She Doesn’t Let Life BEAT Her Down–Review and Giveaway

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a new release from Amity Cross. BEAT is a new-adult fighter romance that doesn’t pull any punches.


About the book:
Renee “Ren” Miller was five when her Dad left to go to the shops and never came back. Left to grow up with a cancer riddled mother, things have never been easy for a teenager who had to be wise beyond her years. Then one day they lose the battle and she’s all alone.

Now twenty-two, Ren reluctantly goes to find her estranged father. He owns the down and out boxing studio, Beat, and Ren finds herself drawn to the ring. She thrives on learning a new way of fighting a life that kept kicking her down…instead of struggling against the current, she kicks it right between the legs.

Then one day, Ash Fuller, her Dad’s star fighter comes back to town. Mysterious, handsome… Dangerous… Everything Ren doesn’t need.

But he’s got other ideas… …and so does she.

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Excerpt:

My fist slammed into the heavy leather bag, the impact jolting up my arm and absorbing into my torso.

The only light was from the back row of fluorescents I’d switched on over the ring. It was dark, murky and helped me pretend I was someplace else. The drama from the daylight hours was gone and it was just me and the darkness. Exactly the way I liked it.

I began another set of punches, hair sticking to the sweat beading across the back of my neck. Structure. This was the only thing that was predictable in my life and I needed predictable.

Stance. Guard. Punch. Guard. Repeat.

There was a loud cough behind me and I spun on my heel, heart thumping in my chest, and my gaze collided with Ash’s.

“Fuck,” I exclaimed, holding a hand over my heart. “Don’t fucking do that, Ash.” Typical. The creeper was being all creeper again.

“What are you doing?” He stared at me, his gaze hovering a little too long on my bare midriff.

I steadied the bag with one hand, taking deep breaths. “What does it look like?”

“I’ve never seen…” He trailed off and I wondered if I’d finally made the Golden Boy lost for words.

I turned my back so I didn’t have to look at him. “What? A woman in a sports bra? Highly doubt it.” I rolled my eyes and wiped my forehead with the back of my arm. Even though I couldn’t see, I felt his gaze burning into my skin and I suppressed the urge to squeeze my thighs together. Infuriating, self-absorbed, arrogant…

My Review:
Renee’s had a tough life–abandoned as a child by a two-timing father, she helped to care for her ill mother until the struggle was lost. Now, she’s reconnected to her dad–fulfilling her mum’s dying wish, only to find she’s still the black stain on his life. He’d found himself a prettier wife and had a prettier daughter long before he walked out on them.

He’s not heartless, however. Knowing Ren is destitute her dad offers up the spare bedroom at his trianing club. It’s little more than a storage closet with a bed, but (literally) beggars can’t be choosers and Ren accepts. Of course it puts Ren in daily contact not only with her father, but with her preening half-sister, just a year younger than Ren. And, also with some serious beefcake fighters training for the Australian Ultimate Fighter circuit.

Ren has a lot of wounds. She’s heartsick with loss and feels unwanted in general–so she takes up training in the gym as it’s the only outlet she has available. She attends the beginner’s fighting courses, and excels, keeping her strength training for the evenings when she’s alone. One night she’s startled by an intruder int he gym, but it’s just a former trainee–Ash, the “golden boy” of her father’s career. He’d been banned from the league four years ago and disappeared, but now he’s back and inserting himself into the scene.

And Ren’s fantasies.

These two have quite the awkward dance. Ash doesn’t want to mess around with his coach’s daughter, but he’s lonely, and attracted. Ren, always unwanted, hates the attention Ash gives Monica. She trains harder and harder, never realizing that she’s only endearing herself more tot he taciturn man who comes in for his midnight sparring sessions looking like he just got beat up.

It does get hot and heavy, but it also gets bloody, and illegal once Ren discovers where Ash earns his cash–an illegal fighting club. But does, this beat Ren off? Nope. Suit the gal up, coach. She’s ready to play.

The book moves along very nicely. Ren is a good character. For all that she’s had to endure, she bears her crosses without self-pity or angst. Even with all the hoopla, it’s easy to see how her father becomes interested, and even makes overtures to help–more than he had at the beginning, any how. Ren makes friends–for pretty much the first time in her life. And she finds attraction and affection based on her own merit. I really liked her story. Ash begins as a mystery, but we learn a lot about him–not how he got banned for professional boxing, per se, but what he was doing while everyone thought he was training in Thailand.

The story is told in Australian English, which was a small learning curve for this American Anglophile, but fun. I’m always game for a new dialect. The smexytimes were well-written and not too sloppy, with a good build-up; no instalove here. BEAT ends with a (small) cliffhanger, but it’s not enough to detract from the story.

Interested? You can find BEAT on Goodreads, AMAZON (US / UK / AU),  KOBO, B&N, and iTUNES. The second book in this series, PULSE, will be out soon.

About the Author:
Amity Cross isn’t my real name. That’s no secret. I didn’t want my Mum and my workplace to find out I wrote about doodles and tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo.I live in a leafy suburb of Melbourne writing about screwed up relationships and kick ass female leads that don’t take s**t lying down.

Insert more pretentious c**p here.

You can catch up with Amity on Facebook, twitter, her Goodreads profile and website.

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It’s a Rave of FIXED Faves! And Giveaway

CoverCollage

Hi all! I’ve previously professed my love of the Fixed trilogy from Laurelin Paige. First I reviewed FIXED ON YOU, and then I reviewed HUDSON. Today, I’m just fangirling with a few choice quotes from the four book series. If you like strong male leads and plausibly flawed female leads, this series might be just for you.

These books are contemporary romance–and meant for mature readers…

Fixed on You (Fixed, #1)From FIXED ON YOU…

It all began with an indecent proposal:

“I’d like to pay you to help me with a problem. I believe you’d be perfect for the job.”

The whole conversation had my head spinning, but he had my attention. “You win. My curiosity is piqued. What’s the job?”

“I need you to break up an engagement.”

I coughed, wondering if I’d heard him correctly, knowing I’d had. “Um, what? Whose?”

Hudson leaned back, his dazzling gray eyes flickering in the strobe lights. “Mine.”

Soon, it became much more.

But it wasn’t Stacy undoing my corset–it was Hudson.

He met my eyes, pinning my reflection with a greedy stare. Slowly, without breaking his gaze, he continued loosening the laces of my bodice.

I didn’t stop him. He didn’t ask, and I didn’t stop him.

When he’d finished loosening my gown, his hands traveled to the spaghetti straps at my shoulders. I watched as he moved the straps over the curve of my bones and down my arms. The dress fell to the floor, leaving me in nothing but black strappy heels and my red thong.

Alayna’s more than a match for Hudson; she’s a match for his bitter mother:

Sophia, on the other hand, made no indication that she even heard. “Tell me, Alayna–were you first attracted to my son because of his money or his name?”

Pissed didn’t even describe how I felt. I was seething, but still in control. Without skipping a beat, I wrapped my arm around Hudson’s and answered,. “Neither. I was attracted to him because he’s hot. Though I stayed with him because he’s fucking awesome in bed.”

