~Review~Call the Coroner by Avril Ashton~

 

Title: Call the Coroner
Author: Avril Ashton
Publisher: Sinner’s Haven Publishing
Page Count: 448 pages
Release Date: May 8, 2017
Genre(s): M/M, Dark Romance, Mafia/Suspense
Reviewer: ~Jan~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

 ~Blurb~

A clash of wills between predators…

He’s been living underground for a long time, but the only thing guaranteed to bring Daniel Nieto back to the surface is the identity of his wife’s killer. With the whisper of one name, he puts it all on the line for vengeance. He’s got plans for Stavros Konstantinou.

The title of monster fits too well for Stavros to want to be anything other than what he is. Time spent in Daniel Nieto’s dungeon, chained and tortured, will never change that. Starved of food, sunlight, and freedom, he waits for an opening to turn the tables on the only man who’s ever come close enough to scare him.

Somewhere between the slide of knife against skin, and the drip of blood on cold concrete, things change. Grief and hatred collide with lust and obsession, and this time Daniel and Stavros are on the same side. This time, they’re fighting a losing battle against a connection forged by much more than a love of violence and bloodshed.
In a war this bloodied, what do you do when the bodies start hitting the floor?

**Warning: Gun play, knife play, blood play, breath play. Non Con, Dub Con. Water sports. Triggers**

---

Call the Coroner by Avril Ashton

*****4.5 Stars*****

---

Daniel Nieto (49) has been feeling dead since his wife was murdered by Stavros Konstantinou (42). Vengeance was what kept him going and so, he carefully planned a payback. The right moment came. Stavros was made captive and tortured for 2 weeks.

So far, so good. No surprises. We have all read the blurb and expected that, right?Wrong. Because at some point Daniel’s plan failed big time.Daniel expected Stavros to break, to crack under the force of his torture. Stavros was having none of it.

“I missed you, Nieto” He licked the blood off his bottom lip. It is so m-much fun wh-when you are here.”

Insolent, defiant, provocative…

“I’m, uh-” Stavros cleared his throat.
“I’m not really the screaming type, lo siento.”

Daniel found Stavros fascinating…Then, the unexpected happened.

Stavros Konstantinou touched Daniel Nieto and breathed new life into his numb body. Grief and hatred collide with lust and obsession.

---

Now, let me drop my two cents:
As a ahem connoisseur of dark reads, I’ve been finding it quite tricky to come across a winner in this genre, where the balance between darkness and plausibility didn’t cross the line of absurdity.

Some are too incredible to take seriously, others don’t give us enough depth to connect with the characters aiming shock value and so on… Therefore, I do appreciate when a story gives me it all.

The synopsis of Call the Coroner shows darkness. The warning triggers are very clear.

Still, I don’t think the person who reads this blurb can grasp the full idea of what she is getting into, mainly because the emotions hidden between the lines is what really causes a massive impression. Totally unexpected.

Emotions as hate, anger, want, lust, guilt, and passion are trowed together in a turmoil of events. This vortex of feelings escalates even more when added to forbidden sex, drenched in blood and betrayal.

The result of it is an intense story. Violent. Consuming.

---

I have to say it took me a while to get into it, precisely 25%, just in case someone feels like giving up before crossing this mark,  I was intrigued enough to carry on though.

All I could think of was: how can something good come out of this?

So.Much.Blood. So much pain, torture, blame, and darkness. How the author will play this out? Will I have to suspend belief?
Well, who bloody cares? From the 25% mark, I had no time to think about that anymore. A good sign, right? I was entranced with Daniel and Stavros, mesmerized by the story line and a few occasions gobsmacked by it.
The slow build of forbidden, dark and sinful attitudes/elements drove me crazy. Torture, was at times obscene foreplay. The sex scenes were off the charts. They love making was violent, dirty and consuming…

To be followed later by love, unapologetic.

Two minor niggles:
1.) The ambush: why the hell they went downstairs so careless after hearing that blasting noise. They knew Daniel’s head was being hunted. Duh!
2.) Annika: I didn’t get why she was part of this story. I could have give it a pass. Easily.

Call the Coroner was beyond my expectations.I’ll round it up because I think it totally deserves…LOVED IT!

---

  

---

 

~Review~Power Exchange by A.J. Rose~

 

Power Exchange (Power Exchange #1) by A.J. Rose

*****4.5 Stars*****

---

After reading a few bad books in a row

I have to say that it feels damn good giving this one 4.5 Stars.

