Deliver Us by Lynn Kelling

Title:   Deliver Us

Author: Lynn Kelling
My Rating: A-

Genre: Erotic Romance (m/m)

Series: Deliver Us #1

Main Characters: Darrick and Gabe

Release Date:  March 2012

Publisher: Fantastic Fiction

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: erotic

Story Overview:
Novel (145,000 words)
Genre(s): Erotic Contemporary, Romance, BDSM
Darrek thinks he is just a straight, hard-working but lonely guy. When he decides to try a session at a private BDSM club, Darrek is unprepared for a life-changing encounter with beautiful, powerful and very male Dominant, Gabriel. Once they cross the line, nothing is off limits and nothing is enough as they crave ever more: more trust, more pleasure, more pain, and more devotion. As Darrek and Gabriel negotiate their relationships with each other and their coworkers, carefully-buried secrets and abusive pasts come to light.

My Review:

This book had an amazing balance of story and erotic sex. It was very heavy on the sexual side, but I felt like that just enhanced the story line rather than detracting from it. It's not always an easy book to read....these guys and their BDSM practices are pretty hardcore, but I found their stories riveting. 

Darrek and Gabriel are at the heart of the story, but there's a total of 6 guys who truly come into play in the whole dynamic....Darrek, Gabe, Kyle, Ben, Trace, and Micah. Kyle and Ben have a relationship developing over on the side and as Darrek and Gabe's best friends, that relationship affects theirs too. Kyle is the one who pulls Darrek into this whole BDSM scenario, but he doesn't trust Gabe...certainly not with his best friend. Kyle has been playing with these guys for a while and he knows what they are like behind closed doors. 

But like I started out saying, Gabe and Darrek are at the heart of this story. Gabe is the big, scary Dom. He's part of the three-way owners of the BDSM club, Diadem. As a Dom though, he never, never, ever lets anyone else touch or pleasure him...until Darrek. Darrek is both a BDSM and a gay virgin....he has NO IDEA what he's walking into when he comes to the club. NONE! But both he and Gabe find themselves quickly involved...deeply. BUT there's a reason Gabe never lets anyone else touch him and that definitely plays out throughout this book. 

I liked that Gabe and Dare are such complete opposites. Gabe doesn't trust or let anyone else in. Dare is one of those guys who is everyone's friend. He's just a big old teddy bear and he doesn't accept Gabe shutting him out. I liked that he could take charge for Gabe when he needed to.

Warning! This book is a classic example of why I should always write my reviews immediately before I read another book, especially if the next book I read is a follow-up book. I loved this book and the interesting relationships between all the guys within it...until I read book #2...and now it's hard for me to look at this book the same way because all the dynamics that are established within this book are shredded and blown apart in book #2.

Don't by Jack L. Pyke

Title: Don't

Author: Jack L. Pyle

My Rating: A+

Genre: Romantic Suspense (m/m)

Series: #1

Main Characters: Jack, Jan, and Gray

Release Date: January 2013

Publisher: Fantastic Fiction Publishing

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: erotic

Story Overview:
Genre(s): Gay, Romance, Suspense, BDSM

"Don't... open me."

Three simple words that tease Jack, taking him places from his dark past. For Jack, BDSM is a way to resist his worst impulses. Yet, the stranger calling himself The Unknown seeks to use that to seduce him.

As Jack slips further down into the abyss, two men hold the power to save him. Will it be Gray, the Master who knows Jack's every secret? Or Jan, the first man to give Jack a reason to hope? With deadly ghosts coming out to play, Jack may lose everything, even his life.

Novel (120,000 words)
(M/M - For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher's site.)

My Review:
OMG, this book was so good!! I'll tell you right now, I finished this book and immediately picked it up again at the beginning to do an entire re-read. Yes, it is that good. 

