Haven’s War (Safe Haven #2) by Parker Williams

392 pages

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

The blurb

With Haven on an extended honeymoon with Sammy, bad guys around the world are breathing a lot easier. No one is better at permanently removing these lowlifes who target children—and the brutal murder of two teenage girls makes clear it’s past time to return to work. Haven’s first assignment back results in a new family member and a renewed sense of urgency to protect and avenge the innocent.

There is nothing ‘usual’ about the business of hunting predators, but when several of Haven’s fellow agents are killed, a pattern emerges. The hunters have become the prey, tools in a bitter vendetta for a perceived wrong.

Despite years of working alone, when the target shifts to someone unexpected, Haven calls in reinforcements—a friend to stand between the family he loves and a ruthless killer. Teamwork may be the only way to win this fight—unless it’s already too little, too late.

Haven tries to approach this as he would any other assignment. Find your enemy and make sure they suffer before you eliminate them. But when a member of his team goes off-book and ends up dead, everything changes. It’s no longer a battle.

Now it’s war.

Review

I thought I knew what to expect when I started this book. It hasn’t been that long since I finished Haven’s Creed and my memories of that story are still vivid. So I knew there would be violence described in vivid and gruesome detail. I knew to expect moments when I’d want to read with my eyes closed. And I knew that whenever I thought it was getting too much for me, Sammy and Haven’s relationship would ground me again. I thought I was prepared for what was to come… I was wrong.

This book was harder to read than Haven’s Creed because the story turned very personal, both for the characters and for this reader. I’m not going to talk about the how and why but trust me when I say you too will feel the need to avenge the wrongs done and the horrors inflicted when you read this book. And just when I thought I knew exactly what was about to happen next and how it would all end…the story took me by surprise, in a glorious example of how far our Haven has come.

I loved the opportunity to witness how Sammy grows, not so much overcoming his past ordeals but learning how to live with them. He expands his horizons while continuing to ground Haven whenever Haven’s duties are close to getting the better of him. And it’s a joy. It is also very well done because there are no miracles here, just a natural and realistic continuation of Sammy's story.

What makes the books in the ‘Safe Haven’ more than ‘just’ heartstopping thrillers filled with suspense, violence, and blood — apart from the wonderful love story between Sammy and Haven of course — is the fact that at their core they are a study about good and bad and force the reader to wonder how far they would be prepared to go in order to stop evil. Another reason this book left me awestruck is that it gave such a wonderful insight into what makes a person transform from a man into a monster; how easy it is to lose touch with yourself and your moral compass once the killing takes over. It was as fascinating as it was chilling.

On a, somewhat, lighter note there’s Oscar who we meet for the first time in this book. I liked Oscar who is a lot like Haven except even less in touch with his emotions than Haven was at the start of Haven’s Creed. Oscar provided quite a few of the much needed lighter notes in this story and I’m delighted to know that he’ll be getting his own book too. If anyone needs to find what Haven discovered with and through Sammy, it is Oscar and I’m already eagerly anticipating his story.

Long story short: Haven’s War is a fast paced thriller with a thought provoking premise, fascinating characters, and a wonderful and at times very sexy love story. It gets graphic at times but if your stomach is strong enough to put up with that I can’t recommend this book and its prequel highly enough.

Related Review: Haven’s Creed

Love at the Right Tempo by Michael Mandrake & Remmy Duchene - Release Blitz

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 76,805 words

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Blurb

Violinist Frederick Tremblay is one of the biggest names in classical music. When it comes to work, he’s all in. There is only time for music and working to make his dreams come through but none for love. Hell, he barely makes time to eat. When he agrees to play at an acquaintance son’s birthday party he figured he’d go in, make his rounds then go home—but his plans change when he walks into the path of Vaughan Singleton.

Vaughan “Sin” Singleton is the disowned heir to a candy empire. After he came out, his life basically ended and he had to start over from scratch. Joining the military was the thing to save him and also the one thing that brought him to his knees. Forced to retire, slinging alcohol wasn’t his dream but he needs something to pay the bills and to assist with easing back into civilian life. When he meets Frederick, Vaughan isn’t looking for love, but one unguarded moment changes everything.