It was my first time reading A.J.Rose and I loved it.

 Strong and credible story line
 Excellent support characters
 Hot couple
 Erotica/BDSM

---

I loved the way the book was written rich in detail. It was extremely engaging. I need to give this some emphasis because I am not in too much detail. It makes me bored to death. And that is why I have to take my hat off for this author.

She was also so good developing the others characters. From the @sshole (Trent) there is always one, his partner (Myah) to Gavin’s family.

I devoured the book!

---

           

---

 

~Review~The Salt of Your Tears by M. Caspian~

 

The Salt of Your Tears by M. Caspian

****4.5 Stars****

---

Last year I read The Arroyo by M Caspian and I loved it. So, I was really surprised and happy when I stumbled on this review a few days back from a fellow I am a follower.

• Sold!
  Thank you!
  One click!
  Read!
  And a BIG thanks again to the lady who reads a lot!

Sweet baby Jesus, The Salt of Your Tears was so inappropriately good.

---

I don’t mean wickedly and sinfully good only, I mean wrong good, a total guilty pleasure.

This was a hell of a kinky story; therefore, be aware:  is not for all.
We are gifted with three short stories in 88 pages. Yep, that’s right, THAT short. How 3 short stories can turn out to be so good? Well, you’ll have to read it.
The 1st and 3rd stories left me in a weird dimension, some bizarre frequency between the real and the fantasy. I really didn’t know where I was standing. Is this shit real? Am I missing something? Is he dreaming? Is this a nightmare? Wait! perhaps it’s a PRN? no, I think is fantasy. Well, whatever.

I am in awe with that, simple as that.  This kind of power that takes us, mere mortal readers to the imaginable,  is the reason I read.

---

1) In His Skin 

• 5 Stars! I loved this! The writing was different, captivating, and lyrical. It got me entranced and deeply involved. Now, be aware: it was wrong. It was wrong, dirty and I loved. whispering involves pain. Ouch.

---

2) Asking For It 

• 5 Stars! What to say, people? Hawwwwt!!! So freaking hot and dirty! The whole story spans in one single encounter. Don’t read this expecting any kind of development between the MC’s. That is not what this is about.

---

3) A Song in the Blood 

• 4 Stars. I didn’t fancy it as much as the others. It was a bit shocking and disturbing but I have to give it credit because this author has no boundaries in terms of imagination. And because I have none, here we go! 4 Stars.

---

Summing up, The Salt of Your Tears was hot, kinky, dark, sinful, wicked, inappropriate and so damn good!

I am aware that my thoughts are really vague. If you want to know more details, read the SheReadsALot‘s review.
Remember: it’s not for all. Just don’t blame me afterward.  😉

---

        

---

~Review~ Misfits by Garrett Leigh

 

Title: Misfits
Series: Urban Soul Book #1
Author: Garrett Leigh
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 16, 2015
Genre(s): M/M/M, Contemporary Romance

AMAZON GLOBAL LINK  

---

Misfits (Urban Soul #1) by Garrett Leigh

*****5 Fly him to the moon Stars!*****

---

I was very curious to see how this would play out as it is very hard for me to grasp the concept of sharing someone.

I’m selfish and greedy of all things love related. Besides, I would be terrified of being put aside.

Let me face it,

…at some point, he decides that the other person became more important than me and he doesn’t need a third anymore. Hmm?? I know… My feelings and insecurities are ugly but this is me, bare soul. Sharing? No.Way. Jose.

That being said, can you imagine how surprised I was for loving Misfits?

---

As a person who would never share my man, I was stunned with my own reactions to their love relationship. I connected with them so bloody much. I wanted this work so hard!  It says a lot because as the story progressed I was going against my own truth and all the things I believe but you know what?

I couldn’t care less because it felt so damn right.

---

Tom and Cass were so open with their feelings.

 

They embraced an open relationship fearlessly and  I loved the way Jack was brought into it, it wasn’t forced and the pace was just right and believable.

---

Misfits aren’t something superficially created. Besides the Romance, the author put a lot of effort in details that made this story authentic and trustworthy.

• The research on TS (Tourette’s syndrome)
•  Little details related to food- I am no chef but I’m kind of addicted to buying recipe books. They knew how to cook alright.
• The cyber job Jack was doing to promote Urban Soul, Pippa’s and Misfits. Loved it.
• And finally, the whole London experience: the slang, the tube, the tourists, the vibe and so on.  I loved seeing Camden Town through the author’s eyes. It probably won’t make sense to other readers but Camden Town exerts a strange, bizarre fascination on me. It’s a unique place and it was described exactly the way I see it, alive.
  