The book starts out fairly slow...and it's a long book, so there's a bit of build-up. The first time I read it, I skimmed the first 10%. The second time around, I read every single word. This book is about Jack. Jack's an interesting character. He has OCD and ODD. He has to have everything just so and has a real problem with someone telling him what to do....yet, he's a sub. Having no control over a sexual situation gives him freedom and settles him, but he still has these crippling psychological disorders. He's a Master's sub to Gray. As such, he trains new Doms. Jack is one tough guy....he puts himself in position to train others in how not to hurt...and many times gets hurt in the process...even with all the safety protocols. That scenario is what we find early in this book...and so Jack isn't in the healthiest of psychological places. 

To complicate things, he's met Jan....the first man that he's ever truly wanted a normal relationship with. But Jan isn't aware of Jack's BDSM lifestyle and isn't aware of the BDSM lifestyle at all, so he doesn't understand what Jack's job and obligations are...until he's thrown into it. Jan has just come off a 10 year relationship with a man who cheats so he sure isn't ready to hear why Jack needs to sleep with other men or why Gray has this pull over him.

Then there is the whole threat issue. Throughout the book, there is someone after Jack, playing sexual and psychological games with him. It's all a bit much for Jack to handle. 

This book was emotional story-telling at it's very best. Jack is a man with issues, but I absolutely, hands-down fell in love with his character. He's dealt with his issues as best as he can and managed to run a really successful business too. The one thing he's never truly had is a relationship. When things became complicated between Jan and him, I wanted to weep for him. He's such a strong character though. I LOVE that his is willing to do WHATEVER he needs to, to keep Jan. He may be a sub, but wow does this guy have amazing Dom tendencies. That makes what he does as a sub all the more amazing and attractive. 

Then there are the other men...Jan & Gray. When Jan becomes involved with Jack, he has no idea what he's getting into. He's a man overwhelmed, but I love that he never lets that defeat the strong man that he is. He may not know this world, but he knows he wants Jack and wants to understand his issues. The complete opposite of that is Gray. He's been involved with Jack for 11 years, 9 of those with Jack as his sub. Gray saved Jack, but as you watch Jack unravel, you begin to wonder if this is the best lifestyle for him anymore.

It's an expertly woven book. There's ton of action, suspense, emotion, and some seriously smexy times. The book is incredibly hot, but that's definitely not all there is to it. There's also an incredible story as you watch these men, all three, transition to find a new balance in their lifestyles. I truly loved it and plan to read and re-read it over an over. I'm also thrilled to say that Jack L. Pyle plans at least two more follow-up books. Yippeee!! Now I'm off to read Lynn Kelling's book Deliver Us because she has worked out a writing partnership with her characters and Jack Pyle's characters in each of their third books. 

Close Up Magic by Michelle Garren Flye

Title: Close Up Magic

Author: Michelle Garren Flye

My Rating: B+

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Series: Sleight of Hand #1

Main Characters: Stacey and Andre

Release Date: June 2013

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: spicy

Story Overview:

Do you believe in Magic?

Reporter Stacey Matthewson has made a living writing sensational stories that knock celebrities off their pedestals. Now she’s got a hot lead on an even hotter magician who’s mystifying Las Vegas with his new show–the problem is, she’s had a crush on him for years. How can she write a story that might ruin him, especially when he proves himself to be so much more than she’d ever dreamed?

Magician Andre Hawke has a knack for making things disappear, but when it comes to his brother’s drinking and gambling, he’s got a problem. Hiring the sexy reporter who threatens to blow away his carefully wrought illusion might be the answer to his problems…or she might bring on a whole new set of them.

Stacey’s never believed in magic, and Andre doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Can passion overcome their inhibitions, or will betrayal stem the tide of love?

My Review:
B+ rating

Whoa...I do believe in magic and the incredible ambience it creates in this wonderful romantic story. I'm not a huge fan of magicians...I just have never gotten into that world of entertainment, but wow, it makes such an incredible setting for this book!

Stacey is a *somewhat sleazy* entertainment reporter. She's fallen into this profession where her job is to dig up the dirt on others in the entertainment industry because she needed the money to help raise and support her sister. When the book begins, she's trying to renew her reputation after a story went wrong. She saw Andre perform years before anyone knew who he was and she's always been fascinated, so she's followed his career. That's how she knows that she can break a huge story about him when she realizes there's a scandal with his brother. What she doesn't count on is Andre...