And we get to the heart of the matter…

He let out a brief laugh, as if he recognized his own vulnerability and it amused him or confounded him. “I’m drawn to you, Alayna. Not because I want to hurt you or make you feel a certain way, but because you’re beautiful and sexy and smart and, yes, a little crazy, maybe, but you’re not broken. And that makes me hopeful. For me.”

Found in You (Fixed, #2)FOUND IN YOU brings a deeper intimacy. Hudson and Alayna have decided to embark on a real relationship. It steams. See..

Not only did his expression show an absence of fear, it showed hunger, desire. Almost as though my paranoia was a turn-on.

“You have me,” I whispered.

He took the sash from my hands and pulled the knot free. “I want you right now.” His hand wrapped around my breast, squeezing as his thumb flicked across my nipple.

“Oh, you want me, want me.”

“Uh-huh.” He shifted me so my backside was against the table. Flattening his palm between my breasts, he pushed me down; the surface of the table met hard with my backside and a brief flash of worry about spilling his coffee and breaking the cosmetic bottles entered my mind.

“And I want you now.”

Fuck the coffee. Let it spill.

And things get real serious. Fast.

It was Hudson who drew the attention of the table. “I could have a child with Alayna.”

I nearly choked on the bite of food in my mouth. Sure, I’d been thinking that Hudson could have a kid, but it hadn’t for a moment crossed my mind he would have on with me.

Okay, maybe it had crossed my mind for a moment. But a small one. Certainly it wasn’t a thought I’d share out loud.

But when Hudson said it, had said it out loud like that to everyone, a strange warmth spread through my chest. It wasn’t the low, deep burn of desire, but something different. Something related to the love I felt for the man, mixed with a dash of hope.

Life is complicated, however–exes and stalkers and secrets, oh my!–which makes for a good story.

FOREVER WITH YOUForever with You (Fixed, #3) gets deeper into the emotional problems both Alayna and Hudson have–and there’s a lot of slowing down to do. Or not…

“I’m ready to give you everything I have, to make myself vulnerable, just like you made yourself vulnerable to me time after time.”

“No prenup? No I definitely know you’re crazy.” And I was crazy for simply continuing this conversation.

“I am crazy. Crazy without you in my life.” He pushed his hands through his hair. “You’re the only one who’s ever made me better. And now you have me by the balls, Alayna. Because if you say no, if you turn me away, then I’ve lost everything that means anything in my pathetic excuse for a life. But if you say yes, I have to be the one to trust you–you could scam me if you wanted to. You could simply marry me now, divorce me later and half of all I have would be yours.”

As if his money meant anything to me. “I have know interest in your–”

He cut me off. “I know. I know that you would never take advantage of my like that. But the point is you could.”

And, that my friends, is how Hudson doesn’t win the girl.

He waited a beat, but then he did step back and I slid past, careful not to touch him, though every cell in my body yearned to do just that.

I managed to hold my head high as I walked away from him, even when he called after me. “I’m never giving up, Alayna. I’ll prove myself. You’ll see.”

Fear not! The book is an HEA. For reals. Hudson perseveres. And we’re all super happy for it.

HUDSONHudson (Fixed, #4), in his own book, interweaves his history as a manipulative SOB and his adult recovery. It really brought home the lack of love Hudson felt throughout his childhood, and also the overwhelming experience it was for him to find true affection for, and from, Alayna.

He was a bit awkward, getting romance advice from his (then) teenaged sister, Mirabelle.

“Let’s see, women love the artsy, creative types of attention. Like write her a poem or draw her portrait.”

I blinked. I wasn’t artsy in the least. “Go on.”

“Then there’s the easy stuff–sending flowers, buying jewelry, giving gifts—”

I typed as she talked.

“But those are really lame if you don’t personalize them.”

I looked up from my screen. “What do you mean by personalize.”

“Don’t just give roses. Those are boring. Give flowers that you know she’ll like or mean something to her. The jewelry should be unique to her, or something she’s admired.”

God, it sounded like romanticizing was going to require more detailed investigation than I’d expected.

By the time Hudson encountered Alayna, he’d perfected his wooing skills. He knew how to win the girl, how to break up a relationship, how to sabotage a marriage, but he didn’t know how to love. Or, did he?

I’ve seen love deteriorate before. I’ve watched it unravel before my eyes. This is something I know. It’s the thing I’ve always been good at–destroying the fairytale of happily ever after.

Love doesn’t bear all, Love doesn’t endure. Love ends. It always, always ends.

For all that I’ve destroyed–in my past, with Celia, here today with Alayna–my curse is that my love alone goes on. My whole life I was empty. Now I’m full. Overflowing with love and anguish. Hers and mine.

And does he simmer in anguish. A while. He blunders through a proposal that doesn’t impress–though it does crack through to Alayna’s heart–but from that ashy demise the phoenix of Hudson’s love is reborn. And he woos with abandon.

I fall to my knee. “I realized something about the last time I asked this.” I haven’t prepared anything, but the words come easily. “I did it wrong. First, I hadn’t got a ring, and second, I should have gotten on one knee. But more importantly, I didn’t give you the right thing. I offered you everything I had, thinking that was the way to win your heart. That wasn’t what you wanted at all. The only thing you asked for, the only thing I would never give you, was me.”

She tries to swallow back a gasp, but it comes out anyway.

“But now I do.” I throw my arms open wide. “Here I am. precious. I give myself freely. All of me. No more walls or secrets or games or lies. I give you all of me, honestly. For forever, if you’ll take it.”

And people wonder why I swoon for these books? They rocked me. They are a sexy emotional roller coaster.

Interested? You can pick up the FIXED series ($3.99), or the single book FIXED ON YOU ($2.99), on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or maybe even at Target by now…the series is getting pretty popular.

You can find HUDSON on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:

NY Times & USA Today Bestselling author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.

You can find Laurelin online on Goodreads, her blog, twitter and Facebook.

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Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends.
Inkslinger

Will you Love THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR as Much as I Did? #Doubtful–Review and Giveaway!

Understatement BannerHi all! Today I’m celebrating the release of one of my absolutely fave new M/M romances: UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR. This book had all the feels I dream of in a love story–and is especially poignant in light of the new revelations of gay players in the big leagues of sports.

Understatment coverAbout the book:
What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.
Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexual orientation from everyone. Including himself.

So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.

John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.

And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.

Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.

Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.

Warning: unlike the other books in this series, this heartbreaking love story is about two guys. Contains sexual situations, dance music, snarky t-shirts and a poker-playing grandmother.

My Review:
K. So. Sometimes a book just fills my head and my heart and makes songs on the radio speak to me in a new way because I’m thinking of this story.

That’s is exactly how I felt about this book.
First, I was sure that Rikker and Graham were going to be buried by their FLAWS

They seriously made me feel the hole in my soul. Rikker is a gay athlete–he survived a hate beating as a teen, and being shipped off to his grandmother’s care after coming out, but reuniting with his first love, Graham, might just kill him. Five years have passed and, while Rikker’s physical wounds have healed, he’s still emotionally scarred by Graham’s abandonment.

He’s a great hockey player and a newly transferred student at Harkness ready to hit the ice. Despite being a transfer, Rikker is not subject to a yearlong suspension of play–because his previous coach violated the non-discrimination clause kicked him off the team when he was outed.

