Book Reviews

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Black OrchidTitle: Black Orchid
Series: Svatura, Book Four
Author: Abigail Owen
Publication Date: May 23, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Synopsis

Heartbroken…

Adelaide Jenner feels nothing… she is completely numb inside. Her te’sorthene, her fated love, abandoned her and joined their enemy. On that day her sister turned off all Adelaide’s emotions in order to save her from a heartbreak that could push her over the edge of sanity. But great power wielded without compassion or love can only lead to pain.

 

Deceived…

Nate Pierce believes Adelaide used her extraordinary powers to deceive him all these years.

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Along the Watchtower ThumbTitle: Along the Watchtower
Author: David Litwack
Publisher: Double Dragon eBooks
Genre: contemporary fantasy
Rating: Teen (little bit of non-descriptive cursing, rehab for injuries due to IED)

I awoke on a slab.

No. Too soft for a slab. Softer than a corpse would need. Not a slab but a stretcher.

A fog swirled in my brain. I picked through its wisps, searching for a thought to cling to. Then my combat training kicked in. First rule-assess the situation. I steadied myself and tested my senses, starting with touch. I flexed each finger until it grazed the pad of the thumb. So far, so good. Next I listened. Not much to hear. More of a hum than silence. But I could feel a vibration nearby, a throbbing like the heart of a dying beast. My sight might tell me more, but I was afraid to open my eyes. Instead, I sucked air in through my nose.

The smell of jet fuel. Then a wind so strong it rippled my cheeks into folds.

I was outside on a runway. Alive.

After Lieutenant Freddie Williams is caught in an IED explosion in Iraq, he’s sent home to recover. He spends time in a medically induced coma, where he retreats into his mind and the rich fantasy world therein. When he wakes, he faces the hard road of recovering from his physical wounds and dealing with mental injuries he doesn’t even remember.

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Hot Head, by Damon Suede Title: Hot Head
Author: Damon Suede
Cover Art: Anne Cain
Genre: mm, romance
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
ISBN:9781615819485
Source: Scribd subscription

Description from Dreamspinner Press: Since 9/11, Brooklyn firefighter Griff Muir has wrestled with impossible feelings for his best friend and partner at Ladder 181, Dante Anastagio. Unfortunately, Dante is strictly a ladies’ man, and the FDNY isn’t exactly gay-friendly. For ten years, Griff has hidden his heart in a half-life of public heroics and private anguish.

Griff’s caution and Dante’s cockiness make them an unbeatable team. To protect his buddy, there’s nothing Griff wouldn’t do… until a nearly bankrupt Dante proposes the worst possible solution: HotHead.com, a gay porn website where uniformed hunks get down and dirty. And Dante wants them to appear there — together. Griff may have to guard his heart and live out his darkest fantasies on camera. Can he rescue the man he loves without wrecking their careers, their families, or their friendship?

Purchase links: Amazon, Dreamspinner Press.

During a party for the ten year anniversary of 9/11, Griff realizes there’s something going on with his buddy Dante, who he has secret feelings for. After a bit of a confrontation, he finds out that Dante has squandered all of his money and is about to lose his house. Griff is willing to loan him money, but Dante needs more than Griff can afford.

Enter Alek, a Russian that runs a gay porn website that caters to the fetish of straight men in uniform. Griff is reluctant, but he’s willing to do anything to help his buddy out, which is how he ends up in front of the camera with the man he loves.

This was a surprisingly good story. Seriously, this kind of thing isn’t usually my kink, but Damon Suede did … Read the rest “RE BOOK: Hot Head, by Damon Suede [mm, contemporary]”

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Tyler's Teacher, by JM Snyder Title: Tyler’s Teacher
Author: J.M. Snyder
Publisher: JMS Books
Genre: mm contemporary, gay
Perspective: 1st person POV
Word count: 24,880
ISBN: 9781611524864
Source: Scribd subscription

Description borrowed from Smashwords: Jason Peters is a young widower whose son, Tyler, is starting a new school in the middle of the term. His new teacher, Greg Boucher, is incredibly attractive. For the first time since his wife’s death, Jason finds himself interested in the possibility of a romantic relationship.

Purchase Links: Amazon, Smashwords

Jason Peters has moved into a new house with his seven year old son, which means a new school district and a new first grade teacher, the handsome and charming Greg Boucher. Jason is immediately drawn to Greg and they start flirting and end up setting up a date night and this is a sweet story with no on-screen sex.

I got the feeling that Jason is still really wrapped up in mourning his dead wife, Lisa, who was also his best friend. She may have died four years before the start of the story, but she’s still very much a presence in his life and he talks about her a lot and seems to miss her every day. He’s at the cusp of being able to move on, which makes his meeting someone as nice as Greg a very good thing.

This story is a short read that covers the week in Jason’s life where he meets Greg and there’s the possibility that they’re going to have something more.

I might have been really angry if I’d spent the retail price of $4.99 to read this story, but thanks to the awesome subscription I got to Scribd I am able to say I give this story 3-stars. I wish there had been more, as just when the … Read the rest “RE BOOK: Tyler’s Teacher, by J.M. Snyder [mm, contemporary]”

I make wishes on the stars all the time. It doesn't seem like a waste to me. Because in the forming of a wish--an idea--a concept of what can be is created. And until a wish is formulated, it's nothing but stardust and fantasy.