  ---

I absolutely loved Misfits. I was hooked and connected with it immediately.

Their story made me feel something warm, fluttering and earthly from the very beginning.

Argh, I can’t explain it. Wankers.Freaking good!

This was my first book by Garrett Leigh.

Do I need to shout that I CAN NOT WAIT  to read  Nero’s story?? 

---

 

~Review~ Unbroken by Larry Benjamin

 

Unbroken by Larry Benjamin

*****5 Stars*****

---

It’s been a day since I’ve finished Unbroken.

Initially, I didn’t want to write my thoughts. But I can’t get over it, I can’t let this go, needless to say, I can’t get into any other story. So hear me out because I need to get this off my chest.

---

There are stories that leave me speechless. Their impact is so big on me that I feel it’s not even worth attempting to make sense of my thoughts. Why should I try? I won’t be able to make it justice anyway. I feel too small in the face of such greatness. However, I’ll have to give this a shot though because I am desperate for closure.

---

There are stories that put your past readings to shame when you are faced with memorable ones.There are stories that speak quietly to your heart, whispering secrets you listen to in awe and others that you just don’t want to listen to but by that time, you have to, because it’s already too late, you are already bonded and committed as a best friend. And so you do what best friends do best: you listen, the bad and the good. You listen to this voice who is taking you on this memorable journey, don’t forget to put on your big pants and face the tears because if you have a heart, you will shed some.

---

This is Lincoln’s story, a boy beautiful as a girl.

---

Lincoln from a very early age (kindergarten) announces he will marry his best friend, Orlando when he grows up.

---

He believed in their lies until he was 12.

He believed he would change and would want to marry a girl, have children, and a dog and other things boys wanted when they grew up. Time had passed and he was still broken. Lincoln then realized that he would have to just make it through the long night of his adolescence. This was the time he grasped the concept of hope.

---

Lincoln had to keep everything locked inside though because when his family made him sit on his hands or clasp them behind his back when he spoke, they stilled Lincoln’s hands and his words failed. He grew quiet.

---

Lincoln story spans for over 25 years. It goes in a steady consuming pace.You can’t stop reading it. I should mention that I liked the first part the most because of the romance and Lincoln’s self-discovery. However, it’s not Romance what drives the second part of it. Life is.

---

Unbroken is a beautiful moving story in its purest essence.

It’s a story about strength, integrity, loyalty, dreams, hope and love. It touched me deeply and left me tearful countless times.

I recommend Unbroken to everyone who loved Wolfsong.

---

       

---

 

~Review~ Gone for You by Riley Hart

Gone for You (Wild Side #1) by Riley Hart

*****4.5 Stars*****

---

I.Loved.It.

This story spoke to my heart.

---

Gone for You was a tad bit more angsty than I thought, but as I said to a friend, I am an angst junkie in denial. I don’t want to read them, however, when I am in the middle of all the drama it feels so darn good.

---

The story sucked me in; I was completely involved and touched by both MC’s.
They seemed total opposites in so many ways, especially affectionate and in the way, they were shaped to live their lives but they were perfect for each other.

---

This is a deal breaker for me in a story, the author’s ability to make two completely different personalities to mesh, making a relationship between these two people feel real, pumping the exact dose of drama into it in order to add depth without overdoing it. I think it was brilliantly done!

My only niggle and the reason I won’t give it a full 5 Stars is that I found that at the end everything was sorted too easily, a bit rushed maybe? I don’t know… Matty had it too easy.

---

         

---

~Review~ Cut & Run by Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban

 

Cut & Run (Cut & Run, #1) by Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban

**** 4 Stars****

---

I really liked this but I didn’t love it, not in epic proportions as most of the others anyway.

Here are my thumbs up points:
The characterisation of both MCs.
The mystery which came across very strong.
Action wise it had a steady pace with no boring times.
Chemistry was there, solid.

What held back my 5*? … Romance vs. Relationship.

---

When the story started and we met Zane.

---

We were led to believe that Zane was perfection whereas Ty, on the other hand, was a mess.

---

Very first wrong impressions I must say. I guess we were tricked.As the story progresses and Zane’s layers start to peel off we realize that Zane is not perfect at all.

