Book Review: Outside Looking In by AJ Truman

Book Review: Outside Looking In by AJ Truman

Amazon (Available in KU)

When it came to family, Nathan Hargrove has always been on the outside looking in.

Abandoned by his mother as a baby, ignored by his father, and bullied by his cousins, Nathan learned years ago that he’s the blackest of black sheep. He dulls his loneliness with casual sex, acid wit, and lots of booze. Fresh out of yet another stint at rehab, Nathan stumbles onto a clue that leads him to his late mother’s whereabouts. His search takes him halfway around the world to New Zealand to solve the mystery of why she left.

Liam Foster would rather deal with sheep than people. After catching his girlfriend and BFF cheating, he moves back to his family’s farm to connect with his roots and help his widower brother raise his kids. His other brothers want him to sell the farm so they can all make a big profit, but Liam needs one more year to prove he can succeed. When a handsome Brit wheeling designer luggage wanders onto his field, claiming to be the farmhand he advertised for, Liam is suspicious, but he can’t make it through lambing season by himself.

As Liam helps Nathan transform from Posh Spice to Old Macdonald, they realize they’re the perfect salve for each other’s tattered souls. But the longer Nathan holds off on telling the truth of what brought him to New Zealand, the harder it becomes for him to come clean. Because if he admits who he really is, it could shatter not only Liam’s family--but also Nathan’s one true shot at love.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN is a slow burn, opposites attract M/M romance about lonely hearts finding redemption. It’s filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. And lots of sheep.

Book Review ~ Broken Bones by Deja Black

Book Review ~ Broken Bones by Deja Black

Title: Broken Bones

Author: Deja Black

Pages: 206 

Published: February 8th 2019 by eXtasy Books Inc (2nd edition)

Amazon

Blurb:

Dan Tolliver, the adopted son of alpha pack leader Jeremiah Tolliver, has suffered his last moment of abuse by his lover Keith Mulligan and finds himself in the hospital. There he meets dark and sharp-tongued Dr. Aiden Kavanaugh, who believes Dan needs some of his straightforward kind of medicine. Still, there is something different about the doctor.

Aiden is a sandman, a weaver of dreams, and has been on earth far longer than even he knows. He's at the end of his time, ready to transition, and needs a human mate to keep him connected to the world he’s grown to love. Only he hasn’t found a special person who makes him want to stay. He doesn’t despair, because not every sandman has the chance to choose, but he knows if he doesn’t find a partner, he will soon lose his physical form and exist only in dreams.

When Aiden realizes Keith is a far greater monster than Dan has any idea, they grow and work together using the support of the pack—and Dan’s inner strength—to overcome impossible odds.

Book Review: Omega Released (Omega Reimagined Series #3) by Tanya Chris (Excerpt)

Omega Released

by Tanya Chris

Published by Tanya Chris Publishing (self-published)

M/M paranormal romance, 47K words

Available 2/21/19 from Amazon in digital format only. Eligible for Kindle Unlimited.

Omega Released is the third book in the Omega Reimagined series, each of which can be read as a standalone.

http://mybook.to/omegarel

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43815174-omega-released

Blurb:

Growing up in the Hinterlands hasn’t prepared Benjy for life in North Leland where the alphas grow to an alarming size and he’s expected to get a job. He’s never been farther than running distance from his den until the morning his father drops him off in the city to be claimed by the first alpha who‘ll have him. Of all the things Benjy isn’t prepared for, finding his own mate is at the top of the list.

Fortunately, JT has all that covered—a bed to sleep in, a job at the library he’s in the process of opening, even matchmaking services. There might be wolves in North Leland who disapprove of JT’s wild omega ways, but he knows all the hottest alphas and he for sure knows how to take care of himself. He can take care of Benjy too, even when Benjy goes into his first heat. But could any of North Leland’s alphas really be good enough for his precious potato?

As the library takes shape, Benjy makes friends and settles into life in North Leland, but he’s not getting any closer to picking out an alpha. Why would he want to when JT gives him everything he needs, including a very special sort of knot? But it takes an inconveniently timed heat and a predatory alpha to make Benjy realize who he really wants for a mate.

Omega Released is a sexy omega/omega love story. Please note that this is not an MPREG universe. No MPREG occurs in this story or any Omega Reimagined stories.

Book Review ~ A Late Summer Night's Dream by Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead

Book Review ~ A Late Summer Night's Dream by Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead

Genre: Contemporary 

Length: 79 pages

Publisher: Pride

Release: 19th February 2019

 Pride Publishing     Amazon UK      Amazon      Goodreads

Among Oxford’s dreaming spires, can a widowed professor and a wide-eyed scholar make their own dreams of love come true?

