Three Book Reviews: Agamemnon Frost Trilogy by Kim Knox

Reviewed by Heather C

SERIES: Agamemnon Frost Trilogy
AUTHOR: Kim Knox
BOOKS: 3
PUBLISHER: Carina Press

Agamemnon Frost and the House of Death (Book One, Agamemnon Frost Trilogy)

BLURB: Liverpool, 1891

Decorated artilleryman Edgar Mason was forced to find new work when the British Empire replaced its foot soldiers with monstrous machines. Now he waits on the Liverpool elite as a personal servant. He has just one rule: he won’t work for fashion-addled dandies.

Agamemnon Frost, however, is far from the foppish man-about-town he appears to be. He’s working to protect the Earth from an alien invasion being planned by a face-changing creature known as Pandarus. And on the night he plans to confront the aliens, he enlists Mason to assist him.

For a man to love a man is a serious crime in Victorian England. But when Mason meets Frost, his heart thunders and his blood catches fire. And when Pandarus drags the two men into the torture cellars beneath his house of death to brainwash them, Mason’s new passion may be all that stands between him and insanity.

REVIEW:

Okay, this was crazy!

The cover is what first drew my interest to this story, but when I originally read the blurb for this, I was immediately turned off by the Victorian England-slash-alien invasion concept.  Then, something kept pulling me back to it over and over, and when I finally realized it would be a trilogy, I decided to give it a try.

It’s Liverpool in 1891, and Edgar Mason, a former soldier, has been hired for the night to play manservant to Agamemnon Frost, a well-dressed gentleman *cough* and guest at Sir Randolph’s dinner party.  Mason soon realizes that ALL things aren’t what they seem and the two men soon find themselves on the run…from Martians!

I’m going to separate my review into parts: first half and second half…

For the first half, the entire first half, I was so lost and confused I almost gave up.  There was a lot of “alien speak” and I couldn’t figure out what the other characters were going on and on about.  Plus, all the Greek references were lost on me.  I couldn’t visualize any of the alien contraptions, nor could I picture what the bad guys were doing to the MC.  It was like all this was written for a higher level of intelligence and my measly, human brain could not comprehend the complexity of it.  Like I said, it was a real struggle for me to continue reading.

Then, for the second half, like right AT the 50% mark, something changed, and all of a sudden, it was making sense and I was really interested in what was going to happen.  The story was still crazy, but by then, it was a fun crazy in a creative and unique way.  I now believe that the beginning was meant to be confusing and hard to follow, since we are getting the story from Mason’s third person POV, and not necessarily a poor execution from the author.

My favorite part of this story was the sexual tension between Mason and Agamemnon.  There’s lots of heat there that I really hope will finally reach a climax in the next book. (Yes, I can’t wait to read it; I must find out what happens).  I am really, really intrigued by Agamemnon and want to know more of his secrets; and I want to know what’s really going on in Mason’s head.

I’m giving this one 3 stars for the fact that it failed to hold my interest for a large part of the story.

Don’t let the historical aspects scare you if that’s not usually your thing, because the feel of the story is more science fiction, alternate universe.

Heather rates it –

BUY LINKS: Carina Press :: Amazon

Agamemnon Frost and the Hollow Ships (Book Two, Agamemnon Frost Trilogy)

BLURB: Edgar Mason is ready to embark upon his new life at Agamemnon Frost’s side. But all is not perfect. His Martian overlord, Pandarus, has implanted a dark voice in his mind, a voice that urges betrayal. And though Mason can keep close to Frost, there’s little room for romance under the watchful gaze of the engineers from Station X.

That changes when Mason and Frost reopen their investigation into their old enemy’s whereabouts. Posing as double agents and investigating cryptic rumors of “hollow ships,” they find him impersonating a London banker and worm their way into his confidence.

But their success brings them trouble in spades. Pandarus takes them into the belly of his ships, where he plans to transfigure them into mindless automata. And with Earth on the brink of invasion, Frost’s old flame Theodora reappearing and Pandarus’s brainwashing growing more effective, Mason and Frost will find their bond tested as never before.

REVIEW:

I’ve come to the conclusion that science fiction just might not be the genre for me.