In order to avoid all the drama, Rikker reveals his orientation at the outset, and is subject to casual and overt homophobia–as well as some GREAT teammate support. Except, the one teammate he wishes to be there for him, well, won’t: Graham.

Graham is so deep in the closet he might be able to sit tea with Mr. Tumnus. He is attracted to men, and denies this at every turn. He seeks out women, always under the influence of alcohol. To hear his thoughts, when experiencing the slights and slams of Rikker–both direct and indirect only cements in Graham’s head what a coward he is.

People like Big-D have it wrong. They think that the gay guy is going to be the one who’s slowly soaping up his dick, watching you shampoo. But that’s not how it works in a varsity locker room on planet Earth. The gay guy is the one who discreetly goes about his business, showering quickly and then getting the hell out of there. He puts his underwear on when his skin is still damp, even though it will stick up his ass crack for the rest of the night.
He isn’t staring at you, and he’d rather eat broken glass than sport some wood in the locker room.

Still, Graham simmers with attraction for Rikker, and uses lots (and LOTS) of alcohol to quell it. Rikker himself can’t let go of the affection he held for his once best friend (and first love) even as he expects the taciturn Graham hates him, now. Imagine his surprised delight when Graham lets his defense shields slip…only to have them nearly discovered.

With shaking hands, he stumbled into his jeans.

I pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed, mostly covering myself. And I watched a freaked-out Graham prepare for a hasty exit from my room. I could almost hear the worry loop trailing around inside his head. Never should have done that. Never should have done that.

Whatever. If he wanted to freak out and run away after hooking up with me, that was his loss. That’s what I was going to tell myself, anyway. What’s one more bruise on a battered heart? Mine probably already looked like a veteran NHL player’s face.

Before the door closed on him, he said one word to me. “Sorry.”

I was tired of hearing that word from him.

On the campus Rikker is mostly a pariah. He keeps to himself, attending classes and team events/practices only. He eats alone, and lives in a single room in a dorm filled with foreign students to whom he cannot relate. He longs for connection, and after one drunken hook-up he reaches out for Graham again, and Graham reaches back–only when it’s a clandestine meeting, however. And Rikker accepts this–because, well…

In the dark, he studied me. “Rik,” he whispered. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too, G.”

He moved then, hitching across the seat to reach me. “One more,” he breathed. “For old time’s sake.” Then he turned my face toward his, capturing my mouth in a kiss.

Stupid or not, I just went with it. If you stripped away all the confusion and the old heartaches, I’d had an almost perfect day. And this right here was pretty much all I’d ever wanted from Graham. I wanted his friendship, and then I wanted him to reach for me at the end of the night. So for those few minutes, I had everything.

Yeah. I got super melty over this book. The first loves. The separations. The reconnection and healing of woulds long scabbed over. The comic relief! Oh, I think we all needs a “Skippy” in our lives. He’s Rikker’s effeminate ex who’s known for spouting his opinion, getting his way, and wearing t-shirts with outrageous slogans like Power Bottoms for Jesus. I loved him. And, of course there’s a girl with a Graham-crush who’s gonna get hurt..a bit. But, she takes it all well.

Hearing Milky Chance croon “I want you by my side/ so that I never feel alone again” and lament the lost years of affection due to the actions of others…well, I was glad Rikker and Graham got a Stolen Dance with each other…

The anxiety factor is tremendous. I couldn’t fault Graham for his closet-case antics. He’d seen the worst of homophobia up close and personal, and never recovered. Rikker helped Graham to see the better side of coming out–in some ways. It wasn’t easy for Rikker by any stretch. The media attention wasn’t pleasant, and Graham certainly didn’t want such a spotlight on his love life.

By the end, I swear, I was hearing OneRepublic banging their drums in my brain and I was drinking the sweet, sweet nectar of a satisfying read where the Love [never] Runs Out.

This was a fave book for me–gay, straight, erotic, whatever. It’s a powerful read and handles homophobia, closet-cases, unintentional outing, isolation, and sports in such a commanding way. There is little sex, but when it’s there it is amazingly rendered in the emotional context of the story. I hoped so hard for these two men to find their path together, and I think the arrangement they contrive at the end is more HEA than Happy For Now. (Well, I HOPE it is!)

Interested? You can find THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR on AMAZON, B&N KOBO, and iBOOKS. It is the third book in the Ivy Years series, but it reads as a standalone.

Previous books in the series:

#1 The Year We Fell Down (March 2014)

#2 The Year We Hid Away (June 2014)

#2.5 Blonde Date (July 2014)

#3 The Understatement of the Year (October 1st, 2014)

About the author:
Sarina Bowen makes her home in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where she lives with her family, eight chickens and a large pile of skis and hockey equipment. She is a graduate of Yale University. You can catch up with Sarina online via Email, her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Inkslinger

Get ready for Halloween with SEERS OF LIGHT–A Review

Hi all! It’s OCTOBER, and you may (or may not) know that my fave holiday of the year is Halloween. Yup. For realz, and all. I get such a kick out of the dress-up thing. So, I make a point to feature as many paranormal books as I can in celebration. Today, it’s SEERS OF LIGHT, the first book in the Light Series by Jen deLucy.

20141001-093754.jpg
about the book:
Lillian Hunt has never truly lived. Always sensing more to the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things-disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures-cannot be ignored.

Before it’s too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.

Jennifer DeLucy has created a unique, enchanting tale of destiny and the ageless power of love in her debut novel, Seers of Light. DeLucy’s novel charms readers with quirky characters, while sketching a haunting portrait of one woman’s journey on the path of the supernaturally gifted. But be prepared. Once you’ve entered the world of Seers, you will never be the same.

My Review:
Lily is a 28 y/o single woman working in her grandparents’ convenience store when she begins to have visions. They are terrifying, and nightmares keep her awake at night. Visiting the site of her recurrent dream, Lily is attacked by a vampire–and rescued by Christian, a Sentient. He tells Lily that she is like himself–and there are others she needs to meet.

Enfolded into a small Georgia town, Lily joins Abram, William, Christian and Anna (among others) who all have gifts allowing them to see and destroy evil. Lily’s gift is as an empath, and a Pathcrosser–one who can assist lost souls cross to the other side.

Lily and Christian become fast friends, and he warns her to stay away from William–who happens to be a vampire–with a soul, and his humanity. It’s a mite complicated, but William is really a good dude, and he’s uber-helpful training Lily to focus her powers. Christian hates William out-of-hand because he hates all vamps-they killed his dad. Lily’s conflicted–she’s terrified of William and attracted to him, too. She knows having any sort of relationship with William will alienate Christian, but as time (months) go by, both William and Lily are struggling to keep their mutual attraction from combusting all over the group.

In the meantime, Lily learns to harness her power, and the entire group prepares to destroy a vampire infestation near to Lily’s home town. It’s a big trouble when Lily and William reveal their love, and especially considering Christian’s reaction.

I liked this story. Lily’s not a dimwit, and she’s not entirely likable–at first. She makes snap judgments and allows her loyalty to be swayed by prejudice. It’s a lot for her to get over, and her guilt is plentiful. I liked how she wasn’t great with her powers–at first and even after some practice. She felt very relatable–and I like that in a character. William is a big ball of yum. He is virtually isolated, barely tolerated, by some of the group members, and never anticipates having his affection for Lily returned. It’s so engaging to witness his vulnerability. Christian is a horse’s pa-toot a good part of the book, but his redemption is awesome, and touching.