Simeon Shakespeare is living his academic dream. As an Oxford scholar, he spends his days in libraries and whiles away his nights at the theater. A mix-up over a seat number leads to a very awkward first act, but that’s nothing compared to what happens when the lights go up.

Professor Anthony Meadows is finished with love. Shattered by the death of his husband, he divides his time between his book-lined study and Oxford’s theaters. The last thing he needs is an annoying research student bickering with him over who should sit where.

When Anthony and Simeon discover they have more in common than a shared love of the Bard, it looks as though the stage is set for romance. Yet with the memory of Anthony’s lost love keeping the professor from moving on, can Simeon’s love mend his broken heart?

Book Review ~ Heart Of Us (US Series Book #4) by A.M. Arthur

Book Review ~ Heart Of Us (US Series Book #4) by A.M. Arthur

Heart of Us (Us #4)

A.M. Arthur

Blurb:

Charles “Chet” Greenwood has everything he’s ever wanted: a home, a stable business, and strong, loving relationships with his two boyfriends. In the year since he’s been with Cris and Jake, they’ve always agreed on one thing to keep their triad strong: communication is key. Which is why it hurts that lately Jake seems to be hiding something. Before Chet and Cris can find out what, a tragic phone call forces Chet and his nephew Dell to return to their Georgia hometown for a funeral—and to finally confront the bigoted family they left behind.

Jake Bowden never imagined he’d go from an exotic dancer to a professional cook in the space of a year, but here he is. He’s also secretly looking at top culinary schools, but the requirements are way beyond Jake’s abilities. And going to school could take him away from his boyfriends—which might actually be for the best. Chet and Cris have so much history together, are always in sync, and when Jake can’t get time off to support Chet, he feels even more like the odd man out.

Cris Sable knows something is going on with Jake, and he hates leaving Jake behind for two days to attend a funeral, but Chet and Dell need his support—especially with Dell’s own boyfriend unable to make the trip. Cris checks in with Jake constantly while they’re away, and even after their trio returns home, Cris knows something is still wrong. But it gets lost in the aftermath of an unbelievable secret reveal.

While in Georgia, Chet received shocking news about his own past that will change everything about his future, and it rocks their triad to its core. But Cris loves and believes in his men, and he will do everything in his power to keep their three hearts beating as one.

AUTHOR NOTE: This is an m/m/m romance with kinky three-way sex between consenting adults. The “Us” series is best read in numerical order.

Book Review ~ Four Ever by Sloane Kennedy

 Book Review ~ Four Ever by Sloane Kennedy

Title: Four Ever

Author: Sloane Kennedy

Pages: 357 

Published: January 16th 2019

Amazon   Goodreads

Blurb:

Surrounded by a group of devoted four-footed and two-winged family members, Zak and Killian have built what should have been a dream life in their countryside farmhouse. But a cruel twist of fate and the re-emergence of old demons has frayed the edges of the men’s seven-year relationship until just one wrong move could end up severing their bond for good. 

Seemingly content to walk on eggshells around one another, things come to a head when ER nurse Zak brings his work home with him… literally. 

After being forced to leave their posh Southern California lives, homeless stepbrothers Liam and Noah are slowly losing themselves to the streets they can’t seem to escape. When twenty-one-year-old Liam is beaten up while protecting his younger “brother,” the pair find themselves being welcomed into a home where being a stray is considered a good thing. But Liam and nineteen-year-old Noah have learned the hard way that nothing is given for free and there’s no such thing as the kindness of strangers. Survival means only counting on and trusting in each other. 

Will Zak and Killian’s offer of a no-strings-attached place to heal end up being more than any of the four men bargained for? Especially when feelings between Liam and Noah begin to crawl to the surface and the truth of what Zak and Killian’s relationship has turned into becomes harder to deny? 

And what happens when lines begin to blur and needs start to change? Will Zak, Killian, Liam, and Noah end up going their separate ways? 

Or will they learn that love doesn’t always come in twos? 

*This is a novel about a foursome relationship, not just a story of two separate couples in physical relationships with one another. Thus, there is no “cheating” in this story. This is a standalone novel. 

Trigger Warning: The trigger warnings in this book may be considered "spoilerish" so they can be found by using the "Look Inside" feature or by downloading the sample and going to the section entitled "Trigger Warning."

Blog Tour ~ Stay by K.M. Neuhold (Reviews + Excerpt)

Blog Tour ~ Stay by K.M. Neuhold (Reviews + Excerpt)

STAY

K.M. NEUHOLD

M/M PUPPY PLAY ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 01.11.19

BLURB

What happens to a couple when one of them discovers a new kink that he’s not sure his partner will be into?

Dear Art,

I’m sure you get messages like this all the time, but I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. I suppose I should start from the beginning… Three weeks ago, I saw puppy play for the first time, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Wait, no, that’s not really the beginning… Ten years ago, my best friend who I’d been in love with my entire life told me he loved me too.

