~REVIEW of Tere Michaels' DUTY & DEVOTION~

Duty & Devotion (Faith,Love & Devotion #3)

Opening Line: " I think this couch just makes me horny"

What a great conclusion to this trilogy. It isn’t often that you get the story after the HEA and I really appreciated being allowed back into Evan and Matt’s relationship to see how things were working out for them. As is often the case their story which began in (FAITH & FIDELITY) left us with a lot of loose ends and here we are given a very complete conclusion to their romance. It was also fun to see Jim and Griffin again (LOVE & LOYALTY) and I loved the surprising and open friendship that developed between all the men.

As with all her books this is very much a character driven story which just so happens to include sexy M/M interludes. It feels wrong however to classify it as erotic just because of the occasional bit of bum lovin, I mean I’ve read that in mainstream romances too so?... Ah yes issues with labels, I think that’s what this whole book is about. Anyways Tere Michaels is also brilliant at writing multidimensional characters, including the secondary ones and I feel like everyone involved here is now a personal friend of mine. This is a fantastic series and I hope to be reading something (anything) from Ms Michaels again soon.

Matt & Evan, how much do I love these guys? It was so great to go back and revisit them and their evolving relationship. Surprisingly I did come away with a different feel to both characters then I did after reading F&F. Evan pissed me off quite a bit here and I actually felt sorry for Matt and his new househusband status, even though it appeared to be what he wanted. Their relationship still felt unequal, with Evan calling all the shots and Matt not receiving much in return. This would of course be the conflict that slowly gets resolved.

Theres not really much of a plot synopsis to give, we join Evan and Matt in their new house, Matt has taken over the role as househusband and Evan continues on with the police force and struggles with issues of labels and people knowing he’s in a same sex relationship. The return of Jim Shea pushes Evan’s jealousy buttons but forces him to face the facts and then of course theres Griffin who becomes a surprising ally and good teacher too once Evan gets over his own stereotyping.

~REVIEW of Evangeline Anderson's THE ASSIGNMENT~

The Assignment (Assignment, #1)

Opening Line: "This is gonna take some getting used to."

Set in the early 1980’s (which kept me visualizing Starsky and Hutch and hoping for descriptions of Magnum-esque moustaches) THE ASSIGNMENT is a su-weet read. Just long enough at 161 pages and certainly steamy enough, I can see myself returning to this story again and again. Filled with suspense, random humour, genuine emotion and sexual tension so palpable it just about killed me, Valenti and O’Brian are a couple so deliciously hot and manly that you simply won‘t be able to get enough of them. Plus with cover art this good how can you go wrong?

Detectives Nicholas Valenti and Sean O’Brian have been best friends and partners for 6 years. Often teased because of their open affection, they’ve got each others backs on or off duty. Through danger, donuts and divorce there isn’t anything one of them wouldn’t do for the other including taking a bullet or giving the occasional back massage. That’s a good thing too because Captain Harris’s latest case is going to test the boundaries of even their tight relationship.

Nick and Sean’s assignment sees them going undercover at the infamous gay resort, Ramjack. Potentially they will be busting the notorious drug dealer who’s been flooding the cities gay bars with bad cocaine. It’s a plum job that’s going to look real good on their resumes, just as long as these hetro boys can convince everyone at the RamJack they’re really a gay couple that is. But just how far are these partners willing to go?

Once engaged in their roles as the "sugar daddy" and his "boy toy" the sexual heat literally jumps off the pages. Forced to ‘fake’ their affections in public Valenti and O’Brian’s discovery of each other though soft caresses and first kisses is beautifully done. And because Sean and Nick don’t start out as gay characters watching their miscommunications, emerging feelings and unfamiliar foreplay unfold is also interesting and exciting. Because of the way most men are, when the gentle embraces carry over into their private suite they don’t talk about their feelings or what’s happening between them, they just continue to misinterpret each other and wonder… The sex scenes here are erotic, tender and very satisfying. Eventually Valenti and O’Brian are left to deal with strong emotions neither anticipated having and a very straight world to go back to.