 

---

Hands down, Zane was the most damaged. He lost his wife, a partner at work and he also had addictions to deal with.I didn’t like that every time Zane showed a weakness Ty took a step back. It happened when he mentioned his wife, the drinks, and the drugs.

I also wanted to see them going crazy in lust with each other

---

But they seemed very restrained both emotionally and physically. There were times when I was left disappointed in regarding this coldness, like when they were apart for 4 months. When they met again, they went to Ty’s place, had a shower, they ate some pizza, talked and went to bed, to sleep, folks.

---

Now, excuse me, moi, but why they didn’t jump each other bones is beyond my understanding.Think:🤔 you don’t see your man for 4 months.What are you going to do when you meet hmm?? Well, I have no idea what you would do, but I know what I would. 
Ok, he wasn’t HIS man. Still, it frustrated me.

 

---

Oh! Another thing that I liked A LOT was that the guys didn’t seem to grab where they stood emotionally. AND that made the story believable. I would have hated if it would have turned in instalove. They hated each other at first and in a matter of days, they started to feel protective of each other. They were very confused about these feelings. I think this was played very well by the author with their inner monologs.

 

---

Overall it was a really great read and I am very curious to see what book #2 will bring romance wise.Sorry, I went a bit OTT with the pics but how could I not get excited about.

Ty & Zane? …So damn hot!
A pity that I could not show them in full, a serial flagger could be around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

             

---

 

~Review~ Bitter Legacy by Dal Maclean

 

Bitter Legacy by Dal Maclean

*****5 Stars*****

---

What a fabulous journey! And to think that I almost skipped it!

Cutting to the chase:
Bitter Legacy was an overdose of feelings. Euphoric feelings with WTF moments, hysterical feelings, anxious feelings, rage feelings with WTF moments, compassion feelings, tenderness feelings, sadness feelings, thrilling feelings, did I mention the WTF moments?? yes? ok but I want to do it again because of What.The.Actual.Fuck!?

I was utterly drawn to Jamie, overwhelmingly connected. I felt him with my heart.

The other MC – Ben – left me growling like a rabid dog.

---

Despite the completely opposite reactions, they hit me with the same extent of passion.With Jamie, my passion went to the extent of wanting to take my heart out and handing it over to him.

 

---

Whereas with Ben, the passion drove me to the extent of hysteria rages.

---

It hurt me so much when Jamie tried to keep up with Ben’s wicked lifestyle.

---

Not him, though. He didn’t play it well and that’s the reason it was so painful to watch that.There was no dull moments plot wise. In fact, It was all too much, but in a very good way. The result was powerful, intense and overwhelming.

The secondary characters were meticulously crafted and I want to mention how much I liked them all. Kudos to Ingham as we rarely have a chance to see a leading female boss in a predominantly male world.

---

####From now on this review contain spoilers####

Now, let me show you my ugly side. I basically went until the end of the story rooting for the beautiful moment where I would finally see Ben crawling and begging for a chance with Jamie. But my pitiful feelings have changed of course; at the very end when it all came to light.  I don’t believe you can delete memories of your first 9 years of life, especially when what you have lived through was so out of sorts. I am not talking about parental neglect here. I am talking about a batshit crazy hold-on-your-bits-I-am-going-to-cut-your-balls-out mother.

Can we forget this kind of abuse with a brand new set of lovely parents? Fuck, no! These memories will get tattooed on your skin, mind, and soul.  Somehow it will shape you for better or worst. For this reason, I don’t believe Ben being the result of it, volatile and promiscuous the way he was, would have changed in a blink.

---

If I recommend it?

That being said, I love a book that can make me feel the way Bitter Legacy did, tying me in knots like a pretzel, toying with my emotions effortlessly. Therefore, despite my criticism about wishing a bit more time to assimilate Ben’s transformation, in the end, I will give it 5 Stars. It’s a remarkable story. Its impact was too big to get less than that. It will stay with me for a while.

 

---

         

---

 

~Review~ The Price of Dick by Dan Skinner

 

The Price of Dick by Dan Skinner

***3.5 Stars***

---

Asshole characters exert a strange fascination on me. They are a weakness and a guilty pleasure. But they only appeal to me when there is lots of groveling involved until they finally redeem their selves. The Price of Dick didn’t turn out the way I wished. It’s not that kind of Romance. There was no groveling, let alone redemption. Needless to say, I was left disappointed. I’m blaming this on me though for having the pretension to assume that this story would be like many others.

