Book Review: Junk by Josephine Myles

Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE: Junk
SERIES: The Bristol Collection, Book 1
AUTHOR: Josephine Myles
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 351 pages
BLURB: Letting go is the first step to healing…or bringing it all crashing down.

When an avalanche of books cuts off access to his living room, university librarian Jasper Richardson can no longer ignore the truth. His ever-growing piles of books, magazines and newspapers can no longer be classified as a “collection”. It’s a hoard, and he needs professional help.

Professional clutter clearer and counselor Lewis Miller thinks he’s seen it all, but even he has to admit he’s shocked. Not so much by the state of Jasper’s house, but by the level of attraction he still feels for the sexy bookworm he remembers from school.

What a shame that Lewis’s ethical code forbids relationships with clients. As Jasper makes slow but steady progress, though, the magnetic pull between them is so strong even Lewis is having trouble convincing himself it’s a temporary emotional attachment arising from the therapeutic process.

Jasper longs to prove to Lewis that this is the real deal. But first he’ll have to lay bare the root of his hoarding problem…and reveal the dark secret hidden behind his walls of books.

REVIEW:

Junk: where a sexy librarian hoarder meets a shopaholic clutter-cleaner with (over)commitment issues, and falls promptly and fully head over heels. What’s not to like?  Well except the fact that our sexy hoarder, Jasper, is one false move from being buried under his hoard of books and newspapers.  Or that clutter-cleaners with therapist leanings, like our Lewis, might just let morals get in the way of his happily ever after.   It’s nothing that can’t be conquered, but can these two, and all their issues, fit into a house that’s packed to the brim with books, papers, and a secret that not even death can bury?  Only time and love can tell.

I knew from the moment that I read the blurb of Junk that I was going to like this book.  Even discounting my love for the books of Josephine Myles, this truly sounded like a unique story being told.  Yet, hoarding?–the supposed province of crazy old bats with hygiene issues and more cats than could ever be healthy–how could that possibly lend itself to a good ol’ gay romance?  Turns out it lends itself superbly.  Not just because Jasper and Lewis make my knees go weak, or that my inner anglophile has a girlish fit every time I read a book set in the UK.  No, this book actually has the audacity to have depth of character and plot.  And I love it.

I love that these character–all of them–exist in three dimensions.  It would have been enough to find two protagonist who are more than just top and bottom, domineering or shy, but we got so much more.  Jasper and Lewis were great characters to come to know, but Yusef, Carroll, Mas, and of course the clothing free, free-speaking, parents of the Miller twins were a joy to read about.  Feeling like you could actually come across these people, if you take a quick (or not so quick, for the poor residence of sunny cali, like me) jaunt up to this English town, was a wonderful feeling.  The more I found out about these characters the more I wanted to know (if not exactly see–the only people I want to hold naked conversations with are those I’ll be tying to my bed later on).  I am also hoping Myles might be feeling benevolent and will give Mas his own happy ending–because seriously, that bouncy, sassy man has some serious depths that need to be plundered…er…discovered by the right man.

Jasper is a hoarder, but not a pushover.  He has a strong will, a working love life–well, he at least is getting some, if not from the right person, or in the right way–and the determination and courage to go after what he wants.  Be it a solution to his overwhelming hoarding problem, or after the reluctant clutter-cleaner that came to save his house and ended up claiming his heart, he is willing to take the steps to get it.  Yes he has doubts–and plenty of dithering about before he forces himself to change–but he does make those changes.  He does go after his man.  Even if said man made me want to whack him with the stick even as Jasper lulled him in with his, ah, carrot.

Lewis has pesky ethical issues, and unfortunately I can’t say that they are wrong.  Not even if they almost cock-blocked the happily-ever-after.  Lewis does have commitment issues–in that he comes to them way too fast and way too hard–so it is perfectly reasonable, and probably much healthier, to insist that they know that this is what they really want.  Both of them.  Did it bug me?  Of course.  I am a hopeless romantic that would happily live in a world of love at first sight and forever.  But I am also an unrepentant realist and hate when things come too easy to my heroes.  Make them strive for it, make them work hard for it…and then let them declare their undying love as they fall into each other’s arms.

There were so many little moments in this book that made me smile.  Zombie flirting in the cafe (a proven method of convincing your desired other that you are the perfect partner is to show just how useful you would be in a zombie apocalypse).  Decorative fountains that were so much more.  A brother and sister who reminded me quite a bit of how my sister and I act whenever we are in the same room (she’s the pretty one, I’m the smart one.  And most likely the dead one if she ever reads this!).  Yet for all its face splitting smiles and lighthearted nudist oversharing, there was real depth and insight into to the problem of hoarding.

