Review: Call The Coroner by Avril Ashton

Call The Coroner by Avril Ashton
Self-Published
Novel: 351pgs

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: A clash of wills between predators…

He’s been living underground for a long time, but the only thing guaranteed to bring Daniel Nieto back to the surface is the identity of his wife’s killer. With the whisper of one name, he puts it all on the line for vengeance. He’s got plans for Stavros Konstantinou.

The title of monster fits too well for Stavros to want to be anything other than what he is. Time spent in Daniel Nieto’s dungeon, chained and tortured, will never change that. Starved of food, sunlight and freedom, he waits for an opening to turn the tables on the only man who’s ever come close enough to scare him.

Somewhere between the slide of knife against skin, and the drip of blood on cold concrete, things change. Grief and hatred collide with lust and obsession, and this time Daniel and Stavros are on the same side. This time, they’re fighting a losing battle against a connection forged by much more than a love of violence and bloodshed.

In a war this bloodied, what do you do when the bodies start hitting the floor?

**Warning: Gun play, knife play, blood play, breath play. Non Con, Dub Con. Water sports. Triggers**

Review

CALL THE CARDIOLOGIST

This book, this fucking book man. 

I worship at your feet, cus you deserve some praises. 

Something happened when they got in the same room. When their eyes met. When they breathed the same air. A dangerously potent something. 

The names Daniel Nieto and Stavros Konstantinou comes up a lot during the Loose Ends series and you don’t really get a feel for their characters apart from they are dudes that are both dangerous and feared. Well these two unlikely heroes with a sordid history decided that they were going to break convention and rock the boat. Is there a title more fitting than Call the Coroner (cus dead)? Maybe a Call the Cardiologist could be a close second. 

Daniel Nieto has got revenge on his mind, and he’s been hiding in the shadows for his one opportunity to bring Stavros to his knees. The mercenary took something very precious from him and Daniel is going to make him pay. Kidnapping Stavros is easy work and thus begins Daniels revenge of breaking the man responsible for breaking his heart and world.  

What he never anticipated was trying to break Stavros would involve also breaking him. Stavros bleeds so prettily, his body covered in bruises and scars put their by his own hands is a work of art, because he can bend him but the Greek won’t break. Holding this man captive should make Daniel feel lighter but why does he feel like he’s the one being held hostage. 

“You like it when I bleed.” Even to his ears, his words were shakier than normal. Faint.  

“You do it so well.” Daniel’s sounded weirdly proud, like he approved of the rivulets soaking Stavros’ hip and the tiny puddle congealing next to them. “Also it brings me such pleasure, watching you suffer.” Stavros was fading, but he brought his bloodied fingers to his mouth, licking the red away one by one—was it all his, or maybe some of Daniel’s blood was mixed up in there, too?—as he held Daniel’s gaze. “It brings me pleasure…” His voice got softer and softer, slurring, vision narrowing down to the man next to him who wore Stavros’ death mark tattooed around his neck. The man with impenetrable eyes and that beautifully cruel mouth. “Watching you try.” 

This was meant to be easy, his rage was meant to drive him to kill, to maim but life has a way of fucking with you and Daniel was never expecting to need the person who left him wanting in the first place. Big bad Daniel Nieto is used to bringing men to their knees but for Stavros he would gladly get on his. He’s starting to realize for Stavros, there really isn’t anything he wouldn’t do. 

Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer, heh keep this enemy close enough to fuck at least. 

This is such an enemies to lovers story it’s crazy. The initial reaction how can these two men get past the pain they have caused each other and get to somewhere even close to “like”. What you never forget is how ruthless these men are, they will stop at nothing to take what they feel is rightly theirs. They will harm/kill anyone that has wronged them in some way, and most of all they will burn everything ground trying to keep them apart.  

If you don’t already know this, well you gon learn today. I love crazy, I love ruthless, I love bad boy criminal types who never try for any type of redemption. This is what I love about Avril's books. These guys are dangerous, they remain dangerous and I freaking love it. 

Again I will bring up the diversity that can be found in all of this author books. It’s freaking important and you can tell the author knows her stuff. I will give it all the stars ⭐️ for that reason alone. 

