Book Review: The Night Visitor by Ewan Creed

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: The Night Visitor
AUTHOR: Ewan Creed
PUBLISHER: Wilde City Press
LENGTH: 50 pages
BLURB: Everyone likes sexually exploring. Finding things that turn you on, experimenting to see what gets you off… Hot partners and scenarios that scare some people and make others slick with desire… But what happens when the fantasies you’re living out are in your dreams? And what happens when these dreams seem to transcend into the real world as well? Could these be the creation of your hot, sultry and sexy mind, or is there something more to it? The Night Visitor exposes one man’s journey to sexual fulfillment and fantasy… but is it real?

REVIEW:

Night Visitor is an interesting play on dreams versus reality. What do dreams mean, what are they trying to tell us?

Each time he sleeps Kevin finds himself back in a recurring dream, it’s not a nightmare, but is disturbing in its insistence. He returns to the same run-down part of town, same deteriorating buildings, walking down the same street; he encounters the same unknown, tattooed man. Kevin names him ‘the night visitor’ and is drawn to his bad-boy “tasty piece of very rough trade” attitude.

The story is disjointed as the dreams break up at various points, transitioning in and out in fits and starts. We’re thrown back and forth in time, between Kevin’s present reality and his past. Each time he dreams, though, the dreams become a little more elaborate, he goes a little hotter and heavier with the sexy ‘visitor’ as we are fed more information. This all works nicely to build a surreal, other-worldly atmosphere.

Kevin is a real kinkster, he likes his sex down and dirty. There is an intense, pornographic bath-house scene featuring public sex and voyeurism. “Hear you like to put on shows…”. Is it real, though? We’re left off-kilter once again as Kevin is lost in a world where reality mashes up with fantasy, manifesting when he sleeps.

The author is adept at spinning out Kevin’s backstory, the ‘why’ of his present state of mental unrest. He knows the dreams mean something, are trying to tell him something. The mystery is, what?

I liked this story, a kind of waking dream within-a-dream idea, it’s an interesting study. I thought the author built the mystery and momentum well, and everything comes full circle nicely in the end. It’s a good bit of writing and works in the short story setting. Nice job, all in all.

Elizabetta rates it – 

BUY LINKS: Wilde City Press

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
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Pre-release Review: Bump in the Night Anthology

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Bump in the Night
AUTHORS: Heidi Belleau, Ally Blue, Kari Gregg, Peter Hansen, Laylah Hunter, Brien Michaels & Sam Schooler
EDITOR: Rachel Haimowitz
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 210 pages
BLURB: Turn off the lights . . . and turn on your darkest fantasies.

Demon pacts. Ghostly possessions. Monsters lurking in the depths. The things that go bump in the night frighten us, but they also intrigue us. Fascinate us. Even turn us on.

Join us as fan favorites Ally Blue and Kari Gregg bring over-amorous aquatic beasts to life with their mythic twists on the Siren and the monster in the lake. Erotic horror pros Heidi Belleau, Sam Schooler, and Brien Michaels show us just how sexy scary can be with a pair of demon deals destined to curl your toes and set your heart thrashing. And literary masters Laylah Hunter and Peter Hansen weave haunting worlds where ghosts and dead lovers can touch our hearts (and other, naughtier places too . . .) and teach us lessons from beyond the grave.

By turns exciting, evocative, and exquisitely explicit, the stories in Bump in the Night are sure to scratch your sexy paranormal itch. Explore your wildest fantasies with us in this collection of dark erotic tales.

REVIEW:

This is one of the strongest and most provocative anthologies I’ve read in the slash genre. Each story is unique in its own special horror and all are well crafted. Warning: this is more horror than erotica. And while there’s little to no romance, there’s plenty of sexual intoxication. There are a lot of disturbing elements. If rape or dubious consent is a trigger, proceed with caution.

The endings are more ‘happy-for-now’ or even ‘this is as good as it’s gonna get’. But isn’t that what life in the ‘Twilight Zone’ is about? I have to admit that I gobbled these up, thrilled by the story-telling.

There is a common thread through the stories summed up by a line lifted from one of them, “I hadn’t stopped to consider the cost.” Just in time for Halloween, this is highly recommended for those who want a darker, no-holds-barred read. Please heed the tags.

Overall anthology rating –

Resurrection Man by Laylah Hunter
Tags: historical, paranormal, gore

An interesting turn on the Frankenstein story, this is a perfect example of the adage, “be careful what you wish for”…  A young man desperately in love, practices the dark art of necromancy and sells his soul to bring a beloved lover back from the dead.

“The flesh is scarcely the trouble… the installation of a soul in flesh is the domain of God.”

This feels like a chapter out of a larger piece (which means I want more) but works fine as is. Chillingly horrific and melancholy.

Rated: 

Mating Season by Kari Gregg
Tags: paranormal, monsters, tentacle-sex, slave/captive, non/dubious-consensual/rape, cock/ball torture, gore, bondage, medical kink

Oh*my*freaking*lord

This is over-the-top wickedness with a cherry on the top, and the bit of devious plotting keeps it from being purely torture porn. The author throws everything but the kitchen sink into this feast of tentacle sex depravity…

A lusty monster with very active suction-cupped appendages…

“… the suckers on the underside of the tentacles nuzzled and guzzled down my cock like dozens of tiny mouths slurping… siphoning… tenderly squeezing…”

Deception, bondage, non-con/dub-con/rape, mpreg, stuffing, fisting… torture…you name it.

Did I like it?

Yes… yes, I did.

It starts off innocently enough. Danny is on a back-to-nature camping trip in a bucolic setting… cue birds, bees, butterflies…

Then begins a descent into nightmare-hell as he is tricked and forced into an evil experiment and… let’s just say he finds a special connection with a large, slimy, tentacled lake monster. It’s not pretty. I can’t say more. Read it.