These people don’t just have a problem throwing things away.  It is much more complex than that.  They can’t let go of what they have because they either feel that no one will love it like they do or they are sure that one day they will need it, use it, or turn it into something better and new.  But after a while the sheer weight of stuff, of time, of guilt, build up around them, and make even the thought of trying to move stuff out, impossible.  It does keep piling up, too, because it is hard to pass up that one last book, that one last set of knives.  After all, what is one more in the grand scheme of things?  Then one becomes ten, becomes fifty, and then three rooms are forever closed to you because gravity won out over haphazardly placed piles of stuff.  This was Jasper’s world, and it is no wonder that even thinking about the task before him made him cringe in horror.

And Jasper’s big secret?  Well you’ll just have to find that out on your own, ‘cause I can only deal with so much heartache.  I don’t need to go and break your heart as well–I’ll let Myles and Jasper do that for me.  But I will say, that while I got hints of it along the way, it still hurt to hear.  Maybe it was the combo of wine and late-night reading, but to see what Jasper had put on him, what he had to do, and then having to live with it every day after, it about broke my heart.  I don’t know where I come down on the issue itself, but that is one hell of a burden to carry.

But don’t worry, it is not all doom and gloom!  The love here is genuinely heartwarming, and the chemistry between these two is like a bonfire on a cold night: irresistible to watch and you can’t help but get as close as you can so to feel the heat lick up your skin.  Surprisingly it is Jasper who is the driving force behind most of the action.  He seemed so broken at the beginning of the story, and even with him saying that he’d the one topping Mas, I didn’t think he really had it in him to go after Lewis like he did.  But, boy, was I wrong.  I was wrong in the garden, on the bed, and in the warehouse–several times!  And while Jasper may eventually want to be able to switch it up, it was hot and sweet and very very much a pleasure to read with him in charge.  I do take issue with the fade-to-black before Lewis got to go all toppy on Jasper wonderful behind, though–that was just mean…if completely the right choice for the story.  But still.

I loved this story, and while there were a few areas where the transitions were a little iffy and I might have been jolted out of the scene as I tried to figure what was going on, I don’t have many complaints.  This book took me, my heart, and my head, through a wringing and wonderful journey, and I have no qualms about recommending it to anyone who wants to fall in love vicariously, likes pants-melting kisses, and who is willing to see some of the crazy secrets that hide behind the towers of literary genius.  5 stars.  Go pick it up; you will not regret it–unless it is the domino that sets off your own worded avalanche.

(This book also prompted a little clean-out on my part. So yea! to more shelf space and less shoes clogging my closet.  That means I can buy more books right?)

BUY LINKS: Samhain Publishing :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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

To read all her reviews, click the link: CARISSA’S REVIEWS
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Pre-release Review: Bound to Break by S. E. Jakes

Reviewed by Jennifer B.

TITLE: Bound to Break
SERIES: Men of Honor #6
AUTHOR: S. E. Jakes
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 225 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 3rd, 2013
BLURB: Four men fighting against their pasts…and for each other.

Several years after washing up on a beach in South Africa with absolutely no memory—not even his name—Lucky would rather not remember his past. Based on the number of scars on his body, it couldn’t have been anything good.

Then a man claiming to be his former Navy SEAL teammate walks into the bar and insists that Lucky’s real name is Josiah Joshua Kent. Turns out he’s been listed as KIA, and since he’s not dead, he’s now AWOL—and under suspicion.

Discovering Josh is alive throws Rex, and his relationship with Sawyer, into a tailspin. Rex can finally lay to rest the nightmares of the night he couldn’t save his teammate. And Sawyer is faced with his worst nightmare—a relationship threatened by a very real ghost from the past.

As Josh begins to piece his memories back together, another man with a shadowy connection to his past—and maybe his heart—holds the key that could free him. Or send him to a traitor’s fate.

REVIEW:

This book is a lot like Book 4, Bound by Danger, in that there are two couples somewhat starring in the story.  You may remember Rex and Sawyer and Clint and Jace from that book.  Rex and Sawyer were just getting together and dealing with Rex’ lover who had gone MIA on a mission to retrieve two missing agents.

Fast forward four years and we find Lucky, a man found washed up on the beach with no memory of the past four years or how he got there.  He is taken in by Emme and her family and now bartends for them at their restaurant/bar in South Africa.  That is, until Lucky is spotted by an ex-teammate and recognized as former MIA soldier, Josh, just about the same time as Emme’s mysterious brother, Dash, comes back into town.

Dash and Lucky hit it off (or so it seems), but Dash is actually CIA who ends up bringing Josh/Lucky in for deserting.  Lucky still has no memory, but the government is concerned about having a person with his particular skill set walking the civilian streets and are worried that he may have been turned by his captors in exchange for the release of his fellow POWs and is now a threat.