So, Mason is still trying to adapt to his “changes” and is working as Frost’s valet, but now they are stuck at Station X and really can’t explore any of that unresolved sexual tension that’s been building up between them.  Mason is also still struggling with the whispers in his mind that keep telling him that Frost is a traitor and urging him to report that to his master.  Nestor decides that Mason and Frost need to go check out the “hollow ships” and see if they can find Pandarus.  And that’s where things begin to fall apart…

I didn’t think it was possible, but this story was even more difficult for me to follow than the first one.  I couldn’t picture ANYTHING that was happening to the characters or the setting around them.  There were chambers, and spikes and ships made out of human skin…I think.  It was all over the place!  Mason kept thinking he was dying and then he would wake up and I would be even more lost. Then, I think there may have been some kind of time travel to an earth made of living skin…or was it dead skin?  I have no idea because then it was gone…I think.

The sexual tension/romance was much more lacking here than in the first book.  Previously, Frost was all ready to fuck Mason, and then when he finally has a chance, he turns him down!  But not before giving Mason a hand job that I couldn’t even see in my head. And Mason keeps going on and on about how Frost needs to be with his former fiancée, Theodora, even though Frost has told him over and over that he wants Mason and not her.

I struggled reading this from the first page to the last, but I’m still going to read the third book to see how this mess ends.

Heather rates it – 

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

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: Agamemnon Frost and the Crown of Towers (Book Three, Agamemnon Frost Trilogy)

BLURB: Edgar Mason is losing Agamemnon Frost despite everything they’ve been through–the passion, the torture, the heat. Frost’s fiancée, Theodora, is back, and Mason can feel his lover gravitating toward her. Every day he sees them together, it tears at his heart.

Frost feels raw himself. His brother and sister-in-law are missing, and his guilt about failing to save Theodora from Pandarus eats at him. His feelings for Mason, whom he has put through hell twice already, just twist the screws tighter.

On top of that, Pandarus and the Martians are back to make their final push to Earth, and Frost and Mason are duty bound to fight them. People are vanishing. Bodies are turning up burned beyond recognition in the slums. The bleak, human-less future Frost and Mason saw in the hollow ships has nearly come to pass.

And in order to prevent it, each man will have to make a final choice: lose his lover or doom the world.

REVIEW:

Probably my most favorite book of the series and the most coherent…for the most part.

After rescuing Theodora, Mason and Frost are now protecting her at Frost’s home, Greenbank Hall, and trying to keep the darkness in her mind from taking over. Then, Frost’s brother, Menelaus, and his wife go missing and Frost decides he must take action against Pandarus and discover what the puzzle of The Crown of Towers really is, and choosing between Mason or Theodora’s safety.

For about the first 75% of this book, I was really liking it and was able to follow what was going on.  We get to see more of Frost’s vulnerabilities when it comes to the safety of Theodora; and Mason’s jealousy of Frost’s “engagement” to her.  We also get to see a resolution to all the sexual tension between Mason and Frost…and it’s totally HOT!!

For the last 25% of the book and the big climax where earth is saved from the invading Martians, well, this is where I got confused again and I’m still not sure I understand what really happened. Somehow Mason was the brain of Pandarus’s ship and then Frost’s cravat pin somehow becomes the key to saving the world. Huh?

In the end, Mason and Frost are free from Pandarus and Theodora and can now live happily ever after.

So probably, this kind of science fiction just isn’t for me.

Heather rates it –

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

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Pre-release Review: After the Fall by L.A. Witt

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: After the Fall
SERIES: Tucker Springs #6
AUTHOR: L.A Witt
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 54,000 Words
BLURB: After years of saving every penny, Nathan has finally managed to buy the horse of his dreams. He’s looking forward to a summer of exploring the Colorado mountain trails above Tucker Springs with Tsarina. But on their very first ride, a motorcyclist makes a wrong turn, scaring Tsarina into bolting and leaving Nathan with a broken leg, a broken hand, and a ruined summer.

Ryan is a loner and a nomad, content with working odd jobs before moving on to the next town. Feeling guilty for causing the accident that leaves Nathan in two casts, Ryan offers to keep Tsarina exercised until Nathan heals.

Despite their bad start, Nathan and Ryan soon become friends . . . and then much more. But with a couple of nasty breakups in his past, Nathan doesn’t want feelings getting involved—especially knowing that Ryan will never settle down. But since when do feelings ever listen to reason?

