Helix by Anna Martin - Review Tour

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner

Length: 61,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

When high school student James has trouble with his truck, Dylan, who is studying to be a mechanic, comes to the rescue. James thinks he hides his immediate attraction well, but is happy to be wrong when Dylan asks for his number. Since James is new to romance, they take things slowly, and because Dylan is in college, James keeps the budding relationship secret from his overprotective dad.

Across town, Mark, a teacher and single father to James and his sister, Frankie, meets Steve at a bar for what both believe will be a quick hookup. Mark doesn’t see any reason to tell his kids about Steve or press Steve for details about Steve’s adopted son…. It’s just sex between them. Isn’t it?

Two very different love stories grow side by side, each hidden from the other. But all of that changes at a family barbecue, when Mark decides it’s time for his kids to meet Steve and for him to meet James’s boyfriend, who none of them realize is Steve’s son, Dylan. The inevitable explosion means the two couples have some explaining to do to soothe the hurt feelings of their families—and lovers.

Review

Reading Helix was a pure joy, and very happy surprise. I have to say I had one or two concerns when I read the blurb, but all of them turned out to be unwarranted. Where I feared the set-up of two youngsters starting to date each other at the same time their dads are doing the same might make this story contrived, it was anything but. In fact, for the first two-thirds of this story, things moved along so smoothly, it lulled me into a false sense of security. I actually thought that maybe the blurb had made the book sound more explosive than it would actually turn out to be.

I shouldn’t have worried.

There was so much to love about this story. The two developing relationships. The near misses when it came to the men and ‘boys’ figuring out that they were both dating something from the same household, and simply how fascinating yet recognisable and ‘normal’ each of the men were. But, I guess what I loved most was the unexpected developments—such as James and Dylan being the more grown-up about sorting out issues between them— or the different approach both couples had to getting together and developing their relationship.

You might expect the two young men to be in a desperate haste to get naked and dirty together and the older generation taking their time, but in this story the truth is exactly the opposite. James and Dylan’s coming together was just sweet and borderline innocent for quite some time, whereas Mark and Steve’s relationship starts with a hot and dirty hook-up in a rest room.

I liked how, for the most part, this story was drama and shock free. The first two thirds of the story are basically the two couples getting to know each other, exploring what they are together, and figuring out what each partner expects and wants from the developing relationships. And, when shit does hit the fan, it wasn’t over the top. Everything that happened when Steve and Mark realize their sons are also dating, made perfect sense to me. Furthermore, as much as I didn’t enjoy reading the subsequent struggles each of them faced, they too were totally realistic. And, what’s more, the drama wasn’t dragged out. And, once again, here especially, James and Dylan proved that being young doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of common sense, just as Mark and Steve showed us that being older and having a bit more experience doesn’t automatically lead to a more measured response to conflict.

Anna Martin’s Helix is a wonderful, uplifting, and charming story of learning to love and coping with complicated relationships. It is also beautifully written, smoothly told, captivating and memorable. I didn’t expect to take a few hours out of my sight-seeing schedule in Haarlem, but I can’t say I regret taking the time to finish this story. In fact, I’m pretty sure the beauty of this story at the very least equals any fascinating sights I might have found outside.

Author Bio

Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the southwest of England and now lives in the Bristol, a city that embraces her love for the arts. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theater (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), going to visit friends in other countries, and reading anything thatís put under her nose.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, prereading, and creative ass kicking provided by her best friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept responsibility for anything Anna has written.

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The Senator's Secret by K.C. Wells - Review Tour

Author: K.C. Wells

Release Date: September 1 2016

Length: 220 pages

Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon UK Dreamspinner AllRomance

Blurb

When his Republican opponent outs him with a photo in a Facebook post, Senator Samuel Dalton doesn’t have many options open to him. It doesn’t matter that the photo was totally innocent. He has no choice but to come clean – until his staff suggest putting a spin on it that leaves Sam reeling.

Sure, he’d end up with a lot of sympathy, not to mention the possibility of more voters from the LGBT community, but it still seems a pretty drastic solution.

Now all they have to do is persuade Gary, the other man in the photo, to play along. It sounds so easy - convince the constituents of North Carolina that he and Sam are engaged.

No big deal, except for the fact that they’ve only just met…

Excerpt

“This really burns me, you know?” Becky piped up as she came through the door, iPad in her hand. “Does that Pastor Hartsell think he can just go around, making up shit like this?” She glared at Curtis. “He can’t go around telling everyone Sam is gay when we know he’s not!”

Curtis’s eyes flickered in Sam’s direction before he spoke. “Only, Hartsell didn’t say that, did he?” he chided Becky gently.

Josh snorted. “Yeah, he was real careful about how that post was worded. ‘What is the nature of the relationship…?’ And the part asking folks what that photo said to them? Inspired. His supporters come up with all the shit he wouldn’t dare say. And of course, he doesn’t comment on any of it.” He scowled. “He doesn’t need to; they went ahead and said it all for him. He gets to sit back and read it, while we’re the ones doing the weeping.” Josh stuck out his chin. “So let’s get this statement out. He won’t be so cocky when we’re suing his ass for libel and defamation of character.”