Call the Coroner was amazing and I freaking love it. I never get tired of sex scenes in a Ashton book. I’m a skimmer of sex scenes in mostly all the books I read, for me it’s all about words and this book had words. Like some sexy shit gets said and I swear its spoiling me (if you ain’t talking dirty I don’t wanna talk).  

Overall, I LOVE IT. THAT IS ALL…

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Songs

Baby Don't Stop by NCT U 

Danger by BTS 

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Captain Merric by Rebecca Cohen

Universal Buy Link

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Length: 55,000 words approx.

Blurb

A tale of pirates, lost love, and the fight for a happy ending.

After he’s set adrift and left to die by his mutinous crew, the last person Royal Navy officer Daniel Horton expects to come to his rescue is Captain Merric. An infamous pirate, Merric is known as much for stealing his victims’ hearts as their jewels. Daniel’s world is about to be turned upside down when he recognises Captain Merric as none other than Edward Merriston, someone he thought he'd never see again.
Edward can’t believe Daniel Horton is aboard his ship. While Edward is willing to do anything he can to get a second chance at their happy ending, Daniel isn’t interested in digging up the past. But Daniel is one priceless treasure Captain Merric isn’t about to let go of without a fight.

Captain Merric first appeared as short story in a pirate-themed anthology. Now completely rewritten and extended he is ready to set sail again.

Author Bio

Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and young son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.

Blog: http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710
Twitter: http://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes

Giveaway: Drop a comment below to tell me why you love pirates and be entered into the giveaway to win a copy of an ebook from my backlist (excluding the Crofton Chronicles bundle).

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Review: Trial by Fire by BA Tortuga

Trial by Fire (Dreamspun Desires #6) by BA Tortuga
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 228pgs

2.5 Pants Off

Blurb: One Aussie. One Texan. One baby. One hell of a fight.

When his sister and her husband are killed in an accident, Aussie cattle station owner Lachlan McCoughney rushes to Texas to rescue their infant daughter, Chloe. He expects to find his niece living in squalor with the Sheffields, a rodeo family.

Instead, Lachlan finds Holden Sheffield, a salt-of-the-earth cowboy running a huge business operation. They want to explore their mutual attraction despite the many problems thrown their way, and together, they must find a way to give Chloe a new family and find a love that spans thousands of acres and two continents.

Review

SO MUCH GRAVY NOT ENOUGH BISCUITS

In all the years I’ve been reading m/m books and all the years B.A Tortuga has been writing m/m this is my very first time reading the author. If “Trial by Fire” is the usual fare can I honestly say that I haven’t t been missing much or is it a case that I might have been missing all too much. This book had melodrama coming out of its wazoo. Daytime soap opera type shiiiii…. 

Lachlan has been searching for his sister for many years, and when he finally gets a call that she’s been located, but it comes with news that he wasn’t really expecting. His sister has perished in a plane crash along with her husband leaving behind a daughter, a niece he wants to meet and become an uncle to. That means navigating the family his sister married into, one thing is for damn sure he’ll leaving the heart of Texas with his niece.  

What then transpires is drama of epic intents. My head was reeling with the amount of crazy that was going down. This book had the plane crash, a baby-napping for ransom for 10 million dollars (cue Dr Evil finger to the mouth), and straight up all out shooting. All this went down in the first 60% of the book.  

Then there is Lachlan and Holden. Holden being the legal guardian of the little girl and twin brother of the husband to his sister 😒. They be hating each other but they also be loving each other, because nothing brings two people closer together than a kidnapping. It’s a dramatic mess of epic proportions and kept reading for the sole purpose of how much more ridiculous can it get. Turmoil is thrown in from both Lachlan and Holden’s parents who can’t seem to compromise on how the baby should be raised, while also dealing with the budding relationship of love between Holden and Lachlan. Their love is fast like a mustang in the wind.  

Overall, this was a very harlequinesque type read with crazy thrown in for plot device while offering a very mediocre story. There was a lot somethings without any actual answers to most of it. I found the writing alright but I couldn’t take anything seriously, the dialogue was over the top and more comedic than entertaining. Cowboys speak is a hell of thing!! 