This is a great start to a paranormal series, with a clear ending and a storyline to continue.

Interested? You can find SEERS OF LIGHT on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Some words from Jen:
How many times have you started reading a novel and just thought, this isn’t a character, it’s a caricature. I don’t believe anything about this character because there’s only one dimension to their whole personality. I know it’s happened to me, and nothing can take you out of a story faster.

So, how do authors write believable characters, anyway? I think the most important facet is imperfection. There are many fantastic examples of imperfect characters who we love nonetheless. Just look at Damon from The Vampire Diaries, or Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice, or any popular novel series or classic book that wins the loyalty and affection of its readers and you’ll notice a common thread: Characters who often fall short of doing the right thing, who often misunderstand each other, or act like they just don’t care when, in fact, they really do. Imperfection makes it believable, but it also makes it relatable.

Part of the reason we read novels is escapism, right? We seek a world that isn’t our own to lose ourselves and forget our troubles. But I think we’re largely removed from a story when things are just too darn tidy, when characters become predictable, when they do exactly what you expect and say exactly what you’d want every time you want them to. An overly stereotyped protagonist is a boring thing, but it’s also hard for real life people to root for, because the truth is we’re all pretty messed up. It makes sense we’d want to read about people like us—imperfect people—overcoming, being loved, being hated, losing and winning. Screwing up. It makes the triumphs that much more glorious.

I kept this in mind while writing The Light Series. In fact, I even got a few comment from angry readers who felt my protagonist, Lily, was a bit of a jerk sometimes, and I took this as a strange kind of compliment. Because we are jerks sometimes. And other times we’re amazing. So which part of us wins in the end? That’s the mystery that keeps us reading, now isn’t it?
Xo Jennifer DeLucy
Light Series

You can catch up with Jen on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, and twitter.

They Observe the WILDLIFE (Themselves!)

Hi all. Today I’m reviewing a newly released YA tale of angst, firsts and mountain life. It’s WILDLIFE by Fiona Wood, and I really enjoyed it.

WildlifeAbout the Book:
Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.

Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is grieving a death that occurred almost a year ago. Despite herself, Lou becomes intrigued by the unfolding drama between her housemates Sibylla and Holly, and has to decide whether to end her self-imposed detachment and join the fray.

And as Sibylla confronts a tangle of betrayal, she needs to renegotiate everything she thought she knew about surviving in the wild.

A story about first love, friendship and NOT fitting in.

My Review:
This is a coming-of-age book, suitable for teens.

Sybilla is a 16 y/o girl in Melbourne, AU. She and dozens of her classmates are embarking on a 9 week term in the “wild”–okay, really. They are being sent for classes in a mountain retreat where they are expected to be rather self-sufficient, living in a cabin with classmates and prepping food, doing outdoor education classes, taking required hikes, having campouts. It’s the opposite of Sybilla’s strength–she’s not fit, per se.

Just before going, Sybilla is noticed by a popular boy–Ben. This coincides with a bit of modelling Sybilla did for a perfume advertisement that gains her some popularity. See, Sybilla is an ugly-duckling-turned-swan, and her BFF Holly is all too happy to cash in on Sybilla’s new social status. Holly, Sybilla, Ben and Michael (Sybilla’s other BFF) are all due on the trip together. Michael is hopelessly smitten with Sybilla, though she is oblivious. He is quirky and (plain-out) weird–but Sybilla knows she is a stable presence in his life and wishes to maintain their friendship.

Louisa (Lou) has been suffering severe depression since her boyfriend died in a bike accident. She hasn’t attended school in a year, and her mothers decide a change of scenery is in order–so they enroll her at the mountain school. She is the newcomer, the outsider–and that suits her fine as she has no desire to connect with anyone again. Slowly, Lou reveals her anguish and experiences into her journal.

The book alternates between the POV of Sybilla, who is trying to figure out who she is and how to deal with a popular boyfriend and conniving bestie, and Lou who endeavors to shut everyone out, and ends up failing.

We get to see a lot of Michael through his conversations with Lou. Lou is the dispassionate observer, witnessing Holly’s machinations and Sybilla’s confusion. She keeps her distance until Holly reaches levels of viciousness that cannot be tolerated. And then, she picks up the pieces of both Michael and Sybilla.

It’s a bit of an angsty read, with some clandestine sneak-offs and the (seemingly) inevitable showdown between lust and sense. I believe this was portrayed with realism and honesty, and the manner in which both Ben and Sybilla handle themselves and their relationship felt real–and at a teen level. Nothing is glorified.

The end is lovely storytelling, with the “villain” getting a comeuppance in a way that satisfies without being horribly humiliating.

While this book is written from the POV of two Aussie gals, the language is accessible to American teens. The format, grammar and diction conform to American English standards, and the use of Aussie/Brit slang is next to absent.

Most of Lou’s chapters are very short–half a page or less–as this is her journal. As the story progresses and she begins to engage with her peers, the chapter length increases–including vignettes of the people she observes, until she is fully-engaged with her grief and can move through it. It is an interesting juxtaposition from Sybilla’s chapters which hold plenty of social interactions, and little contextual understanding on her part.

It takes a while for Sybilla to find the strength within her to grow past the passive girl/friend/girlfriend that she has always been, but she is better for it and happier with her newer, stronger relationships. She weathers betrayal well, and her confrontations had the same understated heat that Sybilla embodied, so no fireworks, but clear demarcations bounding new friendships from old.

I did enjoy this book. I liked the backdrop of the camp, and the metaphors for adulthood that it engendered. I liked how the students struggled to be nicer people–knowing that they had little choice in their living arrangements and had to devise creative ways to release stress in the face of 24/7 camp companionship. Some, like Ben and Michael, take to long-distance runs. Lou has her journal, Sybilla has, well, nothing, though she does invest in some new friendships, which was healthy.

Interested? You can find WILDLIFE on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Find out more about Fiona Wood by checking out her website or twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Out Today! HOMETOWN HEROES! Giveaway and Soldier Benefit

 Hi all! Today I’m sharing a book blast for a cause–This bundle of romances has been assembled to raise money for the Pets for Vets charity. I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy–and helping out a vet…I am.

Hometown Heroes – Hotter Ever After

Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 9/30/14

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Available for a limited time at a discount of $1.99. All proceeds from this bundle benefit the Pets for Vets charity. The Pets for Vets program is dedicated to providing a second chance for shelter pets by rescuing, training and pairing them with America’s veterans who can benefit from a companion animal.

They’re all hometown heroes, guys from small towns who’ve made a name for themselves, big or small, who’ve withstood the odds and risen to the challenge, who are heroes in their own right.

Presenting a contemporary romance bundle of 16 novels with happily ever after endings, including previously published readers’ favorites and brand-new material by USA Today Bestselling Authors: Melissa Schroeder, Lucy Monroe, and Nancy Warren

NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Sabrina York. Along with bestselling and award-winning authors Allie K. Adams, Destiny Blaine, Cathryn Cade, Jami Davenport, Kate Davies, Taryn Elliott &Cari Quinn, Rachel Grant, Sandy James, Adrianne Lee, Hildie McQueen, Katy Regnery, Sandy Sullivan.

