Island Doctor by Sue Brown

Island Doctor by Sue Brown

 

Pages: 214

Date: January 11, 2016

Details: #1 Island Medics

             Copy received from author

E-book

The blurb:

“Dr. Jeff Martin has spent five years as a rural general practitioner on the Isle of Wight hiding the fact he’s gay. He travels in secret to see his partner, Tris, but when he discovers Tris has been cheating on him, he ends their relationship. Then Jeff meets island native Cameron Gillard. Cameron is down to earth, lively, and treats Jeff like he’s the most important person in Cameron’s life. Jeff blooms under Cameron’s attention, and he decides to come out to his colleagues and friends.

Just when things are going well, Tris reappears out of the blue. Jeff is no longer interested in Tris, but it seems he has two men to convince. Tris, who can’t believe Jeff is serious abouAt wanting to end their relationship, and Cameron, who can’t hide his jealousy of Tris. Jeff is certain about one thing—the only man he wants in his life is Cameron. Now he just needs to prove it to Cameron.”

My thoughts: 

Island Doctor is a wonderful romance. It is mainly the story of two men coming together and building each other up. Jeff needs support and care after the man who’d been his partner for ten years not only cheats on him but also admits to a history of betraying him. Jeff is strictly a one-man guy and can neither understand nor accept the way in which Tristan has betrayed him. What Jeff needs is a man who only sees and loves him; a man for whom he is not only enough but the whole world.

Enter Cameron. Cameron is a force to be reckoned with. Cameron doesn’t take no for an answer once he’s decided what he wants, and Cameron wants Jeff. Cameron needs to be the sole focus of his partner. To say he sweeps Jeff off his feet would be an understatement, and he is exactly what Jeff needs.

They get to know each other as Cameron eases Jeff out of his shell and shows him that while acceptance may not be universal, it is certainly widespread. But Cameron has a few chips on his shoulder and one or two insecurities to overcome himself. When Tristan decides to push for Jeff, Cameron overreacts and….well, you’ll have to discover what happens next for yourself.

There was so much to love about this book. The story flows with admirable ease, the characters were intriguing and the story mostly light-hearted while not afraid to look at life as it really is. Watching Jeff come out of his shell was adorable and heart-warming. The two men together were beautiful and very...very sexy. And I loved the mention K.C. Wells and her books got in Island Doctor, but that may be because, like Sam, I’m a huge fan of her stories. J 

I did have one reservation though and I’m going to mention it although I realise that what pulled me up is probably very attractive to a majority of romance readers. Cameron was, for me, too overbearing on one or two occasions. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the author’s intention, but he scared me once or twice. Other than that, Island Doctor was a pure joy to read and I’m looking forward to upcoming stories in this series.

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner | Amazon | All Romance

A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony: Review

A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony

Pages: 304

Date: January 9, 2016

Kindle / Own

The blurb:

“Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare's Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the eleven-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in the heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.”

My thoughts:

WOW! 2016 is off to a very good start with A Solitary Man. As you can see from the blurb, this is a romantic thriller, or a thrilling romance (or maybe both? J). However you want to label it, A Solitary Man is an engrossing, very well written and fascinating story.

Xav and Chance are intriguing main characters. Both men struggle with personal feelings and issues for very good reasons, yet neither of them allows those private problems to stop them from doing what needs to be done. Within two minutes of starting the book my heart had broken with and for Xav. It doesn’t happen very often that the prologue of a story leaves me so gutted I have to walk away from the story for a little while, but it happened with this book. Once I resumed reading I was as invested in the case as Xav was though, so the set-up definitely worked for me.

I think I fell in love with Xav the moment he was first introduced. He isn’t perfect, he has his faults and makes mistakes but his heart is clearly in the right place, his motives are noble and the cause he fights for is more than worthy.

“Doing the right thing by Quinn and the other boys wouldn’t banish the past, but it might change the future.”

And that’s before I realised he is a ‘take-no-shit-from-anyone’ sorta man with a wicked sense of humour.