This comes so close to my (so-far) favorite tent-sex read, Charlotte Mistry’s Gay Tentacles from Outer Space! (discerning tent-sex readers will already know this one). But Kari Gregg (I Omega, Spoils of War) offers up her very own special brand of delicious torture in the tent sex genre.

It’s just all kinds of… no… and, yesssss… Read it, but heed the tags.

Rated:

Flesh and Song by Ally Blue
Tags: contemporary, paranormal, gods/demons, sailing, tropical island

Noah Rose is a restless man. He has everything he could want, a thriving surf holiday business in Costa Rica, a beautiful sailboat, and an eight month vacation cruising around the Caribbean. He’s been searching for a mythic island, “La Terre de la Belle Mort” (Land of the Beautiful Death), but what exactly is he searching for? He has been desired by many men “who wanted to own him but couldn’t” yet he is alone, adrift on the sea, searching, until…

”… here he was, facing the island the old men swore would give you your heart’s most secret desire. For a price.”

A naked man shows up on the island’s pristine beach and Noah is called to him. The lure of the siren song, here with a twist, changes Noah’s life as, once more, someone wants to own and bind him. Has he found his “heart’s most secret desire”?

“Then the stranger spoke again, the words like bells and nightingales… making his heart race… intoxicating song words Noah didn’t understand but already needed the way he needed air and water.”

The story is well made, but in the end it felt like an interesting interlude. Noah is in a dangerous situation, we see it even when he doesn’t, but we don’t know or learn enough about him to really care. Points for the descriptive writing and Noah’s fall into a kind of madness— that was fun.

Rated:

Out From Under by Brien Michaels
Tags: contemporary, paranormal, demons/monsters, slave/captive, bondage, vine sex, non/dubious-consensual/rape, three-way, stuffing & sounding, torture, gore-fest

Brant has been enslaved and imprisoned in an old, decaying mansion cellar by an evil demon that can take different physical forms. It can even manifest itself by turning the cellar into a lush, verdant forest, sprouting foliage and sex-crazed vines. And it is hungry, it needs a certain type of nourishment. One guess what that is…

“… leaves sprouted beneath my feet, moist and lush… the first string of cum jettisoned from the tip of my cock, and the leaves glowed where it landed.”

The author outdoes himself, this is such a randy gore-fest of demon badness. And Brant is no innocent. He’s a pain-loving nympho, hooked on vine sex, reduced to procuring men for the monster, keeping its secrets; he’s sold himself for it and is lost to the pleasure.

“… the demon’s curse amplified every feeling, made me need that caress so badly I ached.”

And yet, there are lines like, “This nymphomania was really a burden sometimes. It made life so much harder…” and… “(the demon’s) head walked toward me (saying): “Things may not have worked out quite the way I’d planned.” The cheeky humor is welcome and balances the nightmare nicely.

The author switches back and forth in describing the demon’s sexual appendages… are they vines or tentacles? Confusing and irritating. Discriminating tent sex readers will want an important detail like this kept clear and consistent!! *nods* For this reader ‘vine’ works just as well as ‘tentacle’.  I have to add that the demon’s ghastly, human form with its tattoos that could ‘peel away on command’ into 3-D vines— so cool. I also liked the ending, how things resolved for Brant, though there is a lot of gore to wade through to get there. Be warned!

Rated: 

Sleeping With Ghosts by Peter Hansen
Tags: paranormal, alternate universe, ghosts, violence

An odd, grim alternative universe, this, and slow-going at first as the reader is dropped coldly into it with little preparation.  Brother Yordan Korvechi is a Bookman, he works for the Church of She Who Turns the Page and their job is to protect against the soulless who roam this world (it seems there are a limited number of souls to go around). “Turning the page” being a euphemism for death, and Yordan wielding the power of the Grim Reaper.

What happens when an aged person needs a little nudge, a little help with separation from life and soul? Who you gonna call?

Yordan is dispatched to such a task, equipped for action… “He had a knife up each sleeve and a slim pistol in his coat lining, a garrote in his breast pocket just aching to be unwound.”  His task is critical, as somewhere, an unborn baby is waiting for the recycled soul, must have it.

But when Yordan discovers that he has been used in a political rivalry, he begins to have second thoughts about his work. Things have become more complicated when he is touched by the soul of the not-so-aged man he has just dispatched, and he is forever changed.

This was well written and atmospheric with a brooding sense of tension, dis-ease and suspicion, but it didn’t feel especially horrific or erotic. It left me almost as cold as poor Yordan’s interaction with the soulless ghost… I couldn’t help but feel that a little more info and character development would have greatly helped. (I recall that I’ve read another short by this author (Changing the Guard) which left me feeling much the same.)

Rated: 

Blasphemer, Sinner, Saint by Heidi Belleau & Sam Schooler
Tags: paranormal, demons, rape, ‘shock-value’

Holy cannoli, this is all kinds of messed up. Disturbing and mesmerizing.

Things start off relatively quietly. There’s David who has to sell himself on the streets to get by, and is dying from syphilis, and Tobias, his self-righteous, sanctimonious ex-lover who runs a boy’s orphanage, steeping himself in ‘good works’.

Told from Tobias’ POV, we see that they were childhood lovers, but Tobias was unable to accept his ‘unnatural’ feelings for David. So he abandons him, and buries himself in religious conviction that it’s for the best. David, meanwhile still loves Tobias, and comes asking him for help.

Part-way in I felt that this was looking to be the most romantic of all the offerings in this antho. Yeah, Tobias is a prick, but he eventually enters into a deal with a strange man he meets in a church, whereby he can give David his life back, give him a chance at redemption. It seems that Tobias still cares for his old lover and does want to help him. But are his intentions completely unselfish and in good faith?

This also has an underlying message of the need for compassion— that sometimes there is no choice— that we must accept who we are, and that love is love. Too bad Tobias learns this too late because the bargain he makes for David’s soul turns out to have a horrific and shocking payment. He has literally sold his soul to the devil for it.

