Review: Floodgates by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Floodgates by Mary Calmes
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 234pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Tracy Brandt considers himself a lucky man. He has a wonderful family, good friends, and a dependable job. His love life, however, features a cheating ex who, though out of the house, is not yet out of the picture—with a past that just might get Tracy killed.

Homicide inspector Cord Nolan wants nothing more than to show his best friend’s little brother that he’s a reliable man, but to do that he’ll have to get Tracy to look past the player he used to be. It'll be a tough sell; reputation is everything, and Cord's is tarnished by his past indiscretions.

Tracy and Cord have spent five years trying to suffocate their fiery attraction under a blanket of grudging antagonism. When Tracy finds himself with a target on his back, Cord finally has the chance to ride to the rescue and break through the dam of Tracy's reserve. But he’d better be careful: if Cord is breaking the floodgates to wash away the past, he's going to have to hold tight to Tracy to make sure they're still standing when the tumult recedes.

Review
Tracy Brandt is a young man who is just so cute. He’s got this wonderful job that he loves. A wonderful and loving family and really great friends. The bad in his life, his cheating ex. Now they are taking a break as Tracy caught his ex Breckin cheating on him in their home. Other than that, his life is pretty good. Trace is trying to figure out if he wants Breckin back or if their relationship is truly over.

Cord Nolan is Tracy’s older brother’s best friend and former partner in the SFPD. Cord has always wanted Trace, but he was a player and Trace wasn’t having that at all. So Cord made the changes in his life that he knew he needed to make in order to be the man that Trace wanted and needed. He didn’t realize that he’d get his chance with Trace’s life held in the balance. Cord is really a good guy. He wants the home and family and spending time with the people that he loves and loves him. To get all of that, he’s got to keep the man he wants alive.

The secondary characters were both in turns good and bad, sometimes just oblivious. But Trace’s family and friends…LOVED THEM!! I really liked his work partner too, Dimah. I love that this Russian guy who really cares about Trace and isn’t above ANYTHING to keep him safe. It was kinda sweet to me. I wasn’t too thrilled with Celia, the woman who had an affair with Breckin and is now pregnant with his child.

I didn’t understand Breckin’s family either. That they’ve not seen him in 18 years and they’ve only emailed and talked on the phone sporadically. I mean, Breckin pretty much left for college because his family couldn’t handle the fact that he was bi and gave him and ultimatum and he found his own way, yeh him. But that they would just welcome him home with open arms with some chick that’s knocked up, well that made no sense to me. The fact that Celia knew that he was in a relationship and still slept with him, well that tells me about her character as well. Sigh.

I enjoyed the book. I liked that there was a pretty good mystery. It was always about Breckin and they finally figured that out, it was just a bit sad that it took so many lives to figure it out. But I didn’t like that no justice was really had. But that is on me.

I enjoyed the book and I will say that it was a pretty good read for some lightheartedness and nothing really angsty. If you’ve got a couple of hours and want to read a cute book, this would be it.

3 Pants Off

Guest Post & Giveaway: Can This Be Real by LE Franks

Mad Dogs and an Englishwoman named Sue…

What I’ve come to love about this community of authors—the ones writing gay romance, is that when we get together, there are no significant barriers between us. It might take a moment or two to rub away the shyness, but once that first step is taken and a connection is made…we run amuck.

If you looked for me today, you’d find me sitting perfectly relaxed at a lobby table in the Portland Courtyard with JP Barnaby, Sue Brown, and KC Wells all under an electric sign, all laptops unfurled, all fingers furiously typing. The ease of our association light years beyond that first fall foray into the unknown, even though KC was just a name on my social media feed up until a day ago.

But my first foray into the great unknown occurred at Gay Romance Literary Retreat in Albuquerque in 2012. It was October—one of the perfect months of desert living, and the Albuquerque Hard Rock Hotel was a jewel on the edge of town. I didn’t know anyone planning to attend and was a bit of a wallflower (stop laughing) and more than a little nervous by the prospect of meeting so many new people that I developed a two-prong strategy to cope:

1) Arrive early and meet people
2) Volunteer

Number two is self explanatory – giving yourself something to do by volunteering gives you something to do, an opportunity to meet like-minded people, and an anchor to cling to in the rough seas of the unknown.