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Review Writing Songs
Redbone by Childish Gambino
MIC Drop by BTS, Steve Aoki
DNA by BTS

Review: Scars and Ruin by Avril Ashton

Scars and Ruin (Loose Ends #2) by Avril Ashton
Self-Published
Novel: 228pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: The man known as Dutch is fine with being hated and feared. He keeps his mask on and his secrets close. There’s only one person who reaches past all that to who he used to be before the job hit too close to home. Sacrifices must be made, and Dutch steps up do just that. He’ll gladly pay the price to make sure Varun Patel is safe.

Loyalty to family expects it. His heart demands it.

And Patel rejects it.

Half of Varun Patel’s life resides in broken shadows he’d rather not remember. The other half is taken up by a man whose words push him away while his actions hold Patel close. Patel can’t forget the one night he spent in Dane Hutchins’ arms. The night promises were made. The night promises were broken.

If it were up to Dutch, Patel won’t ever know the bargains struck in his name. He won’t ever know the memory of them keeps Dutch fighting in his bleakest moments. But Dutch should’ve known that in the lonely hours, Patel would come for him.

And when that time arrives, there’s no saying no. There’s only the inevitable.

Love amid the ruins.

Warning: Contains references to sexual abuse/rape.

Review

PASS THE DUTCHY!

Book 2, in this spine tingling, giving you girl boner series. While it didn’t kill me dead like the first book it did have some intense sexy moments and as you already know bad boys are my aesthetic. And these boys are the right type of bad... 

Dutch aka Dane aka Hunter is a hard man. He doesn’t play by the rules and will do anything necessary to achieve his goal, so along the way he’s made a lot of enemies. What he does the best, is protecting those he loves and there is nothing that he won’t do to cement their safety. What he’s willing to do to protect Varun Patel is a sky is the limit thing. Varun makes him weak, Varun makes him vulnerable but he needs him close. Years ago, they could have made a future together but reality has a way of slapping you in the face and calling you it’s bitch and Dutch is a bitch to realism. He deals in death and secrets so there is no room for love. Love is for other people, guilt and yearning was made for him. 

Varun Patel wants Dutch something fierce but the man keeps pushing him away. He wants all that he is, the bad and good because Dutch is the man who is his everything. The job they do puts them in so much danger and can leave a man to turn to stone but Dutch…Dutch brings him to life. So, the fighting is done and its damn time they find happiness, he’s done running away because now the only running he’ll be doing is into Dutch’s arms. 

Let me tell you something, I really hated Dutch in the previous books. He was a low down mofo without morals air ethics. Alas, there’s a rhyme to his reasons and while he isn’t always making money moves his heart was sometimes in the right place (well kinda in the right place but a little crooked to the left). 

The biggest obstacle these two had were secrets. So much secrets its like they wrote the book on it. Is there anything more frustrating than tough guys hiding all their manly feelings? Just man paining all over the place. It’s both a frustration and a beautiful thing 😩 

Look at this man pain…. 

"Can we not do this?" Patel snapped. "You threatened Stoyan, and I want to know why."   "People in Hell want ice water." Dutch allowed a sneer to his lips. "They’ll have their wish granted before you get yours, I bet." 

Again we have the oldies but goodies with the characters we’ve all come to love. I’m just waiting for an avenger type assemble because these dudes be crossing paths and hating on each other which really at this point it’s nothing but brotherly love. They be so hating!!  

Scars and Ruin is another amazingly entertaining read from this author. What you need to remember with these books is that all this shit is not out for a realistic feeling but a good time feeling. Throw in the diversity that we’ve come to love and respect and I am just here for it all.  

I love this shit!! 

Jokes aside, I really appreciate all the characters in these books. There’s a real sense of family, acceptance, and true cultural references. As someone with a Caribbean background everything is always on point. I salute you Ms Avril Ashton for writing real diversity and not sticking to “what will sell”. We are here, we are real, we fall in love, we are attractive, and we deserve stories. 

Review: Book 0.5 All These Hidden Scars

Review: Book #1 Scars and Secrets

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Review Writing Songs

All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar, SZA

Sky Walker by Miguel, Travis Scott

Unforgettable by French Montana, Swae Lee