Artistic Appeal by Andrew Grey

Artistic Appeal is a heartwarming story about life, love and taking chances. It’s about family and acceptance, and learning from the past so you can have the best, brightest future imaginable.

This is the sixth book in the Bottoms Up series and continues where Legal Artistry left off, with Gerald and Dieter’s legal efforts to regain Deiter’s family artworks which had been confiscated by the Nazis during WWII. In this installment, we do get to revisit Gerald and Dieter, but the main focus is more on the developing relationship between Brian and Nicolai, and Brian’s daughter, Zoe. The fate of The Woman in Blue and the other pieces of artwork are revealed in this book, but not until the very end.

I could go on and on listing all the things there are to love about this story, but I'll spare you and just get to the bottom line; If you’re in the mood for a wonderful m/m book to curl up with, look no further! Artistic Appeal will have you smiling, sighing, fanning yourself and never wanting it to end because when it comes to sweet, sexy, truly romantic stories, no one writes them like Andrew Grey.

This book was provided by netgalley.com in behalf of Dreamspinner Press.

A Still, Small Voice by D.W. Marchwell

From the cover - After a student’s accusation of sexual assault destroyed his reputation, Noah Birchwood left the teaching career he loved. The school system that should have protected him and an ex-lover who should have known better shattered his confidence, and it took Noah six years and another university degree to finally get his life back on track.

He loves his new job as a computer programmer and keeps busy on weekends performing at a drag club with his best friend, Aiden. It’s there that he meets shy, chivalrous Oscar, the owner of the club and, just maybe, the love of Noah’s life. But everything turns upside down when a specter from his former life moves in next door. Noah will have to face his fears and discover the truth about his ordeal if he wants to move past it once and for all and face the future with Oscar at his side

A Still, Small Voice is a m/m story that touches on an emotional issue and had the potential to be a very powerful tale about letting go, moving on, and living rather than merely existing. I was drawn in to Noah’s world as he was finally able to recount the details of the most devastating event in his life, but sadly, that’s where the potential for a poignant story ended, and this book almost landed on my ‘did not finish’ shelf. I am, however, very glad I stuck it out because in the end, it was a sweet, romantic and uplifting story.

I’ve not read anything by D.W. Marchwell before, so I had no idea what to expect. I found the writing and the storytelling to flow well, and I loved that I could feel the joy, the humor, and the awkwardness, even as an adult, that comes when getting back on the relationship horse again, especially after the betrayal of someone you thought you could trust. The romance was good, and I was definitely happy to see Noah moving on, but the ‘specter from the past’ part of the story that also had such great potential not only fizzled, but felt unresolved.

As for our characters, I loved Noah, Oscar and even the ‘villain’ Paul, but Noah’s best friend, Aiden, drove me up a wall. I’m not into the overly flamboyant characters, be they male or female, and Aiden reminded me too much of a movie my mother watched every single time it was on TV, Auntie Mame. That woman frightened me - Auntie Mame, not my mother - and to this day I cringe when I think of her. I'm sorry, Aiden, but you never stood a chance with me.

The bottom line – This was a really sweet story that had the potential to be a fantastic one. I liked it and found it entertaining, but because I was able to so clearly see what could be, yet wasn’t, I was a bit let-down. I will, however, be looking for more by this author because as I said, I enjoyed the easy, comfortable flow of the writing and storytelling.

This ebook was provided by netgalley.com in behalf of Dreamspinner Press.

The Gladiator's Master by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe

“Do not mistake gentleness for weakness, or confuse mercy with the inability to take care of my own.”

The year is 27AD and Caelius has come to his villa in Fidena, the villa he recently inherited from his late uncle. Craxus had been a self-indulgent man and had allowed his slaves, gladiators and in fact, all of his property, to fall into ruin. He gave no thought to those who depended on him, spending his coin on hedonistic pleasures and giving little care to the future, but now he's dead and it falls on Caelius to put things back in order. As his uncle's overseer showed him around the property, Caelius was both angry and saddened at what he finds:

Priscus wrung his hands as he led Caelius out to where the men had lined up to wait. They were an even more miserable-looking bunch up close, ill-fed with the pinched expressions and hollowed eyes of men who had lost muscle and weight. No doubt thanks to his uncle and his coin-pinching ways. Why feed slaves three times a day when he could feed them once and drink away what he saved?

His uncle hadn’t held to the same philosophy that the rest of the family did. That they had a duty to their slaves as much as their slaves had a duty to them. Still, he had not expected abuse on such a sickening, infuriating scale.

“They’re skin and bones! And filthy! What has happened to the coin I sent for food, fresh water and a medicus to see to their health?”

One of the gladiators lifted his head, genuine surprise flashing in his blue eyes. His brows furrowed as if he was questioning Caelius’s sincerity. After what he had likely endured at Craxus’s hands, Caelius didn’t blame him. His eyes wandered over the group and then came back to the gladiator, and their gazes caught. The man held his stare for a moment before lowering his eyes again.

To me, that passage speaks volumes to the kind of man Craxus had been and the kind of man Caelius is, and even though he is a slave owner, just as his uncle had been, I still found myself being drawn to him and wanting to know more about this Dominus.

Gaidres had lost so much to the greedy, arrogant Romans. He had nothing that mattered left; no family, no property, nothing but bitterness, and the only thing he had to live for was finding revenge against those who now ‘owned’ him. As far as he was concerned this new Dominus was no different from the last, and not to be trusted. While this man's words of outrage surprised Gaidres, he knew them for what they were - just words. He might have a new Master, but nothing else had changed except that now it was Caelius who would pay the price for what had been taken from Gaidres.

The Gladiator’s Master is the first story I’ve read taking place in ancient Rome during the legendary days of the Gladiators, and authors Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe did a wonderful job of bringing that period of history to life. I enjoyed reading about the social classes, the ways of life, and the struggles of both the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots,’ but what really drew me in was the relationship between the slave, Gaidres, and his Dominus – or Master, Caelius. I found myself sympathetic for both men, who each in their own way was a victim of their times. They both had rules to follow, their lives being governed by laws and social status, and when it came right down to it, both were slaves, just to different masters.

While this story is incredibly hot, the sex scenes burning up the pages, what I loved most was the depth of emotions these men felt for one another; anger, hate and distrust, compassion, friendship and love… and I have to say that The Gladiator’s Master is one of the best M/M erotic historical romances I’ve read, and I will definitely look for more by these authors.

This ebook was provided free of charge by netgalley.com in behalf of Carina Press. This had no influence on my rating or my review.