REVIEW:

Another great story from Tucker Springs.

Nathan’s dream has finally come true:  he is now the proud owner of a shiny new horse, Tsarina.  Then, after his first day taking her out on the trails, he is left with a broken leg (Ryan’s fault) and a broken hand (Nathan’s fault) and a horse with no one to ride her for the entire summer…until Ryan, a lonely, wanderer who never stays in one place for long, offers him a deal.

You may remember Nathan since he’s been around from the very beginning as Mike’s receptionist at his acupuncture clinic.  I was really worried that I wouldn’t like Nathan,  but he has changed a lot from the manwhore we all knew from previous books.  No, there is no whoring in this book; it’s just a very slow burning, sweet story…but not the kind of sweet that will rot your teeth.

I was really loving the first half of the story:  all the horse stuff and sexual tension was really working for me. Then, after they started having sex, very hot sex I must add, the story became all about the sex and miscommunications, and less about the horse and them getting to know each other.  I mean, neither man went into this wanting a long term relationship, so when things start to feel more important than either of them ever expected, what do you think they do?  I don’t think I need to spell it out for you.

Another big issue I had with the story was why was Nathan so scared to have sex with Ryan?  It was touched on briefly but it seemed to run much deeper than what had been told. I feel that if his issues would have been further explored, it could of added much more depth to the story.  Instead, it left me with the feeling that Nathan’s fears were borderline ridiculous and just there as a plot device to hinder the growth of his and Ryan’s relationship.  Ah, but it all wraps up nicely in the end.

I’m probably stretching by giving this 4 stars, but I really did enjoy it and couldn’t put the book down. It’s one of those stories I would’ve read all in one sitting if I wouldn’t’ve had to sleep and work.  It’s just still missing a little something…

This book is part of a series, but I still feel that they can be read in any order. Yes, there are brief appearances from previous MCs, but their stories don’t have any big importance to this plot.  I’m really hoping Brad and Jeff get their story told soon; even though I’m not a fan of reading about established couples, I still want their HEA.

Heather rates it – 

BUY LINKS: Riptide Publishing

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Book Review: Learning Curve by Kaje Harper

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Learning Curve
SERIES: Life Lessons series #4
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 117,000 words
BLURB: Mac is afraid he’ll never recover enough to go back to being a cop, while Tony is afraid that he will.

Three months after being shot, Detective Jared MacLean is healing, but he’s afraid it may not be enough to go back on the job. He won’t give up, though. Being a cop is written deep in Mac’s bones, and he’ll do whatever it takes to carry his badge again. Tony used to wish he could have Mac safely home, but watching his strong husband battle disabilities is far from Tony’s dream come true. When Mac is asked to consult on a case involving one of Tony’s students, both men will have to face old demons and new fears to find a way to move forward together.

REVIEW:

It’s Mac and Tony’s final book!!! Gah! I ♥ these guys so much!

For those of you who haven’t read Home Work, you’ve been warned there will probably be spoilers in my review.

This book was long…I mean really long with a lot going on. Some may even say it was “too long”, but I loved every page of it. Since this is supposed to be the final book of the Life Lessons series, there were a lot of things going on in Mac and Tony’s life since the very beginning that needed resolutions, and I feel happy about how things were wrapped up.

I’m going to break my review out into a list because…well, that’s just how I like to do it.

♥ Its a few months later and Mac is still recovering from the brain injury. Book 3 ended on a sad note with Mac’s career future still up in the air. I really liked how the author handled the realism of the aphasia and what all Mac has to do to retrain his speech and overcome his fears. It’s hard seeing Mac so vulnerable, but he will always have Tony there to support him in who he needs to be…no matter how much it scares Tony.

♥ The murder mystery. Honestly, it wasn’t the most interesting mystery in the series. It was a bit simple with really only one possible solution that was glaringly obvious to me. BUT…the key point of the mystery was how Mac was able to slowly reorient himself to working a case after the injury, without “officially” working a case. Also, a few of Mac’s old cases that we’ve been following over the last few books finally get resolved.

♥ Tony is still having problems with that stupid, homophobic, bitch Grady at his school. And that storyline also gets a bit tied into Mac’s mystery. Not a major factor in the story, but it also uses the time to touch on the realities of teen bullying and the benefits of a having a Gay Straight Alliance to support gay teens and their networks.

