Fortune's Son by Emery Lee

Emery Lee is one of the few authors who can write historical fiction and make it come to life, sweeping us away to another time and place! Through her authentic period dialog and beautiful, vivid descriptions of Georgian era clothing, customs, and the day to day life of both those who have and those who have not, Ms. Lee pulls us into the story and makes us believe we’re right there, living it all, and not just reading about it.

Fortune’s Son, the sequel to The Highest Stakes, had my emotions jumping all over the place and I never knew where they’d end up next. I went from loving our hero, Phillip, one moment, then despising him the next, only to find myself in love with him once again. And our heroine, Lady Messingham… la! If she had any idea of the creative ways I had planned out her slow, painful demise, she’d roll over in her grave! To say she spent a good portion of the book as not my favorite heroine ever, is putting it mildly. But what truly matters is that, in the end, I loved them both and wanted them to find their happily ever after, one that they had spent years working toward and truly deserved.

In case you’re wondering, Fortune’s Son works well as a standalone novel but, honestly, it works much better when read after The Highest Stakes where we are first introduced to Phillip, a major player in that book. To really appreciate Phillip and the personal demons he needs to slay, you need to know the man he was, the man he became, and the man he had the potential to be.

The bottom line – Once again Emery Lee gives us a powerful story of friendship, love, ruin and redemption, and takes us on an emotional journey, a journey you won’t want to miss.

4 of 5 stars

Men Under the Mistletoe, an Anthology

Men Under the Mistletoe is a great collection of four very hot, very heartwarming stories penned by some of the most talented writers of the male/male genre out there. These authors; Ava March, Harper Fox, Josh Lanyon, and K. A. Mitchell, have struck the perfect balance between sweet and edgy, making all of these stories so perfectly sexy, that they could be considered erotica if they weren’t also so romantic, too.

This anthology includes:

1. My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March – 4 stars! This was such a great historical romance. Well written, emotional – a tale of acceptance, forgiveness and a love that survives years and distance

2. Winter Knights by Harper Fox - 4 stars! Magical, fanciful, and just so fun! A unique holiday tale featuring a modern day Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere – do you believe in Christmas miracles? If so, this story is definitely one you won’t want to miss!

3. Lone Star by Josh Lanyon - 4 stars! Another wonderful, romantic story! Josh Lanyon gives us a heartwarming tale about following your dreams and learning that, despite the ‘old saying,’ you really can go home again.

4. The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell - 3.5 stars! This story was a bit edgier and angstier than the others, but still funny, romantic and incredibly hot!

The bottom line - If you love male/male stories with plenty of heat but not lacking romance, you’ll really, really want to grab this anthology. The perfect holiday reading for yourself, or as a gift, this collection is sure to have you smiling, sighing and fanning yourself all the way through the New Year!

Men Under the Mistletoe was provided by netgalley.com in behalf of Carina Press. The stories in this anthology are also available for sale individually.

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.

Holiday Kisses, an Anthology

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Love!!!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.  

1. This Time Next Year by Alison Kent - This was just such a wonderful story about life, the choices we make, love and healing. Dillon is one of those heroes who I can never get enough of. He’s tormented by things in his past, things that no one should have to deal with. Breena is a wonderful, giving heroine who has what it takes to help Dillon move forward, let go of the things he has no control over and open himself up to the possibility of love. 27,000 words

2. A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton - Jaci Burton is a gifted writer, and this started out being a great holiday tale, but ended up just being a frustrating story about two people who really had no business being in a relationship. Wyatt’s stubbornness bordered on cruelty, and Calliope just kept going back for more when she should have kicked him to the curb. And unfortunately, the resolution needed so that they could be together just felt too rushed to make me believe that everything was going to be okay. As I said, Ms. Burton is a gifted writer and I'm sure if this had been a full length story, or even just a little longer than it was, she could have pulled it off. Unfortunately, this story just didn’t have that ‘feel good’ Christmas magic that I look for in my holiday reads. 28,000 words

3. It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon -  This is another author whose works I’d not yet had the pleasure of reading, but you can bet I’ll be checking out her backlist, soon. This was a funny, sweet, romantic and steamy story about loving enough to let go. This one had me laughing one minute, crying the next and all the while knowing that “If you love something set it free; if it returns it’s yours forever, if not it was never meant to be.” 28,000 words

4. Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey - Wow! Easily my favorite of the four! What a wonderful story!! I’m a huge Shannon Stacey fan and my love of her writing just keeps growing. This is an emotional 'best friends to lovers' story that had me in tears because, even though it's been years since the death of Claire's husband, who was also Justin's best friend, they have so much guilt about being able to move on and fall in love, especially with one another. Mistletoe and Margaritas has a perfectly magical happily ever after. 20,000 words

The bottom line - I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love reading holiday themed stories, and this is one of the best Christmas anthologies I've read, written by four very talented and creative authors. If you're looking for some great stories to cuddle up with on a cold winter's night, look no further than this great collection!

5 stars!

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

Note: The stories in Holiday Kisses are also available for purchase separately, if that's more to your liking.

Small Town Christmas, an Anthology

I absolutely love reading holiday themed stories, especially during the Christmas holidays because they just seem to make the season that much more magical. These three stories are not deep or thought provoking, nor are they at all very steamy, but they are definitely sweet and very romantic.

Kissing Santa Claus by Jill Shalvis

NASCAR driver Logan Perrish returns to Lucky Harbor, Washington, with love in his heart and a ring in his pocket. But can Sandy Jansen forget the past and give him a second chance? Or will Logan be spending another Christmas alone?

It was such a sweet treat, returning to Lucky Harbor for another Christmas celebration. It seems like love is always in the air during the holidays there, and this time it’s Logan’s turn to find his happily ever after. 3.5 stars

I'll Be Home for Christmas by Hope Ramsay

After ignoring the advice of Miz Miriam Randall, local matchmaker, Annie Roberts expects another hum drum holiday in Last Chance, South Carolina. But when a stray cat arrives in the arms of Army sergeant Matt Jasper, a calico named Holly just may be the best matchmaker of all.

This was a very sweet story about finding love where and when you least expect it. The writing wasn’t perfect, but the story had me a tad teary eyed in places. It's one of those stories that are just so magical at Christmas. 3 stars

Little Town of Bramble by Katie Lane

All Ethan Miller wants for Christmas is to celebrate in Bramble, Texas, with family and friends. But when his childhood neighbor, Samantha Henderson, comes home for the holiday, Ethan realizes that the girl-next-door could be the girl of his dreams.

Okay, this was one of the cutest, sweetest, funniest short stories I’ve read in a long time! The town's "live nativity scene" had me giggling and laughing out loud to the point that my kids demanded to know what I was reading! 4 stars

The bottom line - If you’re looking for some fun, feel good stories to help ring in the holidays, and you enjoy sweet, uncomplicated stories that you don’t have to hide from your Great Aunt Gertie who has a heart condition, or your mother-in-law who … well… anyway… you really should consider giving this trilogy a read!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy of this ebook through netgalley.com

Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis

Christmas in Lucky Harbor is actually the first two books in the Lucky Harbor series; Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing, and if you've ever thought about visiting Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor, now's the time because you can get two great stories for the price of one! And honestly, I loved them so much that I read both stories in less than two days, and yet I'm finding it nearly impossible to review them now because there is just so much to tell, so many funny quotes, so many sigh-worthy moments... I just can't decide where to start or what to share, so I'll just keep it simple.

1. Simply Irresistible is the first book in the Lucky Harbor series and such a great story. I'm sitting here with this silly grin on my face because it's been a long time since I've read a book, any book, that had me smiling, giggling, sighing and fanning myself as much as this one did. Simply put, Simply Irresistible is a wonderful, funny, sexy, romantic, feel good story! I went to sleep thinking about this book and woke up thinking about it. The hero, Jax, is the kind of man that you really could find in Anytown, USA, and the heroine, Maddie, is a real woman. The kind with curves, flaws and insecurities... someone we can all relate to. 5 stars!

2. The Sweetest Thing is the second book in the Lucky Harbor series, and once again I was left with a silly grin on my face, unable to stop thinking about Ford and Tara, and the other crazy friends and family who made this story so fun! And let me just tell you, this is one incredibly romantic and sexy story that had me fanning myself, laughing out loud and sighing often. With honest, believable characters that I couldn't help but care about and cheer for, it’s a tale of first love, lost love, and love renewed – and a story you definitely do not want to miss!  5 stars!

