~Release Day Review~As Sure As The Sun (Accidental Roots #4) by Elle Keaton~

 

Title: As Sure As The Sun
Author: Elle Keaton
Series: Accidental Roots #4
Page Count: 263 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

The universe is trying to tell Sacha Bolic something. A fire escape collapses under him, he lands in crap, and a killer barely misses his target… all in the same few seconds. That’s on top of a long list of mishaps and job dissatisfaction. Not one to ignore signals when they’re shoved in his face, Sacha retires and uses his savings to buy an old building in Skagit, Washington. With a little help from DIY videos, he’s going to bring it back to its former glory.  And, yeah, it’s a metaphor. If he makes one change, others will follow… 
Seth Culver avoids entanglements, romantic or otherwise. Who needs them? He’s learned the hard way that people betray you or leave. Still, Seth finds people compelling. He kind of collects them, learning their secrets before letting them go their own way. His commitment to no commitments may have met its match in Sacha. Handsome and hot, Sacha seems to offer a permanence that scares Seth more than anything ever has. Seth will have to decide if he’s going to grab life by the balls or keep watching from the sidelines. 
A box of inconsequential belongings hidden for decades in the old building hints at lives imagined but not lived, reminding them both there are no guarantees in love, or this thing called life. 
A standalone in the Accidental Roots series, HEA, and hot m/m. 18+ .

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  The past is behind, learn from it.
The future is ahead, prepare for it.
The present is here, live it.  

Sasha Bolic is 39 years old and feels every single year in his bones. After the umpteenth close call on his life while on duty as a US Marshall and a premature midlife crisis of some sorts, he contemplates his life choices and decides that something’s got to give. Big time. And fast.

Sick of being uncomfortable with his sexuality and of living in the closet his whole life, he is tired of hiding his true self any longer and grabs the bull by the horns and retires, in order to find a new home somewhere where he just can be. The one place that immediately comes to his mind is Skagit, WA, the dump where he spent several years on an undercover mission and where he made some sorts of friends during that time. Buying an old building and bringing it back to its former beauty is his new purpose in life, which is easier said than done.

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~Series Reviews~Enhanced by Victoria Sue~

 

Enhanced Series

Check out this fantastic Series

and read Wendy’s and Simone’s Reviews.

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Title: Five Minutes Longer
Author: Victoria Sue
Series: Enhanced #1
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Page Count: 216 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance, Paranormal, Science Fiction
Release Date: December 2, 2016
Reviewer: ~Wendy~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Talon Valdez knew when he transformed into an enhanced human, his life and his dreams were finished. Reviled, mistrusted, and often locked away, the enhanced were viewed as monsters, despised by the public, and never trusted to serve in the military or any law enforcement agency.
Years later he gets a chance to set up a task force of enhanced to serve in the FBI, but with one proviso: each enhanced must partner with a regular human.
Finn Mayer dreamed of joining the FBI from the time he was fourteen and made every possible sacrifice to make it happen, including living with his selfish mother and bullying, homophobic brother and never having a boyfriend. But his undiagnosed dyslexia stopped his aspirations dead in their tracks. His last chance is to partner with Talon, an enhanced with deadly abilities who doesn’t trust regular humans with their secrets and wants Finn to fail.
Four weeks to prove himself to the team. Four weeks for the team to prove itself to the public. And when another group threatens their success—and their lives are at stake—four weeks for them to survive.

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This book really took me by surprise. I absolutely loved it!!!

Guess I am a huge sucker for badass men with superpowers!!This book kind of reminded me of the “Thirds” series, though it was completely different. For one…it’s not about shifters…It’s about “Enhanced Humans”.

What are “Enhanced Humans”, you say??

Well, they are boys, who have yet to hit puberty, who wake up one day,  with a special ability (think X-men) and a mark on their face. There aren’t very many enhanced around, and the reason why and how this genetic condition manifests in some children is still unknown. What isn’t unknown, is that the enhanced are treated very poorly by the rest of the human population. As is often the case…people fear and hate what they don’t know…

Parents literally kick their kids out when they suddenly bare a mark. These kids are sent to “homes” and some with very special/dangerous powers are even send to “kiddie prison”.

The thought alone made me sick!!!