♥ Tony and Mac are still hot hot hot! I think this book was definitely the smexiest book in the series…as a whole; because nothing will ever top the hotness of their wedding night for me. They are so fucking perfect together!

“Look in that mirror,” he whispered. “There. That stunning, big, dark man, and that smaller guy. That’s you and that’s me. And that’s fucking hot and gorgeous and just about perfect. That’s as gay as an Easter parade, and still completely about two real men. Your family can throw insults, and they can shun us, and they can discriminate all they want, but they can’t make that less than fucking perfect.” ~ Tony

♥ Speaking of Mac’s family, we finally get to meet them. We learn a lot about Mac’s childhood and the foundation for many of his fears. It’s now obvious why being a detective is who Mac really is and that it will never change. His family is horrible; thank God he now has a new family with Tony, Ben, and Anna.

♥ Tony finally becomes Ben’s “Dad”! I know that’s a spoiler, but did you really think that wouldn’t happen? It was so sweet and perfect, and of course I had a happy cry through the whole thing! I just adore Ben, and I wish his judgmental, homophobic grandparents would give him the love he deserves. Maybe someday…a long time from now.

♥ The HEA. It was beautiful and perfect and I CRIED like a baby at the end. Tony and Mac’s journey hasn’t been easy, but seeing the life they made together is inspiring and still leaves me with happy tears and a smile on my face. I hope Kaje gives us happy updates of their future together.

5 stars…no question about it!

BUY LINK: MLR Press  ::  All Romance eBooks  ::  Amazon

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Book Review: Greg Honey by Russ Gregory

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Greg Honey
AUTHOR: Russ Gregory
PUBLISHER: Bold Strokes Publishing
LENGTH: 264 pages
BLURB: Honey Agency: If we can’t solve your problem, we’re sorry.

Greg Honey has bigger issues than a sketchy tagline for his one-man detective agency. To start with, his mother is pressuring him to date debutantes, his stalker keeps leaving threatening messages, his new boyfriend is at least four levels higher up on the gay boy food chain, and his best friend, Willa, has lost her panties. To top it all off, things keep pointing toward trouble at the family estate. Will Greg figure out what’s going on in time to help Willa find her panties? Lord knows he wants to because Greg is more than a detective… he’s also a Honey.

REVIEW:

“Honey Detective Agency, when you need a dick, please rent this one.”

Well this was a fun trip!

Twenty-eight year old Greg Honey is the gay black sheep of a wealthy, Austin family, living in the gatehouse on the Honey estate trying to take his PI business to a serious level…and pay his bills. The poor guy doesn’t even have his own car. This is a comedy first, mystery second, and the romance falls way at the end. Think Stephanie Plum meets Kinsey Millhone with a big gay twist…and more drag queens.

First and foremost, the dialogue, the characters, and the situations were all hilarious! I seriously laughed out loud with nearly every page I read and frequently found myself reading out loud some of the best scenes to my SO. Greg, the MC, is pretty much an impulsive fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of person; says and does whatever comes to mind and then has to deal with the back lash. Take, for instance, his big “coming out” outburst at a dinner party when his condescending, socialite mother asks him to “please pass the peas.” Maybe he inherited those tendencies from his uninhibited, ninety-three year old grandmother who vocally requests to know all about the ins-and-outs of gay man sex? Then there was Willa, Greg’s boob-challenged, handgun-slash-Taser packing, chatty BFF who has absolutely no brain-to mouth filter and doesn’t listen to anything Greg tries to tell her. She’s totally my favorite character in the whole book!

Second was the mystery…or shall I say “mysteries”: Willa frantically looking for her stolen panties; Russ Buttons, fashion-clashing aficionado, looking for his long lost brother Milton; Gary Weiss, the drag queen insurance adjuster, looking to prove a fraudulent claim; oh, and Russ, again, wanting proof that his boyfriend-slash-husband, Billy, is obviously having an affair since they haven’t done the nasty in two whole days!! Eh, the mysteries were fun, but didn’t turn out to be too complicated and wrapped up a bit too conveniently. Like I said, the humor is primary in this story.

