JA Huss

Broken Triad HIS TURN—A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a MFM menage romance from best-selling author J.A. Huss. The three-day weekend three-way lovefest concludes with HIS TURN. This is the third and final book in the Turning series featuring down-on-his-love Bric from TAKING TURNS and TURNING BACK on an unexpected adventure into true love.

About the book:
I look her body up and down as I circle her.
Mine?
I smile a devious, deviant, I’m gonna make you sorry you ever started playing this game with me smile.
And then I take her hand.
I lead her to the elevator.
We go up to my apartment.
I tie her wrists together with rope.
Raise her arms above her head.
And chain her to the ceiling.
It’s my turn.

My Review:
There are mild spoilers for TAKING TURNS and TURNING BACK in this review because they are linked stories.

Quin, Bric, Smith are long-time friends who enjoy multiple partner sex, and run an exclusive gentleman’s club in Denver where the wealthy choose to share their wives and mistresses with each other. These guys had nearly a dozen women they shared over the course of a decade, but Smith fell for girl #11, Chella, and Quin fell for girl #10, Rochelle. Bric is feeling dejected as his closest friends find fulfilling, monogamous love.

He doesn’t even take pleasure in his access to the women of the sex club.

Despondent, Bric takes the “gift” of one night’s submission of Nadia, a ballerina who fancies herself a domme, from his acquaintance Jordan. Bric doesn’t really have a connection with Jordan, not like he had with Smith and Quinn, but he’s anxious to feel something again, and Jordan’s girl has some spirit. Bric, who relishes breaking his submissive lovers emotionally more than physically, finds perfectionist Nadia to be a nice challenge. She has her own game going, however, and secrets to hide.

Jordan wants to run a ménage game with Bric, and he’s put Nadia in play because he knows her history of isolation and dominant play have broken something in her spirit. Unfortunately, right when Bric and Nadia need Jordan’s steady hand, Jordan needs to step away for work demands. Bric and Nadia end up building a rapport neither expected, with Nadia learning more of Bric’s family secrets than anyone else knows. This strange vulnerability leads Bric to become ever more ruthless in his mind games with Nadia.

This is likely the darkest of the three dark romances. It’s unclear who is the true puppet master until literally the very end, but that twist came suddenly. Bric recognizes his history pales in comparison to the future he could build with Nadia. With some help from his oldest pals, plus his family, Bric moves from manipulating bastard to loving partner. There’s lots of sexy times here, some MFM ménage but most just Bric and Nadia. This makes an end to the Turning series, but the beginning of another one, FIVE, which I have yet to begin…

Interested? You can find HIS TURN on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.

About the Author:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who make you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.

Catch up with Ms. Huss on Facebook, twitter, her blog and Amazon.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Much to Gain by TURNING BACK–A TBR Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a recently released MFM menage romance from best-selling author J.A. Huss. TURNING BACK is the second book in the Turning series and features Quin, Bric and Rochelle from TAKING TURNS on an adventure into true love.

About the book:
I lived in the dark for three years. My whole world revolved around the whims and happiness of three men. It was just a trip into the forbidden. A way out of a bad situation and forward into nothingness.

Quin, with his easy smile and charming good looks. He was always there for me… Until he wasn’t.

Smith, and his dispassionate attention. He was never there for me and he never regretted it.

Bric, the one who listened, but only to himself. Self-absorbed, self-obsessed, and self-serving. He was never the one I wanted.

And now he might be the only one I have left.

It was good while it lasted, I guess. But it could’ve been so much more. It could’ve been so much better.

And that’s why I’m turning back.

My Review:
There are some spoilers for the first book, TAKING TURNS, in this review because they are linked stories.

Quin, Bric, Smith are long-time friends who enjoy multiple partner sex, and run an exclusive gentleman’s club in Denver where the wealthy choose to share their wives and mistresses with each other. These guys and Rochelle were involved in a kinky four-way sex game for three years, until Rochelle left another woman in her stead. While these three may have been “with” Rochelle, they all certainly availed themselves of the club’s bounty as well. Rochelle was the tenth girl in this position in more than a decade, and she lied a life of luxury and decadence, but it wasn’t enough in the long run. Rochelle’s replacement, Chella, captivated Smith who fell hard for her and decided to leave their long-running game for an exclusive relationship. Quin was devastated by Rochelle’s disappearance. He had begun to acknowledge his deeper feelings for her. All of this was revealed in TAKING TURNS, the first book in the series.

And, Rochelle got tired of the game. She loved Quin alone, and she expected he wouldn’t drop out of the game to be with her…and she had bigger reasons for wanting an exclusive relationship: a pregnancy. When Quin learns that Bric’s advice to Rochelle regarding the pregnancy was callous, he’s even further upset. Despite their agreement to never try to reconnect with one of their past lovers, Quin wants Bric to find Rochelle and make things right. Bric…is not interested. He’d rather just find a new girl to share with Quin, but Quin’s despondency drives him away from Bric, the club, and the menage lifestyle.

