Review By Cam: Hard Act To Follow by K. Vale

Title: Hard Act to Follow (Shooting Stars Book 3)

Author: K. Vale

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Rating: 4.5/5 Smooches

Blurb:

Kyrie is an actor with a physical aversion to telling lies, a one-eyed cat, and horrible taste in men. His ex-brother-in-law and best friend, Greg, harbors a secret crush he can’t shake. After denying his feelings for Kyrie for too long, Greg finally gives in to desire one drunken night. Come the morning, the facts get twisted. Kyrie pretends he doesn’t remember a thing—a lie that eats him alive—and Greg can’t stop thinking about how he screwed up the best thing in his life.

Before they can clear the air, Kyrie follows his dreams to New York City, but could he also be running away?

A mistake from Kyrie’s past detonates their silence, and Greg is forced to confront the man he loves. Is their new truth strong enough to support a relationship, or are they doomed to crumble under old fears? Their friendship could evolve into something a million times stronger, but maybe Kyrie’s act is just too hard for Greg to follow.

Review:

Well, I liked the rocker book that preceded this one, but I REALLY loved this book. Kyrie makes a re-appearance from the last book in this series, and he gets his own story. His ex brother-in-law, Greg, also makes a reappearance, and some unresolved sexual tension, gets resolved.

It seems like a match made on Jerry Springer from the outside, but Greg had fallen for Kyrie years before any of their feelings come to light. It seems like it’s one misstep after another for this duo. It’s a classic case of miscommunication causing BIG issues for the main characters. They have opposing personalities that really seem to complement each other, after the fact, but those personalities leave the road to happily ever after littered with debris.

I really liked how everything regarding Kyrie's family was handled. Honestly, this book hit a lot of my buttons, and I can't wait to read more by K. Vale. 

So pick up this book and watch Kyrie and Greg navigate through all the potholes they create for themselves! 

Sales Links:

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Review by Cam: Guarded by Cat Grant and L.A. Witt

Title: Guarded
Author: Cat Grant & L.A. Witt
Publisher: Cat Grant Books
Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

On the surface, rock star Jordan Kane has it all. His band No Rules is burning up the charts and headlining a world tour. His bodyguard doubles as a hot, kinky boyfriend who knows just how to push all his buttons. But behind the scenes, he’s suffocating.

Jase Hewitt never imagined he’d have a shot at bedding the larger than life rock star - never mind dominating him - but now he’s worried he’s in over his head. Jordan’s kinks run deep, dark, and sometimes dangerous, putting Jase’s desires to both pleasure and protect him at odds.

They might have a fighting chance at finding the safe, happy medium between what Jordan needs and what Jase is willing to give, but there’s one problem: Daniel, Jordan’s childhood best friend, the band’s talented guitarist — and a volatile, hard-partying drug addict. Jordan is determined to save Daniel from himself, but Jase has been there, done that, and desperately wants to protect Jordan from the inevitable heartache of watching an addict self-destruct.

When Daniel goes off the rails again, Jordan calls off the tour to get him help. Tension within the band skyrockets and pressure from the record label sends Jordan into a dark spiral. Now his band — and his life — are balanced on a knife's edge, and Jase is the only one who can pull him back... but only if the echoes of his own tragic past don't push him over first.

Review:

Addiction is a hard subject for me. As a recovering addict myself, I have both anger and sympathy towards those headed down a bad road. Add in a man with a seriously kinky bent, and the man sworn to protect him and you have a mess waiting to happen. I truly felt sorry for Danny, but I can’t really get into it too much without giving away spoilers. I totally got Jase's need, after past experiences, to guard himself, and not want to get involved in Danny's downward spiral. Jordan, obviously, wants to save his friend which causes friction between Jordan and Jase. 

I think the authors handled every aspect of these complicated issues with respect. I love the BDSM aspect between Jase and Jordan. Jordan has to keep a lot of balls in the air while he juggles his band, Danny, and dealing with fame and being on tour, when he gives over that control to Jase, it's beautiful. 

The characters were full and thought out. The emotion this book brought about was intense. While the course of the book was a little predictable or at least obvious where they were going, it was still an incredibly enjoyable read.

I would also like to make note, that I loved the song lyrics, and the progression. So if you like rockers with depth, then this is definitely a book for you. 

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Review by Cam: Summer Lover by B.G. Thomas

Title: Summer Lover (Seasons of Love: Book 2) 
Author: B.G. Thomas
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Rating: 5/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

Scott Aberdeen doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or God. Or love—at least, he knows no one will ever love him. After all, he has carried a torch for his best friend Sloan for a decade, hoping his feelings will be returned one day. But when Sloan finds springtime love with another man, Scott’s fantasies are crushed and his skepticism confirmed.