My only real disappointment would be the abrupt resolution to their big case. Its just over. However because I was still in shock from the previous events it just didn't matter.

A bonus 26 page short story called I’LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS has also been included here. This takes place a year after the RamJack case and involves Valenti suddenly pulling away and distancing himself from an increasingly sexually frustrated and pissed off O’Brian. Could it have anything to do with his new and much younger partner? Sean becomes determined to find out what’s going on even if that involves kidnapping. Cheers

~REVIEW of Tere Michaels' LOVE & LOYALTY~

Love & Loyalty (Faith & Fidelity, #2

Opening Line: "James "Jim to almost everyone" Shea moved quickly through the throng of reporters and gawkers camped out on the front steps of the Seattle courthouse."

Tere Michaels has done it again with LOVE & LOYALTY, another great read, sucking me in completly with her richly developed characters and well written romance. This isn’t necessarily a sequel to FAITH & FIDELITY (although that is where we first met James “Jim” Shea) and could easily be read as stand alone. Although in saying that you wouldn’t want to miss F&F because its fantastic and easily one of my all time favourite romances gay or straight. Anyways where was I? Oh right, Love & Loyalty.

Jim and Griffin, what a treat it was to watch these two fall in love, graduating from one long sleepover date to actually admitting they had a boyfriend. (That B word is a big deal here) Neither has been particularly lucky in love so while they do have immediate chemistry together, and act on it accordingly their ensuing romance develops at a gradual and realistic pace.

Michael’s doesn’t give us a lot of sex scenes after their first long drawn out night together and except for the fact that this is M/M romance I wouldn’t even classify it as erotic. Its more a character driven story which is where Michaels shines; writing such multi-dimensional characters (including the secondary ones) that you feel like you know them and all their little idiosyncrasies. I particularly enjoyed Jim’s partner Terry and his well meaning but intrusive wife, their banter is really funny. This isn’t as emotionally deep as F&F and Griffin’s movie deal side plot gets a little weak at times but it’s still a well written and highly absorbing story.

Seattle homicide Detective Jim Shea is a workaholic, although up until now he’s been able to leave it at the office. His latest case however has done a number on him and while it may be over its gotten way under his skin, leaving him filled with guilt about the outcome and tied to victims dying father.

When Hollywood comes looking to make a movie out of this tragedy screen writer Griffin Drake enters the picture, seizing the opportunity as his big break to finally write something real. In order to get the family’s story though he’s first got to get through the protective Jim Shea .The fact that they’re both gay is just going to make schmoozing him over dinner all that much sweeter.

Neither one expected much to come out of their first date, (is this a date?) and neither of them has been in a long term relationship before but Griffin doesn’t want to leave Jim’s apartment (he’s finally writing) and Jim’s surprised himself by enjoying having him there. Lies, death and broken trust threaten their new relationship and it’s a sweet ride. Cheers people.

*Thanks for the read Darien, pants off baby!

~REVIEW of Bella Andre's WILD HEAT~

~WILD HEAT IS SIMPLY SMOKIN~

 Wild Heat (Hot Shots: Men of Fire #1)

Maya Jackson has come to Lake Tahoe to clean out her brothers cottage following his suspicious death in a fire. In her words "she was going to find the bastard that killed him and she was going to make him pay." As an arson investigator it's well within Maya's realm of possibilities but she's a little off her game today. Eventually grief proves too much sending Maya to the nearest bar to forget and straight into the arms of the most explosive man she's ever met. Never mind that he's a complete stranger they're doing things on that bar top that she'll be thinking about for the next 6 months.

 As the leader of the elite Tahoe Hotshot crew risking his life fighting wild fires is what gets Logan Cain out of bed every morning. So he's plenty pissed off when following an anonymous phone tip the fire investigator pulls him from the latest inferno and suspends him. Logan's just been accused of lighting the very fires he's been killing himself putting out and the real kicker is the person investigating him is none other than that wild woman from the bar 6 months ago. The very one that he can't seem to get out of his mind or quite forget the taste of on his lips.