From different sides of the track, Frederick and Vaughan have much to teach each other. But what is to become of their new romance when Frederick’s quirks come to light and Vaughan’s brother shows up?

Excerpt

“Way to step out, man.” Deena giggled.

Frederick ignored her comment and put up his free hand. There was a man behind the bar, but he had his back turned and right now, no one else was there working with him. He looked to be busy drying glasses or perhaps washing. Though Frederick didn’t want to disturb him, he really wanted something else to quench his thirst.

“I’m sorry, excuse me, sir.”

The man turned around and approached them. “What can I get you?”

Frederick eyed the mature gentleman in front of him, taking in his features. Dark brown eyes, hair cut low with a beard and well trimmed mustache. His lips were thick. Kissable. Frederick loved a man with distinct features.

“Oh … um… I’d like a soda. Perhaps a 7-Up or Sprite if you have it.” Frederick continued staring, clutching his violin case tightly in his hands.

Deena seemed to pick up that he was tongue tied. “And I’ll have a beer. Heineken if you have it?”

“Heineken for the lady and a—um—soda for the gentleman,” the bartender said. There was a slightly hitch in the way he said soda, almost as if in disbelief. He then focused his attention on Deena. “Would you like the bottle or a glass?”

“The bottle is fine. I’m a simple kind of gal.” She giggled.

Frederick smiled at the man, still holding onto his violin as if it were a life raft. He wondered why the bartender seemed put off by his request. “Something funny about 7-Up or Sprite?”

The bartender eyed him with his head tilted slightly to the side. “Oh nothing.” He spoke, his lips forming over the two words making them escape his being easily. “Nothing at all.” Without another word, he walked over for a clean glass that sparkled. They had the word Prince’s with a crown on the side in golden letters. Using large hands, the bar man operated the tap to expertly fill the glass with Sprite before grabbing a green bottle of Heineken from a cooler and prying off the cap. When he returned he set the glass before Frederick without a word but offered Deena a smile with her drink. “Ma’am?”

“Thanks.” Deena batted her eyelashes at him.

Flirtatiously.

Frederick suppressed a growl and eyed his glass, watching the bartender walk away again. For some reason, it bothered him that the guy appeared to be bothered by his choice of beverage. “I don’t drink alcohol, by the way. I’m sort of boring. The fact I play violin is the most interesting thing about me.” Frederick set Gabriel beside him in a vacant chair. He lifted the glass to his lips and swallowed slowly, still gazing at the handsome gentleman working the bar.

Deena nearly spat out her beer, and she nudged him with her elbow.

“To each their own,” the bartender said. “Did anyone let Stuart know you’re here?”

Frederick finished his Sprite, still gawking at the man. “Yes, the hostess did. I suppose she’ll be back shortly. Do you mind if I ask your name?” Frederick thought he’d go for broke even though it was quite possible he’d be barking up the wrong tree. A part of him said he wasn’t, or perhaps he hoped that to be true.

Deena gasped next to him, seemingly in surprise.

The bartender moved to stand directly across from Frederick, braced his elbows into the bar and leaned in. “If you wish to tell my boss I’ve been an ass to you,” he said, his voice warm and rough. “You don’t need my name for that. All you have to do is tell him the black guy at the bar. I’m the only one here.”

Frederick shivered at the sound of the man’s voice and how he leaned in so close to him. Instead of shying away as he usually did, he decided to play the game. “Actually, I wasn’t thinking that at all. More like, I wanted to know your name so I know the lovely man that is taking such good care of us tonight and, maybe might like to have a drink with me after my performance?” Frederick knew he was going for broke. Gazing at the bartender, Frederick had every intention on finding out something about him, even if it was the disappointing news he’d dread.

“I see.” The barman licked his lips. “I’m working. Drinking on the job is strictly prohibited, and besides—you’re not a fan of alcohol.”

Frederick sighed inwardly. He looked to Deena for help, but she only kept drinking her beverage.

Author Bios

Michael Mandrake pens complex characters already comfortable with their sexuality. Through these, he builds worlds not centered on erotica but rather the mainstream plots we might encounter in everyday life through personal experiences or the media.