For ten years, I’ve been living in complete bliss with Lars, the man of my dreams. Don’t get me wrong, we have our fights and disagreements (mostly because I do irritating shit, and every once in a while, he reaches the end of his patience), but he is my other half in every way. I didn’t know I could love someone the way I love him.

Then, the puppy thing happened. It’s not so different from when I realized I was gay; there was a moment where everything sort of clicked into place, and my whole body was like “Yes, that’s what we’ve been trying to figure out all this time.” At first, I thought maybe I should just let it go because it’s not the kind of thing I can imagine my partner being into. But last week I went into a kink shop and ended up walking out with a puppy hood. I stashed it in our guest bedroom closet and haven’t even had the courage to take it out and try it on again, let alone show it to Lars. I don’t know what to do. How do I bring this up to him? And what if he isn’t into it? I feel like I don’t recognize myself anymore, and I don’t know where to turn. Please help.

Sincerely,

One Lost Puppy

Book Blast ~ Bad Deal (A Belikov Crime Family Novel) by Ember-Raine Winters & Faith Ryan (Review + Excerpt)

Book Blast ~ Bad Deal (A Belikov Crime Family Novel) by Ember-Raine Winters & Faith Ryan (Review + Excerpt)

Book Title: Bad Deal (Belikov Crime Family 1)

Author: Ember-Raine Winters & Faith Ryan

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Always Inked

Genre/s: Dark Erotic Romance, Mafia/MC

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 40 000 words

It’s the first in a series but stands alone

Add on Goodreads

Blurb

He’s a Russian devil and he owns me.

JR Richards

What’s worse than wanting the one person you can never have? How about finally getting them. Don’t get me wrong the sex was great, but everything that came after? Yeah, it’s like they say, be careful what you wish for.

Ruslan Belikov

My brother made a deal that didn’t go as planned. Now I have to get back what’s ours and pretty boy Jacoby is the tool to make that happen. I’ll torture and use him until I get what I want, then I’ll toss him aside like the rest.

A motorcycle club and a Mafia family shouldn’t make deals. Someone’s bound to lose. Family, friends and hearts, nothing’s safe in a world fueled by drugs, money and sex.

WARNING: Ruslan Belikov and Jacoby Richards may not be for everyone. They are two dominant men thrown into an impossible situation. Some readers may find their story makes them uncomfortable. If you don't like dark and dirty mafia bosses who use torture and sex to get their way turn back now. You have been warned.

Book Review ~ Professional Courtesy by J.V. Speyer

Book Review ~ Professional Courtesy  by J.V. Speyer 

Professional Courtesy 

by J.V. Speyer 

Publication date: December 21st 2018

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Goodreads   Amazon

Description:

This is the story of two college professors who share an office and not much else – until the holiday season works its magic.

Eric’s semester hasn’t been going all that well. Not only have renovations to the English Department’s physical space forced him to share an office with the department’s newest faculty member, Mike Kistler, his mother showed up at the beginning of the semester with all her worldly possessions and a U-Haul. It’s not that he doesn’t care for his mother, but she’s disruptive. She keeps wanting to honor traditions they never cared about when he was growing up, starting with the giant antique advent calendar she dragged over from her parents’ house in Hamburg.

Eric has a solution, though. He might not have much interest in his mom’s traditions, but his irritating office mate does. He’ll bring Kistler over, and his mom will have someone who cares, and someone to speak German with, and Eric will be left alone to grade papers in peace.

Mike is the rising star of the English Department. He’s worked damn hard to get from homeless teen to young PhD, he’s proud of his accomplishment, and he loves to give back. He likes his work. He could live without his office mate, who’s attractive but stuffier than an overfull burrito. He’s shocked when Eric invites him to help his mother celebrate Advent, but intrigued by the old traditions. And it’s been more than ten years since he’s had anything like a family to celebrate anything with, so he agrees.

Moving from a cramped office to a family setting shifts things for Eric and Mike, and they start to see each other through different eyes. Can they find love, or will old family issues keep them apart forever?

Blog Tour ~ A World Apart (Loving Again Series) by Mel Gough (Review + Excerpt)

Blog Tour ~ A World Apart (Loving Again Series) by Mel Gough (Review + Excerpt) 

January 25, 2019 - A World Apart

February 22, 2019 - A New Life

March 22, 2019 - A Broken Promise

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: A World Apart (Loving Again Series, Book 1)

Author: Mel Gough

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Black Jazz Design

Genre/s: Contemporary romance

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 51 000 words/197 pages

Release Date: January 25, 2019

The first book in a series of three, but can be read as standalone.