Maya's not going to let a little thing like a kiss change how she works this case though, Logan may be the most appealing man she's ever met but that doesn't mean she trusts him any further than she could toss a match. And Logan's never been one to back down from a blaze so if swallowing his pride and working alongside Maya will help find the real arsonist and protect his fellow firefighters then they're just going to be stuck together and neither can deny the heat radiating between them.

As fire levels reach extreme Logan's men are getting injured, someone's trying to kill Maya and the forest is literally going up around them. Together they will battle car bombs, house fires and each other in a bid to find the deadly arsonist.

 You'll want to wash the smell of smoke from your hair and ash from your clothes after this scorching read. WILD HEAT is a well written story full of suspense, action and some excellent love scenes. Maya is a tough heroine and Logan will have you wanting a hotshot of your own plus you'll be smelling pine needles for days afterwards. Cheers.

Look for HOT AS SIN, the next instalment in this scorching new series.

~REVIEW of Nicholas Sparks': A BEND IN THE ROAD~



~SPARKS DELIVERS...YET AGAIN~

Opening Line: “On the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house, smoking a cigarette, watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky grey to orange.”

Nicholas Sparks is like comfort food, I always know going in the kind of emotional love story I’m going to get and I can count on being sucked into the lives, loves and heartache of his small town characters. They’re written realistically, I mean I feel like I know them, flaws and all and I usually want to move to whatever town it is he’s describing. Sure sometimes the stories are predictable and I find that the couple de jour spouts the “I love you’s” too soon for my liking or realism’s sake but still his stories are always a pleasure to read, which is what keeps me coming back for more.

A BEND IN THE ROAD was a surprise in that it keeps a sense of mystery going throughout, often leaving the main couples love story and allowing us into the mind of the anonymous “bad guy”. Slowly unravelling their story until the shocking big reveal at the end. I honestly didn’t know how Sparks was going to wrap things up here, his couples doesn’t always end up together and that too added to the mystery.

Sheriff’s deputy Miles Ryan is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his beloved wife in a hit-and-run accident nearly two years ago. High school sweethearts, theirs was a love destined to last and Miles can’t seem to let go of the grief or the fact that as an officer of the law he’s been unable to find the person responsible. If it weren’t for their young son Jonah it’s unlikely that Miles would find the strength to get through the day.

Which brings into play Jonah’s second grade teacher Sarah Andrews. When Jonah begins having trouble keeping up in school Sarah offers to tutor him and a tentative relationship begins to form. Sarah is running away from a bad divorce (is there a good one?) and has a few skeletons in her closet as well. Our couple fall in love pretty fast (from one page to the next) and are just beginning to see a real future together when Miles’ past comes back, tearing everything apart. Unwilling to let go of his dead wife and obsessed with finding her killer and ultimately closure I can honestly say that I was surprised by events I didn’t see coming.

As I hinted at earlier I really enjoyed getting inside the head of the hit-and-run driver and slowly discovering who it was, becoming very sympathetic towards their situation. However I could have done without spending so much time running around with county sheriff Charlie and subsequently the middle parts of this story lagged. Still a recommended read. Cheers!

~REVIEW of Jo Davis': HIDDEN FIRE~



Hidden Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #3)

Opening Line: "Julian Salvatore sprayed a steady stream of water at station five's ambulance, rinsing off the soapsuds and gyrating around the vehicle to "Life in the Fast Lane" blaring from the radio just inside the bay.

Hidden Fire is book #3 in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time we get bad boy Julian Salvatore’s story. Often excluded by his fellow members in ‘A’ shift because of his aloof attitude and man-whore reputation, in actuality Julian’s hiding a terrible secret from his past and wants desperately to fit in with his crew. He’s also in love with a woman he met 2 books ago TRIAL BY FIRE A beautiful yet icy defence attorney who won’t give him an inch.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firemen heroes, smoking hot love scenes, and exciting action-suspense storylines it’s always a great ride. Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many concussions/trips to the hospital/shootings/stabbings/drownings our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are slightly connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with Howard, Zach and fan favourite Captain Sean’s ongoing struggle with the bottle.