When word reaches Rex and Sawyer that Josh is actually alive, it puts a lot of strain on their relationship.  I loved how this was done and even with Josh not having any memory of their past relationship, the worry was still there about what Josh’s return would mean for Rex and Sawyer’s relationship.  Rex and Sawyer are great together, and the story shifts a little bit between them and Lucky/Dash with the Josh/Rex issue being the more common link.  Sounds a bit confusing, but it really isn’t the way it’s written.

Lucky and Dash decide they will make a go of it, that there is more to their feelings than just screwing for information and the job.  So, there are two couples’ stories being told here, as was the case in Men of Danger.  This time though, things read a little smoother for me, and I found I quite enjoyed the style.

This story has so much to offer and is actually my favorite of the series so far.  Hot military/special ops guys, damaged characters dealing with recovery from their tortured time in captivity, a few twists I didn’t see coming, and some smoking hot sex, to name just a few.  Jakes remains at the top of my must read as soon as it hits the streets list, and this one was no exception.  I recommend the entire series, but definitely Bound by Danger, as the same characters appear.

Jennifer gives it – 

LINK: Samhain Store

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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
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Pre-release Review: Fall Hard by J. L. Merrow

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Fall Hard
AUTHOR: J. L. Merrow
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 237 pages
BLURB: Some memories are better off lost in the mist…

Eight months ago, British academic Paul Ansell lost his lover—and all the memories of their time together—in an accident at Iceland’s Gullfoss Falls. Returning to the misty island country to resume his study of the bloodthirsty Viking Egil Skallagrimsson is tough as he struggles to pull his life back together.

First, there’s his colleague, Mags, who treats him like glass, and summer student Alex, who peppers him with discomforting questions. Then there’s Icelandic jet-boat driver Viggo, a tattooed, modern-day Viking who won’t say much about how they know each other. Leaving Paul to wonder if their volcanic attraction is fuelled by a desire to make a fresh start, or desperation to forget the past.

As more fragments of his lost memories fall into place, Paul is unsure if he can trust himself, much less anyone around him. And he begins to suspect his accident was nothing of the kind.

REVIEW:

Paul Ansell, an English ex-pat, is a professor and researcher of Icelandic studies at a private institute in Reykjavik. That is, up until he was seriously injured in a long tumble off the side of a cliff. Paul also suffers from amnesia about the accident. In fact, he can’t remember anything about the year he’s spent in Iceland. He has no memory of colleagues and friends made there. He can’t even remember his lover, Sven Halvorson, another historian, who was tragically killed in the same accident. Now, almost a year later, Paul is ready to pick up the pieces of his life, resume his studies, try to jog his memory, and put to rest lingering unease about the accident.

There is an undercurrent of foreboding in the story, of looming threat. Or maybe everything is colored by Paul’s vulnerability and uncertainty, effects of the amnesia. He has a good friend in Mags Kettle, a colleague who helps him get re-settled, but she has a strange reluctance to answer questions about Sven and their relationship. Paul finds himself fending off the advances of Alex, a new, visiting historian who, strangely, has his own questions about the accident. And, Paul is thrown by his immediate, charged physical attraction to the gorgeously tattooed boat-runner, Viggo Gudrunarson, who will not confirm what they were to each other before the accident. Were they lovers? Was Paul cheating on Sven? What kind of a person was Paul? … he may not be happy with the answers. Is the threat he feels inward or outward?

I find it difficult to connect with Paul’s character, can’t get under his skin. His amnesia keeps him at a distance; he can be surly, suspicious and a bit paranoid and sometimes he comes off as just mean. I don’t understand this specialized memory loss— how he can remember everything else in his life, his studies, his family in England, and yet nothing about his year in Iceland? If this is meant to be a psychological study of an amnesiac it doesn’t quite work for me. On the other hand, Paul’s growing relationship with Viggo is hot and I’m more interested in this modern-day Viking, and his background, would like to know more about him. There is a spark and mystery to Viggo that is more alluring.

While the writing is good, crisp, easy to read, my issue is with the plotting. Outside Paul’s amnesia, there’s not enough tension, and the looming threat set up at the story’s beginning, fizzles. I would recommend this for it’s interesting rendering of Reykjavik, for the physical setting, and the references to its lore, especially the great detail work on the Viking berserker and poet, Egil Skallagrimsson, which add a unique flavor. And for the mysterious, patient, Viggo.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Samhain Store

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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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GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: K.J. Charles

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(¸.•´ (¸.•`MAGPIES AND MAGIC  ¸.•*¨*•
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I’m not superstitious, but I count magpies.