Chella can’t bear to see Quin suffer any longer, and enlists a freelance bounty hunting friend to find Rochelle, and Bric’s the contact. He’s determined to tell Rochelle to stay away, but when he meets her, and her daughter of unknown paternity–she’s only 6 months old and looks much like Rochelle–he sees a new opportunity. Bric’s not been happy with his sex life since Quin stopped playing the game. Rochelle wants Quin, and Bric wants both of them–so he convinces Rochelle to return and make amends so the three of them can pick up a new game, or make a menage of their own. This appeal s to Rochelle, who’s been lonely, and who wants Quin any way she can have him…now. Because this year of self-imposed exile has convinced her that a life sharing the one you love seems better than a life without the one you love.

Quin isn’t ecstatic when Rochelle returns, however. He’s burning mad that she disappeared without telling him about the pregnancy, and how he missed all the changes of her body and birth of his daughter. They’ve agreed, for now, not to do a paternity test so both Quin and Bric can assume fatherhood. Bric moves Rochelle into his own personal penthouse apartment and fawns all over the baby, and Rochelle. Quin’s not fooled, recognizing that Bric’s playing a deeper game than before, but he also wants Rochelle more than ever. And, as the days go by, he’s experiencing his own need for more than a menage–for an exclusive relationship with his lover and their daughter. But, will Rochelle fall for Bric in the meantime?

This was an interesting story with lots of twists, turns, and sex. There’s no denying the sexual tension, but there’s a lot of intrigue, too, with master puppeteer Bric orchestrating his desired outcome: a longstanding menage with Quin and Rochelle, while also maintaining his ‘bachelor-ish’ status. Rochelle can’t trust him, and Quin sees through him, but Rochelle believes she needs Bric to bring Quin closer, and Quin believes he needs Bric to hold Rochelle’s attention. I liked the emotional swings in the book. I liked how these people aren’t near as callous or carefree as they appear on the surface. I like how they think often about each other, when it seems like they are thinking only of themselves. I liked how Rochelle gave Smith what-for, and how he had to make amends in the end. Because he was a big jerk to her, a lot, for no good reason. And, I liked that the ending is happy, for Quin and Rochelle. Bric, well, he has another book to get his life in order. We got a lot more insight on all the players in this game, and Bric, though he seems monstrously self-centered, is clearly not the bad guy we’ve come to expect. Looking forward to wrapping up this series soon!

Interested? You can find TURNING BACK on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.

About the Author:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who make you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.

Catch up with Ms. Huss on Facebook, twitter, her blog and Amazon.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Needing More…and TAKING TURNS-A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a recently released MMFM menage romance from best-selling author J.A. Huss. TAKING TURNS is a kinky story that begins, inexplicably, near the middle…of a high-class Denver sex club. I’ve been a fan of the author for some time, but lingered over picking this up, only because I wasn’t sure if I was ready for more menage. “Turns” out (ba-da-bing) I was past due.

About the book:
I’ve never been afraid of the dark…but that doesn’t mean I wanted to live in it. And maybe everyone wants what they can’t have, but I should’ve thought it over before I accepted the key and unlocked the door to their forbidden world.

Number One is mostly silent. He watches me with them very carefully. His gaze never wanders. His interest never wanes.

Number Two is mostly gentle. But it’s the other side of him I like best. The wild side.

Number Three is mostly reserved. He refuses to cross the line. Even when I beg.

It was carnal, it was sensual, and it was erotic. That’s it. That’s all it was supposed to be. A trip into the dark. A peek into the forbidden.

I just didn’t expect to like them.

My Review:
Quin, Bric and Smith are thirty-ish wealthy men who are members/owners of an exclusive “gentleman’s club” in Denver. This place is a little less typical in that the male members pretty much bring in their wives for groups sex orgies. Quin, Bric and Smith all enjoy this type of activity, but they also keep a penthouse apartment for one girl that they take turns sharing. They’ve had roughly ten gals who took up this game with them over the past ten years, but Rochelle is the one that’s lasted the longest–three years now. And Quin pretty much thinks he loves her, while Bric is mostly ambivalent, and Smith’s long-since bored and neglects her. In fact, Smith should have ended the game with Rochelle a year ago, but he knew Quin had a real connection so he just quietly bowed out.

Still, none of them are prepared for Rochelle to disappear and leave a substitute in her place.

Marcella Walcott is an enigma. She’s a wealthy, educated woman with a prestigious job in an art gallery. Why would she consent to be a sex toy for three uber-kinky wealthy men? That’s what multimillionaire Smith Baldwin wants to know. He is interested in this gal, way more so than he was with Rochelle. His interest leads him to pursue “Chella,” even bending the rules of his game to suit himself and exclude both Bric and Quin whenever possible. Quin doesn’t care about the rules, or the game anymore; he only wants to find Rochelle and see if she’ll come back to him. And only him, this time. Chella doesn’t have the answers Quin needs, however. The thing is, well, there’s a lot of stuff going down in sexytown. Chella’s got deep secrets and Smith’s pulling no punches in discovering them. Even if it pisses of Chella’s dad…Senator Walcott.