It took me a little bit longer to fall for Chance. He has the walls around his heart build up so high even the reader can’t see around, over or through them at first. As Chance opens up a bit and his background becomes clearer he swiftly moves from easy to like to impossible not to love. And the two men together are funny, sweet and at times incredibly hot.

A Solitary Man deals with difficult issues. The book would have been touching and at times heartbreaking if it had all been make-believe. However, it isn’t. The author’s note, at the start of the book, states: “The drug trafficking, child abuse, and child sex trafficking described in this work of fiction are based on real events.” These are important issues that don’t get enough attention; not in this story before Xav steps in, and not in the real world. I’m amazed at how well the authors managed to strike a balance between getting the message across and giving the reader a riveting and unputdownable thriller. The details we get about child and drug trafficking are hard to digest and yet, they never feel preachy; the information fits the context of the story perfectly. And thus the reader is given one of those rare but wonderful experiences; an engrossing read combined with an unforgettable and valuable learning experience.

To sum it all up, A Solitary Man is what I would like to describe as a total reading experience. It is a heart-stopping thriller while dealing with difficult but important issues; it is a wonderful and at times very sexy love story and it is so well written it is at times deceptively easy to read, despite the hard-hitting issues it deals with. I am delighted that the very first book I read this year is one I’ll be adding to my ‘extra-special’ collection.

Moonlit Escapades by Bronwyn Heeley #Promo post

Moonlit Escapades (Moonlit Wolves 7.5)

TITLE: Moonlit Escapades

SERIES: Moonlit Wolves

AUTHOR(s): Bronwyn Heeley

PUBLISHED: 15/December/2015

PUBLISHER: eXtasybooks

ISBN #: 978-1-4874-0539-7

COVERARTIST: Carmen Waters

WORD COUNT: 12,484

CATEGORY/TAG: Paranormal LGBT+ Romance

HEAT LEVEL: 4

COUPLING: male male

BLURB

There is never a time when a visit from old friends isn’t comforting.

Ever wonder how Jex and Matt ended up in that compromising position in book 4?Or what the fight between Phil and Craig was about? Or how about how they all became so close and ended up living together?

Well, here’s your chance. All the missing pieces that were linked but not fully explained are bundled together in this heart-warming anthology, and just in time for Christmas, because who doesn’t like to visit from family at this time of year.

Note: series must be read in order, but these shorts can be read separately, they’ll just be enjoyed more as companions.

LINKS

Goodreads

eXtasybooks ǀ Amazon ǀ ARe ǀ Smashwords ǀ Kobo ǀ Barnes&Noble

Excerpt

Jex let out a sigh of relief as he sat back into the lounge. Matt and he hadn’t been in this house for a long time, but he had definitely felt more at home quicker than at any of the other place his father took him.

However, his dad hadn’t been the kindest person, and they’d moved from one town to the next, leaving many people hating him because of what his father had done. Matt, with a quick kidnapping and a much-needed getaway, brought Jex to this lovely little town out in the boondocks, an unlikely place his father would never bother to look.

They’d reached town and a house full to the brim with men. Matt’s cousin and a bunch of mates had taken them both in and treated Jex like no one had done before Matt.

Jex loved the freedom of being himself, even if they all turned out to be a werewolf every time the moon was full. A lot to take in, but he had seen a lot of violence and bullshit in his life, so the werewolf factor seemed like a cakewalk.

In addition, he’d personally seen Matt change, so who was he to say something didn’t exist?

A cold bottle tapped on his shoulder, making Jex look over his shoulder. He took the bottle.

Taking a long drink of this piss-shit that the bottle label said was beer, he studied Matt. His lover rounded the couch and sat down next to him. Jex wasn’t a fan of Tooheys, he was more a VB man, but beggars couldn’t be choosers—or, more for him, lazy arses deserved to drink horse piss. He was, however, a fan of the man—tall, blonde, with deep-set eyes. He was like a walking wet dream. Someone who needed to be naked and fucking so everyone would see his true beauty.