Andre is a performer...a mesmerizing one, but he's also a guy who's passionate about his art, his friends, and his family. He doesn't plan on doing anything to jeopardize those things. But when he meets Stacey, even knowing upfront that she's there to dig on him, he innately trusts her. Trust is a big theme to this book and one that Andre is struggling with since his brother just betrayed him in the biggest way possible. I liked how Andre trusted his instincts when it came to Stacey especially in the beginning. He could truly see the person she was through the quality (if not the subject matter) of her writing. (As a writer, I LOVED that...*happy sigh*)

Trust is something that Stacey has NEVER known. She never had home stability. Her sister is virtually the only person that she's ever counted on and that isn't necessarily a good recommendation, because her sister is very human and a bit self-absorbed. So she has a really difficult time trusting Andre with her heart.

This book had such great themes. Magic is definitely the basis of it and there is a thread of mystical quality to the story-telling. It makes you want to believe in the magic of these characters. It truly is like reading a grown-up fairy tale and I loved that gorgeous, magical quality to it. But this is a romance novel so there is some drama thrown in there too which I thought the author did really well. That's where that whole second theme of Trust came into play. Really superbly told and written.

It truly was a great story and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. 

A Surefire Way by J.T. Bock

Title: A Surefire Way

Author: J.T. Bock

My Rating: A

Genre: Romantic Suspense 

Series: Ultrasec #1

Main Characters: Raven and Surefire

Release Date: January 2012

Publisher: PepperLip Press

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: spicy

Story Overview:
UltraAgent Surefire’s plan is simple: Capture the transhuman thief Raven. Win back the respect of her father. Get a raise.

Easy, right?

Except Surefire just broke the number one rule of her employer, UltraSecurity, a niché security firm that solves crimes committed by genetically enhanced humans like Raven. She trailed Raven into a warehouse without backup. And something more powerful than any transhuman is waiting inside.

Raven’s plan is simple: Atone for his past crimes. Return stolen spiritual artifacts to restore the world’s balance. Don’t get caught by UltraSecurity.

Easy, right?

Until a spunky UltraSecurity agent is suddenly on his tail, although Raven wishes she was on … well, never mind … he can’t get distracted from his mission. Because she’s followed him into a warehouse filled with his reclaimed relics, and Raven’s ex-partner in crime is about to unleash a supernatural-sized complication into his plan.

His old partner has accidentally summoned an Aztec god who will destroy the world unless Raven stops this spirit with a superiority complex. To do this, Raven must team up with Surefire and reveal the truth about his powers, exposing her to a force that can either save the world or destroy them both.

Following Raven into that warehouse throws Surefire into a surreal world filled with moody gods, day-glo skulls, dizzying dimensional portals, maniacal half-roach magicians, and a sexy thief who is more than he appears under his snug t-shirt. Is Raven a criminal, or is he working for a higher power? Surefire needs to be certain, because if she joins him on this mission, she’ll have to surrender everything she believed in for a surefire way to save the world, discover her destiny and find true love.

My Review:
Mix together Marvel Comics+ Indiana Jones+ GI Joe = A Surefire Way. This was such a fun, creative book. I love this world that J.T. Bock has created and am excited to see what else she has up her sleeve. 

This book is about Surefire. She's the progeny of a world class gymnast and a military general. Twin to the perfect Heather, and Surefire has always been the disappointment in the family....never living up to her parent's extremely high expectations of her. She's trying to fix that by catching the elusive, Raven, UltraSecurity's number 1 fugitive, who's already escaped several other, more experienced UltraSec agents. Everything about her assignment with Raven goes wrong and they end up trapped together doing a job for another evil character.

So, you know this is a romance, right? So, it stands to reason that criminal Raven has more to his story....and he definitely does! I loved his background...really intriguing. He is a bad guy...on the surface...but he's trying to make the world a better place and has determined to do so without hurting anyone else. Very quickly within the story, it becomes apparent that these two are going to have to work together to get out of this alive. They make such a fabulous team. 