And last was Greg’s romance with Off-off-off Broadway actor Matt Kendall…currently starring in the local production of Rent. I chose to discuss him last because he hardly ranks as a secondary character, more like a tertiary one instead. All I really know is that Greg has been lusting for Matt for a while and then suddenly Matt wants to hook up, and then two days later they are in love, and all the hooking up and falling in love all happened off-the-page…so this really missed the romance train for me because I never really felt anything for Matt, although he does seem like a decent guy and they should live happily ever after…maybe.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this, and I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I just prefer my reading material to involve some kind of romantic tension between the characters. I did start to get a little bored about halfway through the story, but honestly, I think that was because of personal preference and not the actual execution of the story.

So if you’re in the mood for a fun, humorous, character-driven mystery that is light on the romance, give this one a try. If this turns into a series, I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Heather’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Bold Strokes Books  ::  Amazon

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Pre-release Review: Spook Squad by Jordan Castillo Price

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Spook Squad (Book #7)
SERIES: PsyCop
AUTHOR: Jordan Castillo Price
LENGTH: 350 pages
BLURB: Everyone enjoys peace and tranquility, and Victor Bayne is no exception. He goes to great lengths to maintain a harmonious home with his partner, Jacob. Although the cannery is huge, it’s grown difficult to avoid the elephant in the room…the elephant with the letters FPMP scrawled on its hide.

Once Jacob surrendered his PsyCop badge, he infiltrated the Federal Psychic Monitoring Program. In his typical restrained fashion, he hasn’t been sharing much about what he actually does behind its vigilantly guarded doors. And true to form, Vic hasn’t asked. In fact, he would prefer not to think about the FPMP at all, since he’s owed Director Dreyfuss an exorcism since their private flight to PsyTrain.

While Vic has successfully avoided FPMP entanglement for several months, now his debt has finally come due.

REVIEW:

SQUEEEEEEE!!!! I’ve been waiting two and a half years for this book and its FINALLY here!!!

If you haven’t read any of the PsyCop series, stop whatever you are doing right now and go start reading Among the Living! This is my most favorite M/M paranormal romance series…ever! I’ve even read them twice, and it’s very, very rare for me to reread.

For those of you who are all caught up, and like me, were all freaked out about Jacob’s big decision at the end of GhosTV, you can relax…all is well in Vic and Jacob romance-land. 🙂

I hate hate hate giving plot spoilers, so I’m going to be as vague as I can and still tell you what you mostly need to know.

So, what is Spook Squad about?

Well, do you remember how Vic owes Constantine Dreyfuss and FPMP that exorcism of a certain ghost? Ah, if you’ve read Camp Hell…then you know the one. Now, Con has decided it is time for Vic to pay up, and since his Seconal dealer is in lockup, Vic finds himself spending more and more time at F-PIMP “salting” repeaters and revealing many more of his secrets to Con than he ever planned. At the same time, Con has Jacob investigating the murder of that big shooting victim from Camp Hell. If you can’t remember who I’m talking about, you’ll soon figure it out. Of course, there is a lot more going on, but that’s enough plot review for now.

I must say that I LOVED seeing more of Vic and Jacob working together! And I believe that deep down Jacob’s main reason for working with FPMP is so he can better protect Vic. As for the mystery, I had one key piece of it figured out way before Vic. At first, I thought it was too obvious, but in the end I realized it was just really good foreshadowing by the author and that Vic didn’t see it immediately because it wasn’t something he would normally think about with a case. Then there was that one really big revelation that I DID NOT see coming!

Also, there were soooo many sweet, touching moments between Vic and Jacob. There wasn’t as much smexin’ like we are used to seeing with these guys…but honestly, more would not have appropriately fit with the pace of the story. Instead, we get secret looks and sweet touches that just made me turn to mush!

So what about our other favorite characters?

♥ I would have liked to see more of Crash, poor fella, but after reading the “About this Story” notice from Jordan at the end, I am very excited to see that Crash will be getting his own story. Yay! He deserves some happiness; it breaks my heart seeing him so alone and vulnerable.

♥ We get plenty of Lisa…maybe even too much of her because she was pissing me off there for a while.

♥ Con…I sooooo want to trust this guy. And I really liked how we get to see more of his vulnerabilities.

♥ Carolyn needs to get over herself. Seriously, the world doesn’t revolve around her and her honesty. Poor Jacob.

♥ Zigler…we don’t see much of him this time but I really hope we get more of him in the future.