Cedar Carrington, raised by rock star parents, leads a free-spirited, nomadic life, never staying in one place for long. Due to a dark past he refuses to share or even think about, he is willing to let men into his bed for sex, but never for the night.

When Scott finds himself camping in the middle of nowhere with over a hundred men who all believe in love—and faeries and a magickal gay brotherhood—

Review:

I read many books. Partly in my role as a reviewer and partly because I’m just addicted to reading. It’s rare anymore that a book surprises me or truly sticks with me beyond the final page. And that is not to say that the books that I read aren’t good, and that some of them aren’t great, but it’s rare to find one that makes me reflect upon my own life and truly identify with the characters.

I’m a huge B.G. Thomas fan. I write reviews on Amazon for most of his releases, even if it’s just a few words. And if you’ve ever met him, you know that he is one of the sweetest, most amazing guys ever. Seriously. I’m laying this out there because this book, Summer Lover, was so much MORE than just a 5 Smooch read.

Scott Aberdeen is like the gay male version (personality wise) as me. Kinda snarky, a little bitter, rather negative. Of course Scott has been through a lot, especially in the name of religion. His parents wielded the bible as a weapon and used it as an excuse to turn their back on him when he came out. Being raised by a Catholic mother, I can honestly say that it is one reason I didn’t come out until I was 30, and why I toed that imaginary line and got married and had kids. So I understand holding onto that dislike of religion to the point that it tends to color everything in your life.

Cedar Carrington, son of rockstar parents, carries his own wounds that he hides behind his free-love, gypsy lifestyle. Scott, on the otherhand, just wants to be loved. He wants desperately for someone to see beyond all his personality and name brands and to just love him as he is.

Scott is resistant, to put it mildly, when his friend Wyatt tries to get him to participate in the witchy woo-woo festival. As in, not going, never going to happen.. But he relents and he goes and meets Cedar (aka Jockster) and he has experiences that change both men forever. And maybe the world isn’t quite the way either man ever imagined it before.

This book made me laugh, and cry, and I just loved it to pieces. It’s everything that a romance novel should be.

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

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Review by Cam: Static by L.A. Witt

Title: Static (2nd Edition) 

Author: L.A. Witt

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Rating: 4.5/5 Smooches

Blurb:

After two years together, Alex has been dreading the inevitable moment when Damon learns the truth: that Alex is a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population able to switch genders at will. Thanks to a forced implant, though, Alex is suddenly static—unable to shift—and male. Overnight, he’s out to a world that neither understands nor tolerates shifters . . . and to his heterosexual boyfriend.

Damon is stunned to discover his girlfriend is a shifter, and scared to death of the dangers the implant poses to Alex’s health. He refuses to abandon Alex, but what about their relationship? Damon is straight, and with the implant both costly and dangerous to remove, Alex is stuck as a man.

Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn’t see how they can get through this.

Especially if he’s static forever.

Review:

I read this book when it first came out with the original publisher. I loved it then. I still love it, now that it’s gotten a new cover and been re-edited. This book touches on many of the issues of transgender, and the prejudices that one must face, often by their own flesh and blood.

Granted, Alex is a shifter, able to shift into both male and female forms, and not a static transgender person. This both comes with advantages and disadvantages. Alex lives, works, etc… as a female. When Alex’s parents force him into an unauthorized surgery, Alex is suddenly male, which is hard to explain to her job, and more importantly her boyfriend.

I think the biggest thing that I love about this book is the message that love is love. Damien is in love with Alex, and even though he was uncomfortable at first, he grew to accept Alex’s male form, and love the male form because it was Alex. I think that is an incredibly powerful message, that it is the person INSIDE the body that matters, not the outside trappings.

To say I loved this book is putting it mildly. It’s won as many awards as it has (or at least been a Finalist for them) because it is an incredible book, written with a great amount of compassion and forethought. I HIGHLY recommend picking this one up.

**I’d like to thank Riptide Publishing and Netgalley for providing the digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.**

Buy Links:

Ripdtide

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Review by Cam: Stung by K.A. Merikan

Title: Stung

Author: K.A. Merikan

Publisher: Self Published

Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb:

October 1907, Honeyhill
Twenty years into the zombie Plague

Victor is a man of delicate sensibilities, not fit to do backbreaking labour on a farm ran by the mob. Upon arrival in Honeyhill, he decides he needs an anchor, an alliance with one of the guards, if he wants to survive. That anchor comes in the form of Crunch, a hunky ex-sailor with a pair of tight leather trousers and a ruggedly handsome face.

