselves.

Ballet dancer Blue has a vibrant personality which demands attention, but his humour and courageous attitude are a shield. Blue’s good at making others believe in themselves, but what he needs is someone to believe in him. He could be the bridge both men are looking for, but Blue’s never allowed anyone to get too close, and when Kellan and Valentino enter his life, he desperately tries to protect his heart and his secrets.

When all three meet, the chemistry is undeniable, but each have fears about moving forwards. Together, they learn love comes in many forms. It can’t be restrained or labelled, and it doesn’t always appear in the way you first imagined.

**Blue is a standalone book, and although characters from previous books do make an appearance, it won’t spoil their stories if you choose to read them afterwards.

Find at: Amazon⇔       Barnes & Noble⇔      Kobo

Kindle Edition, 525 pages

Published April 20th 2016 by Hidden Pleasures

This was a hard book for me to rate when I first read it because I loved so many parts of it yet there were some major issues I had with it as well.  Obviously this is a menage story and while I can usually appreciate a good menage or polyamorous  book I wasn’t 100% on board with this one when all was said and done.

I loved Kellan and Valentino as individuals as well as a couple, they fit, they were believable and I found myself invested in their story.  From the very beginning when we meet Kellan and then Stuart I could tell I was going to love Kellan.  The way he comforted Stuart and kept his promise to him after such a traumatic experience made me cry.

Valentino also tore at my heart, his love for Stuart and the pain he felt with his loss was written so well I felt it.  I could picture him trapped in that home without that connection he had to the outside world and what it took for him to try to overcome it while mourning the loss of his soulmate.  His budding friendship with Kellan was done very well and had a natural feeling of progression unlike many books where characters quickly fall in love and barely grieve those they’ve lost.

I kind of liked Blue and I will admit I could see him and Kellan together.  They were like fire and ice and it invoked passion.  I could probably read an entire book about them as a couple.  The problem though came when it was time to put Blue and Valentino together.  I just didn’t feel it.

I didn’t quite understand what they saw in each other besides physical attraction.  Maybe if they had spent more time together I could have seen the growth in their relationship and felt what pulled them together (other than Kellan).  It just never seemed right or real to me, at least not enough to say they would have a HEA.

The writing was great and the other did a wonderful job of telling the story.  I cried and I laughed many times throughout the book and as I said I fell in love completely with Kellan. I’d definitely recommend giving Believing Blue a chance.

High Contrast: Evolution Ink Book 1

High Contrast by Tess Bowery
ebook, 226 pages                                                   Publication: May 3rd 2016 by  Samhain Publishing   My rating: 💎💎💎

Blurb:  The deepest scars aren’t the ones that show.
Jacob Shain is your average member of Generation Screwed. He has a boring internship, no cash flow, and a tiny NYC apartment he has to share with Ethan, his much-cooler, tattoo-artist twin brother. Not to mention his love life is DOA. At least, until his brother’s shop hires on a new piercer, and Jacob’s humdrum life takes a turn for the weird.

Cody Turner is gorgeous, funny and kind—everything Jacob wants in a boyfriend. Except for the way he refuses to talk about his past, or where he lives, or anything about his personal life.

When Ethan is arrested while on a mission of mercy, the reason Cody is so tight lipped comes to light. And while Jacob and Cody fight to understand the depth of their feelings for one another, the police dogs catch their scent. So does the local mob.

Now Jacob has to make the hardest choice of his life: stay safe like a good boy, or dive headfirst into a world he barely understands…and hope Cody is there to break his fall.

Warning: Contains a good boy who wants to be bad, a bad boy who longs to be good, bodies that are canvases for living art and high-speed chases with police dogs.

This was not at all what I expected. From the looks of the cover I expected something a little darker or grittier maybe? More of a serious read at the very least. However I found that High Contrast was more of a mixture of humor, romance and a touch of drama and angst.

High Contrast was not just a story of straight laced Jacob, a self confessed nerd and Cody the reformed badboy tattooed piercer. There is an entire cast of great characters from Jacob’s twin brother Ethan, his bestfriend and Ethan’s girlfriend Andi, Ethans business partners Travis and Val and sweet young Priya the tattoo shops counter girl. They are a great group of friends, a pseudo-family and best of all a Scoobyesque gang of wannabe slueths.

I loved the banter even if at times it felt a little immature, especially between Jacob and Ethan who at times I felt might have stolen the spotlight. I was a little disappointed with the “criminal/mob” element, mainly because it fell short. There was a lot of potential there but didn’t get enough page time.

I think this was a good setup for a series and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book.

📖ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review!

View all my reviews

To Live Again by L.A. Witt

To Live Again by L.A. Witt

Publication: April 12th 2016 by Samhain Publishing

My rating: 💎💎💎

Blurb: The heart doesn’t take requests. It calls the tune.
Greg Douglas’s wife surprised him with an early 25th anniversary gift: a divorce. Staying with friends Ethan and Rhett seems like a good idea, just until he gets back on his feet. The guys have an even better idea to take his mind off his troubles—take him out to explore the other half of his bisexuality.

After a quarter century suppressing his hidden desires, he’s not waiting any longer. Especially not after laying eyes on the gorgeous deejay at Wilde’s.

Deejay and single dad Sailo Isaia isn’t looking for anything serious. He’s definitely not out to be a sexual teacher, never mind to a man almost two decades his senior. But as Greg gets the hang of having a male lover, Sailo can’t help himself. They both keep coming back for more. And more. And more.

But a few nagging questions hold Sailo back from giving his whole heart. Is this just Greg’s midlife crisis and rebound fling? Or a chance to fill that empty space—forever—for both Sailo and his beloved son?
Product Warnings

Contains an older guy who’s waited half his life for this, a younger guy who didn’t realize how lonely he was, and some very hot visits to the upstairs VIP lounge at Wilde’s. Author is not responsible for readers who can no longer look at a leather booth the same way again.

🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

This is the first book in the series that I have read and I must admit I was a bit nervous since I had no idea what to expect as far as characters and themes. I got the impression that menage, bdsm and or kink was a big part of the other books which was something I was not in the mood for, however the sex was definitely more vanilla than I expected.

I enjoyed the story for the most part but I felt it dragged a little and I found myself skimming the later sex scenes. I was also disappointed to not ever see Mika, Sailos son. I like books with children and hoped for more here, especially since they were talked about so much. It almost felt like a lost potential for something more.

📖 Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review!

View all my reviews