Bric, meanwhile, is trying to keep the peace and keep the game rolling. He’s loved his time with all the girls, and the many, many wives he’s shared with his pals and others in the lower level of their club. He’ll find another gal toot-sweet, if only Quin and Smith will get on board once again.

Okay, this is an interesting romance–which I almost didn’t expect. It seemed like it was all about the kink, but the iceman, Smith, has a far more human heart than readers (and his pals!) might have anticipated. As with other books from this author, the romance is wrapped in a tangled web, so it almost seems more of a mystery, than anything else. We have all four POVs in action, and none of them are revealing their secrets any time soon. What we do learn is that Chella is likely to be the last girl for all three of them–and they each have a lot of new experiences to discover going forward. This is the first of three books in a series, and I liked how this one resolved. There is a clear ending and a solid love story that comes from all this kink. I’ve got the next two books queued up in my iPad, so stay tuned for reviews in the coming month or so.

Interested? You can find TAKING TURNS on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.

About the Author:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who make you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.

Catch up with Ms. Huss on Facebook, twitter, her blog and Amazon.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Finding the Courage to Read On…

Hi there! As followers of my posts know, I adore series reads. I love bonding with a character, or set of characters, and following their struggles through adversity.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. In fact, most avid readers I know stick with similar authors and auto-buy, auto-read whatever is next in a series.

But, sometimes, I’m conflicted. I’m afraid to pick up a latest book, unsure that I’ll love the sequel. Do this ever happen to you?

I’ve read the entire Outlander novel series–years ago, before they made it a TV series. Before I started blogging, in fact. And there were two books in the eight volume series that really upset me. That made me want to stop reading. DRAGONFLY IN AMBER and ECHO IN THE BONE. For the former, there was just so much tension and heartbreak, watching Jamie and Claire’s love strengthen and develop and get stomped on time and again. The only reason I came back was the end. The end held so much possibility! ECHO was different. ECHO ended so precipitously that I wanted to throw the book across the room when I got to the final pages.

That’s a danger for series authors–that readers will be so incensed that they will turn away. Another is ennui.

It takes time to write a sophisticated series, one with sufficient plot and character development that it can carry a story over several volumes. Gabaldon has many times stated it takes her “2-3 years to research and write” one of her tomes. For authors, there are so many unexpected challenges to writing such a work. When you only plan a single book, you write shorter arcs and you resolve them in a reasonable time frame. Unresolved plots leave readers unsettled, and frustrated. That was my experience with ECHO. I wanted a clear happy ending, and all the characters (except Ian) seemed to be in disarray. For me, this was unacceptable.

I did love the eighth novel in the series, WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD, and felt the end was sufficient to satisfy me–an avid and grateful fangirl. There’s a collection of novellas coming out in two weeks, SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, and a ninth novel is planned–GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. I’m trepidatious, especially about the novel. What an ominous title!!

My fears don’t end at Gabaldon’s Outlander. I have had several sequels languishing on my iPad, waiting for me to turn the first page. SHELTER THE SEA by Heidi Cullinan, sequel to CARRY THE OCEAN, my fave book of 2015, has been burning me for two months now, every time I open my Kindle app. And, THICK & THIN by Charlie Cochet! It’s been calling to me since February… And…some sexy rock romances from Olivia Cunning, too! Not to mention the TWO menage romances by JA Huss that I can’t seem to open for fear I’ll love/hate them. My goodness.

I made a pact with myself to clear some of my backlogged books, which means I’m going to reader-up and crack these books! Hopefully, I’ll have some new faves to gush over soon.

Stay tuned..and feel free to tell me what series have you exhilarated/terrified to read on!

Broken Lives, New Dreams–ROCK Book Blast and Giveaway!

BB BannerHi there! Today I’m getting the word out for a new dark contemporary romance from JA Huss. ROCK is a second chance romance, with a twist. Is the boy getting back with the girl? Or, her maniac twin sister? (O.O)

Catch the excerpt and get in on the amazing giveaway, below!

Rock Ebook CoverAbout the book:
He had it all. He lost it all. And all he wants now is a second chance.

RK Saber ran from tragedy five years ago when his car went over the side of a mountain in a prom-night crash. Consumed by guilt, he walked away from Juilliard and morphed into Rock, front man for the global rock-band sensation, Son of a Jack. Five members. Five best friends. Five rising stars burning so bright, they had to know it couldn’t last.

When tragedy strikes again and the band goes from five to two, RK is sentenced to… home. Back to the place where all his nightmares started. Back to the memory of all the things he lost. Back to the reality he refused to face before he left.

The Vetti twins were identical in all ways but two. Melanie was insane and Melissa was not. One twin was killed on prom night five years ago and one twin was not. And now that RK has returned home, the twin left standing has quite a story to tell. Could she really be the girl he thought he’d lost forever? Or is Melanie just up to her same old tricks?

ROCK is a rock-star romantic suspense by the New York Times bestselling master of twist, JA Huss.

How about a little taste?

“We’re not done, Melissa Vetti.”

“Not even close,” she says, winking at me as she pulls the door open to a waiting Gretchen.