He was a fucking dream. Jex’s dream. Even if it had taken the guy a couple of turns to realise just how Matt liked it when Jex fucked him and then give him more than he’d ever understood he wanted. Jex reckoned it came from the fact that he hadn’t ever been free to actually fuck another person before Matt.

 “Taste like shit?” Matt chuckled next to him.

For the first time in a long time—and yet not a first for the thought—Jex wondered what he saw in a man who actually liked this shit.

 “Why ask when you know the answer,” Jex spat back at him around another mouthful of beer. He was hoping if he drank it fast enough and got the buzz of beer in his system, it might actually start tasting nice.

Matt shook his head really slowly. That you’re fucking crazy shake, though the twitch of his lips held the joke.

 “Fucking arse,” Jex muttered, finishing off his first bottle with a cringe—Fuck! This shit was bad.

Matt chuckled again. “Ah, but that’s what you love ‘bout me.”

Jex shook his head, a small smile pulling at his lips at the words, only his mouth hadn’t even completed the move before Matt’s lips covered his. The move Jex had been waiting for finally came. He snickered softly into Matt’s mouth. They were alone after all.

 “It makes me feel all gooey inside to see you smile like that, and knowing it’s all mine... gets me hot as hell,” Matt whispered, a breath away from Jex’s lips.

Jex’s back arched at the scrape of whiskers against his upper lip. “Gooey?” Jex tried to make it a joke, not being able to deal with the softer sides of love.

 “Oh, yeah,” Matt moaned theatrically. “It’s like melted lava inside me, mate.”

 “So you’re a cooked marshmallow?” Jex muttered between the light kisses Matt was giving him. He needed more than the teasing. Already his skin was hot, his cock throbbed. He hated the teasing. Jex needed more... rubbing, thrusting, harder!

“Cooked Marshmallow?” Matt pulled back, apparently, finally, thinking around his own cock to what Jex had said.

 “Shut up, man.” Jex laughed. “How can I think with my cock this hard?”

Matt burst out into laughter. Jex shifted back as Matt’s weight transferred onto his knees, since he’d straddled Jex sometime during the kiss.

ABOUT AUTHOR

I'll show you mine, if you'll show me yours... da dadadadum, author of MM romance

And to let me know just contact me at one of the following links:

Email me at beeheeley@gmail.com

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My Favourite Reads in 2015

My Favourite Reads in 2015

I wasn’t going to do a favourites post this year. They always take quite a bit of time to put together—time I could be using to read or write another book. J But then I looked at the lists other people posted and realised how much fun it is to see what everybody had enjoyed. I smile when I see others have loved the same books I did and always end up adding numerous titles to my TBR list. If that’s true for me, chances are it’s the same for others so, it seems only fair to share my extra-special reads of last year too.

There is little rhyme or reason to this list. I've named titles in chronological order, as I read them and the only thing these books have in common is that they managed to touch me deeply for one reason or another. I share quotes from my reviews below. If you want to read the full reviews, please click on the titles. Have a look, and let me know what you think of my selection.

Slaying Isidore’s Dragons by Cody Kennedy:

“I’m not entirely sure what to say about this amazing book. Slaying Isidore’s Dragons took me for a wild ride and forced me to experience every single emotion in my arsenal in rapid succession. I found myself going from broken hearted to laughing out loud in the space of one paragraph. The danger the characters faced would make my heart race only for my breath to be taken away by the love story half a page later. Rollercoaster doesn’t begin to describe the reading experience this book gave me. Slaying Isidore’s Dragons is an action-filled thriller dealing with important and difficult issues. It is a story filled with emotion and humour, pain and love, danger and domesticity. It broke my heart and put it back together. Slaying Isidore’s Dragons gave me a reading experience I treasure and a story I won’t forget any time soon.”

Balls Up by Kate Aaron:

“I loved, loved, loved Balls Up. This book touched me on a very deep and personal level. This is, without a doubt, (one of) the best book(s) I’ve read this year. The story took me through every emotion imaginable only to leave me uplifted by the time the story ended. I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this book is. I can tell you that you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you did not read it.”