Most of the important action happens in a church and there is an act that is so shocking that it stopped me cold… it will offend some, I suspect. But this is some special mindfuckery— that the horror here, lies in messing with our perceptions and boundaries. There is a twist in the act that makes it work in the end, though. In the end, everyone gets what they deserve. But at what cost?

Rated: 

Elizabetta’s Overall Rating –

BUY LINKS: Riptide Publishing

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
=====================================================

Book Review: Entanglements by Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Entanglements
AUTHOR: Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe
PUBLISHER: Amber Allure
LENGTH: 113 pages
BLURB: Friends. Lovers. Realists. Up-and-coming rocker Ben Copeland and struggling actor John Calder have an unspoken understanding. Mutual pleasure, no strings attached, no demands made, not to mention chemistry so scorching it needs a warning label. For more than a year they’ve sexed their way from one coast to the other, and Ben’s beginning to think he might just have found the key to a perfect “relationship.”

Except now John’s gone and fallen in love. Ben’s career is finally skyrocketing and the last thing he wants or needs is the complication of too many dangerous emotions. John’s not one to take no for an answer, though, and when the “Scottish Don Juan” puts his mind to something, even a man like Ben had better look out…

REVIEW:

This certainly starts off with a bang. In fact, about ninety-percent of this book is about banging, ahem.

Ben and John are aspiring artists, a rock musician and actor, respectively. Both of them talented, gorgeous, desirable, randy dudes who have a hankering for each other. They are long-term fuck buddies, no strings attached– but long enough to have gotten to the point where they really don’t want to play around with others anymore, no one else will do. But they can’t tell each other that. Yet. And this entanglement is the crux of this novella.

Luckily, the sex scenes are hot enough (I’m fondly recalling a couple exhibitionist/voyeur scenes… these guys really don’t care when, where, or how) but the story only works because we also see the simmering yearning under all the steamy hook-ups and bravado posturing against “commitment”.

If these two weren’t connecting on some deeper level, what would be the point?

I like the guys, too… or mostly. Ben is pushy, arrogant, mouthy (“Damn it… you’re slipping… why’re my pants still on?”); the complete front man package. He’s used to being adored and he likes to top from the bottom, is quite verbal about it, and has the motor mouth to prove it. John, working stage actor with the looks to match his sexy Scots burr, is a god in bed; the topper, he knows just what spurs his rocker on (“… your mouth is like a riding crop…” — insert sexy Scots accent here, please).

But, John wants more from Ben, the flighty wild-child. Is he gonna get it?

The authors write two distinct characters and it’s a nice little story, but I find Ben’s reluctance hard to understand, I don’t know him well enough to know where it comes from. It seems like a manufacturing to stir up some plot tension… when, really, the guys’ careers should be enough to contribute to that…  And at the end of the story Ben physically lashes out in anger at an innocent by-stander… this does nothing to win me over to him; it sets me to wonder if it’s only good looks and talent that John needs from his lover.

The ending shapes up to be a HFN for me as I’m not sure how the two will resolve some deep-seeded issues which their nomadic, frenetic careers can only make more difficult. If I only take this as a rocker fairy tale then it all works out well enough.

Elizabetta rates it – 

BUY LINKS: Amber Allure :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
=====================================================

Pre-release Review: The Scarlet Tide by Stephen Osborne

Reviewed by Taylor

TITLE: The Scarlet Tide
SERIES: Duncan Andrews Thriller #3
AUTHOR: Stephen Osborne
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
BLURB: Duncan Andrews, a private detective who specializes in paranormal cases, is back, along with his usual gang. Robbie Church, his boyfriend, is a ghost. Gina, a centuries old witch, is his best friend. And Daisy, Duncan’s bulldog, just happens to be a zombie. Odd man out seems to be Nick, a history teacher. He’s a normal, living human.

Duncan’s latest case leads him to a rock band in Indianapolis called The Scarlet Tide. It doesn’t take Duncan long to realize all of the band members are vampires. He sets out to destroy them, but runs into trouble with the charismatic leader of the band, Dominic Hunt. Duncan ends up under Hunt’s psychic control, and is forced to examine his relationships with Robbie and Nick, as well as his attraction for Hunt. Can Robbie and Gina help Duncan break Hunt’s psychic grip? Is there any hope the vampire can be destroyed once and for all?

REVIEW:

This is the third book in the Duncan Andrews Thriller series which focuses on Duncan, a private detective that takes on generally unusual paranormal cases.  He’s got a dead boyfriend that hasn’t moved on to the afterlife, a centuries old witch for a best friend, a zombie dog, and his human friend, Nick, along for the ride.

In this installment, Duncan is investing a series of vampire attacks and he believes a local band called The Scarlet Tide comprises of the culprits.  He aims to kill them all, but he starts falling under the spell of lead singer, Dominic Hunt, as well as dealing for his feelings for Nick and his love for his boyfriend Robbie.

It’s going to be difficult explaining my feelings about this book without giving major spoilers, but I will say, the series isn’t really going where I want it to go relationship-wise.  I can absolutely understand both sides, I can see the reasons, but I don’t have to like it.  It broke my heart.  I think when two characters fit so well; I just can’t see them with anyone else.  Nothing is definite with this author and series because every time I think a final decision has been made it twists, so I’m still holding out judgment until at least the next book, but I don’t know if my poor little heart can take it.  There is a lot of love there, and a lot of care and respect given to these characters, so I appreciate that.

That’s not to say that this book is all sorrows, though.  It’s still crackling with Duncan’s quick wit, his ability to be both effective and efficient, yet awkward, and his observations are hysterical, especially when they occur in completely inappropriate times.  An example is when he notices another character’s endowment and how large he is and he notes this in an almost surprised, high-five, yeahh-buddy-oh-wait-let’s-be-serious-detective manner that had me snorting with laughter.

There aren’t any new fancy tricks with the vampire plot, and it felt a bit clichéd to have them as a rock band (I swear I read vampire rockers almost every time I read about vampires), but I still thought all of the characters held their own and brought something fresh.