“You sure we want to go that route?” Curtis said quietly.

Sam fired him a look, but Curtis was avoiding his gaze.

“Of course he does,” Becky interjected, her eyes flashing. “Sam can’t just sit here and let that… man hint that he’s… well, it’s just….” She narrowed her eyes. “You know what would cook his goose? If we announced that Sam was gay, and that he and this Gary were secretly engaged. That’d make Hartsell look like a nasty piece of work, outing Sam like that and making him look all sleazy, when they were keeping it quiet so as not to detract from the campaign.” She gave Curtis an evil grin. “Yeah, they’d look all wholesome—a sweet, cute gay couple heading for marriage, and there’s him, trying to make the whole situation seem sordid.”

There was a stunned silence.

Sam was the first to react. “This is not the plot from a Will & Grace episode, all right?” His head was still reeling from her suggestion.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Josh straightened in his chair, his eyes shining. “You might have something there.”

Two heads swiveled in his direction, and from three mouths came the same word simultaneously: “What?”

Josh was nodding, his cheeks flushed. “This might work to our advantage.”

“Excuse me?” Sam was having a hard time dealing with this.

“Oh, come on,” Josh said with a cheeky grin. “Coming out is fashionable these days. Everybody’s doing it—actors, athletes, singers…. Since the SCOTUS decision last year, coming out is the new black.” He waggled his eyebrows. “It’d bring you a whole heap of new supporters, Sam.”

What the…?

Becky was on the edge of her seat. “Yeah. Let everyone see them as a committed couple, putting their relationship on hold until after the election. They’ve not been hiding it, exactly—they just want the focus to be on politics.”

“But—” The turn in the discussion left Sam gaping in amazement.

Josh waved a hand to hush him. “Yeah,” he said, nodding excitedly. “I like that. We do a press conference, break the story, get public opinion on our side, sympathy for the way Hartsell has portrayed their relationship—”

“What relationshi—”

Becky and Josh ignored Sam, lost in their own little world. “Oh my God!” Becky put her hand to her chest. “Can you imagine? The wedding? It would be so beautiful!”

“Wedding? What wed—”

“We’d have lots of photos taken of the happy couple, showing their life together. We could start up a Twitter account where they send cute little tweets to each other.” Josh grinned. “Move over, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Elton John and David Furnish, Ellen and Portia—they could become the gay couple of the decade.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Sam growled. When his staff jumped and turned to face him, he pointed to the outer door of his office. “You two,” he said, indicating Josh and Becky, “out, now.”

Becky gave him a startled glance before lurching to her feet and scooting out of the room, Josh following her with a perplexed expression.

Sam closed the door behind them and faced his chief of staff. “What. The. Fuck, Curtis?” He glared at his friend, his heart pounding, head aching.

Curtis regarded him calmly. “What have I been telling you?”

Sam stared at him, mouth open. “You… you’re not actually considering their harebrained scheme, are you?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

My thoughts

The Senator’s Secret was a pure delight to read. Cute is not a strong enough word for this wonderful, angst-free, funny and touching tale—but cute it is.

This book is, of course, part of Dreamspinner Press’ Dreamspun Desires Series and as such almost an ‘old fashioned’ romance. The story, set-up, and characters are somewhat over the top, but all the more adorable for it. Sam, our State Senator, is a thirty-three year old closeted virgin, who’s never even been kissed and while that may not be the most realistic of scenarios it does make for an utterly charming and heart-melting storyline. Gary on the other hand is out and proud, even if he doesn’t broadcast the fact, and does have some experience under his belt, but he’s no partner hopper. Where Sam’s an almost too good to be true honest and principled politician, Gary is a straightforward but by no means boring good guy. Together they are—yes, I’m going to use the word again—as cute as pie. And the way their relationship evolves from not really knowing each other at all, to friends, to lovers was a pure delight to read.

K.C. Wells always delivers when it comes to her secondary characters too, and The Senator’s Secret is no exception to this rule. From Brenda, Sam’s self-confessed ‘fag-hag’ secretary with a Will & Grace obsession, to Sam’s condom and cherry-flavoured lube buying mother, the supporting cast brought a strong and often funny backbone to the story. The same can be said about Sam’s political opponent Hartsell. In fact, he is a character we can all recognise because unfortunately there are way too many people like him in the media day after day. Of course the fact that we can recognise and despise him makes it all the more satisfying when Sam and his team manage to out-think him time and again. But, the star role when it comes to secondary characters has to be reserved for Dinky; all 200 pound of him. And if there is an award for cutest dog in book I hereby nominate this Newfoundlander for the honour.

Above I called this an ‘almost old-fashioned romance’, but this wouldn’t be a K.C. Wells book if we weren’t treated to one or two hot scenes. The fact that these scenes also describe Sam’s introduction to the joys of sex makes them all the more enticing and beautiful.

Long story short. This is a wonderful, touching, funny, sweet, angst-free and above all cute romance that will leave feeling good and with a huge smile on your face.

Author Bio

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….

K.C. loves to hear from readers.