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Multi-published Remmy Duchene was born in St. Anns, Jamaica and moved to Canada at a young age. When not working or writing, Remmy loves dabbling in photography, travelling and spending time with friends and family.

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Runner by Parker Williams - Release Day Post

 200 Pages

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK | iTunes | Kobo

The blurb

Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life. 

That blurb sounds fascinating, right? It hooked me the moment I first saw it. But, just in case  you need more convincing, Parker Williams has very kindly provided me with one exclusive extra scene you won’t find anywhere except here and an excerpt. Enjoy!

Extra Scene

The day I got the keys for my new place, I let the envelope that contained them sit on the table for hours. This reflected another monumental shift in my life, one that once I took that first step, I could never go back.

My teacher used to tell us about the importance of not burning bridges, because you never knew when you had to go back again. That’s what I did. I torched those suckers, because if there was one thing I knew for absolute certain, it was that I would never be back.

I’d trekked out to the new place every day while it was being built. I had to see it from the ground up, so I could become accustomed to it. When it was time for my move, there were pangs of guilt as I thought about what I was leaving behind.

Mom didn’t come to say goodbye, which was fine. After I found out how she felt about me, it was probably better that she not come. My brother stood and glared at me, but made no move to stop me. Uncertainty gnawed at my stomach, but I had to go. My life was no longer here.

As soon as I got the last of the boxes put into the house, I wanted to collapse from exhaustion. There had been quite a bit of heavy lifting involved in the move, and with no one helping, it took a lot out of me. I collapsed on the couch, sucked down two glasses of water, and then got up to set my new home up the way it needed to be.

With everything I put away, I became more certain that I was doing the right thing. Each item that was slipped into its new home brought with it a level of calmness. It took me until long into the night before I had most of the stuff put away. When I was done, relief surged through me. I’d done it. Now I was finally, blessedly alone. I sagged onto the sofa and closed my eyes, familiarizing myself with the sounds of the night. The hoot of an owl, the winds as they rustled the leaves on the trees, the gentle chirps of crickets.

Everything was as it ought to be. What I’d longed for has finally come to pass. Now I could finally be alone. It was what I wanted.

Right?

Excerpt

I COULDN’T find it within myself to talk to him for the first four days. I kept hoping he’d stop running by and my life would go back to normal. I should have known better. Ever since the incident, nothing went the way I expected it to. I continued to watch him, and I had to admit, the apprehension that coursed through me had eased. He didn’t really frighten me anymore, but the thought of talking to him filled me with dread. What made it worse for me? He’d continued to glance toward the house, and if he saw me, he’d give a smile or a little wave.

No, I wasn’t being honest. After a few weeks of him waving, I had actually started to weave that into my daily routine. I stood in front of the window, looking out at the road every day at ten thirty. One day it rained, and he was thirteen minutes late. I went into panic mode, hyperventilating and pacing around the house, chastising myself. How had he become a part of my world? Why did I now depend on him to be where I expected him to be? I grew angry with myself for that. Despite the pleading I’d done with Clay, I no longer wanted the man to stop running by my house now that I’d grown used to seeing him.

And worse, when he waved, I had started waving back.

Review

The lies we tell ourselves are the most damning ones of all, because after a time we start to believe them.

This book intrigued me ever since Parker Williams first mentioned it on Facebook and shared the blurb. To say I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it would be a gross understatement. Of course there are risks involved when a new release is anticipated as much as this one was. I’m delighted and grateful that Runner not only lived up to my expectations but exceeded them.

Matt’s story is heartbreaking. The ordeal he had to go through as a sixteen year old would bring somebody twice his age to their knees and it is therefore hardly surprising that he retreats into himself, stops trusting the world and creates coping mechanisms for himself to deal with his little corner of that world. Of course the way he gets through his days is not what others would call ‘normal’ (if ever there was a word I hate), but it works for him and for more than a decade it is enough for him.

The runner, who turns out to be an author named Charlie, upsets Matt’s carefully planned routine. Until, almost imperceptibly, he becomes part of that regimen and slowly and even more carefully gets closer to Matt, drawing him out little by little.

I won’t go into the story itself beyond what I’ve said above except that what follows is beautiful and that you should really read it for yourself.