Hometown Heroes Charity Bundle Facebook

Pets for Vets Facebook

Pets for Vets Website

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A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX (Harmless, Book 1) by USA Today bestselling author Melissa Schroeder–When Anna falls for her best friend Max, it might be true love, or the biggest mistake of her life.
CHANGE THE GAME by USA Today bestselling author Lucy Monroe–Alex is looking for revenge.  Isabel is looking for a relationship without those pesky things called emotions.  Neither will get what they’re looking for, but a whole lot more!
WILD RIDE (Changing Gears, Book 1) by USA Today bestselling author Nancy Warren–Trouble is piling up in the small town of Swiftcurrent, Oregon with hints of a treasure missing since WWII, a motorcycle riding bad boy history prof, a sexy librarian and a murder. It all adds up to a very Wild Ride.
HEARTBREAK ON A STICK by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Sabrina York–When the man who broke her heart ten years ago suddenly returns to town—a hot shot movie star—Gina Fox is determined to avoid him. But for some reason, Jason Sherwood is pursuing her again. It is all she can do to resist his seductive wiles. But she must. Sexy Jason always has been heartbreak on a stick.
MADRONA SUNSET (Madrona Island) by bestselling author Jami Davenport–Meet a wounded warrior suffering from paralyzing guilt and a woman pining for her dead husband–both damaged souls craving comfort for a moment or a lifetime.
BRACE FOR IMPACT by bestselling author Allie K. Adams–Bush pilot Reid Cavanaugh’s life is turned upside down when he takes a fare that ends up driving his plane into the ground and him into the danger surrounding her. When he discovers that she’s a doctor—the only profession he hates more than lawyers—he knows better than to trust anything that falls from her sexy lips.
HONORABLE SACRIFICE by bestselling author Destiny Blaine–Hired to protect an affluent family with embarrassing secrets, Audra McAllister doesn’t believe in love until she reconnects with a small-town hero willing to risk everything to win Audra’s heart.
SHE’S WORTH IT ALL (Club 3, Book 4) by bestselling author Cathryn Cade–Mase Barnett is a hometown hero with a secret. Natalie Cusco has a broken heart only a strong man can heal. Will this wounded hero risk everything to show her she’s worth it all?
DECEIVING DANTE by award-winning author Kate Davies–A stolen car on her front lawn. A sexy cop – looking to arrest her favorite student. A principal ready to fire her. Could Ellie’s Monday get any worse?
ROCK, RATTLE AND ROLL (Lost in Oblivion, Book 1.5) by USA Today bestselling author Cari Quinn and bestselling author Taryn Elliott–A beachfront cottage, hours of alone time, and plenty of skin-on-skin action is just what the rock star and his new wife ordered. Until the future comes much quicker than they expected, threatening to crumble not only their perfect honeymoon but also their brand new marriage.
GRAVE DANGER by Golden Heart finalist Rachel Grant–An archaeologist digs up a murder victim in a Northwest archaeological site and must help the hunky local police chief solve the crime before she becomes the next victim.
TURNING THIRTY-TWELVE by award-winning author Sandy James–Jackie Delgado didn’t want a new man in her life until a dreaded blind date with police detective Mark Brennan turns out to be more exciting than she’d ever imagined.
HIS ONLY DESIRE by Adrianne Lee– Nick Rossetti married the wrong twin sister. Will the right one ever forgive him?  Not if her stalker has his way.
EVEN HEROES CRY by Hildie McQueen–War widow Tesha Washington slowly draws Adam Ford out of the shell that used to be a man, and learns there really is such a thing as starting over.
THE VIXEN & THE VET by bestselling author Katy Regnery–In a Beauty & the Beast reboot, an ambitious reporter tracks down a wounded war vet for a scoop and ends up falling in love with him instead.
TROUBLE WITH A COWBOY by Sandy Sullivan–Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun…and a little more?
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Interested? You can find the HOMETOWN HEROES bundle on Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, and Barnes and Noble.

***GIVEAWAY***
$20 Amazon gift card, and one of Jami Davenport’s ebooks of choice
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

They Solved A PERFECT DILEMMA–Review and Giveaway

Hi all! Today I’m reviewing A PERFECT DILEMMA, the third book in the Perfect Secret series from Zoe Dawson. For other stops on the tour, click here. Like the first two books int he series, this is a SEXY New Adult romance with a whole lotta bayou heat.

APD Amazon GR SW(1)
About the book:
The one secret she can’t stand to keep is the one she can’t afford to tell.
The perfect little rich girl, River Pearl Sutton has always done what her family expected of her. She’d become the perfect little beauty queen, the perfect child model and now her global success locks her into a life she never really chose.

Coming home for the summer to prepare for the Founder’s Day Festival, a celebration of her lauded ancestor, she is tasked by her father to write a speech to be delivered at the end of the party.

Returning to Hope Parish brings her back into close proximity with sweet-talking, skirt-chasing Braxton Outlaw, the boy who always seemed immune to her charms in high school. But now he looks at her with those challenging blue eyes, both intimidating and seductive at the same time. Using research of her family lineage and his as way to get close to this bad boy, they fall into a hot, torrid affair.

She stumbles across a terrible secret that could bring to ruin not only her reputation, but the reputation and standing of her family. But when her infatuation with Brax grows into something that she can’t live without, she must decide what to do. Keep the secret and lose Brax or destroy her family and lose them.

It’s an awful, heartrending perfect dilemma.

My Review:
River Pearl Sutton is a model daughter, and a model period. She’s been all over the world in fashion shows and glam mags, but she longs to follow her dreams of art school and painting–not enter another pageant to please her mama. While researching a new angle on the history of her town–and I mean HER town–Suttontowne was founded by her great great grandaddy, Colonel Sutton. River Pearl learns of a secret between the Colonel and the shame of Suttontowne, Duel Outlaw.

150 years ago Duel was hanged by a lynch mob on the suspicion that he robbed a cache of gold that was due the Confederate army. Turns out the Colonel and Duel had been best friends and Duel’s execution may have been unwarranted. Can one runway model turn the tide of hate against Duel’s grandkids–most importantly uber-sexy Braxton Outlaw?

Braxton Outlaw will never marry. He’s seen the way Outlaw women get treated in Suttontowne–cursed, spat upon, nudged and tumbled–his mama took a whole lotta abuse after his no-good thief of a daddy up and disappeared leaving her destitute with triplet sons. All grown now, Brax has is super bad for River Pearl, but he knows the score in Suttontowne–any woman he associates with becomes a pillar of scorn to the community; and her daddy sure won’t want any no account Outlaw on his doorstep. But what Daddy can’t hear climbing through River Pearl’s bedroom window sure won’t trouble him none.

The book’s a bit of Romeo and Juliet–with the clandestine love affair simmering away. Don’t worry. There’s some serious double-crossing and double-exonerations to with the double-O’s. It’s a fine addition to the sultry bayou collection complete with a high-stakes battle and a gator feed. In the meantime, Brax comes to terms with his frustration of being an Outlaw in the town where history is long and prejudice is longer. I enjoyed this book–it’s a quick read with decent heat and a likeable cast.