I liked the parallel plot lines of a young couple and one dies, and the other grieves and feels guilty at the idea of moving on coordinating with Duncan and Andrew’s position as a couple.  It was nice that the reader could see what might have been Duncan’s life had Robbie not stayed around for the last 11 years.

I hope the author switches it up a bit in the following book(s).  The reader still gets a recap of all the characters, and Duncan still keeps stressing and bemoaning his lack of sex and intimate touch with Robbie.  I get that it’s important, but it’s getting a bit stale.  I’d like to think in the next book a final decision is made on their relationship, and I’m praying it goes the way I’m hoping.

Recommend because I still adore Duncan’s personality, the mysteries are fast-paced and interesting, and Robbie will always be on my ‘fictional-husbands’ shelf.

Taylor rates it –

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press

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Taylor is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: TAYLOR’S REVIEWS
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Three Book Reviews: Calling the Shots Series by S. Dora

Reviewed by Jen B.

SERIES: Calling the Shots
AUTHOR: S. Dora
BOOKS: 3
PUBLISHER: Total E-bound

FACING THE TRUTH (Book One, Calling the Shots series)

BLURB: Sometimes the question being asked, might not be the one that actually needs to be answered.

When twenty-two year old Tom asks his older, conservative lover Isaac for an afternoon of kinky sex, that experience turns out to include much more than bondage, adult toys and spanking.

Both are surprised to discover Isaac’s need to dominate his lover as much as his lover needs to be dominated by him.

Reader Advisory: This story contains a loving, committed relationship between two men with a considerable age difference; some gentle BDSM sex.

REVIEW:

This first book of the series we meet Tom and Isaac, who have been together for about two years.  Isaac is much older than Tom, though it doesn’t really ever seem that way except when Isaac is bringing it up.  Tom asks Isaac to dominate him a little bit.  Isaac is reluctant at first but gives in, wanting to do whatever he can to make Tom happy.  This was a bit awkward at first, as Isaac didn’t really seem to have much of a clue, though you could tell he was trying.

Initially, I thought this was a little on the cheesy side.  But, as the story goes on, it grew on me how these guys were just a couple wanting to test the waters of BDSM.  Neither had any prior experience, though they both trusted each other and wanted to be what the other needed.  After playing at it a little bit, they each seemed to be a bit surprised by how much they were actually turned on by the things they did.

This was a really sweet story about a nice couple that doesn’t want to be the typical dom/sub, in as much as they want to explore that on their own terms.  Quite enjoyable and recommended for those somewhat new to BDSM stories.

Jen rates it –

BUY LINKS: Total-E-Bound :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

THE RIGHT DIRECTION (Book Two, Calling the Shots series)

BLURB: New to BDSM, Dominant Isaac learns how to bring his sub Tom to new heights during a weekend of pain and pleasure.

Now he’s admitted to his lover, Tom—and more importantly, to himself— that he’s willing to explore his Dominant side, Isaac prepares for a weekend during which both he and Tom will stay in their roles as Dominant and submissive. Isaac has a great time selecting the flogger, paddle and cane he’s planning to use.

During their special weekend, Isaac and Tom not only have lots of kinky sex, they also explore D/s outside the bedroom. They are not ready, however, to share this part of their relationship with the outside world.

How will Isaac react when an innocent moment of misunderstanding confronts him with everyday reality?

Publisher’s Note: This series is about a committed and loving relationship between two men with a considerable difference in age. It contains elements of consensual BDSM.

REVIEW:

In this segment, Isaac is taking the bull by the horns and is ready to go further in his position as Tom’s Dom.  He plans a weekend of play where they will keep to the lifestyle for the whole weekend, as opposed to just during sex.  They are each becoming more comfortable in their respective roles, though they still have much to learn.

It is quite enjoyable to watch Tom and Isaac’s kinky relationship grow as they learn each other’s needs and wants.  Tom continues to struggle with topping from the bottom and asking questions instead of simply obeying, but it is fun to watch them work things out.  They do a little edge play this time around, which is fun to watch, even if Tom doesn’t seem to have the patience for it.

This was a nice continuation of the story, and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Jen rates it –

BUY LINKS: Total-E-Bound :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: BECOMING SIR (Book Three, Calling the Shots series)

BLURB: Isaac prefers to keep the D/s part of his relationship with Tom strictly private. One day, however, he reads about a non-commercial BDSM club with a playroom for hire…

Committed couple Isaac and Tom have recently discovered they want to explore BDSM, and especially D/s, as part of their committed relationship. There are still doubts and questions, but Isaac knows how to wield his favourite cane for his submissive’s painful pleasure.

S&M is also a very private thing for the otherwise out and open pair.

That is, until Isaac reads an article about a non-commercial BDSM club. He meets one of the volunteers, who shows him the playroom. He’s impressed by what he sees and decides to give his beloved sub a very special treat.

Their experiences with D/s during the months since Tom first said, “I want you to tell me what to do,” have left a deep and positive impression on both men. One day, Isaac takes a decision that he knows will influence the rest of his life with Tom.

Reader Advisory: This series is about a committed and loving relationship between two men with a considerable difference in age. It contains elements of consensual BDSM.

REVIEW:

This story continues with Isaac and Tom becoming more comfortable with their new roles.  Up until this point, they have steadfastly stuck to keeping their BDSM play a private matter.  This begins to slowly change when Isaac starts giving orders while he is still at work.  He then takes initiative to visit a private club after he receives an invitation.  Once his worries are eased by the club manager, his eyes and ideas are opened once she shows him the playroom and all the available options.

I really loved how each story advanced their comfort level with everything while they still maintained their somewhat low key approach to the lifestyle.  They don’t get into anything real heavy, as these guys take baby steps into this world, each always concerned and caring what is best for the other.  Their trip to the club was fantastic, though, unfortunately, the story ends just when things are about to get interesting.