For Real by Alexis Hall:

“Well WOW. Talk about being completely blown away by a book. This was an amazing read on several levels. The dynamic between these two men took my breath away. Yes, it was incredibly hot, but it was so much more than that. They way they give and take, the manner in which they fit together and the feelings they have for each other were so beautiful they brought tears to my eyes once or twice. For Real is a powerful, memorable and far from traditional but very hot love story. It’s an amazing book featuring two characters gloriously beautiful in all their flaws. This book will, without a doubt, end up being one of my top reads this year.”

In the Distance by Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels:

“This book is probably my favourite of the three In the Kitchen novels. I love how these two authors always manage to pull me into their stories. They introduce me to their characters and a few pages later those characters have risen from the page and become real personalities I enjoy having in my life. The conversation between the characters in their books sparkles and sounds real and convincing. What’s more, the story flows with an ease and hooks the reader from the very first moment. With a just about perfect balance between angst and smiles and a total absence of boring moments, In The Distance, will keep you reading until you reach the happy ending.”

The Long Fall of Night by A.J. Rose

“Colour me blown away. This book touched me more than other dystopian stories have so far because events as described in The Long Fall of Night are all too plausible. The Long Fall of Night is an epic tale. Not just because it is indeed epic, as in fabulous, but also because it’s grand in scale and characters. As such, The Long Fall of Night can only be described as total immersion - as complete a reading experience as you’re likely to find between two (virtual) covers.”       

Make Me Soar by K.C. Wells:

“If there is such a thing as the ultimate love story, I may have just finished reading it. This story, the developing feelings and relationship between these two men took my breath away time and again. I may have audibly sighed on several occasions while reading Make Me Soar. And no, that wasn’t necessarily during the sex scenes although I have to admit those were rather special and very hot. This book gave me all the feels, culminating in the moment Dorian soars for the very first time, which brought tears of happiness to my eyes.”

Silver Scars by Posy Roberts:

“Silver Scars is a very special book. It touched me, took me by surprise and left me uplifted and awed. Silver Scars is not a traditional love story in the sense of a ‘will they / won’t they’ plot. The love between these two men is never in doubt. The big question in this romance is whether or not the two characters are able to love and trust themselves enough to allow another to love them, able to believe they’re worthy of that love. This story is about people having to reassess themselves and their lives and eventually come to the conclusion that different doesn’t mean less. Silver Scars is a wonderful story about pain, loss, hope, silver linings, courage, and, most of all, love. I can’t recommend this book enough.”

Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov:

“Dare I say it? Should I put down in writing that these may well have been the most touching, memorable and mesmerizing thirty pages I have ever read? There, I’ve said it. I have absolutely no idea how it is possible to say so much using so few words. Aleksandr Voinov told us more about war, fighting, pilots, fear and love in thirty pages than others have done in books ten times longer. I think it’s fair to say that every single word in this book was significant, just as I have no doubt that not only will Skybound stay on my mind for a very long time, it is also one of the few books I know I will re-read...again and again.”

First by K.C. Wells:

“As love stories go this one is sweet and mesmerizing. What raises this book to the level of ‘extra-special’ is the way it deals with and the insight it gives us into the workings of the porn industry. I usually rush my way through KC Wells’ books because she captivates me in the first paragraph and keeps me hooked until the very last word. And that was true for this story too. But I forced myself to slow down for this book. I wanted to think about things and read between the lines. And that’s what made this book extra special.”

A Silence Kept by Theo Fenraven:

“This book is a gem, and it doesn’t reveal its full sparkle until the very last sentence on the very last page. This story achieved the impossible in that it left me both heart-crushingly devastated and joyfully happy. A Silence Kept is a wonderful mixture of spooky and sweet, sad and happy. One minute I would find myself reading with my heart in my throat only to have a smile stretched across my face a few paragraphs later, just before my heart was crushed by the palatable despair one of the characters conveys. And the progression from one emotion to the next was so unforced, smooth, and natural, my own reactions took me by surprise occasionally.”