Add on Goodreads

Blurb

Ben’s life appears perfect. He has a career to shine in and a beautiful family. But his marriage has broken down, and being a small-town cop is turning into a dead-end job.

Hot-headed troublemaker Donnie is used to being side-eyed by the fuzz. Getting dragged into the station for a crime he didn’t commit is no big surprise – but a cop who gives a damn sure is.

Ben has no clue how much a second encounter with the secretive redneck will shake up his life. Donnie’s sullen vulnerability arouses a passion Ben hasn’t felt for a long time. Soon, nothing matters but helping Donnie fight his demons. Can they carve a new life together out of the ashes? 

Buy Links

Universal Amazon Link

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Review ~ Snowed In - Ross and Ashton by J.V. Speyer

Book Review ~ Snowed In - Ross and Ashton by J.V. Speyer

Snowed In – Ross and Ashton 
by J.V. Speyer 
Publication date: January 5th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+,Romance

Massachusetts State Trooper Ross Huber is giving one last sweep of the roads before heading in for the night. The nor’easter hitting the Boston area is worse than expected by an order of magnitude, and the governor has just issued a travel ban. He finds a wrecked car half buried in a snowbank and rescues its human and canine occupants from carbon monoxide poisoning, but is forced to take shelter with them in a vacant or abandoned house when the roads are blocked.

When he gets the victims indoors, he thinks the human looks uncomfortably familiar…

Ash Machado has been through a lot in his career as a war correspondent. Sidelined by an injury, he’s returned to Boston to take up a job as a news anchor. After he loses control of his car on an icy road, he wakes up in an unfamiliar home, looking into the face of the guy who broke his heart in college.

Neither Ross nor Ash are the same guys they were in college, but they’re trapped in the abandoned house with no place to go. Can they get past old hurts long enough to get through the storm, or will the same misunderstandings that drove them apart years ago make this confinement unbearable?

Blog Tour ~ Rough Terrain (Out of Uniform, #7) by Annabeth Albert (Review+Teaser+Giveaway)

“Sexy, sensitive, smart, and thoroughly researched, Annabeth Albert’s gay romances have rocketed to the top of my to-be-read pile. I’ve fallen as hard for her books as her heroes fall for each other.”

-Christopher Rice, New York Times Bestselling author of A DENSITY OF SOULS and the Burning Girl Series

"Rough Terrain was a delicious blend of cool Navy SEAL and sweet former drummer with a sprinkle of some of my favorite flavors like "fake boyfriend" and "trapped in a storm" mixed in. This story was both healing and heartwrenching in the very best ways. A strong finish to a definite auto-buy series. Strong recommend!"

-Lucy Lennox, bestselling author of the Made Marian and Forever Wilde series

ROUGH TERRAIN by Annabeth Albert

Series: Out of Uniform, #7 *Final book in the series*

Publisher: Carina Press (Harlequin)

Release Date (Print & Ebook):

eBook: Monday January 14, 2019

Print (mmp): Tuesday January 29, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook):

384 Pages

Subgenre:

Contemporary Romance, Male/Male Romance, Military Romance

Warnings (if any):

No content warnings needed. Hot fake relationship shenanigans dominate along with being trapped outdoors, but HEA for everything. No addictions/bdsm/deaths etc.

Links:

• Harlequin (eBook): https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488081347_rough-terrain.html
• Harlequin (print): https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335983732_rough-terrain.html
• Harlequin (audio): https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335983732_rough-terrain.html
• Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rough-terrain-annabeth-albert/1129264753?ean=9781335983732
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Terrain-Uniform-Annabeth-Albert/dp/1335983732/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
• Shorter: https://amzn.to/2FfZ9ZY
• Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/rough-terrain-2
• iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rough-terrain/id1424224874?mt=11
• Google play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Annabeth_Albert_Rough_Terrain?id=nt5rDwAAQBAJ
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Terrain-Audiobook/1488205566

Synopsis:

The camping trip from hell may be the first stop on the road to happily-ever-after in Rough Terrain, the final book in Annabeth Albert’s critically acclaimed, fan-favorite Out of Uniform series.

Navy SEAL Renzo Bianchi has a soft spot for Canaan Finley, and not only because the man makes a mean smoothie. He’s the first guy to get Renzo’s motor revving in a long time. But when he agrees to Canaan’s insane charade—one all-access fake boyfriend, coming right up—he never expects more than a fling.

Creating a hot Italian SEAL boyfriend to save face seemed like a good idea…until his friends called Canaan’s bluff. Now he’s setting off into the woods with the very man who inspired his deception, and Canaan is not the outdoorsy type. The sparks are already flying when a flash flood separates them from their group, leaving Renzo and Canaan very much trapped…very much alone in the wilderness.

Working together to come up with a plan for survival is sexier than either of them expects. But back in the real world, being a couple is bringing its own set of hazards…