If you have not read many BDSM stories but are even a little bit interested or curious, I’d suggest giving this sweet loving story a try.  Isaac is still always unsure that Tom will want to stay with him since he is so much older and afraid Tom will basically outgrow him, but Tom is always sure to remind him this is not the case and that he only wants to travel this road if Isaac is the one traveling with him.  It is quite an enjoyable ride, and I’m really hoping to see more of this story unfold.

Jen rates it –

BUY LINKS: Total-E-Bound

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Jennifer B. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: JENNIFER B’S REVIEWS
=====================================================

Two Book Reviews: True Colors Series by Clare London

Reviewed by Elizabetta

SERIES: True Colors
AUTHOR: Clare London
BOOKS:  5
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

True Colors (Book One, True Colors series)

BLURB: From the very first, Zeke Roswell and Miles Winter are like oil and water. After a tragic fire claimed his brother’s life, Zeke’s personal and professional life spiraled out of control, and now he has no choice but to sell his gallery to cover his debts. Enter successful entrepreneur Miles, who buys it and plans to make a commercial success out of Zeke’s failure.

Their initial hostility stands no chance against the strong passion that ambushes them. Zeke’s talent and lust for life intoxicate Miles, and Zeke finds Miles’s self-assurance and determination equally fascinating. But it’s not until an unsolved mystery of violence and stolen sketches threatens to sabotage any chance at happiness that Miles and Zeke realize they have a chance at all.

REVIEW:

Take one hot, passionate, mercurial artist… 

add one cool, collected, sexy entrepreneur… 

and shake vigorously.

What really hooks me in is the simmering attraction between Zeke and Miles. I get drunk on it. Good to remember; the story starts slowly and you have to be patient as the author carefully sketches out personalities and setting.

But patience pays off as the guys get a bead on each other and we get a sweet, slow-burn romance. The reader sits comfortably, we get it, as we wait for Zeke and Miles to catch on too. Some good prurient fun.

Zeke has been stuck for a year, grieving for older brother, Jacky, killed tragically in a home fire. A brother much like himself— both of them gifted artists, bright stars in that rarified world. But the remnants of a rocky sibling rivalry keeps Zeke wrapped up in guilt and remorse. Jacky has left behind a lot of hurt and misunderstanding; his cavalier treatment of those close him leave deep scars…

Because of Jacky’s death, in one year, Zeke loses everything: his ambition, his muse, and his beloved gallery where he was going to make his mark in the art world.

On the surface, Miles wears his success well. His brilliance is in the business deal and his drive to excel. He also loves art and plans to resurrect Zeke’s abandoned art gallery putting Zeke, once again, in charge. But underneath the polished and fastidious entrepreneur hides a desire to cut loose and explore another side to his sexuality. Zeke gets to him. The business arrangement forged by the two men sets the stage for a magnetic attraction— lots of heated exchanges, lingering glances and heaving chests.

Zeke and his art are wild, passionate, kinetic— he melts Miles’s cool control, teaches him to look at art in a different way. Miles color blindness also propels an awareness at the form and movement of the work. A shift in perception allows for discovery and melding of two very different personalities.

And… what IS it about flirtation and romancing at an art gallery exhibition? The cool cats gathered in their cool threads, glasses of wine in hand, slowly perusing the paintings on display, slowly perusing each other. Glances across a crowded room. The promise of some hot sexing. Does it to me every time.

There is a bit of a mystery woven in the romance, a smaller thread that answers some questions about the guys. There is a lot of sex, and it is luscious and revelatory. It is balanced with wonderful discussion of the art— Zeke’s work, his brother’s work, the gallery hangings. The author has taken care to fully render each of these aspects, so much so that by the end you really feel as if you’ve gotten to know the characters, and what motivates them.

Which brings up the secondary characters: Carter Davison, Zeke’s best friend and Jacky’s long-time, long-suffering lover, and Red De Vere, Miles’s bestie who nearly steals the show. These two guys deserve a story of their own. And there are two women, Jo and Remy, who’s inclusion is confusing and off-putting at first, but explained eventually.

I so enjoyed this sensual feast. Hot and steamy, the writer pours the sex on— these guys who can’t get enough of each other burn the pages up and I’m so looking forward to the sequels.

Elizabetta’s rating: 

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Flying Colors (Book Five, True Colors series)

*Flying Colors can be read right after book one, True Colors*

BLURB: Red De Vere appears to have everything—good looks, a prestigious job, attention from the paparazzi, and a choice of lovers. But one day he takes an outrageous step too far at a formal embassy dinner, and the press turns on him. Shocked, he realizes it’s time to find something better in life than partying. He envies the love that his friends Miles and Zeke have, and when he dares to consider that possibility for himself, his hopes and desires rest in his quiet, serious friend Carter Davison.

Carter loved a man who cheated on him, then died violently, and he refuses to make himself vulnerable again. He knows Red is interested; Red has been supportive and admiring since they met. And Carter’s honest enough to admit he’s attracted to Red. But Carter can also think of nothing worse than being the lover of someone in the public eye. Playboy Red must stay an attractive friend, that’s all.

While Red yearns for something real, Carter has some sweet, sexy secrets that might surprise even Red. If Carter dares emerge from his shell, and Red pursues a more rewarding path, romance could spark. Then there’s no telling what might happen.

REVIEW:

We continue a few months after the end of True Colors, and Zeke and Miles are now in a committed relationship. The focus shifts to their best friends, Carter and Red— we knew it was coming, there were indications previously that something was brewing between these two.

Jacky’s ghost continues to have a huge influence in the plot (kind of like the dead Rebecca de Winter in de Maurier’s famous work)—  while Zeke has worked, with Miles’s help, through his guilt and remorse over his brother’s death, Carter still has issues with moving on. He was Jacky’s faithful lover, but Jacky’s constant philandering and abusiveness have left Carter haunted, brooding, with trust issues and shut off to loving anyone else.

Red De Vere, vibrant, wealthy playboy— who knows his way around the club scene and society pages— still has his eye on the quiet, handsome Carter. Red doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. He is intrigued. He senses a darker, complicated man under the controlled facade and needs to convince Carter that he is much more than the shallow party-boy persona he’s quickly tiring of.