“Oh, my God, you guys are disgusting. Who has sex in a break room?”

Missy giggles, then grabs my arm as if to cling to me. Her grin is wild and wide, her eyes are dancing as they look up at me, and when she leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder for a brief moment, just as I open the back passenger door to Gretchen’s stupid hybrid car, I sigh.

It’s long and deep. But everything about it is good.

“Get in,” I tell Missy. She does, searching for her seatbelt as I close the door and walk over to the other side.

“You’re not sitting in back, RK,” Gretchen says.

“The fuck I’m not,” I mumble, getting in next to Missy. Her hands are all over me as Gretchen huffs about not being a chauffeur and some other bullshit that I can’t be bothered to listen to.

I put my arm around Miss and she leans into my chest. One hand tucked behind my back, one lifting my shirt up, a fraction at a time. And even though I just came inside her five minutes ago, I’m ready for more.

Gretchen talks the entire ride but I don’t understand a word she says. Melissa’s mouth is on mine, then biting my shoulder, then she’s scooting back and lowering her face to my stomach, still lifting my shirt up with that one hand.

When Gretchen stops in my driveway, Missy and I give off half-hearted waves as I push her up against the front door and stare down into her blue eyes. “You know what?” I slur the words just a little.

“What?” She laughs back.

I have so many thoughts in my head at the moment. About her, her music, the bar, this town. What it felt like to come home after five years. How alone I felt. What it felt like to go to her show tonight. To be included. Part of something again.

“I missed you,” I say.

“I missed you too.”

“No,” I say. “I mean I missed you.” I place my hands on each of her cheeks and bump my forehead against hers. “I missed how you started that band. I missed how you worked out those songs. I missed all the mistakes, and all the triumphs. I missed the stressing out over money. I missed the conversation you had to have with Teej to get a spot. I missed picking out the guitar you play, the strap, the picks. I missed you making a decision about what you’d wear on stage. I missed you squealing to whoever is your best friend these days about your first show. I missed the applause, I missed TJ’s proud face afterward, I missed the first blown amp, the first time someone said, Hey, are you the chick who plays at Float’s? I missed everything, Melissa Vetti, rock star. And I’m so fucking sorry. Because life would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”

She pouts her lips and nods her head. I can see a little gleam of light in her eyes as she tries not to cry. “I missed your life too.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “It just would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”

She looks up at me and smiles. “We’re together now, RK. And that’s all that matters.”

Interested? You can find ROCK on Goodreads, Amazon (US, UK, CA, AU), Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

****GIVEAWAY****

Rock GiveawayClick on this Rafflecopter giveaway link to enter the giveaway for a $100 gift card, signed copy of ROCK, Coach Wristlet, Perfectly Posh Pack, Brighton Notepad with Pen, Prada Sunglasses, and ROCK Super Swag pack.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who make you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.

Catch up with Ms. Huss on Facebook, twitter, her blog and Amazon.

What happened to 2015?!

book meme 6So…wow! The year’s end already? I’m a bit stunned, but also grateful. Some years whoosh by like a snowplow burying me under, but this year I’ve had the opportunity to read some really fun books, travel and interact with fantastic authors and review-types, like myself, and enjoy many moments along the way.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I also write, and I’m at the point of sending out a manuscript to agents coming next week. Fingers crossed that I’ll have the chance to promote some of my own fiction one day soon!

Book meme 3For the blog, I’ve gotten some great stats. Nearly 13,000 pages views this year. Not bad for a relatively unknown chick who drones on and on about books. If you’ve signed up to get my posts emailed, you’re in good company–140 of you special folks right now. Thanks for joining me on this madcap escapade! Lots of people are finding my reviews, and reading them/sharing them. I appreciate that so much, because it’s not easy reading and writing content to support the blog. It takes hours and hours each day, in fact. My hubs will attest he’d much rather I gave (most of) it up, so I could just sit and veg out watching TV with him…crossing his fingers that that might ever happen. TV is not really my thing.

book meme 5

Goodreads tells me I read 375 books this year, but it’s been more. I didn’t log all my reads, though there are few that didn’t get reviews there. I have had a great time working with Joyfully Jay Reviews, picking up some excellent reads through their platform and generally interacting with those lovely folks. Authors have reached out to me and I’ve reached back, supporting their fiction in the best way I can. That’s a wonderfully rewarding experience, emotionally, and helps my pocketbook from getting TOO frayed. Yes, there are books that I do buy, and I cherish all my books–whether they were purchased or gifted for my review.

As this is a year’s end recap, it’s apt to highlight some books/series that got into my brain in the past 12 months.

Best read of the year:
No question it was CARRY THE OCEAN by Heidi Cullinan. This book touched my soul and left it altered for the better. Having suffered depression in my life, and having close friends/family with kids on the Autism Spectrum, this plain-spoken M/M romance between a brilliant autistic man and his depressive neighbor was spectacular.

Best YA read:
NOT IF I SEE YOU FIRST by Eric Lindstrom. Touching tale of an orphaned blind girl who learns to “see” everyone she knows in the best light–even herself.