Grace McKenna’s been trying to avoid Julian’s irresistible Latin charm and ongoing advances, yet despite her all work no play attitude she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. After witnessing his almost frantic reaction to her latest client Grace finally concedes to a date, realizing that theres more to this sexy stud muffin then meets the eye. Julian is of course thrilled however this former ladies man has just fallen for a commitment-phobe and its going to take a long time for her to return those 3 little words he's dying to hear.

Of course while this romance is taking place theres also a serial killer on the loose, with violent ties to Julian’s past and now it appears a hold on his future as well as he’s set his sights on Julian as his next victim. As much as I enjoyed the romance here I also really liked this chilling suspense storyline which was frightening, thrilling and in the end, with the disclosure of the killers identity, urprising too. We’re also introduced to police detective Shane who I’m hoping to see more of in future books.

My only real issue here were the love scenes which tended to read more like erotica then romance. I’m not complaining, they’re hot but they tended to also feel gratuitous and slightly out of tune with the general feel of the book. Grace receiving oral sex on the couch before they’ve even been on a first date was strange and came (pardon the pun) out of nowhere. Then they decided they were just going to be friends. There was also Julian’s weird domination/anal play issue. This just felt out of character for him especially since it was their fist time together and he had been all soft and lovey-dovey moments before. Anyways…

There are still a couple of hot firemen waiting to have their stories told, LINE OF FIRE is up next in this recommended series.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' TRIAL BY FIRE~

~WELCOME TO THE MEN OF STATION 5~

 Trial by Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #1)

 

Opening Line: "Lieutenant Howard Paxton gritted his teeth against the burn, every muscle straining as he pumped three hundred pounds of iron from his bare, sweaty chest."

Howard "six-pack' Paxton loves being a fireman, in his down time this confirmed bachelor lifts weights (to perfect the six-pack) rides his Harley and hangs out with the other members of station 5. Everything changes however the night A' shift responds to a house fire and Howard finds himself administering first aid to the curvaceous Katherine McKenna. She has literally fallen into his arms suffering from smoke inhalation and once she opens her eyes the sparks fly. This pair can't deny their attraction to each other and even though Howard has sworn off woman (because he's tired of being used for his body and wants more out a relationship than just sex) he's willing to make an exception for the beautiful, blonde schoolteacher. Just as their relationship starts to smoulder an arsonist makes himself known and tangles Howard up in his demented plans of vengeance. Now those closest to him are in danger of becoming the next potential victims as a ruthless string of fires roars closer and closer to home.

TRIAL BY FIRE was a surprisingly great read full of action and suspense, smoking hot love scenes and a complex yet tortured hero. The multi-layered plot kept me guessing throughout and the antagonist was genuinely evil. However the first few chapters are really silly and after having it pounded into my head every few pages just exactly how good looking, muscular, strong and enormous (6'6 240) Howard is and listening to internal dialogue with the words "Shazaaam and Ka-pow" I then had to wipe away the tears of laughter at having his man-bits described as among other things; a divining rod and renegade (there is also mention of Mt St Helen's) before resigning myself to just sitting back and enjoying a complete cheese-fest.

However it's at this point that author Jo Davis confused me by writing a great story with an actual plot. Somehow she's managed a perfect mixture of corny fun with thrilling action and heartbreaking post traumatic stress. It's also obvious that Davis has done her homework here and spent time within a fire hall and with real firefighters because her technical descriptions as well as those of life in the `house' and the feeling of brotherhood among the men are spot on. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kat and Howard and loved the fact that Kat embraced her curves and had no desire to be a size 2. Her struggle to get Howard to open up about his nightmares and abusive past without shutting down and pushing her away were well done and their relationship as a whole was believable.