We get Miles and Zeke’s dynamic again with this new couple— repressed and controlled versus vibrant and dynamic, reluctant and complex versus patient and determined— the formula is one we’ve already seen in the first book.

This installment in the series is calmer and quieter as Red works his way slowly into Carter’s confidence. This couple has some great sexual tension but it is a very slow build up and there isn’t a lot of tension elsewhere in the story. The guys come together because of their joint work on building a new non-profit teen center in London. There is a side story involving some nicely written teen characters at the center and an act of vandalism there, and the author again uses fire as a plot catalyst. Other than this, we mostly have a carefully made character study.

I wasn’t quite as taken with the story here, but I did find Carter and Red two very interesting, well-written characters (though Red’s affected southern drawl (he is British), which he hides behind, feels odd. In fact, in the books the author uses differences in speech, from quite formal to lingo, to further delineate the opposing characters.) The issues Carter and Red need to overcome and the growth they undergo make for some sympathetic reading and I would recommend Flying Colors for that study.

Elizabetta’s rating:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
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Book Review: Conquer the Flames by Ariel Tachna

Reviewed by Danielle

TITLE: Conquer the Flames
SERIES: Lang Downs #4
AUTHOR: Ariel Tachna
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 254 Pages
BLURB: Thorne Lachlan knows a thing or two about getting himself safely out of a blaze. For years he fought in the world’s hot spots, a Commando with the Australian Army. Now, retired, he fights flames for the Royal Fire Service. When a grassfire brings him to Lang Downs, the next sheep station in danger, Thorne meets Ian Duncan and sparks fly that neither man can put out. But both men have ghosts from the past that stand in the way of moving beyond mutual attraction.

While Thorne longs for the home he could share with Ian at Lang Downs, he fears his own instability might make him a danger to others. And Ian’s always believed that the foster care nightmare he escaped before coming to Lang Downs would make any relationship impossible. Trust doesn’t come easily to Thorne or Ian until the fire’s aftermath forces them to see past the scars keeping them both from healing

REVIEW:

In this part of the series we meet Ian and Thorne. Ian’s life at Lang Downs is comfortable. He’s at home there but also a loner. Having lived through issues in his past he’s glad he found a warm home at Lang Downs.

When Thorne comes into the picture as a firefighter because Lang Downs is threatened, there’s something happening when both of the main characters meet.

Both struggle with different pasts and how to deal with the obvious attraction between them.

They try to find a way to be together despite their pasts but still they find out there is more to deal with.

Ian struggles with his having lived through horror (without spoiling too much) and Thorne as a former commando has his own “inner”battle to fight after leaving the army.

The author did a wonderful thing in building this story up. The emotions, the struggles, the issues are handled I have to say that, but for me there is something significant missing that I also missed in part three and I’m not talking the lack of sex. The kissing and emotional bonding makes sure there is real emotion compensating for that and the kissing is beautifully written and played out in so many ways .

While it is extremely powerful the way the author describes the emotions of the main characters, it’s very hard to get through to them almost making it hard to connect with them. I found myself longing for the moments when there was someone else there, when we saw the return of familiar characters as Caine and Macklin.

Neil is again fantastic in this book I think this series is as much his as it is Lang Downs J

I really want to mention that as you see where he came from and the very nice way you get reminded of that and how protective and all he is now. Being Ian’s best friend, he makes an impressive appearance in this story again.

While there is references to the main characters from the other parts you don’t see or read much of them. Although I have to say that it was very good to hear that, as this story skips 5 years, that they were still all together and happy even Sam and Jeremy from part three!

I have to say that I struggled with this review and decided on the rating. I think the story wasn’t done yet. I feel like I’m missing something in the end and maybe it is the sexual part , although there is some sexual relief at the very end. I don’t know but I  cannot shake the feeling I would have really enjoyed seeing Ian and Thorne working up to more intimacy and being together.

I think this series is still really unique and special and definitely worth reading. There is no doubt about that and I have to say I sincerely hope that there is going to be a part 5, because I still hope that there will be a story there about Jason and Seth! And I hope that there will be a way for Miss Tachna to make all the stories come and flow together .

For this I come to a total of 3.5 stars.

Danielle rates it –

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Danielle is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: DANIELLE’S REVIEWS

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Book Review: Signal to Noise by Talya Andor

Reviewed by Nina

TITLE: Signal to Noise
AUTHOR: Talya Andor
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 194 pages, 65,000 words approx.
BLURB: It’s been three years since the Incursion; three long years since Bastian and his twin brother Theo became the sole survivors on the planet Noise. Their distress calls have gone unanswered, and they are running out of supplies. They have no one but each other. And when the long-awaited rescue finally arrives, it brings with it complications that make being alone and forgotten look easy.

REVIEW:

The premise of this book is nothing short of amazing. Twincest? Not-too-hardcore sci-fi? A tiny bit of horror? Sign me up. I’m happy to say the execution mostly lived up to the novel’s promise.

This can’t be a long review, because the book is short and the story is full of small and big twists. All I’m going to do is talk about some of the things I liked and about a few I didn’t.

To start with, I loved the characters. They are all easy to distinguish and have a very characteristic personality. From the twins to Captain Bane, from Lucky to Ventura (oh, Ventura), Striker, Millena; despite the shortness of this book, I grew to love them all – and mourn some of them, as was expected, because you can’t put a dozen people in the middle of what is virtually an alien minefield waiting to mass-explode and have them all get out of it unscathed, can you?

They’re well-rounded and ambiguous, and they had me second guessing myself and them and biting my nails, fearing their actions almost as much as I did the Armors’; their personalities are basically one large swathe of grey, with little almost-white corners of compassion in the hearts of the most ruthless of them and tiny black holes of prejudice where compassion is supposed to reign. Their dynamics are rich and varied, also due to the fact that they’re essentially cooped up together in a relatively small space for days on end, creating friction and tensions.