Most British people do. It’s just a thing. If you nudge a Brit and indicate a lone magpie, you can bet money you’ll get the response, ‘One for sorrow.’ Everyone knows a magpie rhyme (and there are a lot of them).

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy… 

So, I count magpies. Just a habit. It’s not a superstition. If I was superstitious, each time I saw a lone magpie, I’d have to say, “Good morning Mr. Magpie, and how are your wife and children?” in the hope of warding off bad luck. If I was superstitious, I’d panic when a magpie landed on my roof, because “when pies chatter upon a house, it is a sign of right evil tidings”.

But I’m not superstitious. And it would be ridiculous to believe magpies are unlucky. Although they eat carrion, of course, which associates them with death. And there’s the old story is that they were the only bird that refused to go in the boat with Noah, preferring to sit on the roof of the Ark “jabbering over the drowning world”. And then there’s the colour. In much of Europe black birds are unlucky, white are lucky. Magpies are both. Lucky and unlucky, sorrow and joy. No wonder we can’t quite feel comfortable with them. No wonder we have to count them.

Five for rich, six for poor, seven for a bitch, eight for a whore… 

In The Magpie Lord, China trader Lucien Vaudrey unexpectedly inherits the title of Lord Crane and a huge fortune. He also inherits a bloodline full of magic, and a peculiar obsession with magpies that has led his family to fill their decaying stately home with pictures and carvings and tapestries of magpies. The new Lord Crane hasn’t done that. He wears his magpies as tattoos instead. Seven of them. Which is one of the many things about Crane that attracts the reluctant attention of magician Stephen Day.

Seven for a witch, I can tell you no more. 

As it happens, magpies don’t have the same significance in China as in England. In China they’re a symbol of good luck and happiness. I didn’t know that when I started writing The Magpie Lord. Crane would have known, after twenty years as a smuggler and trader in China. And it fits the story well, because while Crane’s malign English inheritance seems likely to get him killed, it’s possible that the magpies – together with Stephen’s powers – will be the only things that can save him.

Nine for a funeral, ten for a dance, eleven for England, twelve for France.

Thanks to Sid Love for hosting me, and don’t forget to greet the next magpie you see. After all, you never know…

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THE MAGPIE LORD

PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing

LENGTH: 200 pages

BLURB: Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude…and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.

The Magpie Lord is out now from Samhain (see Elizabetta’s review here, https://sidlove.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/pre-release-review-the-magpie-lord-by-k-j-charles/).  

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m a writer of romance, mostly m/m, often historical or fantasy or both. I also have a contemporary thriller coming out soon. I like to mix it up.

I’m a commissioning editor in my daily life and I blog about writing and editing at kjcharleswriter.wordpress.com.

I live in London, UK, with two kids, a tolerant husband and an even more tolerant cat.

KJ Charles blogs at kjcharleswriter.wordpress.com, tweets @kj_charles, and would love to say hello on Facebook or Goodreads. 

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GIVEAWAY

TO WIN A FREE COPY OF THE MAGPIE LORD, LEAVE A COMMENT TO THIS POST:

Follow the given format to enter yourself into the contest:

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Pre-release Review: With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg

Reviewed by Jennifer B.

TITLE: With or Without Him
AUTHOR: Barbara Elsborg
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 427 pages
BLURB: “The most dangerous refuge could be his lover’s arms. “

Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it’s being in debt. He’s so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he’ll do almost anything-including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties.

But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he’s truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music.

The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means-for the first time in his life-opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.

20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they’re risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving.

Warning: Contains a “for hire” bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won’t shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.

REVIEW:

The cover?  The blurb?  The length?  Oh yeah, I so wanted this to be good.  Thank goodness, I was not disappointed.  It has so many elements that hit my triggers, from the damaged characters to the rent boys and a few others in between.

Both characters are damaged though due to totally different sets of circumstances.  Tyler has many issues from his childhood but the main one that has sent him running down the rent boy path is his fear of being in debt.  Tyler is a very talented music student paying his way through university.  When he gets the Saturday sex party gig, the money is just too good to pass up.  He seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders for the most part and tries to keep things in perspective.  He breaks his number one rule about getting involved with anyone when he befriends new sex party initiate, Jeremy.

Not long after his one night with Jeremy, he encounters Haris, a self-made billionaire who has quite a few issues of his own.  From the first time Haris sees Tyler, he is intrigued before Tyler even picks up an instrument.  Unfortunately, their paths cross next when he finds and saves Tyler from a bad situation.  Believing the only way Tyler would be interested in him was if he was being paid, he offered Tyler a large amount of money to be exclusively his for four months.