They are both great characters, with so many valid reasons why they can't be together, which is heartbreaking. I loved that complexity to the story line....both the suspense side and the emotional, romantic side. This book had it all and I'm so glad that I took a risk on it and picked it up. It was WELL worth the time I put into the read. I cannot wait for the next book...*hint to the author*- I really, really, really want Pax's story!!

Glass Ceiling by Bruce H. Graw

Title: Glass Ceiling

Author: Bruce H. Graw

My Rating: B+

Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy

Series: Glass Trilogy #1

Main Characters: Howard and Kayla

Release Date: December 2012

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: mild

Story Overview:
Lovely but heartless, Kayla Robertson rules over her department with an iron fist, treating her subordinates as stepping-stones in her quest for an elusive promotion to upper management. Unbeknownst to Kayla, one of those oppressed subordinates, a former molecular engineer named Howard Taylor, is obsessed with her beyond all reason. Using secret knowledge thought lost in a catastrophic lab explosion, Howard constructs a device quite literally capable of cutting Kayla down to size...

My Review:
B+ rating
I'll admit, I read this book as a favor to a friend, expecting poor writing, typos, and a sluggish story. Wow, was I ever wrong!  This book was fabulous. I read the first chapter and then had to walk away for family stuff. I came back and fully intended to only read one more chapter, thinking that first chapter was a pleasant fluke, but had something more enticing waiting to be read. Three hours later, I was done and climbing onto the net with my e-reader to order book #2. This book was that good!

This book is about Howard. Howard's an extremely intelligent guy, who earned a dual degree in Engineering and Accounting. His first job was part of a research team developing a product. Something went really bad in the lab...several people were hurt, including him and several died so the research program was shut down. Howard went on to find another job with his accounting skills, but he didn't abandon his research...instead he just continued doing it in his basement. He's developed a shrink machine. 

Overall, Howard's life is pretty good except for one person....his boss Kayla, who's gorgeous, but completely cold, frigid, and demanding. Howard decides that he will take care of Kayla and shrink her. She's made his life miserable and he's ready for a bit of payback. He's created this whole world for her to live in, in his basement...a glassed-in case that looks like an incredibly realistic model....because everything in it is real, just shrunk. 

There are four basic characters in this book: 
1. Howard, who's awkward and geeky, but is a super-intelligent guy. He tries to do his job and he does it well. He does not handle intimidation from Kayla well.
2. Kayla, who gets a bit of pleasure from tormenting her employees. She's gorgeous and fit and knows that she looks good, but she has hidden depths and reasons she is the way that she is.
3. Stephen, who works with Kayla and Howard. He's pretty much a slacker who's gotten by on his charisma and charm. He's the popular guy, but underneath it all, kind of skeazy.
4. Leonard, the police detective investigating Kayla's disappearance. He considers things in a non-normal way and isn't afraid to kind of bend the rules.

This is the first installment of the book and I'm really intrigued. There's not a reversal for Kayla's shrinkage, so I have so many questions and possibilities about how the story could play out. I'm anxious to see where Bruce Graw takes it.

Programmed for Pleasure by Jenna Ives

Title:  Programmed for Pleasure

Author: Jenna Ives

My Rating: B

Genre: Sci Fi Romance

Series: -

Main Characters: Jai and Marque

Release Date: April 2013

Publisher:  -

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: erotic

Story Overview:
Tau Cetus police agent Jai Turner is being sent undercover as a Beautiful Dolls sex robot in order to bring down the planet's most notorious arms dealer, Marque Callex. The police have never been able to get close to Callex, and Jai’s assignment is to use her sexual skills to satisfy Marque, and to coax information out of him on his illicit dealings – information that will lead to his conviction. 

Notoriously reclusive arms dealer Marque Callex only accepted an invitation from Beautiful Dolls because he needs a little stress relief. With his deadly line of work – and the dangerous secrets he’s keeping – he rarely lets anyone into his life. That’s why a week of free, no-commitment, no-holds-barred sex – in return for giving Beautiful Dolls owner Anson Carron feedback on how his newest model of sexbot performs – is perfect for him.