Best YA series:
I’ve really enjoyed reading the Backstage Pass series of contemporary YA romances between the members of the boy band Seconds To Juliet and the smart, worthwhile girls the boys all fall for. There are five books in the series, and I think I reviewed 4 of them…
Abby and the Cute One, Mia and the Bad Boy, Anya and the Shy Guy, Daisy and the Front Man.

Book Meme-1Best Adrenaline Rush:
KICK AT THE DARKNESS by Keira Andrews, a zombie apocalypse M/M romance kept me glued to my iPad long into the night, and the next day.

Best SciFi series:
I’ve really enjoyed the AI world carved out by Susan Kaye Quinn’s Legacy Human series. It’s a bit dystopian, a bit tech and a bit romance. And I love all those bits! Looking forward to reading more of this in 2016. THE LEGACY HUMAN, THE DUALITY BRIDGE, STORIES OF SINGULARITY.

Best contemporary New Adult series:
Karen Stivali’s Moments in Time series is really a must read for me. This is a contemporary M/M romance which is emotional and sexy, at the same time. I’ve loved all four Moments books so far, and eagerly anticipate the next release. MOMENT OF IMPACT, MOMENT OF TRUTH, MOMENT OF CLARITY, and MOMENT OF SILENCE.
book meme 7
Best Paranormal Romance:
THE SECRET CASEBOOK OF SIMON FEXIMAL by KJ Charles rocked my world and set it right again. Historical M/M paranormal romance that kept me turning the page long after I went to bed.

Most Resilient Heroines: (Teen)
Ivy in THE REVOLUTION OF IVY by Amy Engel–She takes on her entire desolate town and finds the true love of her life. YA dystopian.

Lulu in MY BEST EVERYTHING by Sarah Tomp. West Virginian high school senior Lulu’s college fund has dried up, but she can’t bear to stay in her small town any longer. So, she enlists the help of Mason to make a fortune selling illegal moonshine. YA contemporary.

Morgan La Fey in SWORD by Realm Lovejoy. Morgan kidnaps a prince, drags him through the swamps of Camelot and helps him find Excalibur–all to thwart a murder plot. And her execution? Wow. YA fantasy.
Book Meme 4
Best Action/Adventure:
I AM THE TRAITOR is the final installment in the Unknown Assassin series by Allen Zadoff. You really need to strap in and read I AM THE WEAPON and I AM THE MISSION, first. You’ll thank me. YA contemporary.

Best Enemies to Lovers:
Historical
TO LOVE A TRAITOR by JL Merrow really flipped all my historical British M/M romance switches…
Christmas Romance
IF ONLY IN MY DREAMS by Keira Andrews took two battered hearts and shoved them into a car on a cross-country trek to make it home in time for Christmas. Swoon.

Best erotica:
The CAUGHT ON CAMERA series by Lily Harlem is spectacular M/M romance. Just loved all the sexy sexy bits, and the romance that developed between two new-to-porn stars on a filming trip was tender and lovely.

Best Menage:
M/F/M
THREE TWO ONE by JA Huss. Hot and chilling, by turns. This is a dark romance and not everyone makes it out alive.
M/M/M
SHARING A POND by Alex Whitehall. Frog Shifters. Pretty much knocked me out. Not the sexytimes, as those were satisfactory, but the emotional issues were excellent, and I’ve got a thing for frogs, I think.
Historical M/F/M:
THE MISTRESS AND HER MEN by Julia Talbot. A sassy widow and a daring nobleman–plus some BDSM? Yes, mistress!
Historical M/M/M:
RITE OF SUMMER by Tess Bowery was so loving and tender, and troubled.

Best Near Historical:
IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT by Judy Blume, historical fiction featuring her true-life experience of living in a town where three airplanes crashed within 59 days of each other. Harrowing!

Best Recovery Story:
CLEAN by Mia Kerick. This one gave me chills. M/M YA romance between two guys who’ve been down and out and almost didn’t make it.

book-meme-8Best Subculture:
Who knew the Amish would captivate me? I adored Keira Andrew’s M/M Amish Romances A FORBIDDEN RUMSPRINGA, A CLEAN BREAK, and A WAY HOME. They really touched my heart.

Honestly, I could go on for blogs, and blogs. But I won’t; books to read, books to write after all! That said, I’m looking forward to sharing reviews for great books in the coming year and I hope you’ll enjoy reading along with me.

Feel free to send me your recommendations. Goodness knows, I’ll probably pick it up. (Fiction, and preferably romance-ish, though. I don’t review non-fiction, memoir or cookbooks.)

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!
Book Meme 2

 

Love Isn’t Easy as THREE, TWO, ONE–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for JA Huss’s dark romantic suspense novel, THREE TWO ONE. I’ve liked Huss’s work in the past, and I know I’m going to get a story that bends romance out beyond the norm. Always filled with broken people who spackle their hearts back together and triumph over some fearsome histories, Huss is who I read when I want something truly different.
(Bonus, there’s also a good bit of sex–not that it’s all sexy…)

Three, Two, One (321)About the book:
ONE GIRL
Battered, barefoot, and huddled under a bookstore awning in the pouring rain, Blue only knows one thing. After fifteen months of captivity, finally… she is free.