My only real problem was with Howard's abrupt change in character whenever he got his freak on. Outside of the bedroom he never swears and is a giant teddy bear of a man however get him between the sheets, against a wall or in the hot tub and he turns into a sexual dominant with a nasty mouth. Thankfully we have also been introduced to the other hard-bodied men of station 5 and I can't wait to read their stories. UNDER FIRE, is next up in this scorching new series. Cheers.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' LINE OF FIRE~

 

Line of Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #4)

stars

Opening Line: “Go wide! Go wide! Come on Skyler pass the ball!”

Line Of Fire is book #4 in in the romantic, suspenseful and sexy firefighters of station five series. This time through we get apparent Brad Pitt lookalike Tommy Skylar’s story. At 23 he’s the youngest member of ‘A’ shift, a former star quarterback, Tommy had dreams of going to the NFL until the death of his brother in Iraq changed everything. Striving to make his parents proud Tommy joined the Fire Dept but still isn’t sure it’s where he wants to be.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firemen heroes, smoking hot love scenes, and exciting action-suspense storylines it’s always a great ride. Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many trips to the hospital our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with 6-Pack, Zach, Julian and their Captain Sean’s ongoing struggle with the bottle.

 ER nurse Shea Ford has been trying to avoid Tommy’s irresistible charm and ongoing advances. She thinks that he’s way too young for the strong feelings he brings out in her and that she’d be much safer dating Prescott, a boring city planner. After Tommy lands in her ER (the 1st time) Shea finally concedes to a date and the two fall for each other pretty quickly after that.

Of course while all the romance is taking place we also have an arsonist on the loose and while I didn’t find his POV particularly interesting, his bad guy antics do enable Sean to finally hit bottom and land Tommy in the hospital again, this time with surprisingly devastating injuries. Ironically I had just been saying to myself; Davis is taking it easy on her hero when whammy a burning building collapses on him, changing his future forever.

All in all a pretty good read although I have to admit it’s my least favourite from the series. I had a tough time feeling the connection between Tommy and Shea or believing that he was ready for a HEA at 23 especially when he read like such a mama’s boy. And then there was the gratuitous anal sex scene at Tommy’s parents house which I suppose was meant to show the depth of their love (?) in a Lora Leigh sort of way however I found it unnecessary and weird especially considering Shea‘s dark secret. A lot of times this just felt like Davis was going through the motions with stilted, fluffy dialogue and an almost repetitive story line. Still I can’t wait to read Sean’s conclusion to this series next in RIDE THE FIRE.

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' RIDE THE FIRE~

~FINALLY, CAPT'N SEAN'S STORY- GREAT CONCLUSION TO A HOT SERIES~

(Firefighters of Station Five, #5)

Opening Line: “On the night the world ended, Blair Tanner had told her husband to go to hell.”

Ride The Fire is the final book from the suspenseful and oh-so-sexy Firefighters of Station Five series and here, at last we get Sean Tanner’s story. Like everyone else I’d been anxiously waiting for him and fellow firefighter Eve to get their groove on -I mean this is a guy that really deserves a decent HEA, after losing his wife and children and then battling the bottle for the entire series. So I’m happy to say that despite a few silly moments Davis does our boy justice, sucking me in completely with this exciting and romantic story.

 With another action-packed storyline, some fun moments (hello fireman auction) and her usual flair for the scorching love scenes Davis also provides a worthy adversary from Sean’s past to beat him up, blow him up and generally make things interesting. I also appreciated her somewhat bittersweet ending, learning the future of all of our Station 5 team while opening up a possible window (?) for another series with the introduction of several hunky police officers.

As a whole this is a fantastic series that I’ve really enjoyed, I mean how could you not? With hard bodied firefighter heroes, erotic love scenes and exciting storylines it’s always a great ride. And while Davis takes it pretty easy on Sean here (she may have felt he’d suffered enough already) Part of the fun in reading these books is also the anticipation of how many trips to the hospital our heroes will have to endure before they get the bad guy and win the girl. Jo Davis just loves to beat up her men and it’s become a bit of a game for me counting the injuries. I also like how all the books are connected with updates from past characters and continuing story arcs. Here we get to catch up with all the boys and girls from “A’ shift with special mention given to my still favourite, Howard “6-pack”yumminess.