♥ Einstein AKA Richie…I can’t figure out if I love to hate him or just hate him. Maybe I just feel sorry for him…and that’s only because Vic has made me feel sorry for him.

♥ And who is this Agent Bly? Ah, well you will soon find out that he has quite a few secrets of his own.

In the end, I loved every moment of this story! I would even read it again 🙂

Easy 5 stars from me!

Oh…forgot to say that I ♥ this cover

BUY LINK: JCP Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Book Review: Billy’s Bones by Jamie Fessenden

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Billy’s Bones
AUTHOR: Jamie Fessenden
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 254 Pages
BLURB: Kevin Derocher was thirty-two when he walked into Tom’s office, newly married, a baby on the way, and the collar of his red flannel shirt pulled up to hide the bruises around his throat from when he hanged himself in his garage. After his initial consult, therapist Tom Langois believes he’ll never see Kevin again—but Kevin turns up three years later to make repairs on Tom’s new house.

Kevin and Tom become fast friends, and Tom begins to suspect Kevin may be interested in more than friendship. However, Kevin remains haunted by something from his childhood—something so terrible he blocked it from his mind. These suppressed memories make it impossible for Kevin to get close to anyone without panicking and lashing out, sometimes violently. But as his past begins to surface, it becomes apparent that Kevin may hold the key to a twenty-five-year-old mystery: what happened to Billy?

REVIEW:

Heartbreaking. Disturbing. Beautiful.

Three years ago, Tom met Kevin for one brief moment…as a therapist to Kevin following his failed attempt at suicide after finding out his wife was pregnant. Now, Tom has bought a new-to-him house and comes across Kevin’s name when asking for a recommendation for a handyman to repair his hot tub. Kevin is now divorced…but still suffering from panic attacks and sexual dysfunctions.

Neither guy has any close friends of the hang-out-and-grill-and-drink-beer variety, and they soon find themselves spending a lot of time together. Things get a bit weird once Tom admits he his gay and even weirder when they start spending all of their time together in the buff…in a non-sexual way. As a psychologist, Tom admits to himself that their “friendship” is obviously odd and a bit unhealthy, but he can’t help himself from falling for Kevin. Kevin admits he feels attraction for Tom and likes to look at him naked…but he has strong aversions to being touched or participating in any sex acts involving another person…even though he is very hyper-sexual and crass at times.

“What do you want?” Tom asked. “If it was entirely up to you, what would you want our relationship to be like?”
“I guess I’d pretty much want to keep it the way it is. I just want to be with you as much as possible.”
“Until you find a girlfriend.”
“I don’t want a girlfriend,” Kevin said adamantly. “I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”

When their growing closeness begins to trigger increased panic attacks and flashbacks in Kevin, Tom can’t fight his therapist’s instinct to want to nurture and heal him. He wants to understand more about Kevin. Why does he have the anxiety and sexual dysfunctions? Why did he really try to kill himself three years ago? And the biggest question of all…will their fragile relationship survive the answers?

Okay, enough with all the plot review. I’m sure you can get all that and more just by reading the blurb.

Ladies and Gents, what you will get here is a beautiful story about two realistically, imperfect men. I think their flaws are what really allowed me to connect with them so quickly. I mean, once I started reading it was really difficult for me to leave Tom and Kevin long enough to get any work done. From their friendship to their boyfriend-ship, you will get many sweet, touching scenes interspersed with graphically, disturbing triggers from Kevin’s past. Spoiler warning for anyone with abuse triggers…you should avoid this story all together.

This was a fast reading story that was progressing with every page; even when they would take two steps forward and one step back, it was always progressing. I think some readers may question Kevin’s behavior, but from professional experience, I recognize that people cope with abuse and trauma in all different manners. It was obvious to me that the author spent a lot of time with his research and created very realistic and believable characters.

At times, I felt like I had it all figured out…but nope, my mind couldn’t even imagine the horrors of Kevin’s reality. And the one scene from the past…it ripped out my soul and left me bare and sobbing from the pain. Fuck, it makes me cry right now while writing this.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Okay, I’m ready to continue…

Now that I’ve blown my nose and wiped away my tears, I close my eyes and contemplate how this story makes me feel in this moment…and I feel sunshine and hope and the belief that love really can conquer all. Love can overpower the darkness and despair and fucked up shit from the past.