Interested? You can find A PERFECT DILEMMA on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

A Perfect Mess CoverA Perfect Mistake coverA PERFECT DILEMMA is the third book in the A Perfect Secret series. I’ve reviewed the other two books–and they were interesting, spicy New Adult reads. They are all stand-alone novels with some common characters and no cliffhangers.

If you’re thirstin’ for an entertaining quick read these Bayou books might could wet your whistle. Check out my reviews for either A PERFECT MESS or A PERFECT MISTAKE.

I’ll tell you, never did suspect a pretty young smart gal could hide a body so darn good. And the Outlaw triplets are a big ‘ol slice of yum.

****GIVEAWAY***

The author is giving away (1) $25 Gift Card!

To enter, visit her Facebook page HERE.

About the Author
Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of Karen Anders, award winning, multi-published author. Her writing journey started with poetry and branched out into fiction. With a couple of college English courses under her belt, she penned a historical, then moved onto contemporary romance fiction. Today, she is happy producing romantic suspense, romantic mystery, urban fantasy and paranormal novels. The words feed her soul and the happily ever afters feed her heart.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Newsletter

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Cephalopod Coffeehouse September 2014–FIRST DAUGHTER–A Review

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Hi there! Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month. Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

Before I get started, I’d like to say I read/reviewed >20 books this month–so getting to be my Top Pick is kind of a honor. (Though I will admit that winning my favor is a rather dubious honor…I’m pretty instinctual which is why I connect so well with the protaganist of the book I’m featuring.) And, I wish to highlight my own accomplishment–turning 40 this week. If you read MY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY post, you’ll know why I’m feeling pretty stoked about reaching this milestone, and you might could win yourself $40. So, there’s that.

This month I’m sharing FIRST DAUGHTER from my friend Susan Kaye Quinn. It’s the third (final?) book in her Dharian Affairs trilogy. I make the question mark because, with Sue one never knows if a series is ever “finished,” but where she left it right now is very complete story-wise. Is she ever travels back to Dharia, it will be with a whole new storyline.

First Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #3)About the book:
Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue…

With the war begun, Aniri, Third Daughter of the Queen, has to battle not only a prince with a deadly skyship, but her own sister, the First Daughter, who finally sees her chance to become Queen. With their mother gravely ill and the Second Daughter kidnapped along with Aniri’s husband-to-be, Aniri embarks on a desperate mission to save the people she loves from a war that will tear all three countries apart.

First Daughter is the third book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

My Review:
I’ve read both previous books in this fast-paced, steampunk romance series and I had high expectations for the finale. Those were exceeded!

In FIRST DAUGHTER we connect with Aniri, our high-spirited princess, on the brink of leading her country to war. Well, sorta. I mean, she’s not QUITE queen of Jungali, the land where she WOULD be queen if her wedding hadn’t been crashed by bombs dropped from a heretofore unknown Samirian skyship. She may have even married Ash, prince of Jungali, and gone to battle with him–if he haddn’t been kidnapped for ransom by Samirian forces.

Still, Aniri knows she is going to hunt down Natesh, the wayward second son of Samir who has not only provoked war, he has Ash and Aniri’s pregnant sister (Seledri) in his control. Oh, and his assassins almost succeeded in killing Aniri’s mother.

It’s a tense time, and Aniri’s eldest sister, Nahali, is now in control of Dharia as their mother convalesces. Nahali is brilliant, but cold. She has a longheld jealousy for the capricious Aniri and is not inclined to seek rescue of Aniri’s beloved, not when vengeance is sweeter and warranted.

It’s up to Aniri to wage a battle on many fronts: to convince Nahali to move slowly, and allow a rescue of both Ash and Seledri, while also seeking to foment rebellion in Samir. Aniri is sure assisting Seledri’s husband Pavan to rise to the throne will remove the threat of war, but she must go undercover in Samir in order to find Pavan, first.

So, we get a whole lotta intrigue, espionage, clockworks, and daring maneuvers in FIRST DAUGHTER. Aniri rises to the top, pushing for peace while scouring all avenues for signs of Ash and Seledri. One thing that princess won’t abide is leaving them to Natesh’s murderous whim.

It is a full-tilt race to not only rescue the two people most central to Aniri’s heart, but to disable Natesh’s armada of skyships that are poised to invade and bomb her homeland into oblivion.

At it’s core, FIRST DAUGHTER is a tale of constant love–familial and romantic. There are many positive examples of loving couples, and of people going beyond all borders to save those they love–Aniri foremost because she tells this tale, but also Pavan who is determined to reclaim his wife, and Janak–steadfast protector of the Queen who is inexorably in love with her and seeks to avenge her wounding.

The climax is nothing other than brilliant, with battling skyships and a weapon of mass destruction poised to decimate the Samirian war complex. Everything happens just as I hoped it would, but not in the order I had expected, leaving me turning the pages in haste to get to the ending I needed–faster.

If you are a fan of this series you will not be disappointed. For all that it’s a love story, the prose is innocent and appropriately-paced. There is no instalove, just affection growing over time and in volume. Aniri is a good protaganist. She makes mistakes and she owns them. She strives hard to protect and save not only her own loves, but to help her sister make decisions that will benefit their world.

I loved getting lost in the steampunk elements and the East Indian flavor of Dharia, Samir and Jungali. It is rare to see a culture of “color” and a matrilineal society in literature, but this world is rendered beautifully. I appreciated the lengths to which the author went to create a society that celebrates women, not only for their beauty and status, but for their courage and ingenuity. It is a place in which I would like to live.

Interested? You can find FIRST DAUGHTER on Goodreads, Amazon, Nook, iTunes and Kobo. I received an ARC from Sue because we are friends, and because I hounded her for the end of the series, and because I’d probably read her grocery lists if they were available–I’m just that big a fan of her writing.

The two previous books in the series: THIRD DAUGHTER and SECOND DAUGHTER are phenomenal and should probably be read first, on account of lots of story points that are working through FIRST DAUGHTER. Please click their titles for review and purchase links.

THIRD DAUGHTER is currently FREE on all digital outlets, so you can get started on this series!

Thanks for popping in, today. I hope you’ll hop over to my fellow coffeehousers and see what books they recommend this month. And, as always, keep reading my friends!

1. The Armchair Squid 2. mainewords
3. Berriesandmore 4. Linda Kay
5. Cherdo on the Flipside 6. V’sReads
7. Aristotle’s Mistake 8. Life Before the Hereafter
9. Subliminal Coffee. 10. My Creatively Random Life
11. WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME 12. Stephanie Faris
13. About Myself By Myself 14. StrangePegs — The Marvelous Land of Oz
15. MOCK! 16. StrangePegs — Many Waters
17. StrangePegs — A Flock of Ill Omens 18. Words Incorporated

Slavery, Sex and Society–Two Belonging ‘Verse Books

Hi there! Today I’m featuring two M/M novels that deal with some pretty intense topics–notably slavery. The Belonging ‘Verse, as it is called, is an alternate reality where slavery has never been illegal. It is a worldwide experience with millions of slaves held, traded and bred annually.

In some ways, I found the perspective extremely refreshing. As a woman, I’m quite used to the expectations of subservience in my sex. The double standard of demanding competence and, in the same turn, acquiescence. It’s not the easiest dance to master, and certainly fosters hostility which must be masked–less a woman be called out for her assertiveness (Read: bitchiness).