There are some shady things going on from Haris’ past, and some trouble Tyler has with the sex party operators, so that you never really know which direction the trouble is coming from.  Added to that are some problems Jeremy has where he calls upon Tyler for help, causing Haris to doubt his trust in Tyler.  Of course, they have communication breakdowns which, coupled with their own trust issues, make for some major bumps in the road for these two, not the least of which is the contract between Haris and Tyler.  As their feelings grow toward each other, both often question the actual motives and feelings, not knowing if the other is just in it for the contract/money.

When the contract was not on their minds though, these guys were hot.  I had no trouble seeing them together, even though there was a pretty big age gap and they seemed to be from completely different worlds.  They shared a common bond, each having only shared their secrets with each other, and for two people so worried about trusting each other, trusted enough to share those secrets.

There are quite a few bad guys in this story, but there were also some goodies.  Haris’ chauffeur/butler/right-hand-man extraordinaire is a fabulous character.  He was funny and caring and just an all-around great addition to this story.

This book grabbed my attention and held on to the very end.  The writing was smooth and well done.  However, though I knew this story takes place in London, I didn’t always have a clear sense of that.  It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story, but did come to mind here and there.  This was my first story by this author, and it will definitely not be my last.  It was a good, solid, sink-your-teeth-into-it story, and exactly what I was looking for.

Jennifer’s Rating:

ADD IT TO YOUR WISHLIST: Samhain

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

I welcome her to my team!
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Pre-release Review: The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: The Magpie Lord (Book #1)
SERIES: A Charm of Magpies
AUTHOR: K. J. Charles
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 200 pages
BLURB: Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude…and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.

Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing.

REVIEW:

Excellent stuff! This is a cracking good paranormal mystery set in Victorian England, with haunted mansions, sorcerers, snooty aristos, charming adventurers, and magpies… magpies everywhere!…seven for a witch, I can tell you no more…

Lord Crane, Lucien Vaudrey, is not your ordinary pampered aristocrat. He’s had a rough twenty years but returns from exile in China, a self-made man, an opportunist, tattooed and hard-forged… and immune to the strict English dictates of his class. He enjoys his freedom, his privileges, and his men. He is a great main character.

Crane finds upon his return home that he has more to manage than inherited money and property. There is the issue of his father and brother’s alleged suicides, and now it seems that someone is intent on bringing harm to Crane… with the help of sorcery. He hires Stephen Day, a practitioner, a magician with expertise in ferreting out the nefarious forces at work against him.

The scene is set mostly at Piper, Crane’s gloomy country estate shrouded in some strange, malevolent force. The house is spooky, the servants are surly, and the grounds are populated by vast charms of magpies. In fact, this bird serves as the family symbol (hence the informal title, Magpie Lord) and given their reputation as an omen of ill fortune and connection to witchcraft, are fitting to the story.

The paranormal phenomena are ghastly and graphic with more than enough inventive haunting and devilry, spell craft and things that go bump in the night to keep Crane and Stephen scrambling. The sexual tension between them is slow building and sizzling. While at first they seem incompatible, Crane is drawn to Stephen’s goodness, his magic skills, his beautiful amber eyes, and those hands that make him shiver. It’s fun to watch him seduce Stephen who is not initially a fan. Even with all the scariness, the connection and banter between them is infectious and humorous…

“What the fuck, what the fucking, bloody devil-shit, what in the name of Satan’s swollen cock was that?” — Crane

“Do you speak in the House of Lords with that mouth?” — Stephen

The story is well-paced and well-edited, the writing fluid and atmospheric. I’m not a big fan of historical romances but when they’re this much fun, well, who can resist? This one is a keeper and luckily, there is a sequel to the adventures due out early next year, so more fun on the way.

BUY LINK: Samhain Store

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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: Screwing the System by Josephine Myles

Reviewed by Shelley

TITLE: Screwing the System
SERIES: Screwing the System
AUTHOR: Josephine Myles
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 214 pages
BLURB: He’s nobody’s bitch. Until he gets a ride on the bitch seat.

Forced to apply for a job he doesn’t want, Cosmo Rawlins has only one aim in mind: fail the interview and get back to making music. Except his attempt to shock the older, sharp-suited Alasdair Grant doesn’t have the desired effect.

Instead of getting thrown out of the office by flaunting an interest in BDSM, Cosmo finds himself on his knees, apologizing to the sexy, good-looking Top.

Alasdair has more important things on his mind than training a novice sub, especially a rebellious bad boy like Cosmo. But there’s something beneath the younger man’s defiant attitude that’s too intriguing to ignore.

As Alasdair takes Cosmo in hand—and for a wild ride on his Harley—he becomes obsessed with bending the young rocker to his will, both in and out of bed. Until he goes one demand too far, and Cosmo is gone in a cloud of dust. Forcing Alasdair to admit that earning Cosmo’s loyalty—and love—will involve the toughest challenge he’s ever faced.