It was a great experience, it was how I met Damon Suede and Heidi Cullen that year and able to dust off my old warehouse management skills for an evening. Number two works.

Number one was a little more controversial.

Strategy number one “Arrive Early” was actually an abbreviation for “Arrive Early So I Can Meet As Many GRL Attendees As Possible, As They Walk Through The Lobby” or simply the acronym: AESICMAMGAAPATWTTL.

I can hear the gulps from the collective wallflowers springing up across the country, from here. Yep. Former wallflower here, I went out of my way to walk up to anyone that looked remotely connected to GRL that first Tuesday. The first person that walked into my little web was Sue Brown. Have you met Sue Brown? Have you read any of Sue Brown’s stories?

It was a serious fangirl moment. I had a boob signed by her within five minutes. Seriously.

Stepping out of the box (in that example, waaaaaay out of the box) made a connection that will last a lifetime. I’m confident that will remain true. I brought her home with me after Tampa’s RainbowCon last week and she became part of the family in a very literal sense.

But Sue wasn’t the only connection I made that first GRL. There were so many kind and supportive authors, friendly bloggers, readers who shared a passion for the material that I can’t hope to list them all.

And on every subsequent convention or meet up, every chance encounter on social media, or in real life, these connections only become stronger. It may be a small community, but it’s a very strong one. Thank you Sue, we’ll definitely be missing you when you make your way back home. But you won’t be the only one.

Happy trails until we meet up again.

LE

Blurb:
Chef Christian De Guisse can't trust a man who doesn't love his food, while Detective Andrew Simmons won't let any man close who thinks he's broken---somewhere between these two points, love is possible, but only if they get real.

When Chef Christian De Guisse accidently outs Celebrity Chef Jordan Slayer during a fight in front of The Times entertainment reporter---it only gets Christian ex-boyfriend status and a one-way plane ticket to culinary exile in Oregon. But a fortuitous meeting with Detective Andrew Simmons at the Portland airport keeps Christian and his collection of exotic herbs out of the hands of Homeland Security, starting the chemistry simmering between them. Andy isn't much of a foodie and for a chef who communicates love through his cooking this may be one hurdle too high...until they're finally ready to get real.



Buy Links:
MLR Press: http://www.mlrbooks.com/Bookstore.php?bookid=LEF_CTBR

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00JXRCPDG

ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-canthisbereal-1489668-149.html?referrer=509531de39c1c

AUTHOR BIO: 

LE Franks lives in the SF Bay Area, surrounded by inspiration everywhere. After years of ignoring the voices in her head, LE is finally taking off the filters and giving the stories free rein. These days, she can be found frequently writing about sexy men who desperately need a happily ever.


LE writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated. LE’s men are living in the margins--they're in the middle of their journey, doing the best they can while searching for a connection to something bigger than themselves. With a little effort and a lot of luck they may actually find their happily-ever-afters.


Published by MLR, DreamSpinner, and WildeCity Presses.

Web: http://www.lefranks.com 
Twitter: @Boxtersushi 
Blog: LEFranks.wordpress.com 
FB: LE Franks

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Giveaway:

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Review: Exodus by CC Bridges

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Exodus (Heaven Corp. #2) by CC Bridges
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 200pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Henry “Hank” Abraham’s privileged status in the floating city of Heaven lets him flout Morality Laws that control the lives of others. But when he wakes up in the arms of another stranger, only bodyguard Ian Caldwell’s quick thinking saves his life.

Though Ian’s from the low levels and the labor class, he’s used to dealing with the pampered society of Heaven. He’s assigned to protect Hank while angels, cybernetically modified humans who defend Heaven, investigate the assassination attempt. Doing his job means Ian must ignore his growing interest in Hank. Acting on their mutual attraction would certainly get Ian reprogrammed, something neither of them can afford.

When Hank follows Ian to a popular BDSM club in Downside and his ID chip is lost during a nearly fatal mugging, he finds himself locked out of Heaven. As Ian fights to get them home, rumors of impending war begin to circulate—along with more troubling news that Ian is wanted for Hank’s murder. While struggling to keep the man he has come to love safe, Ian must find out who’s behind the plot and if it’s a catalyst for war or just a convenient excuse.