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~Release Day Review~Tramps and Thieves (Murder and Mayhem #2) by Rhys Ford~

 

Title: Tramps and Thieves
Author: Rhys Ford
Series: Murder and Mayhem #2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Page Count: 210 pages
Genre(s): M/M Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Whoever said blood was thicker than water never stood in a pool of it.
Retiring from stealing priceless treasures seemed like a surefire way for Rook Stevens to stay on the right side of the law. The only cop in his life should have been his probably-boyfriend, Los Angeles Detective Dante Montoya, but that’s not how life—his life—is turning out. Instead, Rook ends up not only standing in a puddle of his cousin Harold’s blood but also being accused of Harold’s murder…and sleeping with Harold’s wife.
For Dante, loving the former thief means his once-normal life is now a sea of chaos, especially since Rook seems incapable of staying out of trouble—or keeping trouble from following him home. When Rook is tagged as a murder suspect by a narrow-focused West L.A. detective, Dante steps in to pull his lover out of the quagmire Rook’s landed in. 
When the complicated investigation twists around on them, the dead begin to stack up, forcing the lovers to work together. Time isn’t on their side, and if they don’t find the killer before another murder, Dante will be visiting Rook in his prison cell—or at his grave.

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Happy to have two of my favorite guys back!

“Fuck, I missed this,” Rook whispered, stroking the edge of the lock. “Why the hell did I give this up?”

Former cat burglar Rook Stevens gives into the thrill of one last caper. Okay, maybe he was a bit driven by a teeny-weeny desire for revenge. Maybe he felt the need to prove himself that he is still one of the best. And yeah, maybe he should have known better…

~Release Day Review~Off the Beaten Path by Cari Z.~

 

Title: Off the Beaten Path
Author: Cari Z.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Page Count: 200 pages
Genre(s): M/M Romance, Werewolves/Shapeshifters
Release Date: September 18, 2017
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

When Ward Johannsen’s little girl Ava shifted into a werewolf, she was taken into custody by the feds and shipped off to the nearest pack, all ties between father and daughter severed. Ward burned every bridge he had discovering her location, and then almost froze to death in the Colorado mountains tracking her new pack down. And that’s just the beginning of his struggle.
Henry Dormer is an alpha werewolf and an elite black ops soldier who failed his last mission. He returns home, hoping for some time to recuperate and help settle the pack’s newest member, a little pup named Ava who can’t shift back to her human form. Instead he meets Ward, who refuses to leave his daughter without a fight. The two men are as different as night and day, but their respect for each other strikes a spark of mutual interest that quickly grows into a flame. They might find something special together—love, passion, and even a family—if they can survive trigger-happy pack guardians, violent werewolf politics, and meddling government agencies that are just as likely to get their alpha soldiers killed as bring them home safely.

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“It’s not your place to take care of me.”
“It is now, though,” I said earnestly. “You’re my pack.”
“You feel like pack. You might feel like more.”

Granted, the circumstances under which Ward Johannsen and Henry Dormer met are not the best, to put it mildly.

Ward lands on Henry’s doorstep -literally-, on the brink of drawing his last breath -also quite literally- in search of his little daughter, Ava, who got snatched from under his nose by the government and sent to Henry’s pack after turning into a werewolf. Ava is all the world to Henry and with nothing else to lose, he moves heaven and hell to find her, his own delicate state of health notwithstanding and fully intent on not letting himself be put off by an intimidating alpha werewolf.

~Release Day Review~Pins and Needles by A.J. Thomas~

 

Title: Pins and Needles
Author: A.J. Thomas
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Page Count: 300 pages
Release Date: August 25, 2017
Genre(s): M/M, Contemporary Romance
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

The truth is rarely seen on the surface, and getting to it might mean digging deep….

After a devastating accident and a long stay in the hospital, the last thing petroleum engineer Sean Wilkinson wants to deal with is the settlement the oil company tries to force on him. He’ll never be able to work in his field again, his education is all but useless, and his surgeons are pessimistic about whether he’ll ever walk again. He needs someone in his corner, but most lawyers take one look at his tattoo-covered foster father and turn their backs. It’s just Sean’s luck that the one attorney willing to give him a chance is also the hottest guy he’s ever seen.

As a trial lawyer, Nate Delany has a lot to prove—to his father, the world, and himself. Sean intrigues Nate, and he struggles to reconcile the gifted tattoo artist he can’t stop fantasizing about with the quiet, brilliant engineer. His investigation reveals facts left out of the accident report—including an illicit affair, greedy coworkers, and a vicious corporation that will do anything to protect its bottom line. When Sean’s life is threatened, winning Sean’s case, and his heart, becomes a lot more dangerous.