But neither Jai nor Marque are what they seem, and their week together has consequences neither expected.

My Review:
This book had a really interesting premise. Obviously set in the future, it had a sci fi twist with the fact that Jai is a cop, who's requested to go undercover as a sex robot. Even in this future world, this is not something that Jai is comfortable with, but one of her fellow cops was murdered by this man, Marque Callex, and they haven't been able to get near him any other way to get evidence about him. It's the only way and though it makes Jai really uncomfortable, she's willing to give up that comfort to catch this man that she and the force knows needs to be taken off the streets. He has her services for an hour every day for a week at lunch. In that time, she's supposed to get him relaxed enough with her so that he talks to her. It works...and Jai discovers he's not the man she thought he was.

Like I said...interesting, right?? It was and I found myself really mesmerized by this situation that Jai and Marque find themselves in. Marque is under a LOT of stress in his job and knows he needs to let go some and that's why he agrees to the sex robot, but is shocked to find that he really likes her. He never suspects that she's not a robot, but is surprised by just how life-like and real she seems. He's also a bit disturbed by how distracting she is to him. He's fascinated and drawn to her in a way he never has been with other woman. 

Jai's in a tougher spot. She has to continue to act robot-like in very un-robot-like situations. She also quickly discovers that Marque is nothing like she expected. She likes him and begins to feel really uncomfortable with what they are doing. And as things are revealed, the hopelessness of their situation hikes up. He will never forgive her for this deception. 

I liked it. It's definitely hot....hello, sexbot, but there was also some emotion and story behind it all too. The love happened a little too quickly for my taste, but I could definitely see how the connection could evolve this quickly. Quirky, fun, and action-packed. It was DEFINITELY worth the read!

The Perfect Sub by Jayson Locke

Title:  The Perfect Sub

Author: Jayson Locke

My Rating: B+

Genre: Contemporary Romance (m/m)

Publisher: 1 Night Stand

Main Characters: Drew and Holt

Release Date: May 2013

Publisher:  Decadent

Links to Purchase:

Amazon

Sexual Intensity: erotic

Story Overview:
Drew Prescott thinks he has to be perfect to attract the Dom of his dreams. However, after a year of repressing his true personality, he must face the fact that Dominant Holt Benedict still isn’t interested. In a desperate effort to move on with his life, he contacts Madame Eve, requesting a Dominant who will make him forget Holt so he can try to heal his broken heart. But when his date demonstrates a different way of seeing things, their one night changes everything and forces Drew to recognize the difference between being a perfect sub and offering perfect submission to the man he craves.


My Review:
Aw, I really loved this 1Night Stand story. The best thing about it is that the two men have a history. Drew has wanted to sub for Holt for almost a year. In the meantime, he's not been able to have sex with anyone else. He doesn't desire anyone else. He's getting a bit desperate and has finally given up. He finally accepts that it's never going to happen with Holt so he contacts Madame Eve, hoping that a 1NS will help him get over his obsession. So you can imagine his surprise...and yes, anger....when his 1NS turns out to be Holt. 

I loved the set-up for this story. Drew has been burying who he really is to be the perfect sub for Holt, which is NOT what Holt truly wants. It turns out to be such a great story about the importance of being true to yourself before you can be something more to someone else. I loved Drew's bit of rebellion and bratiness. He truly wants Holt, but has finally hit the point where's he's had enough. He's not going to hold back anymore....nothing like a sub is supposed to act. But it shows that this is a guy who is his own person, too. It made him so much more attractive and a great character to read about. 

The other side of that is Holt. I loved how quickly it becomes apparent about what he really wants. Yes, he wants a sub, but not an automotron. He wants a sub who's also strong and capable. So attractive. 

This book was easy to love. It has a wonderful style to it. I really enjoyed both characters although we definitely get to know Drew better because the whole story is told from his POV. I liked the depth to the story. There is a lot of history woven into it to give a lot to this very short story. It was GOOD!