But from day one, Victor knows he won’t last long with the hard physical work assigned to him and the torment he suffers at the hands of a sadistic guard. He needs to run, and his new alliance might prove to be a burden instead of solace.

If Crunch wants Honeyhill liberated, he needs to focus on his job, not on protecting Victor, one of many new arrivals on the farm. Distraction is the last thing he needs after months of undercover work. But it’s hard not to get seduced by Victor's big brown eyes and fingertips that don’t know work. Hundreds of people depend on Crunch keeping his identity a secret, revealing it could be fatal for both him and Victor, and a failure of his mission. Thankfully, Victor would never be dumb enough to try and escape through a forest that's swarming with zombies. Would he?

“Stung” is a standalone book and a part of the “Zombie Gentlemen” universe.

Themes (may contain SPOILERS): zombies, prisoner/guard, beekeeping, gore, deception, undercover agent, captivity, romance, brutality, forced labour camp, murder, farm, torment, forbidden romance, Victorian

Erotic content: explicit m/m sexual scenes (including dubious consent)

Genre: dystopian homoerotic thriller

Review:

I had a hard time reviewing this. It was 100% outside my comfort zone. Zombie's freak me out, and I don't like historical. That being said, this was an enjoyable read.

The cover freaked me out. Not going to lie. Luckily for me I didn't see it until after I'd read the book.

You feel for Victor from the beginning. He is in more or less a wrong time, wrong place situation, and Honeyhill is no place for a guy like him. He is not above.. trading favors with the guard, Crunch, in order to survive.

Crunch himself, is in a bad situation. He is trying to keep his cover from being blown, and get out of his own situation alive. Undercover is a difficult place to be at Honeyhill, especially once he meets Victor, who he wants to save.

Unfortunately there is always a bad guy, and he pushes Victor to take risks that perhaps he wouldn't have otherwise.

The honey/zombie thing is freaky too. Completely creepy, as it was intended to be. There were a few plot points that kept this from being a 5 star read from me, but I don't want to include spoilers. Suffice to say there were some loose threads, that hopefully are tied up in future books.

If you are looking for a short zombie tale set in the past, then pick up this read!

There are definite abuse/assault triggers though so beware of that. 

**Thank you to K.A. Merikan for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review**

Buy Links

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Review by Cam: Crazy From the Heat by Mercy Celeste

Title: Crazy From the Heat
Author: Mercy Celeste
Publisher: Self-published
Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb:

Life is like high school. 
For Grey Talbot teaching high school history was a choice. When a gorgeous blond punk of a kid walks into his class with attitude to spare, Grey fears his choice might just be his undoing. 

High school kids kept getting younger and Paul Gaines stayed the same. Moving from one city narcotics unit to the next, his youthful looks and slender body made him a perfect undercover cop for the job. 

Meeting the professor wasn't part of the deal. The man was smart sexy and off limits even if he was younger than Paul. 

For Grey getting involved with one of his students, even if that student wore a badge meant playing with fire. Fire that could burn them both. 
Warning: This is a Mercy Celeste book. Proceed with caution. Contents are hot! 

Review: 

I took me forever to review this. Partly because my Personal life got insane and partly because I had a little trouble saying what I wanted. Whenever you review a friend's book you have to be careful of not seeming biased.. as was brought to my attention recently. 

I love the premise. I liked the characters, Grey and Paul, although some of the ages threw me off a little. However for all the folks out there crying foul, that a 30 year old couldn’t look like a 17 year old: People see what they want to see. A 30 year old could easily look like a young man in his early 20’s, and a 17 year old could easily look like a young man in his early 20’s so there is a believable overlap where a 30 year old, put in the correct situation looks like a high school kid.

It’s a great story, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. If it had editing errors, I didn’t really notice. I admit I was nervous about the power dynamic at first, but I was quickly relieved of those when I seen how it played out. 

This is definitely a story that is slightly outside of believable, and it had a 21 jump street vibe... and I'm okay with that. I don't need my fiction to read like true life. That would be boring!

I liked the ending. It tied up all the loose ends, it clarified some things. The characters were strongly portrayed. I got a very good sense of who they were, and I was invested in the outcome of their story. As always, I wish it were longer. But there are very few books I don’t feel that way about. Mercy Celeste is a top caliber story weaver. She has a way of creating a world and drawing you in. It is a talent not always prevalent or showcased in today’s popular fiction. 

I always look forward to Mercy putting out more work, no matter what genre or pairing it's written in.  That being said, this isn't my favorite Mercy book, so if this one isn't your cup of tea, she has a diverse selection to choose from. 