TWO FRIENDS
Self-made millionaires JD and Ark are not out to save anyone when they stumble upon a wet and shivering girl one early Sunday morning. But when you sell sex for a living and salvation rings your bell… you answer the call.

THREE SOULMATES
After years of searching, love lifts the veil of darkness, and three people—with three very big secrets—find themselves bound together in a relationship that defies the odds.

Or does it?

Love. Lust. Sex.

This trinity might be perfection… but not everything should come in 3’s.

WARNING: This is a STANDALONE non-traditional M/F/M ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending.

My Review:
This is a sexually-explicit dark romance which features a M/F/M menage and some brief M/M elements.

Ark and JD are two men who collect public sex acts on tape for porn websites. They have been business partners for four years, having met the first night Ark stepped off a bus in Denver and rescued JD from a 4-on-1 beat down. JD is the star of the public sex tapes, and they recruit only legal, disease free women to perform. Ark is a master videographer and runs all the logistics of their operation. They have made millions of dollars in porn over the past four years, but it hasn’t been easy. JD has a dark past which includes a (recovered) drug addiction, a dead girlfriend and a missing daughter. They are weeks away from the culmination of their plan to open their own porn website when they meet a half-naked, shivering woman sitting in the rain on an early October morning.

Unable to score their required quota of public sex tapes for the week, JD attempts to cajole the woman into starring in their movie–she clearly needs cash–and she accepts. But, it’s raining and she’s freezing and looks strung out. They end up taking her to their penthouse around the corner, and that’s when Ark knows his life is about to change.

The woman, who they call Blue on account of her blue eyes, has been through extreme trauma–her body bears the welts and scars of beating–tell-tale scars of BDSM/rough trade sex play. When she becomes cognizant she confesses running away from a cult which had kept her as a captive sex slave for the past 15 months. Blue had been attempting to help her childhood friend escape from an baby-selling ring but got sucked into it, instead. She is broken and unwilling to attempt to return to her past life, afraid to embarrass her high-profile parents. Ark agrees to give her sanctuary in the condo he and JD share, but the attraction between them is magnetic. JD has no compunction about his interest, but Blue wants more than JD, she wants Ark, too, and Ark’s not down for a menage. At first. Ark is more than interested in Blue, but he’s not a “sharer” and he’s seen JD in action with women–he’s rough which is not Ark’s style even if it plays well in porn. Blue’s extreme agorophobia is unsettling, and the brand on her neck sends JD into a dark headspace–his girlfriend was branded just the same way, and their baby stolen, sold to adoptive parents. The questions about Blue’s history begin to be revealed, and mutual connections in the porn industry start answering JD’s long-desired inquests regarding the whereabouts of his daughter.

As the time winds, Blue and JD are able to entice Ark into committing to a menage. Ark is, himself, always slightly removed from the emotional aspect, and he fears that JD will hurt Blue–he’s seen it before. JD enjoys very rough sex, and Blue’s emotionally frail. But the shoe really drops when Ark arrives home to find some very abusive kink happening in his absence.

The mystery of JD’s guilty past, Blue’s quest for justice and Ark’s absent history all resolve in the final 10% of the book. It’s a carefully revealed mystery, with plenty of misdirection. There is a lot of sex, but little of it felt erotic. I think this was because scenes told from Ark’s POV were lacking emotionally, which was in line with his character. He was obsessive and controlling and holding too many secrets (of his own and JD’s) to allow for a full connection between himself, JD and Blue for a very long time. That isn’t a criticism. I enjoyed the way the characters interacted, and how the subtle foreshadowing built up to a seriously good payoff. This is a book that keeps the reader guessing, and waiting, and knowing that something REALLY REALLY bad is coming and hoping that it will all just work out.

Spoiler: it doesn’t. Not exactly.

There is a positive resolution where the baddies are brought to justice, and the guilty are punished, but it’s not a sunny, hearts and flowers ending. The intrigue and twistedness of the characters is fascinating, however. And though the end isn’t sunshine and rainbows, it’s honest and real and good. I’d highly recommend.

Interested? You can find THREE TWO ONE on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

J.A. HussAbout the author:
JA Huss is the author of the Amazon bestselling Rook and Ronin series, the epic science fiction I Am Just Junco series, and hundreds of kid-friendly science books in subjects such as biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and forensics. She has an undergraduate degree in equine science and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology. She has never taken a creative writing class and she hopes she never will.

You can connect with JA (Julie) on Goodreads, Facebook, twitter, her website, her blog or via her newsletter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Serially Addicted…to Serials–SOCIAL MEDIA and DEBT COLLECTOR–Reviews!

Hi all! Today I want to ramble a bit on some great serials I’ve enjoyed and new ones I’m gearing up to read. I’m a fan of the serial–which I have mentioned before–because I’m a busy gal. I do not always have a week to devote to a book (I’m looking at you, Diana Gabaldon!)