If you’ve ever read some of my reviews you know I’m not joking when I say that I could go on and on, paragraph upon paragraph, listing all reasons you need to read this book, but I’ll just cut to the chase: Do yourself a favor and just go buy the book, because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll discover for yourself the amazing people and the magic that is to be found during Christmas in Lucky Harbor.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy of this ebook through netgalley.com

To Command and Collar by Cherise Sinclair

Cherise Sinclair is the author who introduced me to the exciting world of BDSM through her Masters of the Shadowlands series. Every story has been sweet, funny, and very sexy, and the Masters and their subs are always wonderful, loving, and sometimes emotionally and physically scarred people who I can’t help but care about. I can’t explain it, but there’s just something in the way Ms. Sinclair tells a story, the way she pulls us into the minds and hearts of these people that makes everything between them feel so… right. And while this was definitely not the story I expected, nor can I say I even begin to understand the Master/slave relationship, I still loved it. It pushed some boundaries for me, made me uncomfortable at times, but most importantly – it had me thinking about other peoples’ needs, not judging theirs based on my own, and not only trying to understand, but wanting to understand where those needs come from. And in the end, it doesn’t matter where they come from, only that they are people – just like you and me, who want to love and to be loved in return.

Okay, so about the story. To Command and Collar, the sixth book in the Masters of the Shadowlands series, was much more intense than the previous books and the most emotionally draining of them all. Following right on the heels of Make Me, Sir, the Shadowlands Masters are once again working with the FBI to take down the sex slave operation known as The Harvest Association. In this story we’re given a more candid look into what it’s like for those women who have been kidnapped; their lives in captivity, their physical, sexual and mental abuse, as well as the business side of the sex slave trade, itself. There are many distressing aspects about this 'business', but one of the things that upset me the most is the emotional detachment of the ‘handlers.’ I just can’t understand how one human being can see another as nothing more than merchandise, and treat them like animals. And then what these poor women have to suffer after they’re freed – if they are ever freed… damn. Heartbreaking. Gut-wrenching. I was often in tears for them because even though I know this is just a story, I also know it’s not. The names are changed, the places are different… but the people are real. Somewhere, they’re real. They had lives and families and dreams... and now, right this very minute, they may have stopped hoping to ever have those things again. And because of that, I broke down sobbing when I read our heroine Kim's thought, "Dreams die before people do."

Master Sam’s role in this story and his nature as a sadist was touched on, and while I was mildly curious about him before this book, I’m now fascinated by him. I’ve read a couple of S&M stories in the past that left me feeling dirty and cold because to me their sexual intimacies were nothing more than acts of pain. But just in this tiny glimpse we were given into Sam I know that, for him, it's about so much more than that. If I could request one thing from Ms. Sinclair it would be to give Sam a story, because I know that she could present it to us in a way that would take us deep into his heart and soul, and show us exactly what it takes to make him love, and why.

As I've said, this is a very emotional story, but some of my favorite scenes were those that included the other Masters. Whenever they and their subbies all get together for a party, good food, lots of laughs and great sex are guaranteed. And I can't tell you how many times I giggled when one of the Masters would spot a subby walking awkwardly and knew that she'd been 'punished' for some infraction. Hell, I'll be honest here - the Master's creativity when it comes to discipline would have me looking for ways to be punished, but my favorite thing about them is how they aren't afraid to show their little subs, the women they love, how much they are adored.

The bottom line – Once again Cherise Sinclair has delivered a book that not only touched my heart, it captivated me. Was the story perfect? No,  but it's damned close! For me, when it's all said in done, it's how I feel when I finish that final page, that final thought, that matters most. To Command and Collar made me feel things I hadn’t felt before, and want things I didn’t know I ever could. Master Raoul and Kimberly, Master Sam, Linda… and especially Holly… will stay with me in my thoughts for a very long time.

Note: This book contains anal and oral sex, and intense scenes of sexuality, including whipping, spanking and bondage, as well as descriptions of varying non-consensual acts forced on the captive women. 


4.5/5 stars