The twins’ character development, weirdly, is the most lacking. Both Theo and Bastian have clearly defined and extremely likeable personalities, but the reader ends up spending more time with the “rescue” (yes, I am so teasing you) team than with the people who are supposed to be the main characters. Their romance is already in full swing and most definitely not unstable when the story begins, so it is far from being the focus of this novel.

On to the sci-fi part of the equation. People, the Armors? I won’t say they scared RL-me, but book-me was quaking in her boots, particularly since I might have a tiny smidge of entomophobia. These creatures have all the repulsiveness and numerousness of insects, but they’re also big and possessed of actual decent-sized brains. Think it can’t possibly get any more horrific? That’s what I thought too, at the beginning. But they can, and they will.

It’s all good, really, not counting some minor niggles. Except for the sex scenes.

I never thought I’d do this, but I skimmed. Why were they so cringe-worthy? Was it the purple prose? (Possibly.) Was it the vein-clogging sweetness? (Just as probable.) Was it the incongruousness of frantic, hormonal teenage loving in the middle of a Planet Federation-proportioned alien invasion? (Very likely.) Whichever of these it was, I just. Couldn’t. Do it.

Apart from that, the romance itself is not fleshed out – it just is, was for years, and will be for years to come. There’s no question as to why, or how (though both are quite obvious, considering how Theo and Bastian spent their early adolescence). The twins’ protectiveness of each other is heartwarming, particularly since it’s easy to see how young they are, yet how battle-hardened, but short scenes showcasing exactly that are pretty much all there is to their love story.

One last complaint I have is that there were scenes, feelings, situations that would have made for a much more satisfying experience had they been explored more in depth – and there was plenty of space to do that, given the length of this book.

Summing up, this is not a romance. It’s a short sci-fi story with a colourful cast, nerve-wrecking tension and horrific baddies, with a minor subplot involving a gay couple. Don’t go into this expecting a grand love story, because you won’t get that. What you can expect is entertainment and tension – which I enjoyed immensely, which in turn is why this 3.5 star rating will be rounded up to 4 on GR. And I’m not usually that generous.

Nina rates it –

BUY LINKS: Less Than Three Press :: Amazon

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Nina is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: NINA’S REVIEWS
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Joint Review: My Only Sunshine by Rowan McAllister

Reviewed by Nikyta & Sid

TITLE: My Only Sunshine
AUTHOR: Rowan McAllister
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH:  226 pages
BLURB:  Tanner Wallis is nearly at the end of his rope the night Mason Seidel finds him lying next to the mangled body of a cow on the back pastures of the Seidel family’s Wyoming ranch. Recently out of the hospital after he and his boyfriend were brutally beaten, Tanner is jobless, homeless, and almost penniless. His desperate hope is that Mason will believe he’s innocent of the senseless crime and give him a place to heal, both physically and emotionally, until he can get on his feet again.

But Mason already has enough on his plate. He’s only been back on the ranch a few months, ten years after his father kicked him out for being gay, and only because his sister begged him to come help after the man’s disabling stroke. With all his responsibilities—running the struggling ranch and keeping his sister and father off his back—Mason can’t really afford the distraction Tanner represents. But he can’t just abandon the attractive young man either. There’s trouble in spades on the ranch, but if they face it together, Mason and Tanner might find a future with a little sunshine.

NIKYTA’S REVIEW

I have a weakness for cowboy stories. Throw in the fact that one of the characters is not only injured physically but is damaged emotionally and you have a story I just had to read.

This is about Tanner Wallis, who life has not been kind to the last few weeks. Forced to endure one hellish situation after another, he unintentionally wanders onto Mason’s property. Seeing that Tanner is not in the best of shape, Mason allows him to heal and rest on the ranch until he’s healthy again. Unfortunately, Mason might be out but he has his own set of problems with his homophobic and disabled father and having Tanner on the ranch can cause way more issues than he wants. However, the feelings between the two develop quickly and intense, leaving both of them unwilling to leave the other no matter what. But what will happen when Mason’s daddy finds out about Tanner? Will Tanner and Mason be able to get through the inevitable trouble that’s bound to happen?

I must say, I simply adored Tanner. He’s so fragile but he’s also very strong. His worst enemy is himself and it was sad to see him have second thoughts about Mason. He doesn’t believe he’s worthy enough to have someone love him for who he is instead of what his face looks like. Very heartbreaking. I also loved Mason because of what he has to put up with. I loved that he was so willing to take care of a father who hated him but at the same time I wanted to shake Mason and tell him to stick up for himself when it came to his family! I found it frustrating that he would bite his lip and just let things get worse instead of getting the courage to tell things the way they really happened, especially when it came to his sister.

The plot of the story mostly revolves around the developing relationship between Tanner and Mason with a side mystery. IMO, the mystery was too weak. It really only showed up or was mentioned when it would add more conflict to the story. However, the relationship between Tanner and Mason was very strong. I liked the almost physical pull the two had for each other. It was cute, sweet but sometimes intense. One thing I probably adored the MOST was the fact that these loved to hug each other simply to be held. I couldn’t get enough of that and really loved that there was nothing sexual attached to the hugs. They were for comfort, love and to give each other strength. It might have been the highlight of the story for me.

I enjoyed the story but I had a few issues with it. My main issue was that for a while in the middle, it started to drag. It was nice seeing Tanner and Mason get to know each other but at the same time, nothing else happened so it didn’t hold my interest for long when I tried to read. On top of that, I had an issue with the foreshadowing at the end of some of the chapters, which felt awkward and unnecessary. The ending was too nicely tied up for my liking so by the end, it left me with a lot of questions. My biggest one being how Mason and Tanner could afford to do most of the things they ended up changing.

Overall, this was a sweet story. I enjoyed it for the most part but I did have my issues. It’s main draw for me was the numerous hugs, as I said. It’s just not something you see in abundance in m/m when there’s not a sexual undertone to it and the hugs between Tanner and Mason were just sweet and adorable, filled with love. So CUTE! It definitely ends on a happy note and I was glad that these two found the happiness they both deserve.