I can generally finish a 300 page paperback in a day or less. Still, I work, and I’m a mom, and a blogger and a writer, and, well, you get it–all this other stuff of life cuts into my reading-time, the one thing that I do only for myself.

So, a novella, or serially-written novel series, allows me to wedge in a bit of escapism between my kid’s practices, or while waiting at the doctor’s office, or on a lunch break. Serials aren’t new, they have been around since the printed word existed. They were most often printed in magazines or newspapers–and some still are. For me they like a TV series–one I don’t have to present for every week at the same time to enjoy.

I’m currently reading two fantastic serials: The six-part SOCIAL MEDIA series by JA HUSS and the nine-part serial, DEBT COLLECTOR: SEASON TWO by Susan Kaye Quinn.

Follow (Social Media, #1)You can check out my review of the first two Social Media episodes HERE. This is a contemporary erotic romance series between moviestar extraordinaire Vaughn Asher and event coordinator with a horrific past, Grace.

Here are my reviews for FOLLOW, LIKE, BLOCK and STATUS. Check them out to see if this serial is for you. I can tell you, I’m eagerly awaiting the next, penultimate, episode: PROFILE.

The fifth episode, PROFILE, drops on Wed Oct 22. As with all the Social Media episodes pre-orders are $.99–which increases to $2.99 after release day. A small aside, pre-orders are so fun! I love waking up and finding a new book waiting in my iPad! 😀

Susan Kaye Quinn’s DEBT COLLECTOR: Season One was one of my fave books last year. Please check out my series-long review. for more info on this future noir, dystopian series.If you haven’t read the first season, however, you can STILL jump into Season Two.

What is IMPORTANT TO KNOW: in this futuristic world a debt collector has unique ability to absorb and harness the life energy of a human. One can draw the energy through any skin-to-skin contact, and drawing energy will shorten the life span of the people they touch. They also have the ability to transfer the life energy they collect to others. In the world of Debt Collectors, they are licensed by the government to draw life energy from dying adults and transfer it (legally) to high-potential peoples who can live longer to solve the world’s problems. Of course, there is HUGE black market for this skill–and lots of rogue debt collectors exist on illegal life energy collections….

Wraith (Debt Collector 10)My Review of WRAITH: Debt Collector Season Two, Episode One:
Alexa Sterling is heiress to Sterling Cybernetics–and she’s not happy. Mostly because her father was murdered, presumably by debt collectors, only three weeks ago. What Alexa’s anti-debt collection crusader father didn’t know? That Alex herself is a debt collector.

Yeah. Alexa has an alter ego as Wraith. She discovered her Debt Collector ability inadvertently, it seems, and it hurt someone close to her. Believing that Debt Collectors killed her father, she is averse to dealing with them. She does have a physical need to transfer life energy–as doing so is a bit of a high and not doing so leads to severe depression.

So, Alexa/Wraith is a bit Robin Hood. She takes energy from people she knows to have gotten life energy pulses illegally, and donates them to sick individuals–giving them the strength to survive their diseases. It’s an admirable use of a deleterious skill, which make Alexa/Wraith an anti-hero of my favorite sort.

The read is intense, picking up in the throes of a life energy hit. Alexa is creative and utilizes her power in the best way she can, but she’s also impetuous, and this leads not only to a bad collection, but also puts her on the radar of a rogue Debt Collector network, Gehanna. She is being recruited against her will–with exposure of her secret life as a Debt Collector in the offing.

So looking forward to the next episode!

WRAITH releases Oct 20th. Now’s your chance to get in at the beginning. Preorders being taken at Amazon and for those people who want to read the WHOLE BOOK ALL AT ONCE, they can pre-order Season Two for release on Dec 15–just in time to rock your Christmas reads!

Please also consider checking out Season One. Every person with whom I’ve shared this book has come back with RAVE reviews. I seriously swooned for the anti-hero, Lirium, as he fought to keep himself free of the mafia and save the lives of terminally ill children. Yeah. I still get melty remembering…

Thanks for popping in my friends, and keep reading!

Getting SOCIAL with JA Huss–A Serial Review

Socialmedia

Hi all! Well, I’m about turned inside out by a new sexy serial by best-selling author JA Huss. I got the inside scoop on the Social Media series because I won some swag on a Facebook party, and I’ve enjoyed both episodes released so far. This is a super-sexy novella series releasing 6 episodes at two week intervals.

Uh, I’ve used the word “sexy” twice in the intro paragraph, so that’s my subtle hint that Social Media is NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE KIDDOS!!! The excerpts below are, uh, whoa…blue? And the images? O_O

A quick word on Why I Like Serials:  They are short and sweet. I got four kids, a full-time job, and I read, write and blog. That leaves me very little time to sleep–thank goodness I’m an an insomniac…

Anywho, a serial release allows me to read little bites of a story–a complete arc with a problem resolved and a new one burgeoning on the horizon–in the time it takes for me to “watch” my kids’ wrestling practice or wait for my son’s cross-country heat to get called to the line.