Review
Hank Abraham has lived a life of so much privilege that he’s used to getting what he wants. He’s all about how he is perceived from his social peers and what’s shown on the news feeds. However, even though he’s been self-centered in his life, with the events that are happening, that is all about to change. He’s now been targeted for assassination and only one man can save him, Ian, his faithful bodyguard.

Now, Hank isn’t what you’d call the brightest thinker in the world. He’s so used to having lived his life a certain way and when that has to change, it was pleasant to see Hank really step up and grow. To see Hank become aware of another and to care what happened and as events grow bigger and bigger, to see this once foolish young man, grow into a stronger version of himself. He doesn’t always get it right, but his heart is in the right place.

Ian, is the wonderful character that is from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. He’s worked hard to get where he is in his career. He knows that no matter what, he’ll always be seen as “below” the ruling caste system of Heaven. He’s good enough to protect and die for them, but he’d never be good enough to love and be seen with in public. Another strike against him that no one knows about is that Ian is a Dom and he’s in love with Hank. Those things could very well get him in serious trouble.

It was fun watching these two characters have their misunderstandings and try to fight the attraction that they have for one another. To see both of the characters come into their own and deal with what they were feeling and especially what was happening around them. Again, I will say that I loved Hank’s transformation the most. That he’d do anything for Ian and did so. That he was no longer the spoiled young man that he had been in the beginning of the story was really nice to see.

It was nice to see that even though this story took place in a post-apocalyptic world, that there were still characters that had good hearts and others that will still use other people to get their own visions of what the world should be like. It wasn’t as horrific as some of the other post-apocalyptic dystopian society stories that I’ve read before. It was different with the use of Heaven and the 360 and Downside. The three different levels, the people, and demons.

I will say that it was a very intriguing story. I loved the romance between Hank and Ian. It was sweet with a bit of BDSM. I also liked the bit of mystery/suspense that was prevalent throughout the story. Who was behind the attempts on Hank’s life and why? What was going to happen between Hank and Ian? How were they going to live a life in the open as a couple?

Definitely worth taking the time to read this story and enjoy the love affair of Hank and Ian.

3.5 Pants Off

Review: The Terms of Release by B.A. Tortuga

Reviewed by Whuppsy
The Terms of Release by B.A Tortuga
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 24opgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
They say a man can always come home. So after doing hard time, Sage Redding heads to his family’s northeast Texas ranch to help his ailing daddy with the cutting horses. 

Adam (Win) Winchester is a county deputy and the cousin of one of the men killed in the incident that sent Sage to prison for almost a decade. While Win's uncles, Jim and Teddy, are determined to make Sage and the entire Redding family pay for their loss, Win just figures Sage has paid his dues and maybe needs a friend. Maybe he needs more than a friend. In fact, Win’s counting on it. 

No one’s denying Sage is an ex-con who went to prison for manslaughter. Regardless of the love he has for his father, he’s returned knowing things will likely go badly for him. Maybe a man can always come home, but he may not be able to stay.

Review
Well, this book was so…wow. I’m not really sure how I can put into words what I’m feeling right now. This book had me just all over the place.

Sage Redding is this young man who has been out of prison for about a year. He’s trying to do the best he can living and surviving. He has served his time and now he’s just trying to survive. He gets a dreaded call from his Momma to come home to help with the family ranch. He’s this really sweet, loving guy who just wants to work with horses and help his family. He knows that going home is going to be hard, but it’s his family and he is going home.

Adam “Win” Winchester is this deputy in the small Texas town. He’s a bit of an outsider himself as he doesn’t automatically hate Sage the way the men in his family does. He’s always thought for himself and he’s going to go his own way and not be bullied to do something that he doesn’t think is right. He’s this really kind and loving guy who is just looking to have a life of his own. Adam has a heart and isn’t afraid to follow it.

The secondary characters in this book just made my heart just beat a bit faster. Sage’s family is just wonderful. Their love and acceptance of who he is was just beautiful to see. Wilma and Bulldog are so accepting of Sage and it’s beautiful to see people just showing kindness and their good hearts. I loved Adam’s Momma. She was a hoot and a half. She had such unconditional love for Adam and stood up for those who tried to hurt her son. Jim and Teddy were such horrible men, yet it what you’d expect from Old fashioned men who aren’t ok with anything that wasn’t their way. But the good in this story sure outweighed the bad.