---

JJ was a doormat and he knew it. He was a doormat infatuated with Dick and that is where my disappointment with JJ solely stands. Don’t take me wrong,  JJ wasn’t manipulative and bad as Dick but he had an agenda too. He could have kicked Dick out of his life at any time, but no. He liked sharing the bills, he liked having Dick around, he liked Dick’s charismatic act to recruit new guys and finally, he saw a chance, in Dick to up his game.

And Dick? Well, Dick was a DICK with all capital letters, a scoundrel. He did unforgivable things. Dick needed a place where he could stop the macho pretense, a place where he could let the barriers down and be gay. JJ was his golden ticket. Such a sweetheart.

---

It was a hard story to swallow. In my view, the fucked up situation was a mutual arrangement where both would benefit. And even though I was aware that the exploration was consensual by both parties I could not take it easily, because this deal was not well-balanced, JJ was always the weakest link. He couldn’t see it, though; bloke was blind like a bat. It took too long for JJ to wake up and realize that he didn’t need that, that he could do much better.

---

I think I had a reverse reaction here. Instead of being mad at Dick I was mad at JJ for taking all that crap from Dick. One of the things that nagged me the most listened to Dick make a pass at other guys with his bullshit I-am-not- gay speech in every fucking photo shoot,

---

Gawd, give me strength!

I am glad JJ found someone to give him a push. I don’t think he would have pulled his shit together on his own. Alex grounded JJ. Alex was the one who came up with the idea to transfer/backup the photos. Alex pushed him to find a new place. Alex opened JJ eyes about his financial situation and finally, he was the one who thought about calling an attorney to fix that big mess. Summing it up, the grand finale all down did Alex.

This book drove me mad! We really deserved that HEA.

I am not sure my kindle would survive, otherwise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

         

---

~Review~ Beyond Complicated by Mercy Celeste

 

~Review by ~Jan~

Beyond Complicated by Mercy Celeste

****4 Stars****

---

There is no point of trying to sugar coat this. Therefore, let me go straight for the kill. Warning: Pseudo-incestuous themes. MMM sexual situations. May not be suitable for sensitive readers.

---

Beyond Complicated is the kind of story that makes one squirm, cringe and feel uncomfortable. Most of you would probably think that this is a sordid story and as such, of course, you wouldn’t touch it even with a ten-foot pole. I can’t really blame you if you read the blurb and the tags.

---

Newsflash: Beyond Complicated is not a black and white story as one can think. So please, don’t go all almighty making assumptions and judgments. I admit it could have been a sordid story alright if it wasn’t for the fact that there are over fifty tons of fucked up gray between the black and white, which in case you are wondering, leads this story to angst and depth in spades.

---

In my very honest and conflicted opinion, Beyond Complicated was royally fucked up complicated. My ramblings, sadly, will follow this lead as I finished this with my feelings all over the place.

Writing: 5 Stars.  I found it refreshing, intriguing and remarkably witty. There was a dose of dry humor that captivated me.

“I closed my phone. I mean what I was supposed to say to that? Holy fucking shit. I flopped back in the sand and wished for one huge mother-fucking wave to come and wash me away.”

---

Storyline/Originality: 5 Stars

Angst: 5 Stars for all the hell Liam put me through. Liam has been wronged so bloody many times!

Depth of the book: 5 Stars

Hero/ Liam: 5 Stars.What’s not to like about him? Swoon!

Hero/Seth: 2 Stars  Seth was kind of meh.I think his character was poorly developed.

 Hero/Kel: 5 Stars for the sweetest boy ever. And dirty. 😉

---

   

---

Now, here is where the story let me down. I was disappointed with the way the author developed Kel/Liam relationship. I didn’t feel exactly at which point Liam fell in love with Kel. How it happened. I wish it was handled differently because my heart didn’t follow it. However, the other way around worked to the T.  Jesus! The way Kel grew up in such an unstable family, and knowing Liam was not his father, how could Kel NOT be in love with Liam considering it all? Liam was his rock. I would be in love with Liam!

---

How to rate this? On one hand, I was amazed me and on the other, I was disappointed. It’s been hours since I’ve finished this and I can’t wrap my head around making sense of my thoughts as a whole.

I think Beyond Complicated was an incredible and compelling story, painful at times but with a very important piece missing romance wise.

I definitely recommend this book.

 

---

        

---