Trust me, beneath this not-so-pretty cover is a beautiful story with a sweet HEA just waiting for you.

Heather’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Dreamspinner Press :: Book Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)

Book Review: Heart of Dixie by Mychael Black

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Heart of Dixie
ANTHOLOGY: Fever Anthology
AUTHOR: Mychael Black
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: 19 pages
BLURB: Mack Sexton has been the pillar of the Sexton clan since his brother’s death almost six years ago. He’s seen his nephew Robbie find true love, and he’s watched other family friends come together as lovers. Mack has had his own share of fantasies, and they all involve his friend, Les Spencer — recently divorced and straight. Just when Mack gets the notion to call Robbie and ask for advice, Les surprises him in more ways than one.

REVIEW:

Mack has been pining after his good friend Les for years. Now, Les has come to help Mark with his farm. It takes everything in his power for Mack to keep himself in line because he thinks Les is straight…or is he?

This was a short, erotic story about two friends-to-lovers. I initially thought it was going to be gay-for-you, but after reading it, I would classify it as out-for-you. The steam level is pretty decent considering the author managed to fit 3 sex scenes into the span of 19 pages! Then, suddenly I was confused when all these family members of Mack’s were being introduced to Les! I immediately did a little research and realized that this is a spin-off story of the author’s Hearth and Home series.

While this is an okay erotic story to be read on its own, I think maybe it would be more enjoyable to the reader if they were already familiar with the series. I only got to see a glimpse into the lives of several other couples that would have otherwise been familiar to me.

Heather’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Torquere Press :: Book Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)

Book Review: Two Buckets and a Snakeskin Suit by Aaron Michaels

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Two Buckets and a Snakeskin Suit
ANTHOLOGY: Fever Anthology
AUTHOR: Aaron Michaels
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: 29 pages
BLURB: Sparks fly – along with a good deal of dust and dirt – when a newly-minted Las Vegas lawyer meets a sexy Australian cowboy in Virginia City, Nevada.

Marcus never expected to find someone like Vic at the Virginia City Camel Races. Tall and lanky with a strong jaw, a chiseled chin, and an Australian accent to boot, Vic’s the sexiest cowboy Marcus ever met. A guy would do just about anything to impress someone like Vic. Even something totally off the wall, like riding a camel in one of the races. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that plan, right?

REVIEW:

This is a sexy story about Marcus, a struggling young lawyer from Vegas, who has been forced by his sister, Shelly, to visit the camel rodeo in Virginia City as a vacation with the promises of meeting a ‘hot cowboy’. The problem is that Marcus doesn’t believe that hot cowboys even exist. That is until he meets Vic, a hot Australian cowboy! This quickly leads to a camel-riding disaster and some public hot tub smexin’.

I really liked this, even though it was pretty much insta-love without the ‘I love you’. I thought it was pretty funny, and the hot tub scene was…HOT! I would really, really like to see this expanded without such a rushed ending. When it was finished, I still didn’t know much of anything about Vic. Plus, I’m very interested in knowing if these two will leave this at a weekend fling, or make a commitment out of it.

There was so much potential; I’m just dying for more!

Heather’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Torquere Press :: Book Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)

Book Review: Ready to Ride by Katherine Halle

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Ready to Ride
ANTHOLOGY: Fever Anthology
AUTHOR: Katherine Halle
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: 46 pages
BLURB: Eric is an orthopedic surgeon volunteering his time with the Justin Sports Medicine program, traveling the rodeo circuit two months out of the year. Underneath it all, though, he’s a cowboy at heart and not just because he was born and raised in Texas. He’s a cowboy at heart because Ben Greene, champion Saddle Bronc rider, owns his heart.

They haven’t put words to what they’re doing, even though they’ve been together for almost a year. But when Ben is bucked off during a ride, resulting in a season-ending injury, both these cowboys might have to finally acknowledge what they have and what they mean to each other.

REVIEW:

I’m not one who loves cowboy books, but once I read the blurb for Ready to Ride, I knew I had to give this one a try.

Eric, an orthopedic surgeon, and Ben, a saddle bronc cowboy, have been in a relationship for the past year; spending every moment they can together whenever Ben isn’t traveling on the circuit. Eric repeatedly makes Ben promise to take better care of himself and to keep safe after suffering from several minor injuries to one of his shoulders. But when Ben takes a nasty fall from a bucking bronc with Eric thousands of miles away, both men realize how important they really are in each other’s lives.