Buy Links:

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Review By Cam: That's Who I Am by Jayden Brooks

Title: That's Who I Am

Author: Jayden Brooks

Publisher: DreamSpinner Press

Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

Jared Winters’s life has been little more than a collection of moments where he didn’t think before opening his mouth. Always a bit different, he’s learned to accept an existence on the outside looking in. But one day, his mouth lands him in a position that nearly costs him his life. Only the timely intervention of Sophie, his twin Conner’s ex-girlfriend, saves him.

Siblings Sophie and Donovan Carrigan step in and offer support, comfort, and a place to call home. Under their care, Jared begins to heal and learns to trust just enough to act on his attraction to Donovan. He just hopes it’s worth the risk.

Review:

This is definitely on the "books that made me cry" shelf. From the very beginning I felt awful for Jared, and his situation. I hated Jared's family with a passion. 

After landing in the hospital, Jared is taken in by Donovan and Sophie. He is constantly struggling to keep his mouth in check so he doesn't blow the best chance he has at getting well, while at the same time dealing with his growing attraction for Donovan, and trying to be a support system for the pregnant Sophie. 

First of all let me say, this is Jayden's debut story, and I'm so excited about that! I am always almost afraid to review for friends because I WANT so badly to like everything they put out.. as we all know that is not always the case. Luckily that is not an issue in this case. 

I loved this little story. You get such a connection to Jared. You are rooting for him the whole way. I wish some of the other relationship dynamics were explored a bit more. You got to see Jared really come into his own, and the roles that Donovan and Sophie both play in making that happen. To survive something of the magnitude that Jared did and have them come out thriving at the end of the story is amazing. 

I'm so looking forward to seeing the impact that this promising new writer has. I can't wait to read more. 

**Thank You to Jayden Brooks for providing a galley copy in exchange for an honest review

Buy Links:

Amazon

All Romance Ebooks

Dreamspinner Press

Review by Cam: Dangerously Happy by Varian Krylov

Title: Dangerously Happy

Author: Varian Krylov

Publisher: Self Published

Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

Aidan has always played it safe. Instead of pursuing his dream of creating innovative music that makes his soul sing, he settled for a degree in software, a job in a cubicle, and a spot in a generic band with his buddies. 

And he's always been straight. But when he's seduced by magnetic local literary luminary Dario, Aidan must decide whether to keep playing it safe, or succumb to a ravenous passion and a nourishing love unlike anything he's experienced before. Will he find the courage to go after real happiness if it means admitting he's in love with a man? 

Their journey together isn't easy. Sometimes it isn't safe. Even if Aidan has the courage to admit he's in love with Dario, can he endure the repercussions of the traumatic event in Dario's past? 

This novel has mature content and is intended for readers over the age of eighteen. Although this is a story about two men falling in love, there are extended, explicit sex scenes, including some BDSM, m/m/m and m/m/f scenes. There are references to sexual violence which may be a trigger for some readers, although there is no graphic depiction of rape in the book.

Review

This is a new author to me. Mostly because, I believe this is her first foray into m/m. The book was pretty well written. There were some minor editing things, but it didn’t detract from the book too much.  The formatting did hit upon one of my pet peeves… At 83%, the story was over and the rest was excerpts and filler. I dislike that.

This is a GFY (gay for you) story, but done a little bit differently. Aiden is straight (or so he thinks). Dario is gay and out. When they hook up, it’s this big secret. It doesn’t seem to bother Dario so much, but Aiden is jealous, and very conscious of what he believes Dario is giving up by the hiding of their relationship. There are also several sub-plots running through this, with BDSM elements, and rape, and threesomes with both a woman and another man. There is a lot going on.

I think that Ms. Krylov juggled it all with grace. The story was very erotic. There is a lot of sex. Sex is what binds the story together, and all of it moved the plot forward. Neither of the characters are perfect. They both have hang ups. They both make mistakes. I liked that most of their family and friends seemed to take everything in stride. There was no big, “You’re gay, we hate you, scene.” I know that it is common, but it’s nice to see a story that didn’t do it. (coming from someone who stressed over coming out, only to find no one cared)

The ending was sweet, and simple. I loved it. I also loved that this story was written in first person from Aiden’s point of view. You are actually quite a ways into the book before you even find out Aiden’s name. I am very much looking forward to seeing more m/m by this author. I hope she continues to write and grow in the genre. 

** Images with excerpts borrowed from the Author's facebook 

** Thank you to Varian Krylov for providing us with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review

Buy Links:

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Review by Cam: Ryan by Jeff Erno

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