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“I’ve always found that art and science are really just different reflections of reality. Different ways of appreciating the same thing, of understanding the world and showing it to others.”

Sean Wilkinson always tried to combine both in his life. Emanated from a difficult childhood he found a new home and a surrogate father in Hawk, a gentle from-head-to-toe tattooed giant who taught Sean not only his love for art and how to bring it to life but also encouraged him to make something of himself, to follow up on his fascination of science, which earned Sean two degrees, one in chemistry and one in petroleum engineering. Working as a tattoo artist and as an engineer on a ship belonging to an oil company was everything he could have hoped for in life until an accident destroys not only his chance for a thriving career -not to say almost his life-, but it also left him damaged and…

“I think I have more scar tissue than skin, and I’m…” He was broken, although he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.”

~Pre-Release Review~In the Shadows (Metahuman Files #3) by Hailey Turner~

 

Title: In the Shadows
Author: Hailey Turner
Series: Metahuman Files #3
Release Date: August 23, 2017
Genre(s): M/M Romance, Sci-Fi Military
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Take a chance.
Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin doesn’t trust easily, and he most certainly doesn’t trust spies. He’ll work with them if ordered to, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Except Agent Sean Delaney is proving to be the exception to the rule. There’s something about Sean that gets under Alexei’s skin and won’t let go. Alexei would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in what lay beneath the agent’s mask. When they’re assigned together for a mission, Alexei vows to keep Sean safe all while trying to coax the hot agent into his bed.
Hold onto hope.
Agent Sean Delaney has spent his entire adult life living a lie for his country. When the MDF tasks him with finding evidence of criminal wrong-doing against the owner of a private military company, Sean knows exactly how to play the game to get what he wants. He just doesn’t know how to handle Alexei’s advances, nor his own attraction to the younger soldier. Being a spy is lonely work, and Sean knows he should keep his distance, but saying no to Alexei is impossible from the moment they first kiss.
In a world of lies, the truth can be deadly.
When the mission takes a turn for the worse, the only thing left to do is run. In the wake of betrayal, and in the path of danger, can their fragile trust survive the battle?

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What happens when two stubborn hotheads collide?😜…Sparks will fly…

Okay…in Sean’s and Alexei’s case it is more like a blaze, but I did not expect anything less after they encountered each other in the last book and I could not get my grabby hands fast enough on their story. 

Months have passed since ex-CIA Agent Sean Delaney -now working for the intelligence division of the Metahuman Defense Force– was assigned to Alpha Team for a mission and although this was a one-off so far, he and Alexei Dvorkin of all people formed a tentative friendship based on mutual respect and trust.

Everything beyond a friendship would be a bad idea, right?😉 A very bad idea.

For a variety of reasons…Well, that is was both men persuaded themselves, since for one, Alexei doesn’t do spies due to his past and Sean, on the other hand, is a shadow. A man who can slip into any role, pretending to be someone he wasn’t and this dangerous life lead him to stay on his own, to cut off most of his ties and rather be lonely than risk the life of someone he is close to.

~Release Day Review~ Suspicious Behavior by L.A. Witt & Cari Z.~

 

Title: Suspicious Behavior
Authors: L.A. Witt & Cari Z
Series: Bad Behavior #2
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Page Count: 280 pages
Release Date: August 21, 2017
Genre(s): M/M,Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Detective Darren Corliss is hanging by a thread. In between recovering from a near-fatal wound and returning to work at a hostile precinct, he’s struggling to help care for his ailing brother. His partner and boyfriend, Detective Andreas Ruffner, wants to help, but doesn’t know how. And with his own family crises brewing, Andreas is spread almost as thin as Darren.
For cops, though, life takes a backseat to the job. When a stack of unsolved homicides drops into their laps, Andreas and Darren think they’re unrelated cold cases. But when a connection surfaces, they find themselves on the tail of a prolific serial killer who’s about to strike again.
Except they’ve got nothing. No leads. No suspects. Just a pile of circumstantial evidence and a whole lot of hunches. Time is running out to stop the next murder—and to pull themselves back from their breaking points.

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No rest for the wicked…

… And our cops Darren Corliss and Andreas Ruffner have their hands more than full this time with juggling between doing their job by solving an extremely intricate case and their personal life which proves to be a tough challenge in its own way.