Nikyta rates it:

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Nikyta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: NIKYTA’S REVIEWS

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SID’S REVIEW

Nikyta and I have quite a similar taste so when she suggested that we should buddy read on this one, I went to check out the blurb and said an immediate yes! The premise was so promising that I couldn’t say no and that’s how we ended up reading this together.

Believe me when I say – I never had an urge to read a book with hotshot Cowboys – sure, I lust for those hotties like any other gay men out there but this book was one of those exceptions where nothing else mattered but my reader’s soul inside me that craved to have a peek into this book and oh what a journey it was!

The beginning hooked me in an instant and I was more than excited to see how fate brings the two main characters together – like no one could imagine, yet it was believable enough to amaze me. The writing was outstanding and every character stood out in their roles – Tanner’s innocence and his pain or Mason’s desperation for a life in which he mattered made me connect with them. You just have to read this story just so you could live the moments they share as their relationship grows. How beautiful each of those stolen moments are, when they sneak kisses or – yes, those cute hugs Nikyta mentioned of course. It didn’t even bother me that the development was kind of slow because I know it was how it was supposed to be.

Secondary characters did well just by supporting these two (or even standing as a barrier to their relationship) – Ed and Lucy’s love for the boys or Brian’s protective demeanor over his friend Tanner when someone speaks ill of him or even Robert Seidel’s hatred to that extent where I hated him from the bottom of my heart.

However, that doesn’t mean I approve of how the author decided to just “get rid of him” so that the boys could finally live together. It was disappointing, considering how high I had my expectations built for this book and they just came crashing down bit by bit in the second half of the book. For the most part after the main characters make love to each other, there is nothing exciting happening at all. Words just seem to run for pages after pages describing how and what they did each day. Much of unneeded information is given to the reader – if this had been edited well, a shorter version (still a novel, though) with some best scenes would have been a final product. A couple of grammatical errors made the perfectionist in me cringe but one could overlook it easily, I guess.

Nikyta said it well – the mystery lacked its essence in this story and the climax was just not good enough. The ending of it all seemed rushed. The reader gets a bigger picture of it all at the end to show their happily ever after, however the little details – which actually made me fall in love with the story right in the beginning – remained missing right till end.

However, I would still recommend this book because Mason and Tanner do have a special story of their love to tell. It was a change for me – refreshing (even with the angst and all) and I found to be taken by Rowan McAllister’s talents.

For this romantic, cowboy tale, I give a rating of 3.25 stars.

Sid rates it: 

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Sid Love is the owner of The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all his reviews, click the link: SID’S REVIEWS
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Book Review: The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

Reviewed by Taylor

TITLE: The Foxhole Court
SERIES: All for the Game, Book 1
AUTHOR: Nora Sakavic
PUBLISHER: Self-published with Smashwords
LENGTH: 140 pages
BLURB: Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He’s short, he’s fast, he’s got a ton of potential—and he’s the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.

Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn’t need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil’s not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil’s new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can’t walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he’s finally found someone and something worth fighting for.

REVIEW:

It will be hard to discuss this book without spoilers, and it’s difficult to think of this book as a separate piece on its own.  I have not read the sequel to The Foxhole Court, yet; I get the sense the series is one long overarching story and the first book is the set-up, with hopefully the second book being the development, and the final book will resolve the conflicts.  That’s not to say the author didn’t have large events happen in this book, but it felt incomplete, leaving me confused.

What I liked about this book is the mystery, the characters, and the absolute craziness throughout the book.  You have to throw out any ideas of plausibility with this kind of book and just go with it.   The book has little psychopathic monsters running around with hidden knives, killers operating in the sporting field, a made-up sport, etc.  You also have to go into this without any expectations of a romance in this book, and we most certainly will not have a typical m/m romance in the future for this series.

The Foxhole Court focuses on a fictional sport called Exy, which seems like a mix of lacrosse, hockey, and a few other things.  It’s violent, extremely popular and the driving force for happiness for Neil – our protagonist- and Kevin, the former national star of Exy.  Neil is on the run from his father, an abusive man in the mob, and also from other mob bosses that control numerous aspects in Exy.  They control the teams, the arenas, the media and the workings within the game as much as they can.

So there’s all that, which should have been what I concentrated on, but I’ll admit for much of this book I didn’t know what was going on, what the point was, and where it all was heading.  I’ll also admit it took me a while to warm to Neil, and I think the author could have presented his backstory (and personality) in a quicker manner.  It felt dragged out in parts, and I kept wishing he’d get more interaction with characters, rather than so much introspection.

Even though I’m not big into written sports, I realized that each scene of practice really did show aspects of the characters’ personalities, where the clique lines divided, and hinted at motives characters might have towards playing well or not. I think once they really start playing in the following books, the action will become exciting and definitely tenser.

My favorite aspect of this book hands down, though, is Andrew.  I have SO many questions and ideas about Andrew.  The way his medications worked and his reaction to the medications really didn’t jive with me well, but I think the author is hinting at something deeper not yet revealed.  Why is he so protective of Kevin and not really of his twin?  Is he really a sociopath?  Also, I think it’s interesting how the author described him with Exy.  How he’s talented, but he as this air about him that he doesn’t care, maybe even resents what the sport represents.  But I think most of all when he’s out there, he feels alive in some hidden way.  He knows Kevin needs him to care and play well, he knows Coach has so much ridding on the outcome of these games and the future of the Foxes; he equally knows the team wants to win.  So it’s a game to him inside of the game he’s playing.  It’s about power.  He’s short and looks initially demure, he’s used to only feeling numb or anger, but having control over whether or not he gives a crap about Exy – THAT gives him power over everyone.  So, yeah, Andrew is badass.

Looking forward to the next one and hopefully some answers to all these questions.

Taylor rates it:

BUY LINKS: Smashwords :: Amazon

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Taylor is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: TAYLOR’S REVIEWS
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