I do want to say one or two things about why this book touched me so much. Parker Williams managed to create a character who exudes both a troubled mind and enormous strength of character at the same time. It would have been so easy to turn Matt into a perpetual victim. After all, he had every reason to give up. But rather than make the reader pity Matt, he’s given us a man who lives his life on his terms. Others may not approve of how he’s living, but he’s independent, and while he may not be happy, he’s not unhappy either. He’s okay.

I’m so glad this wasn’t a ‘love fixes all’ sorta story. Yes, with Charlie’s help Matt manages to start looking outside the shell he’s created for himself and take the first steps towards interacting with the world at large again, but it isn’t an overnight miracle. It’s tiny steps forward with setbacks along the way. In fact, by the end of the book there’s still no guarantee that Matt will ever overcome all his issues. But, and that’s a message I want to be heard loud and clear, that’s okay. He’s dealing with his issues, aware of them and getting ever better at living both with and despite them. Because that’s how it is in real life. We don’t miraculously overcome whatever is wrong with us; we deal, we make the best of what we have and, if we’re lucky, the situation will continue to improve. This book left me convinced that Matt’s journey had only begun and that he would move further along that road because he’s that strong and because he had that support — from his community, from his family and, most importantly from Charlie.

Charlie *sighs* Oh Charlie. Now, I have to be honest here. Charlie came very close to being too good to be true. He does have a bit of a fairytale prince aura. It is both surprising and further proof of Parker William’s skill as an author that he didn’t irritate me. He was just about human and fallible enough to keep him real. And he was so exactly what Matt needed. The way their relationship develops from strangers, through begrudging acquaintances, via friends, to lovers was beautiful. They grew into each other in what felt like an organic manner and it was a joy to see it happen. And best of all, Charlie doesn’t try to fix Matt; for Charlie, Matt is good enough just as he is. And if he wants to try and push himself further, Charlie wants Matt to do it for himself and not for Charlie.

In fact, I think the reason I fell in love with this story is because it had just the right balance of realism and fairytale — although the smooth writing, gorgeous main characters, and wonderful secondary characters, may also have had something to do with it.

Long story short: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am incredibly grateful that I could read it in one sitting. I did not want to part from Matt and Charlie until I was sure they were okay. And just in case you’re wondering; I do recommend this book!

About the Author

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come with melding lives together.

Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his husband of a quarter century, Parker continues to believe and writes stories where there is (almost) always a happy ending.

Connect with Parker on:

Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor

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Roaring Waters (The Warfield Hotel Mysteries #3) by C.J. Baty

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Length: 194 pages 

The Warfield Hotel Mysteries Series 

Drifting Sands (Book #1) - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Crashing Waves (Book #2) - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Damien Fitzgerald has lived through hell and is determined to never let anyone get close to him again. A fervent reporter, he throws his life into his work and doesn’t care whose toes he steps on. But someone else does. He’s got a stalker, and the messages are growing increasingly threatening. He turns to his best friend, Justin Warfield and his lover, Private Investigator Marcus Drummond. Seems like a good idea until Robert Wyler becomes part of the package.

Robert Wyler, the manager of the bar at the Warfield Inn, has always been misunderstood. Sure he takes care of his body, wears his hair long and likes tatts, but that doesn’t mean he’s domineering. A cold exterior hides the more passionate man inside. Men like Damien Fitzgerald get on his nerves. Too good looking. Too arrogant. But when Justin and Marcus needed his help to guard the man from a stalker, Robert couldn’t say no.

Damien and Robert have a history. Whenever they are near each other sparks fly. Can Damien and Robert get past their prejudices to find the real men hiding underneath. Will they find love before the stalker gets to Damien and their chance at happiness is destroyed forever…

Author Bio


C. J. Baty lives in southwest Ohio. Her heart, however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.

The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to fan fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.

She has a loving and supportive family who don't mind fixing their own meals when she is in the middle of a story, and a network of friends who have encouraged and cheered her on in her quest of being an author.

One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is: “You are never too old to follow your dream!”