Obviously, this is a story about established lovers, which, like cowboys, isn’t exactly my favorite to read. But sometimes, for a short story, an established relationship is a lot easier for me to accept and connect with. And I instantly connected with Ben and Eric. I loved the endearing nicknames they had for each other and the sexy banter between them. There’s even one steamy sex scene that was just as kinky as it was cliche. Even though this falls into the category of hurt/comfort, there is still very little angst. It’s mostly happy and sweet and made me smile.

I didn’t feel as though I was getting a ton of “info dump” right at the beginning of the story, so the author did a great job in spreading out the backstory as the story unfolded. This is in no way Eric and Ben’s entire story. No, it’s more like a slice of their life; just one little hill they have to climb to get closer to their happy ever after. There are no verbal declarations of “I love you”, but words were not needed. It was very obvious to me what these guys felt for each other.

This is certainly not a story that absolutely “blew me away”, but I enjoyed it and will be recommending it to all of my friends for when they are in the mood for a sweet hour of escape.

Heather’s Rating: 

BUY LINK: Torquere Press :: Book Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)

Book Review: Lost Won by S. E. Culpepper

Reviewed by Heather C.

TITLE: Lost Won (Book #3)
SERIES: Liaisons
AUTHOR: S.E. Culpepper
LENGTH: 377 Pages
BLURB: Six years ago Christian Blakely lost his way. Fresh from college and sure of his future, an unexpected meeting changed everything. Frightened by the truth behind one night’s surrender to a hidden desire, he ran, determined to drive the memory of that night—that man—from his mind.

As the years pass, Christian builds a life around his work, drifting between relationships as the image of one man haunts his steps. Wishing he were free from a mire of what might have been, he is offered a chance at redemption when he comes face-to-face with the man at the root of it all.

Gunnery Sergeant Kevin McGuire understands commitment, whether it’s to his work as a US Marine, or to the happiness of his younger sister Risa. A proud and private man, he has never shared the story of the night with Christian; though years have passed he is still affected by it. When circumstances bring the two of them together again, Kevin is shocked by the depth of anger and passion that the younger man stirs.

With the obstacles of Kevin’s resentment and distrust in his way, Christian is confronted with the same choice of six years ago: stay and fight for what he wants, or run and hide…

REVIEW:

Nearly 6 years ago, on a hot Mexican night in Cabo, Christian and Kevin explored each other’s souls and bodies. When the sun broke the horizon, Christian fled, running from the truth he had discovered, but not before Kevin handed him his hastily written cell phone number on a club napkin with the request that he use it. Their time together was more than a night of hot sex…it was filled with passion and a deep connection that neither man will ever forget.

Now, Christian is all grown up and outed (thanks to a tabloid scandal), but he’s still all alone after breaking many female hearts along the way. He is no longer in denial about what he wants…a chance to fix things with Kevin. Kevin is still a closeted, active marine following his latest overseas deployment…and is still haunted by the memory of Christian. Why did Christian never call him? Kevin is now living in San Diego with his younger sister, Risa, and Christian recently took a new job in the city. What will happen when these two men see each other after 6 years of no contact?

This was a beautifully, sad story. The symbolism of Christian’s tattoos and the recognition of his years of pain just made me sad. But that whole aspect of the story was so beautifully done. There’s not a lot of angst in this one with no silly breakup…although there are some ridiculous miscommunications. But for me, Christian and Kevin’s responses still felt genuine and realistic.

Also, this story isn’t filled with page after page of sex, and honestly, the sex scenes are not even that explicit. But it’s all the sexual tension that does it for me…and the characters themselves.

The ending was so adorably sweet! Getting a smile on my face just remembering it…

I must say that I have enjoyed this entire series from the beginning! The author’s characters are so real to me; making real decisions and doing all the stupid things a real person might do. Christian and Kevin were introduced in the previous book, Question Mark, so this really CAN NOT be read as a stand alone. Be sure to start at the beginning with Private Eye.

Please, please, please let there be a 4th book!!

I highly recommend all the books in this series.

Heather’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Book Store

==================================
Heather C. is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)