Boy, could I relate to the exhaustion both men felt. After two weeks of hard work in order to start my vacation, I’m was feeling bone-tired and did not even manage to get much reading done before I went all cross eyed and sleep took over.

~Review~Unbreakable Stories: Ian (Unbreakable Bonds #4.5) by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott~

 

Title: Unbreakable Stories: Ian
Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Series: Unbreakable Bonds #4.5
Release Date: August 2, 2017
Genre(s): M/M,Contemporary Romance
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Unbreakable Stories: Ian is a collection of short stories following the ups and downs of Ian Pierce and Hollis Banner has they navigate their new relationship and the unique complications of dating with a brunch of overprotective “brothers” determined to guard Ian’s heart. 

This collection is more than 38,000 words and contains short stories such as: 
Midnight Perp 
No Boyfriends Allowed 
A Night Off 
Taking It Slow 
This is Us 
And a very special bonus.

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I love surprises! 

Especially when it comes to surprise book releases about one of my favorite couples. 

The timing could not have been more perfect. After an especially earth-shattering read that almost wrecked me, I just knew I could count on these guys to make me whole again… And it was so good to laugh! 

“I think you should sit him down, look him dead in the eye, and say, ‘Baby, I’m pregnant.’ And just take it from there.”

Release Day Review~Barrel Proof (Agents Irish and Whiskey #3) by Layla Reyne~

 

Title: Barrel Proof
Author: Layla Reyne
Series: Agents Irish and Whiskey #3
Publisher: Carina Press
Page Count: 189 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2017
Genre(s): M/M Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker can’t get a moment’s peace. Their hunt for the terrorist Renaud seems to be nearing an end, until a fire allows him to slip through their fingers—and puts Jamie’s life in danger. When Jamie is nearly killed, Aidan learns how many forms loss can take. 
Aidan says I love you just moments before learning that Jamie’s been keeping a devastating secret about Aidan’s late husband. How quickly trust and love can go up in flames. When Aidan requests a solo undercover assignment, Jamie hopes Aidan will find a way to forgive him. 
But the explosions are far from over. Aidan’s cover lands him in the heart of the terrorist’s conspiracy, and Jamie will have to put his life, his career, and his freedom on the line to save the man who has become his entire world. Partners always is a promise he intends to keep.

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Ladies and gentlemen, we are now crossing a zone of turbulence. Please take your seat and keep your seat belts fastened. Thank you!

Hmm, as a description for this book ‘zone of turbulence’ might be a slight understatement. One helluva ride that gives you barely time to catch your breath is more like it…I knew it would not be easy what the author had in store for not only the reader, but also for Aidan and Jamie in this last installment of the Agents Irish and Whiskey Series. I would not have thought that she has some kind of mean streak when it comes to making everyone suffer, though. 😉

Barrel Proof not only picks up right where Cask Strength ended, it throws us directly head over heels into action and from that point on it leaves us barely time to breathe.

No worries, I try to be as vague as possible about the plot, just let me say that every breathtaking minute and every heart-wrenching moment was more than worth it in the end.

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~Review~Axios: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn~

 

Title: Axios: A Spartan Tale
Author: Jaclyn Osborn
Publisher: Self-Published
Page Count: 362 pages
Release Date: July 19, 2017
Genre(s): M/M Romance, Historical Fiction
Reviewer: ~Simone~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

I am Axios of Sparta, and I was born to kill. At age seven, I left home to train with other boys where we were taught obedience, solidarity, military strategy, and how to withstand pain. My harsh upbringing stripped me of my weaknesses and forced me to become strong. Ruthless.
But, I craved something greater—a life I could never have.
Against all odds, and the toughest training a warrior could endure, I found an unexpected love in the arms of a fellow Spartan. He was the very air I breathed and the water that sustained me. Fighting side by side with him, we were invincible. Where he went, I followed.
However, there was no place for love in Sparta. Feelings were for the weak. The only life for a Spartan was one of battle and brutality with no guarantee of tomorrow. In times of war, all men were put to the test, but the greatest challenge for us was not one of swords and spears, but of the heart.

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I have no words… ”Epic and beautiful” doesn’t even cover it…

I fully intended to write a proper review and a story like this definitely deserves one, but although it’s been almost a day since I finished this book, I just…can’t. 

“My warrior. My lover. My heart.”

For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime reading experience that will stick with me forever and Axios and Eryx will always have a more than a special place in my heart. It was not only one of, but the most heart-wrenching love story I’ve ever read.