King John by Edmond Manning:

“This story will shake you, may at times become very hard to read, and yet it will open your eyes and heart. As with the previous Lost and Founds books, King John has left me both shaken and stirred. I’m emotionally wrecked and cursing the fact I’ll have to wait several months at least before the story will continue. And yet I feel enriched too. It is as if my heart has expanded, as if I can now see, understand and feel things that were just beyond my grasp before I started reading.” 

Connection by Brigham Vaughn:

“I adored this story. Both Jeremy and Evan touched my heart. I was constantly torn between wanting to wrap them in my arms to keep them safe and make them feel loved and wanting to slap them around the head for not communicating more honestly with each other. To say I got emotionally involved in this story would be a gross understatement. I’m in awe of the way in which Brigham Vaughn managed to portray these two damaged men without turning them into weak or boring characters. I loved the way we’re allowed to see Jeremy and Evan’s strength, even when they’re at their weakest. And I’ll never stop admiring this author’s use of the English language.”

Jordan & Rhys by Sue Brown:

“This book could have been written just for me. It is a gentle story. Rhys and Jordan and the way they interacted struck a chord deep inside me.  I adored this book, the characters in it, the way the story was told and how it unfolded. Sue Brown shot this one straight into my personal bull’s eye.” 

Quillon’s Covert by Joseph Lance Tonlet and Louis Stevens:

“I’m in awe of what these two authors managed to achieve; they turned what should have been a shocking read into one of the most beautiful and touching love stories I’ve read all year.  This is a sweet, wonderful, sexy and touching story that will pull at your heartstrings in the best possible way.”

And my favourite Christmas read this year was Christmas Miracles of a Recently Fallen Spruce by Brandon Witt:

“I loved everything about it. First and foremost there’s the original, wonderful and very fitting title; how could I not be tempted? Beautifully written and an utter delight to read this book and the characters in it stole my heart.”

Quillon's Covert by Joseph Lance Tonlet & Louis Stevens

Quillon’s Covert by Joseph Lance Tonlet & Louis Stevens

Pages: 186

Date: December 25^th, 2015

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Martin is a guy’s guy, one who enjoys the simple things in life: baseball games with his son, family days, barbecues, and date nights with his lovely wife.

Once a year for two weeks, Martin takes his son, Marty, to Quillon’s Covert, a rustic family cabin secluded in the beautiful California mountains. Since before those long days of learning to play ball, Marty has loved his dad, but as Marty matures, Martin starts to see something else settle in his son’s uncertain gaze. What’s there lingers a little more than it should, and it seems far more appraising than it once was.

As Marty shows every sign of taking the lead, Martin is faced with the tough choices most parents never see: lose his son by being a father, or try to balance what’s best for their relationship by being something… more.

But with another trip to Quillon’s Covert on the horizon, has the point of no return already begun?”

My thoughts:

To deal with that huge purple elephant in the room first; yes, you read the blurb right, this is indeed the story about an incestuous relationship between a father and his son.

Now that you’ve recuperated from the shock, please let go of all your preconceived ideas about what that might mean for the story. Where you might expect darkness you’ll find only light, where you search for perversity you find a deep, profound and honest love.

I fell in love with this story and the two men in it from the first paragraph. The gentle pace in which this story is told makes the changing relationship between Martin and Marty feel natural. I fully expected to at least be shocked while reading this book but I can’t say I even raised my eyebrows once. Marty’s slow realisation that he is not only gay but also in love with his father takes time. In fact, that’s what makes this story so beautiful and believable; everything takes time. Nothing happens until it has been thought through and talked about. Both Marty and Martin are fully aware of how unconventional their feelings and relationship are and it takes them years to grow from acceptance with what they’re doing to finding true comfort in it.