In both of these books men are the protagonists. They are ones being held against their will, subservient, with little-to-no autonomy, no ability to refuse a direct order. For me, the parallels to dysfunctional relationships were numerous, and chilling. Further, the larger social context of slavery (which still exists today even if not openly) was dealt with in a manner that was completely rendered and harrowing. These are not romantic books. They are political statements. And they were phenomenal.

Anchored (Belonging, #1)About ANCHORED:
Network news anchor Daniel Halstrom is at the top of his field, but being at the bottom of the social ladder—being a slave—makes that hard to enjoy. Especially when NewWorld Media, the company that’s owned him since childhood, decides to lease him privately on evenings and weekends to boost their flagging profits.

Daniel’s not stupid; he knows there’s only one reason someone would pay so much for what little free time he has. But dark memories of past sexual service leave him certain he won’t survive it again with his sanity intact.

He finds himself in the home of Carl Whitman, a talk show host whose words fail him when it comes to ordering Daniel into his bed. Carl can’t seem to take what he must want, and Daniel’s not willing to give it freely. His recalcitrance costs him dearly, but with patience and some hard-won understanding, affection just might flourish over fear and pain. Carl holds the power to be an anchor in Daniel’s turbulent life, but if he isn’t careful, he’ll end up the weight that sinks his slave for good.

My Review:
ANCHORED is not a love story. It’s not even a like story, really.

What it is is a GREAT story.

This book is set in an alternate universe where slavery is legal worldwide. It is otherwise set in contemporary NYC. This review is for the 2nd edition book which was re-released Sept 2014.

Daniel is a slave. He’s also a celebrity news anchor. His network bought him at age 11 and he’s been a faithful slave, reporting the news for NewWorld Media for years now. Unfortunately NewWorld is struggling financially and they’ve decided to lease out some of their commerical properties–like Daniel–to buyers overnight and on weekends. Daniel’s being prostituted out for an annual rental to one buyer, at 6 million dollars. And, he’s terrified.

See, slaves like Daniel are communally housed, but not allowed any physical relationships. His only experience with sex was being raped by men as a child. He had a clandestine “lover” with whom he shared a few trysts, but no penetrative sex. And, Daniel’s worst fears are realized when he enters his new master’s home–he’s been leased to a man. Okay, it gets worse: the man who is now his master, Carl, is a talk show host on a competitor network. Yikes.

Carl has longed for Daniel for years. Aroused by Daniel’s physical beauty, and his intellectual persona on TV, Carl expected a partner to share his empty nights with witty repartee and mutual passion. Daniel isn’t sure what to do–he’s essentially a virgin, and can’t read Carl’s mixed signals.

If Carl ordered Daniel to have sex with him, Daniel would have submitted, but Carl never does that. No, he treats Daniel like a Freeman, which only confuses Daniel more. Carl wants a willing partner, and Daniel is unwilling. It, honestly, is a complete failure to communicate, but the end result is Daniel receiving “training” in his new role as a pleasure slave that is unconscionable to Carl, Daniel and the reader.

Okay, so I’m gonna say, this is the only time I’ve read a rape and felt so incredibly visceral about it. The absolute clinical and violent manner in which Daniel was coerced into sex was so distressing and so riveting. I kept hoping against hope that someone would step in, that Daniel would not be harmed. It was frightening, and yet I could only see the story unfolding in this way.

Daniel’s plight called to the fore the political injustice of this fictional world–and gave context in the inequality of our actual world. So many millions of people are either legally (fictional) or financially (real world) subservient that the choice to engage–or not to engage–in sexual relations is not always within one’s power. It was a harrowing, honest, and enlightening experience for me. Other reviews highlight this as well.

Carl is a terrible master, not because he is violent or coercive–because he is weak. He has no interest in ordering around a slave; he really doesn’t like being a slave owner. His two other slaves are virtually autonomous, with Carl having no desire to reprimand them–not that they act out. In fact, Daniel doesn’t act out–he just isn’t sexually interested and refuses to please if he isn’t ordered. Well, at least until he’s “trained”. After surviving that experience he’s ready to serve Carl as often as possible, in whatever way necessary, to prevent any further training.

Carl learns the consequences for his folly in renting Daniel, and makes amends in the best way that he can. He is a truly good man, and didn’t understand how his dissatisfaction with Daniel would manifest as torture.

I was particularly touched when Daniel reflects on the difference in emotional attitudes between slaves and Freemen. A Freeman, like Carl, can have/give love to Daniel–because he has autonomy.

On the other hand, Daniel could have respect, or even affection, for Carl, but he didn’t feel free to love him. The power imbalance was too great to have equal footing in something so visceral as love. Daniel appreciates that he always faces the risk of being sold to someone else, so he guards his love carefully to ensure he’s not emotionally damaged by what amounts to a commercial transaction.

It was a very powerful commentary, and one I probably didn’t even fully appreciate–regardless of how moved I felt by it. There are some tender moments in this book, but it isn’t a tender tale. As I said, it’s not a love story. I was glad to see that Daniel was satisfied in the end. That he was safe and protected. This book will stay with me long after I expect. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Interested? You can find ANCHORED on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the author:

Rachel Hainowitz is a “M/M erotic romance author, freelance writer and editor, sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, and proudly pervish. I’m a twitter addict (@rachelhaimowitz), and I blog every M/W/F at Fantasy Unbound. To learn all about my current and upcoming projects, please stop by my website. I love to hear from folks, so feel free to drop me a line anytime at metarachel (at) gmail (dot) com.”

Counterpunch (Belonging, #2)About COUNTERPUNCH:
Fight like a man, or die like a slave.

Brooklyn Marshall used to be a policeman in London, with a wife and a promising future ahead of him. Then he accidentally killed a rioter whose father was a Member of Parliament and had him convicted of murder. To ease the burden on the overcrowded prison system, Brooklyn was sold into slavery rather than incarcerated. Now, he’s the “Mean Machine”, a boxer on the slave prizefighting circuit, pummelling other slaves for the entertainment of freemen and being rented out for the sexual service of his wealthier fans.

When Nathaniel Bishop purchases Brooklyn’s services for a night, it seems like any other assignation. But the pair form an unexpected bond that grows into something more. Brooklyn hesitates to call it “love”—such things do not exist between freemen and slaves—but when Nathaniel reveals that he wants to help get Brooklyn’s conviction overturned, he dares to hope. Then, an accident in the ring sends Brooklyn on the run, jeopardizing everything he has worked so hard to achieve and sending him into the most important fight of all—the fight for freedom.

My Review:
This story is fantastic. It is set in an alternate universe where slavery still exists, in contemporary London. Brooklyn is a 27 y/o slave sold to a boxing consortium, and he’s burning up the heavyweight division. Brooklyn hasn’t always been a slave. He was born a freeman, and was sold into slavery following a conviction. In his free days he was a married man, a policeman in fact. A chance encounter resulted in a murder conviction, when manslaughter (or no charge) would have been the ordinary course. Brooklyn is haunted by the memory of the riot where he was dispatched and a girl died. He suffers real guilt, but as a slave his feelings do not matter.