Follow (Social Media, #1)About FOLLOW (Social Media Book 1):
#Women.
I fuck them. I use them. I pay them off. I find another. My demands are never denied. My contracts are always signed. They submit to me. Willingly. Completely. Temporarily. This is how it’s always been.

Until I saw that filthy tweet.

Grace @FilthyBlueBird
@VaughnAsher My bare pussy. Your tongue. #ThingsIThinkAboutToGetOff

“FilthyBlueBird” thinks she can tease me with hashtags and then hide behind a Twitter handle? She thinks I wouldn’t be more than happy to #RockHerFilthyWorld? She’s wrong.

Her online fantasy is about to collide with her public reality, and it’s about to happen… now.

My Review:
Okay, so I got this book b/c I signed up for the author’s email updates, and thought, “Huh! $.99 for a novella…not bad. I like the whole ‘tweeting’ plot idea. I’ll give it a whirl.” I’m glad I did.

The book moves quickly. Grace and her BFF Bebe are on a Caribbean vacation, as “honeymooners”, while at the same time the entire resort is booked out to the owner’s family–and that happens to be the family of Hollywood Royalty:  Vaughn Asher. Grace is a bit of a mystery–how did her parents die?–and she’s clearly not Bebe’s wife, but she is young, single and attractive. Vaughn wants to engage Grace as a submissive, and gets a whole lot more than he had bargained for–Grace’s sassy mouth is all about letting Mr. Asher have it.

It is a fun twist on the Dom/sub genre with some really sexy moments, and some appropriately squicky moments. (Really, Vaughn? At the dinner table? Is Mr. Grey YOUR BFF?). I admired Grace’s backbone, throughout. Vaughn is written to be a Dickhead Supreme, but in the end I had to shake my head and chuckle. He’s growing on me…

Interested? You can pick up FOLLOW at the usual places:  Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.

Like (Social Media, #2)About LIKE (Social Media Book 2):
#WhatADick
Vaughn Asher. I’ve stalked him relentlessly. I shaped and formed my lust into the perfect dirty hashtag…day after day… weekend after weekend. He was my prince. My fairy tale. My fantasy.

I gave him the best years of my online life and what did he do for me? Ruined my social media experience one tweet at a time. That’s what.

MovieStar @VaughnAsher
@FilthyBlueBird #Fantastic #BackToNatureFucking
#MissingSomething #You

And now #TheDickWhoIsVaughnAsher thinks he can weasel his way back into this filthy blue bird’s Twitter account? He’s wrong.

His public fantasy is about to collide… ah, fuck it. He’s hot as hell, bitches. I need more than a free sample. This time I want it all and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

My Review:
LIKE is the second book in the Social Media series, and it’s shaping up to be nuclear hot. For a novella it practically drips sex from it’s pages.

Vaughn is a man on a mission–to play with Grace in all the filthy ways he enjoys. Grace is a headstrong woman who is used to being on her own. Her parents died years ago and she’s made her way independently–which makes it difficult for her to submit to Mr. Asher’s sexual designs.

I wasn’t sure I would like Vaughn much, he’s domineering and prickly, but this episode brought more of his personal life into the story, and I can see how desperately he strives to control all aspects of his very public life. He’s got some good points, and his lack of scruples where Grace is concerned is a bit endearing.

Having been a public ‘property’ so long, it’s no surprise that Vaughn likes public sex, and he’s keen to make Grace’s exhibitionist and voyeuristic fantasies a reality–with explosively satisfying results. I liked how Grace held her own, regarding the contract–insisting on her own autonomy outside of the bedroom.

It’s clear that Vaughn is getting in far deeper than he bargained for–and an affinity for Grace is growing, which I LIKE very much. Looking forward to the next episode!

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

photo(8)

On the series as a whole, I really am enjoying the social media aspect of these stories. Grace and Vaughn have some witty twexting/sexting banter, online and off. Their chemistry is fierce, and yet, they aren’t mindless sex drones. Grace definitely puts Vaughn into his proper place, more than once. He’s trying to take care of her, the only way he can, but he keeps stepping on his own foot in the process–all his usual tricks–lavish trips, money, gifts, are just off-putting to our independent gal, Grace. All she wants is a normal life, and (maybe) Vaughn can be there with her.

The fun thing about this serial is early readers–those who preorder–can get each novella for $.99. After they release, the price goes up to $2.99. I already pre-ordered BLOCK, and cannot wait to see how filthy Vaughn will get before Grace tells him to #HitTheRoad!

Here’s the release schedule:
8-27 – FOLLOW
9-10 – LIKE
9-24 – BLOCK
10-8 – STATUS
10-22 – PROFILE
11-5 – HOME

J.A. HussAbout the author:
JA Huss is the author of the Amazon bestselling Rook and Ronin series, the epic science fiction I Am Just Junco series, and hundreds of kid-friendly science books in subjects such as biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and forensics. She has an undergraduate degree in equine science and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology. She has never taken a creative writing class and she hopes she never will.

You can connect with JA (Julie) on Goodreads, Facebook, twitter, her website, her blog or via her newsletter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!