E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com

Twitter: @K_C_Wells

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NOT QUITE SHAKESPEARE

NOT QUITE SHAKESPEARE a Dreamspinner Press Anthology

Edited by Anne Regan & Sue Brown

Pages: 354

Date: 14/06/2014

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Dreamspinner Press

             Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

Take a ride to Northern Scotland on the famous train, the Jacobite, and rediscover desire. Get lost in the Peace Maze in Northern Ireland during a downpour and let a handsome young redhead come to the rescue. Take a tour of historical Blackpool on the English coast and set the stage for the perfect romance. From England to the outer isles, the UK holds treasure troves of romance, history, intrigue, and—naturally—quirky British humor. Not Quite Shakespeare samples it all in fifteen stories.

A man in London makes an accidental confession of sexual need to a virtual stranger who happens to be his boss. An American revisits West Sussex and rekindles an old flame with a romp in the stables. A couple finds their perfect third while vacationing on a pig farm in Yorkshire. In the office, on the race track, or in the kitchen baking bread—romance in the UK is alive and well, and full of sweet surprise.

My thoughts:

Ninety-nine problems by Becky Black (4.5):

Ice cream and two young men, Rob and Chex, newly in charge of their rival family businesses, one of them firmly closeted and also not entirely up to the role that’s been thrust upon him.

Told with a sweetness that resembles the ice cream it features this was a delicious delight.

Bread and Butter Pudding by Jules Jones (3.5):

Two men, homemade bread and a sensual massage make for a sexy, funny and rather sweet story.

Chanctonbury Ring by Sarah Madison(4):

Denny, an author of M/M romances is back in England for the first time in over a decade. When he reunites with his the man who was his lover during his visit it is a dream come true except that Tarquin is keeping his distance. A wonderful second chance at first love story.

Wrong Number by Megan Reddaway (4):

Maybe the story idea isn’t the most original; a guy accidentally calling his boss instead of his friend and saying mildly obscene things before realising his mistake, and maybe what happens next isn’t a huge surprise either but the story was easy to read, sexy and at times funny.

“(...)unfortunately you can’t just grab the cutest-looking stray man from the nearest gay bar, take him home, feed him twice a day, and expect him to love you for it.”

In the DogHouse by Chris Quinton(4+):

Another second chance at first love story but completely different from the previous one. This one includes a greyhound, a few gangsters and quite a few funny moments.

The Benefits of Hindsight by M.A. Ford (4):

Two racing drivers in love, one needing to be open about it the other too firmly closeted to even consider it. A bad accident and a strange experience lead to new perspective.

Misadventures of Mislaid Men by Penny Hudson (4):

A funny story. But what I liked best was the fact that it was completely open-ended.

Best Vacation Ever by Rob Rosen (3.5):

A nice quickie, both in length and content, and set in Northern Ireland not too far away from the place I call home.

Rough Tackle by Annabelle Jacobs (3.5):

Sweet story involving a rather drunken birthday celebration, a football match, a twisted ankle and two cute young men.

Illumination by Sam Evans (3.5):

One angry man thinks he’s about to lose the theatre that’s the passion of his life but finds not only doesn’t he lose anything, he gains quite a bit too.

The Jacobite by Bette Brown (4.5):

An Aussie expat in Scotland meets a man from Cornwall on a steam train. Easy companionship soon turns into something more.

Wag, Not a Dog by Theo Fenraven (5):

Written by the only author in this anthology I’ve actually read and enjoyed before this mark may partially be the result of familiarity. On the other hand it may be caused by the fact that this is a sweet, original, fully formed and well written story.

Tops Down, Bottoms Up by Jay Northcote (4):

Morris dancing might not be the first thing to spring to mind when it comes to romance but boy did it work.

First Contact by Rhidian Brenig Jones (3):

Set in Wales an American traveller meets a sulking Welsh man and helps him out of his dark mood. I liked the characters but the story felt a bit jumpy and unresolved.

Apollo, Heathcliff and Hercules by S.A. Garcia(4.5):

In which an established couple goes on rents a holiday cottage on the Moors, much to the regret of one of them. What could have turned into a weeklong disaster takes a turn for the better when they meet the owner and the possibilities he offers. Funny and at times very imaginative.

“I suffered a heated, fast fantasy of being a sheep submitting to his special herding skills.”

This is a wonderful and varied collection of stories. We have reunions, encounters that may or may not be one night stands, established relationships, unexplained phenomena, angst and lightness. We are treated to full on sex, glimpses of passion and encounter that leave the intimate details up to the reader’s imagination. I don’t think there are many regions in the United Kingdom not featured in this anthology, making this book as varied when it comes to setting as it does in every other aspect.

Not every story will give you a happy ever after, in fact a lot of them leave it up to the reader to imagine what might happen next, and since I like nothing better than fantasising on after a story finishes, that worked wonderfully well for me.

This is great book if you like to occasionally dip into a well written but quick romantic M/M story. Every single one of these stories would make for a perfect lunch hour or bedtime read. ‘Not Quite Shakespeare’ works even better if you have been thinking of dipping a toe into this genre but didn’t know where to begin or are just looking for new authors to explore.