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The Garden (Lavender Shores #2) by Rosalind Abel - Release Day Review

246 Pages

Wings of Ink Publications

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available on KU

The blurb

Beautiful Gilbert Bryant designs jewelry for the rich and famous, and he made his escape from his gossipy little hometown of Lavender Shores. However, with so many friends and family, he keeps getting pulled back. When he attends his best friend’s engagement party, Gilbert can’t help but sample one of the new men in town. It’s just some innocent—or not so innocent—fun. Nothing that will even cross his mind once he gets back to his everyday life. 

Walden Thompson dreamed about living in Lavender Shores since he visited as a child. He finally gets his chance, and he embraces the opportunity to start over, to become someone new. He leaves both hurts and dangerous habits in the past, where they belong. When Gilbert crosses his path, Walden gives in to his baser instincts. He can indulge in the carnal pleasures this once and still be okay. 

Their few hours together haunt Gilbert, the two-hundred-mile buffer from home no longer shutting out the past or the sexy man he left behind. Walden is just beginning to recover from the smoldering encounter with Gilbert when they are thrust together once more. This time, neither of them can walk away, no matter how hard they try. But when their pasts crash into each other as surely as the magnetism that pulls them together, walking away may be the only option. 

Review

‘I’d seen his soul. Beautiful, broken, strong. A soul I wanted to hold and protect. A soul I thought might be able to heal mine.’ - Gilbert

WOW! This book packs a punch in every possible and exquisitely wonderful way. I mean, what’s not to love about a story featuring two gorgeous men who both see themselves as broken beyond redemption. Two men who are irresistibly drawn to each other and, when they act on it, discover they are a perfect match when it comes to sex. Two men who, despite their every instinct screaming at them to forget the other, to keep their distance, find it impossible to fight whatever it is that’s pulling them ever closer together.

There’s a lot I won’t be telling you about this story. You won’t catch me revealing why Gilbert is determined to stay away from Lavender Shores for as much of the time as he can possibly manage. Nor why he has an issue with teachers. And I’m also not going to talk about the past Walden is ashamed off. All I’ll say here is that both these men have good reasons for fearing that others might reject them as soon as those secrets come out into the open — it may turn out that they’re wrong, but you’ll completely understand where they’re coming from and your heart will break for them a little.

I got completely swept up in Gilbert and Walden’s story. They’re such beautiful creatures, despite what they might think of themselves. And together they are pure magic. And their bedroom antics — let’s just say Rosalind Abel takes us to a whole new level of hot. But, while I enjoyed (and maybe blushed about) the sex scenes, it was the emotional journey both men made that touched me most. The trust growing between them, the way they manage to open up to each other despite their fears, and the way they hold on despite their fear of what they’re about to walk into, took my breath away.

And I can’t thank the author enough for not taking the obvious route towards creating drama. I thought I knew what had to be coming and when it didn’t, I cheered.

As for the garden the book is named for: I want it to be mine. The descriptions of it were so vivid and painted such a stunning image I actually found myself being jealous of a fictional character for having created such a magical sanctuary.

All in all it is safe to say I’ve fallen hard for Lavender Shores. The setting, the people who live there, and the love stories we get to observe have all worked their way into my heart, and I’m already looking forward to book three. To say I’m a fan would be a gross understatement.

Related review: The Palisade

Matchstick Men (A Hunter Dane Investigation #1) by Adira August

48000 words

Publisher: RedDeer

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK (also available on Kindle Unlimited)

Blurb

SEX, GAMES & MURDER ~ Want to play? 

It was munch night at the most elite underground BDSM club in the Rockies. Relaxed and informal, highlighted by the weekly Matchstick Challenge game. 

Detective Sergeant Hunter Dane, reigning champion, looked forward to a relaxing evening to start his 3 days off. A few beers on the deck. An interlude with a sweet sub. Stumping a challenger with a new puzzle. Home early for a decent night's sleep.

Some people are SO deadly serious about their games. 
Now Hunt has a fresh body and a new puzzle to solve in twenty-four hours if he wants to find a killer.

Review

Occasionally I read a book that enthrals me to such an extent that I have no idea how to write my review or what to put in it, apart from ‘this book is magical! Go buy and read it! Now!’  

Matchstick Men was exactly such a book. I knew from the start that I was going to be in for a treat. I read On His Knees, the prequel to Matchstick Men, only two days ago and that short story blew my mind away. I yearned to spend more time with Hunt and Cam and was over the moon that the sequel was ready and waiting for me.