REVIEW:

This book has been on my list to read for AGES! So in an effort to dwindle the pile I dragged my feet and threw myself onto my love seat, puffing out the biggest sigh. I don’t know why, I just thought it was going to be a chore. Shrugs.
But then this happened …

“So, Mr. Grant, (… )Are you a hands-on kind of boss?”

“I prefer to keep a professional distance from my employees.”

“So if I wanted to get to know you better, more intimately”—

—“I’d have to fail this interview.” “Fail it? But you’re doing so well.”

“Let’s just say I have a few extracurricular activities that might interfere with my ability to sit down and drive each day.”

Oh my! Can you imagine saying that to your prospective employer who’s really built and looks like George Clooney? Yeah? Okay, maybe I would too, especially if I was Cosmo and trying to sabotage the interview in favour of my dole benefits.

Cosmo is in so much trouble; he just played the kinky gay card to the WRONG boss. Or is it the RIGHT boss? Cosmo doesn’t know the first thing about kinky sex, only what he’s seen on DVD and now here he is, on his knees, horny and looking up at up at the pissed off ‘wall of man muscle’ standing over him.

Turns out this book was not a chore at all. I flew through the pages with a smile on my face and a fan in my hand. This is my first Josephine Myles novel and my first impression was that her style is reminiscent of Anne Tenino, which is a good thing. The writing is a breeze, the sex is sweltering, and the characters are divine even if one of them is a cheesy Daddy type who shops at Bikers –R –Us. The humour is perfectly pitched, but unlike Tenino, it is very British for which I am forever grateful. I always get such a kick when I can so closely relate to the Briticism’s.

I know guys like Cosmo: common, cocky, confident, street smart dole scroungers with a plan to make it big, or just make it. When Cosmo hooks up with Alasdair, it’s would seem he’s landed with his arse in the lard – but he’s not a complete scrounger and he ain’t prepared to be anybody’s twink house boy either. Cosmo is not a twink; he’s a struggling musician with a kink.

Alasdair’s like a proper posh git by day and a leather wearing Top by night. He says all this cheesy stuff but the man dominates like a Master! What starts as Cosmo’s education in submissive kink quickly evolves into something more. It’s a great dynamic, not only the age gap but the issues that come from two fella’s that live on opposite sides of the class scale, and in England that is still a great divide. In between the budding romance, the BDSM scenes (hot and hard) and the redemption of Alasdair’s guilt over the loss of a long lost lover, Myles gives us an unpretentious, humorous and unapologetically honest view of the class system in England. I just loved her perspective.

So what’s wrong with it? Well, the synopsis hints at some angst and there simply isn’t any. There was plenty of scope for it, but the author shy’s away from any anticipated conflict in favour of sweetness and humour. It’s a build-up that dwindles with a deflated with a soft pffzzz … just like my rating. There is a scenario at the end which was amusing yes, but I found the realism of it highly sceptical.

I do recommend this, it was good fun. Note I didn’t say clean fun, because it is quite deliciously filthy. For those who worry about the BDSM, Myles gets it right I thought. The play is not too soft and not too hard, but certainly hard enough if you know what I mean. The writing, the humour, the Briticism’s, the chemistry and Cosmo are what carried this for me.

If it’s on your TBR pile? Know that it’s worth your time and your money. I say go for it.

Shelley’s Rating:

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

To read all her reviews, click the link: SHELLEY’S REVIEWS
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Pre-Release Review: From the Ashes by Daisy Harris

Reviewed by Susan Lee

TITLE: From the Ashes
AUTHOR: Daisy Harris
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
BLURB:
He wanted a boyfriend. What he got was a hero.

When an accident burns down Jesse’s apartment, he’s left broke and homeless, with a giant dog and a college schedule he can’t afford to maintain. And no family who’s willing to take him in.

Lucky for him, a sexy fireman offers him a place to stay. The drawback? The fireman’s big Latino family lives next door, and they don’t know their son is gay.

Tomas’s parents made their way in America with hard work and by accepting help when it was offered, so he won’t let Jesse drop out of school just so he can afford a place to live. Besides, Jesse’s the perfect roommate—funny, sweet and breathtakingly cute. He climbs into Tomas’s bed and tugs at his heart. Until Jesse starts pushing for more.

Their passion enflames their bodies but threatens to crush Tomas’s family. Tomas is willing to fight for Jesse, but after losing everything, Jesse isn’t sure he can bear to risk his one remaining possession—his heart.

REVIEW:

New-to-me author Daisy Harris just picked up another fan!  I really, really enjoyed this book.  It’s surprisingly sweet, very low on the angst-o-meter, and the 2 MC’s were just so likable it was hard not to get sucked in!