Fresh from rehab Captain Sean Tanner is just learning to live without the crutch of alcohol that has kept the heartbreak and nightmares of losing his family at bay. He’s also trying to regain the trust of his team after almost killing one of them. The last thing he needs now is to get distracted by a woman especially one that he works with. But how has he never noticed fellow firefighter Eve Marshal before? And as her boss how can he avoid her?

We’ve all known that Eve’s been in love with Sean since the very beginning and watching these two finally get together was explosive to say the least. Their first night is just Wow. Can you say pent up passion. Of course this little tryst is bound to get found out by the guys at the station and then it’s going to cost one of them their job. That is if Sean doesn’t pull a runner first, because he’s still a mess and convinced Eve would be better off not getting involved in his chaotic life. And then of course we have the terror from Sean’s past coming back to haunt him in the form of an old Military “pal” Jesse Rose. Best friends since childhood Jesse and Sean served in the Marines together, until that fateful night. Now it seems Jesse is back with an agenda and Sean’s past is about to catch up with him. Cheers people.

~REVIEW of Tere Michaels' FAITH & FIDELITY~

                                                            
(Faith, Love and Devotion, #1)

BIG stars

Opening Line: "Matt Haight sat in his car, watching the entrance of the Stag Bar with butterflies in his stomach."

I don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this story and I’m having trouble writing a review that will do it any form of justice. I can tell you that author Tere Michaels has so hooked me with her unforgettable characters, heart wrenching love story and poignant writing that I’m now looking into spending several hundred dollars on an e-reader just so I can find out what happens next because for some reason the following two books aren't available in print form yet.

I think what struck me most about FAITH AND FIDELITY was the fact that this is about two men is completely incidental to the story. This is so much more than just a gay romance and truthfully all the same sex issue does here is add another degree of difficulty to Matt and Evan’s already complicated struggle to find happiness. This could be the story of any couple that’s taken a few hard knocks from life then along with their skeletons managed to find their soul mate. I should warn you that if you’re looking for graphic and gratuitous sex scenes every second page with a cheesy plotline to carry them along you’ll be disappointed. What you will find however is an emotional journey between two men that never expected to find love with anyone much less another man. This story is heart wrenching, beautiful, funny, compassionate, intimate, sad, realistic, tender and ultimately unputdownable. Honestly one of the best romances I’ve ever read.

As you can guess this isn’t a light-hearted read however I was immediately drawn in, starting with the tragic death of Evan’s high school sweetheart wife. Sherri’s the only person Evan’s ever loved or slept with and with her gone he’s now somehow got to find the strength to get up each day, continue with his job as a New York City Vice Detective and raise four children. Within the first chapter we’re also introduced to Matt; a 40 something former homicide detective and ladies man who’s having a minor mid life crisis of his own. Lonely and depressed Matt quickly becomes the perfect non-judgemental drinking buddy for Evan, each finding a form of solace in the others despair.

Matt and Evan’s relationship starts out as honest friendship. Somewhere along the way though the lines begin to blur and a mutual physically attraction takes hold, shocking confusing and exciting both men. There are some very sweet scenes here as each tries to deal with these new feelings of desire and learns how to be with another man, because as much as they want each other neither of them knows how to scratch the itch. The sex scenes here are explosive and sexy without being explicit and I enjoyed their path to discovery. On some level I could even relate because we’ve all faced the exciting and unknown at one time or another.

Before long Matt and Evan have fallen in love and must face the reality of what effect their relationship is going to have on children, friends and coworkers, however its Evan’s still palpable grief that causes the most damage during this time and brings in a third party. Damn if this part of the book didn’t read like a suspense and brought me to tears as events moved forward, backed off and went forward again. All with this white knuckled reader saying no, no, no, don’t do it. I just didn’t foresee this happening.

I also just have to mention how awesome all the secondary characters are here, adding realistic levels of depth to an already incredible story that I can‘t recommend enough. Cheers, I’m off to buy my e-reader.