He is housed in a communal living space where all his actions are controlled by armed guards, and rented out as a boy toy when he is not training or fighting. Some of his “johns” have been female, many male. He’s not adjusting well to slave life, but channels his rage into his fighting, which helps.

Nathaniel rents Brooklyn one night, and learns that his experience as a slave is not always about what is taken from you. In Nathaniel’s sphere, Brooklyn is cherished. Allowed what little freedom a slave can be afforded.

Nathaniel becomes a regular renter, and Brooklyn is able to claim a small bit of his humanity back through their encounters. Soon, Nathaniel reveals that he is interested in re-opening Brooklyn’s conviction; he felt he was scapegoat–wrongfully accused and convicted due to an abuse of power by the victim’s father. Brooklyn almost can’t bear to hope to escape his lot as a slave, but he does. He trains harder and harder, trying to compartmentalize his fear and mortification of slave life, and he gains even greater acclaim in his boxing.

Then, there’s a big problem in one of Brooklyn’s fights, and he freaks out. His breakdown results in a loss of his connection with Nathaniel and abuse he had never before endured in his slavery. The climax comes fast and furious, with a chance for redemption and “freedom” offered if he throws his big title fight. Brooklyn is a steadfast man, and his HEA is just around the bend.

I really enjoyed this alternate universe, legal slavery, because it served as a greater context to discuss racial relations (most Blacks in this world are slaves) and the inequality of wealth and power, and how it corrupts. Brooklyn is a good man. He is in a bad spot, and makes the absolute best of it. He does not let his situation defeat him. He does not take the “easy” way. He strives, and perseveres. He fights for his dignity, even when it is continually ripped from him. He endures unspeakable cruelty, and achieves his ultimate reward on his terms.

I am a sports fan, so the boxing milieu was amenable to me, but I don’t think it was too much for an average reader to absorb. It was all very well described and the context always felt appropriate. I also enjoyed the boxing history vignettes, as I grew up in the 80’s watching Sugar Ray and Mike Tyson and others find their titles, so this was a little piece of home. And the writing/language was superlative. The author notes how readers will likely balk at his “British” English, but for me, an Anglophile, this story could not be authentically told any other way. It kept me up way too late because I absolutely could not stop reading once I opened it.

The smexytimes aren’t overdone, and pack a good balance of sensuality and heat. They take a while to develop, which was unexpected, and pleasant. It allowed me to really enjoy Nathaniel and not see him as another exploiter in a vile system. And, later, when he worked behind the scenes to help Brooklyn, I really grew to love him. I think Brooklyn did, too. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Interested? You can find COUNTERPUNCH on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:

“Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London, where he works as a writing coach, complementary therapist and freelance corporate editor. At 39 years of age, Voinov has written more than a dozen novels and commercially published five print books with German publishers. After many years working in the horror, science fiction, cyberpunk and fantasy genres, Voinov is now primarily writing contemporary and historical erotic gay fiction. A recurring theme in his fiction is “the triumph of the human spirit” or an individual rising to challenge the status quo in a world gone bad.”

You can connect with Aleksandr on his website, on Facebook and/or join his Facebook group here. He has an author forum at Goodreads and is active on twitter.

Thanks for popping in my friends, and keep reading!

These Three (or Four) are REALLY COOKING–A Review—and a FREE Book

Filthy Forties meme

Hi there! In honor of my new “Filthy Forty” status…today I’m featuring a ménage freebie that I found delicious. Yep. It’s REALLY COOKING by Victoria Blisse and it’s sexy and scorching.

Really CookingAbout the book:
Three hot men and one curvy woman, now we’re really cooking.

After breaking out of a truly awful relationship Paula finds herself floundering until she bumps into Gary. He cheers her up with a much coveted appointment at Flair, where more than her hair gets pampered. In return she offers Shane and Gary a cooking lesson to cheer up their ready-meal laden week.

The Friday feast turns into a sex-laden success and becomes a recurring weekly date. Paula loves having the sexual attention of two hot bi guys but longs for something deeper.

Shane sets her up with professional chef, Nigel McCormack. Paula responds to his dominant appeal and the delights of all three men together. But how will Paula fair when she takes up a position in Nigel’s professional kitchen, will she capture his heart or will he return to his first love, food?

My Review:
Paula is a bit adrift after cutting loose her boyfriend. Things hadn’t been progressing here and she wasn’t really looking for anything serious. What woman would, whilst out for drinks with gal-pals in a gay bar? Turns out Paula caught the eye of Gary, a rather good-looking man. Gay, and involved, but they had a great chat about how hopeless Gary is in the kitchen. Hit it off so well, Paula invites Gary and his partner, Shane, to her home for a dinner and cooking lessons. They have fun, and it’s quickly mentioned that Gary and Shane aren’t gay—they’re bisexual. And hungry for more than dinner.

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Soon the three have regular Friday night meet-up. Paula’s a bit stunned at the new sexual kink in her life, but she isn’t complaining. Not even when Shane invites a friend…master chef Nigel.

Nigel is a busy man, running a first class restaurant, but his social life is nonexistent. The thrill Paula receives, being one-on-one with Nigel, and as part of their ménage, is better than she could have hoped for. And, he loves her food to boot! They take up a side romance, hampered by Nigel’s hectic work schedule–until the unthinkable happens, and Paula’s no nonsense, fix-it skills lead Nigel into a great opportunity–cooking shows on TV. Can these two maintain their off-screen kink? Or, will too many cooks spoil the dish? (Expect some conniving employees and a stalwart Paula!)

Also, light kink elements include minimal sub behavior and super sexy foursome scenes.

I flew through this. It’s a Brit book, so the format and diction are appropriate for Londoners, which I enjoy. The story moved along quite quickly, with lots of smexytimes and all of it feeling well-grounded. Paula is ashamed about her new sexual naughtiness, and keeps it all hush-hush, but she privately revels in her sexuality. And, Nigel is good, too. I ached with loneliness, as did Paula, when he was too busy to see her. Their chemistry was just so pleasant. Loved the ending. Hoping for the best with those two, or four, or….it’s ménage, folks.

Interested? You can find REALLY COOKING on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, but it’s FREE on iTunes until 9/30. Couple clicks and you’ll have this baby heating up your eReader—for nada, gratis and zilch.

About the Author:

Victoria Blisse is a Mother, Wife, Christian, Manchester United Fan and Award Winning Erotica Authoress. She is also the editor of several Bigger Briefs collections, and the co-editor of the fabulous Smut Alfresco, Smut by the Sea (Vol.1), Smut by the Sea (Vol.2), Smut by the Sea (Vol.3), and Smut in the City Anthologies.

Victoria is also one of the brains behind the fabulous Smut Events, days dedicated to erotica, fun and prizes. Check out Smut Manchester (15th Nov 2014), Smut Luton (7th March 2015) and Smut by the Sea: Scarborough (23rd May 2015) for more info.

She is equally at home behind a laptop or a cooker and she loves to create stories, poems, cakes and biscuits that make people happy. She was born near Manchester, England and her northern English quirkiness shows through in all of her stories.

Passion, love and laughter fill her works, just as they fill her busy life.

You can find often find Victoria procrastinating on Facebook , Twitter and Pinterest

Don’t forget to enter into MY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY-for a $40 gift card or a box o’ books Two weeks until the winner is selected.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!