The blurb is spot on for what you’ll finedin this story.  Jesse is new to Seattle after having been kicked out of his family home for being gay. He doesn’t have a lot of close friends or connections…and this becomes painfully evident when he comes home from grocery shopping to find his studio apartment on fire.  In shock, he’s not quite sure what he’s going to do.

Tomas, one of the fireman on the scene, is immediately drawn to Jesse and provides him with support during the crisis and offers to let Jesse (and a newly adopted dog!) stay with him. Tomas is the hero in pretty much every way…taking care of Jesse, driving him all over town for school and work, and being the rock that Jesse needs.

Though the attraction is immediate, due to Jesse’s issues…and the fact that Tomas is in the closet…the relationship takes a little bit to build.

The story is not new and there are some actions/situations/behaviors that are a bit unrealistic.  But the author manages to write a truly sexy hero in Tomas. It’s impossible to not like him and want him…and want him to end up happy.  In Jesse, the author presents a sympathetic, but not pathetic, character who you cheer for to stand on his own but also want to embrace and take of.  I loved the chemistry between these two and when they finally realize that they’re in love…well, it was just such an “awwww” moment.

Like I mentioned, the story has little to no angst and isn’t necessarily crafted in the most original way.  Still, Jesse and Tomas are a great couple and…if for no other reason…you MUST read this for the HOT HOT HOT cover!

Susan’s Rating:

 

 

BUY LINK: SAMHAIN PUBLISHING

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

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Release Day Review: Burden by Annmarie McKenna

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Burden
AUTHOR: Annmarie McKenna
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 117 pages
BLURB: There’s more than one way to guard a body.

In the year since his car flew off a cliff, Detective Brennan McGuire has struggled to relearn the simplest tasks—like speaking without a stutter—and even more with trying to fill the gaping holes in his memory.

But when his daily visit to a local coffee shop turns into a melee of flying bullets, Brennan’s instincts take control.

So much for Keegan Monroe’s first day off after a long undercover assignment. One minute he’s relaxing over coffee, the next his cheek is kissing concrete. Question is, is the gorgeous man on top of him his savior, or the one who took a potshot at his head?

As Keegan shepherds the too-quiet, too-skinny Brennan through the investigation, attraction flares into nights of white-hot passion. But with each scorching encounter, more and more of Brennan’s memories shake loose…and it becomes clear someone doesn’t want him putting those pieces together.

With Keegan’s oath to protect and serve putting him squarely in the crosshairs of a murderer, now the question is, who is protecting whom?

REVIEW:

For over a year, Brennan McGuire has been undergoing the overwhelming burden of recuperating from near-death in a horrific car accident. He’s fought his way back to full mobility and cognitive ability, although still speaking with a stutter, but he still suffers from gross memory loss and feeling vulnerable and useless. He may never get his memory back, can’t return to his job as an IA cop, and sometimes he wishes he had just died in the wreckage.

But then his path crosses with Keegan Monroe, a tough, undercover cop, with all the right moves— and Brennan starts to feel again, and to remember. And the remembering triggers a series of events that put his and Keegan’s lives in danger. It seems that someone has an issue with Brennan getting his memory back.

This is a pretty simple, straight-forward cop story— nothing really unusual (it’s fairly easy to figure out the bad-guy and his motive quickly on). But. The author’s ability to shape an engaging plot with two likable characters, some side characters, a box-full of kittens, and throw in a nice amount of hot sex and do it in about 100 pages— Impressive, that. Yes, it’s a bit quick on the falling-in-lust meter (not surprising in a short story), but this is a nice little bit of escapist fun in the slash-rom world. I would actually like to know how Brennan continues on in his way back to full recovery. Under Keegan’s tutelage, of course, ahem.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

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

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Series Review: Secrets of Socendor by Mychael Black

Reviewed by Elizabetta

SERIES: Secrets of Socendor
AUTHOR: Mychael Black
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing

Book One: The Lost Son

LENGTH: 96 Pages
BLURB: One warrior, one sorcerer, and a legacy that will change their lives forever…

Secrets of Socendor, Book 1

In the world of Socendor, humans are forbidden from using magic and elves keep their distance.

Kalen Ysindroc has risen far from his humble beginnings as a blacksmith’s adopted son. Now the king’s general, he investigates reports of magic-wielding half-human, half-elven lithings sighted along the kingdom’s borders. It would be a lonely life, if not for the company of his best friend and long-time elven lover, Micheil Theirauf, the king’s sorcerer.

An attempt on Kalen’s life makes it clear to Micheil that there’s more afoot than random breaks in the land’s defenses. His lover is plagued by dreams no human should endure, and Micheil’s probe into Kalen’s subconscious reveals a past neither of them expected. And a future Kalen can’t escape.