I like that Adam felt that Sage needed a friend. Even though he was attracted to Sage, he wanted to let him know that he thought that he was ok and that someone else was on his side. That meant a lot to Sage, who figured being back there would be hard and would test his resolve, but he knew that he had to go. It was nice to see that as Adam fell in love with Sage, it became more than keeping him safe, it was about being together staying together as a couple. Facing their troubles together and knowing that there would be someone there to love and support them. It became about making a life together and not allowing anything or anyone to tear them apart.

This story had me reeling. I felt so much for Sage. All he went through just for wanting to come home again going to prison and the horrible things that happened to him there. Sage is a bitty thing. Adam calls him his pocket cowboy. So, you can just imagine the horrible things that he faced. Yet, he did what was necessary to survive and I can’t fault him for that. When he spoke to Adam about the things that had happened to him and the way he sounded was just so heartbreaking. Adam was furious on his behalf. I think most of it was because the Man that he loved suffered and had to go through that made him so very angry. I totally understood. Hell, I was pissed as hell and it was over a fictional character. There was love and hope and strength in this story. There had to be. Sage showed that he was stronger than anyone ever thought he is. To survive what he did, that says a bunch. His biggest thing was that he couldn’t go back to prison, so some of what he took, was with that fear of going back. I think that anyone understand those thoughts. I sure did.

I will say that I enjoyed this book a lot. It was nice to see that Adam and Sage as different as they seemed to be were so very alike where it counted. That love and compassion overruled those that had hate in their hearts. It was a story about hope. I think that was one of the most important themes that rang strongly throughout the entire story.

Read this book and go on this wonderful journey that at times will break your heart, but it will also show you love and hope and true courage.

4 Pants Off

Review: Second Star to the Right by A.F Henley

Second Star to the Right by A.F Henley
Less Than 3 Press
Novella
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Be it unrequited fascination with his straight best friend or impossible fantasies of rekindled interest with his heartbreaking ex, Mason has no clue why the perfect connection seems to keep slipping through his fingers. When another lonely holiday seems like too much weight to shoulder, Mason gives up on romance and seeks out the next best thing—rented company. Jack is everything a person could want in an escort: willing, hot, and built like an angel. 

Mason can't resist. After all, who wouldn't be interested in a guy who loves kid's movies, is a self-professed Peter Pan, and has no problem throwing caution to the wind at a moment's notice. But then interest quickly blooms into a whole new emotion—an emotion that Mason knows far too well, especially when Jack has no interest in returning it, preferring to keep his heart safely tucked away in Neverland.

Review
Mason is lonely, he’s so alone guys. He has friends but the connection is fragile and he fancies himself in love with his best “straight” friend which is just a bag of crazy. Why can’t he make a love connection? He’s very successful, fairly good-looking, and just an overall nice guy and yet he’s just so lonely. When the topic of an escort comes up, Mason is both thrilled and repulsed by the idea but the thrill wins out and he finds himself getting a rentboy for a week. Its either going to be the best week of Mason’s life or the absolute fucking worse.

Mason nerves are on high alert but meeting Jack is lust at first sight. Of course there’s doubt because Jack is so attractive and young and why would he be interested in an old man like Mason?  Well he’s getting paid and this weekend is not about love but losing himself in glorious lovemaking and making for the time past. Yet, there is something about Jack that draws him in and he finds himself wanting to get to know the young man. But Jack has his boundaries and they’ve been clearly set, but rules and shit were meant to be broken.

OMG Guys! This story is just so sweet and gave me all the feels. Jack is so wonderfully jaded and Mason is so absolutely sweet which created a wonderful balance. Mason’s character is written so well that he never felt too perfect, just believable as a really great guy. Jack isn’t original as a rentboy and yet I feel like there is more to his stories, I just wish I had the opportunity to get to know his character better (he must have lived some life to be so young and almost without hope). I love their coming together and overall attraction, not a tale of insta love but a journey of finding love. Did I mention it really touched me in the feels?

Second Star to the Right is wonderfully sweet and will leave you feeling happy. I am so happy I read this book, and A.F Henley is becoming a fave to read. Also, freaking Canada man (home turf). If you’re looking for something sweet and quick then this book is a must. So adorable!

4 Pants Off

DarienMoya