And then the author went and turned what would always have been a fascinating story into my personal catnip. Long before I ever discovered MM and BDSM, Mystery was my go-to genre. Putting two hot men in a D/s situation while they’re solving a mystery, well, it doesn’t get any better than that for me.

I’m still not entirely sure what to say about this story. It is clever, well plotted, perfectly paced, extremely hot, and impossible to put down. And, what’s more, this book actively involves the reader in the mysteries it contains. Of course there’s the murder itself. And, I have to admit, that I had the murderer pegged from the start. That is however no shortcoming on the author’s part but rather the result of me having read so many mysteries that I’m almost too good at recognising how the plot works. And besides, watching Hunt and Cam come to the conclusion I had reached earlier on was as fascinating as trying to figure out the mystery for myself would have been.

But, as much as I enjoyed the mystery and the resolution of it, my main interest (some might say obsession) in this book was the developing dynamic between Cam and Hunt. And, between the two of them, it is Hunter who has really piqued my interest. He is so sure he’s got himself completely figured out.

Hunter made no claim of sexual preference (…) He formed no attachments. He simply wasn’t able to.

In other words Hunt:

(…) needed men for power, women for sex and no one for intimacy.

Except that this lack of emotional attachments appears to be less black and white than Hunt likes to think. He may have convinced himself that he doesn’t form or need those bonds with others, I remain to be convinced. As does Cam, who refuses to take no for an answer and knows exactly what Hunter needs, when he needs it, and how to give it to him. In On His Knees Cam gave Hunt what he needed in order not to break:

“Extreme Domism (…) There are no limits. You have no safeword. You do nothing I do not order. I don’t stop until I’m done… You have one chance to walk away. Once I restrain you, nothing and no one can or will rescue you. I am all there is.”

In this book, while the Dom is still there a lot of the time, the extreme is in the background because it’s not what Hunt requires and because Cam now wants more.

“I want you to do what I say because you trust me to make you to feel good. Because you want from me what I want to give you.”

And so Cam introduces Hunt to another beautiful first.  No, I’m not going to tell you what that was, read the book J I will say that the moment took my breath away.

And yet, despite all his Dominance, Camden is ‘just’ a twenty-something young man. And I guess that’s one of the many magical aspects about this book; that Cam is not portrayed as the big bad Dom. He’s allowed to be young, and overwhelmed, and even out of his depth. Just as Hunt is so very much more than ‘just’ a sub (or even a switch). Hunt and Cam are a two way street and when they collide in the middle it is poetry in motion.

Through Cam’s eyes the reader gets to recognise that Hunt doesn’t see himself as clearly as he sees the world around him. And while he’s nowhere near ready to admit to himself that maybe he is capable of becoming emotionally attached to someone else, his own thoughts betray him at times.

“It occurred to me then, that Camden Snow was possibly the most complex, interesting person I’d ever met. Child. Champion. Clever analyst. Extreme Dom. And I barely knew him. It would be easy to become kind of obsessed with him, with solving the puzzle that he was.”

I apologise. I’ve been rambling above and I’m afraid I’m not sure how to fix it. I will however try to summarise my thoughts.

Matchstick Men is a combination of several intriguing mysteries. There’s the murder in the story, there’s the question who and what Hunter really is, and there is the matchstick puzzle for the reader to solve (answer kindly provided at the end of the book). Apart from that there’s the story about Camden and Hunter which takes us from (extreme) BDSM to pure love and back again. Every single aspect of this story is spellbindingly intriguing. It is safe to say that Adira August has captured me. I’ve only just finished this book and I’m already yearning for the next one. And I’ve got a feeling that if we ever get to ‘A Hunter Dane Investigation #3674’ I’ll still be gagging for more.

Related review: On His Knees.

This book is available as an Instafreebie until July 31, 2017.

Author social media links

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Matchstick Men are up for grabs.

Matchstick Men and this giveaway can also be found on the following blogs:

- Attention Is Arbitrary  
- Books Laid Bare Boys  
- Diverse Reader  
- Kimmers' Erotic Book Blog (includes a review) 
- OJ He Say  
- The Blogger Girls (includes a review)