Suddenly, everything Kalen never knew about his life is laid bare. A father possessed of terrible magical power. A half-brother who could be the family Kalen never had–or the catalyst that will rip Micheil out of his life forever…

This title was previously published but has been revised.

REVIEW:

The world of Lost Son is full of colorful inhabitants that includes elves and other mysterious and fantastical beings. Magic abounds but humans shun it and only elves are allowed to practice it. We have neighboring countries under an uneasy truce and with the danger of evil invaders set to tip the balance. These invaders, or “lithings,” half elf-half human, with ebony skin and hair are important characters to the story. With their use of poison and magic to augment their weapons, they are worthy adversaries. There is a whisper of dragons in the land, too, so ensorcelled weapons could come in handy.

The lost son is the progeny of the feared and powerful lithing leader, Breasal Vondrasek and an eleven queen. Breasal is known to be “the greatest sorcerer the world has ever seen”. His son, of mixed elf, human, and lithing blood, was secreted away for his own protection, and raised by foster parents. Lost from his home world and, of course, knowing nothing of his lineage and inherited powers. Meanwhile, Breasal has been killed in battle, but his other son, Braen, having taken the crown, is intent on using magic to “call back” his father’s spirit. To this end, he is also looking for his half-brother. Why? It remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, in Akuron, the humans are lead by King Andrion. At the head of his army stands General Kalen Ysindroc, strong, square-jawed and brave. Kalen is a decorated, highly respected warrior. His lover, Micheil, is the Kings’ seer and secretly, an elven sorcerer. It seems that elves and their magic are not welcome in this kingdom; so while Kalen is aware of Micheil’s background, it is kept hidden. Kalen and Micheil are given the task to ride out with a small troupe of men to investigate the lithing disturbances. The two lovers, veritable energizer bunnies of lust, fuck and suck their way through the land. There is, in fact, so much… physical exuberance…that it interferes with the plot, dragging the flow… the story flow, that is. Understand, they are determined and inventive lovers— at one point, even sharing a horse (that is, seated on the same horse) won’t get in the way of their consuming passion. Just when it seems things are getting somewhere in the story, there is a sex break.

It doesn’t take much to figure out who the “lost son” is and because this is a major detail, it remains for the author to give us something really compelling to chew on. While the world building is good, there’s a lot of confusion: information not always disseminated in the clearest way, a lot of characters who don’t get fleshed out, and some abrupt scene transitions. These, added to the way too frequent sex scenes, affected my rating of the story.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Samhain Store :: Book Store

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW

Book Two: Dragonblade

LENGTH:  122 Pages
BLURB: Winning this battle requires a faith stronger than steel…

Secrets of Socendor, Book 2

Legends tell of a dragon-forged weapon so powerful, it possesses the ability to traverse time itself. Knowing the havoc it could wreak, the dragons sealed it deep beneath the mountains.

No one was meant to find it, let alone wield it.

General Kalen Ysindroc, leader of the human king’s armies and the long-lost son of Socendor’s most feared wizard-king of old, is in a race against time. His half brother, Braen, is searching for the sword as a means to return their father from the grave. Kalen must not let that happen. Joined by his elven lover, wizard Micheil Thierauf, he sets out on a journey beneath the mountains to stop Braen from doing the unthinkable.

As secrets come to light that test Kalen’s faith in every way possible, including his trust in the man he’s loved nearly all his life, the right path is as clouded as the murky, dragon-blood-tainted waters of the Ebon Sea. And Kalen is forced to make a decision that could very well be his last.

REVIEW:

The story continues with deepening concerns about the infiltration by the mysterious lithings into Akuron. We get more of Braen’s quest to raise his dead father’s (Breasal) spirit using magic. It seems this magic can only be had with the help of “Dragonblade” a mythical sword entrapped in stone (of course) and hidden away in the mountains. Kalen and Micheil’s mission is now to find and claim the sword in order to thwart Braen’s plans. The race is on. Along the way, it becomes clear that Kalen has his own hidden depths… and his dreams of dragons grow stronger.

Dragonblade moves along at a better pace than its prequel and with more story building. Kalen and Micheil are still wild-for-each-other randy-lads but major developments occur more in balance with the love-making. Adding to the interest are some nice action and fight sequences, some fierce dragons, and Braen, in particular, gets more character development. Kalen and Micheil are fine as lovers but I wish we had a chance to get to know them as people outside their relationship and see their bond tested more. The plot does thicken, however, and my reading enjoyment increased accordingly.

Readers who love sword and sorcery-type fantasy stories may want to give this series a try. Be warned, though, that Dragonblade has an HFN ending as our two heros and Akuron are left in dire straights.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

PRE-ORDER LINK: Samhain Store

==================================
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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