Marty is fourteen when he first realises he is attracted to his dad. When he’s seventeen he expresses his wish to take their relationship further, beyond the close father-son bond they have, and it isn’t until a year later that Martin is on the same page. There is no discomfort while reading this story because it is the son seducing his father, rather than the other way around and because Martin waits until Marty is officially off-age before granting his son’s wish. The intimacy only exists for the two weeks they spend alone at Quinllon’s Covert; the rest of the year they are like every other father and son and have fulfilling relationships with their individual, if oblivious, partners.

“Tomorrow, life would once again come at them full force, but right now, they had the entire night ahead of them. They had each other, and they had this. No matter what life did, it couldn’t take this away.”

This story worked for me because it describes a love beyond anything we’re used to and does so in a guilt free way, while always acknowledging the exceptional nature of it. I’m in awe of what these two authors managed to achieve; they turned what should have been a shocking read into one of the most beautiful and touching love stories I’ve read all year. This book will be added to my ‘extra special’ list and has secured its own corner in my heart.

If you can’t image enjoying a story about a father and son learning to love each other beyond what society approves off, I urge you to stay away from this book. However, if even a tiny part of you is curious about this dynamic, or how it can work on the page, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. This is a sweet, wonderful, sexy and touching story that will pull at your heartstrings in the best possible way.

“Tonight they were father and son, they were friends, they were brothers and soul mates, and they were lovers.”

Buy links:

E-Book: PayHip:           Smashwords:               Barnes & Noble 

Paperback: Create Space:       Amazon

Reaping Havoc by A.J. Rose

REAPING HAVOC by A.J. Rose

 

Pages: 282

Date: December 21, 2015

Own / E-book

The blurb:

No one asked Mitch Seeker if he wanted to be a grim reaper. He didn’t sign up for the rumors, the lack of friends, or the erratic schedule. He doesn’t want to go through life watching people die. Especially not a man he loves. Mitch’s solution is simple—don’t fall in love. He’ll never have to explain why he doesn’t age or why he’s around death so often. Most of all, he will never be a widower.

But when his head is turned by world-class skier Nate Koehn, Mitch believes he may have the answer. If the soul attached to Nate is any indication, Mitch has found himself another reaper, in which case, his undeniable feelings don’t have to be suppressed. However, the spectral tag-a-long is only the beginning of Nate’s burdens. After a catastrophic loss, Nate is no stranger to grief and the hole it leaves behind. 

The question they both must answer is loud and clear: is the pain of losing love worse than the pain of never having loved at all?

My thoughts:

“We play with everyone’s lives. It’s why the phrase ‘divine intervention' exists.”

Wow, this is a stunning book. Reaping Havoc is so much more than ‘just’ a very imaginative and very well written story. It manages to be both sweet and heartbreaking, charming and thought-provoking and just when you think you’ve got it all figured out there is this twist to put the whole thing on its head again. My expectations when I pick up a book by AJ Rose are high; she managed to surpass them once again. J

Mitch Seeker’s situation broke my heart. I mean all of us know it is possible that we’ll lose a loved one somewhere along the way, but we’re never certain it will happen. Mitch on the other hand knows with absolute certainty that if he were to share his life with another man, he would have to watch him grow old and die while Mitch would still be in the prime of his life. Unwilling to set himself up for the pain that would bring, he decides he’s better off on his own. It is a decision I completely understand.

Of course life is never that easy, and the heart seldom listens to reason. Enter Nate Koehn who carries his own burdens and is in desperate need of love and a connection with someone he can trust. Suddenly Mitch’s world and all his decisions about his future are up in the air. Instant attraction brings the two men close until a revelation makes Mitch think he can’t continue with their developing relationship.

And that is all I want to say about the story itself. The surprises this tale holds should be experienced without prior knowledge. What I do want to say is that I’m in awe that the author managed to take a supernatural premise and make the dilemmas the characters face so recognisable that I ached for Mitch and Nate when all seemed lost, and cheered whenever it looked as if they might have a chance after all.

This is a story about love conquering all and it is breathtakingly beautiful. Rumour has it there will be a second ‘Reaper’ book in the future and I will be patiently waiting, my finger poised over the one click button, so I can summon it as soon as it is available.