Wild and Precious by CJane Elliott

 Aspiring writer Brent Granger has good friends and a great job at an arts magazine in DC, but he’s batting zero in the arena of love. Brent begins to get a clue why things aren’t working with women from his strong attraction to his gorgeous, gay, and already attached boss, Graham Stoneford. When he sees a personal ad from a man that quotes his favorite poet, Brent decides to do something wild and answer.

Enter Cody Bellstrom, easygoing bisexual musician, who is happy to initiate Brent in the ways of gay sex. Brent now has a new problem: he realizes he’s gay and no one in his life knows it. Cody tires of hiding their relationship, but Brent finds it challenging to come out to family, friends, and especially to Graham. In the end, Brent must confront the truth of where—and with whom—his heart lies.

Aww, I really liked this story. It’s an easy read with characters who you immediately connect with. It was nice that there wasn’t the resident ‘baddie’ – it made it all that more difficult to decide who Brent should end up with!

The story begins with Brent wondering why he keeps losing in the arena of love. His dates with women never progress past the first one, and when he develops a growing attraction to his handsome, older gay boss – the lightbulb goes off. He decides to throw caution to the wind and answers a personal ad from a guy named Cody because he quotes from Brent’s favorite poem (this is one of the ways the ‘wild and precious’ aspect ties in to the story). They begin dating, Cody shows him how good sex can be with the right gender and it appears they’ll dance off into the sunset together. Or not.

This novella length book worked for me on most levels. There’s a love triangle involved, and since the three characters are mentioned in the blurb, I don’t see it as a spoiler by saying it’s between Brent, Cody and Graham – Brent’s boss. For a brief moment while reading I thought the story was going to jump the shark and turn into a menagé, but I was quickly reassured.

Brent. Absolutely adored him. I actually would’ve preferred the entire book be in his POV due to the love triangle aspect and because I felt that the happenings in the book were his issues to work through. Not that everything didn’t impact the other characters, just that where and how Brent’s life was going to progress from him making the discovery he was gay to finding his true love was really more about his personal journey. When the POV left him, I felt it lessened the impact of his struggle and realizations about himself and his life.

I really liked both Graham and Cody and I agreed with the author over who should end up with Brent – I was rooting for him. I also thought it was a great move to make both of the men so different from each other. It made me run the pros and cons of them being Brent’s love match through my head as I read along. There were moments of angst in this book, but nothing too over the top. There’s an enjoyable sweetness to it and I think it’s the perfect read for a lazy afternoon when you just want something to make you feel good.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wild and Precious and give it 4 Stars. I also hope that the odd man out gets his happily ever after too – he deserves it!

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Mercy's Prisoner (Life Prison: Mercy's Prisoner #1-5) by Dusk Peterson

 "'You have committed a vile and savage act, one that any other nation would punish with death. Our punishment, on the other hand, will only be to give you what you want. You have sought to live in a world without boundaries of civilization, and such a world shall henceforth be your dwelling place.'"

A cold-hearted murderer. A vicious abuser. A young man hiding a shameful secret. A bewildered immigrant. A pure-minded spy.

All of these men have found their appointed places at Mercy Life Prison, where it is easy to tell who your enemies are. But a new visitor to Mercy is about to challenge decades-old customs. Now these men's worst enemies may be hiding behind masks . . . and so may their closest allies.

A runner-up in the Rainbow Awards 2014, the book bundle "Mercy's Prisoner" can be read on its own or as the first volume in the Life Prison series. Friendship, desire between men, and the costs of corruption and integrity are examined in this multicultural speculative fiction series, which is inspired by prison life at the end of the nineteenth century.

Hmm. Different than my usual read, but before I get into that – I want to make one thing clear, Dusk Peterson is a helluva great writer. Now onto what I thought of this bundle of shorts that are all connected by the setting of Mercy’s prison. The events takeplace at the end of the 19^th century. First off, while I’m all about historicals – especially M/M historicals because the tension and drama is always right there within a historical setting –this is an alternative history. One of the main differences for me in reading this book is that it is not romance. I do read gay fiction, but I tend toward romance because I usually get a HFN at the very least. Nope. Doesn’t happen, so you can forget all about that right now. But again, because I love historical M/M and do occasionally read gay fiction – I thought I’d give this a try. I’m very glad I did.

Okay, yeah, no happy endings for me – or the characters. This all falls under more of a soul searching umbrella. Each story tells the tale of a prisoner who is condemned to live his days out at Mercy prison. The prisoners aren’t allowed to die (which means the inmates or guards can’t kill them) because that would be like skipping out on their punishment. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be raped and beaten. Or that they’re having a good time or that they aren’t subjected to mind-numbing boredom or worked half to death (Remember – only half, not whole).

There are attempts at romance, attempts to reconcile with fate, attempts to forge a life within a living death. Because this volume of stories is the first of more to come, there are plot lines that are introduced that don’t get resolved. Overall, you’re looking at a very dark, gritty, depressing tale – with a few touches of black humor – and things aren’t neatly wrapped up at the end. You might think that I’m trashing this collection  - but I’m not. I merely want readers who don’t care for that type of book or have triggers that this may not be the read for them.

What’s my opinion about these stories? They made me think. They really made me feel, and it wasn’t always a comfortable feel. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. It’s very important that tales like these be told so that we remain aware of the different shades of humanity and that there are those who suffer unjustly. I’m not sure if the word ‘love’ is the proper label for me to attach to my feelings regarding Mercy’s Prisoner, but I was wholeheartedly invested and lost in the horror of the world Dusk Peterson created. When writing successfully does that to me, then I have no choice but to give it 5 Stars. 

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Honored in the Rainbow Awards, Dusk Peterson writes historical speculative fiction, including lgbtq novels. Suspense plays an important role in many of the tales; the conflict in those tales is both external and internal. Peterson's stories are often placed in dark settings, such as prisons or wartime locations. The mood of the stories, however, is not one of unrelieved gloominess: romance, friendship, and faithful service are recurring themes. Visit duskpeterson.com for e-books and free fiction.

A Bond of Three by K.C. Wells

 In the kingdom of Teruna, the red-cloaked Seruani teach the Terunans the art of love. Taken from their homes at seventeen to be trained, they are shunned as outcasts by society and considered the lowest of the low. So when Prince Tanish falls in love with the Seruan Feyar, the man who took his virginity and the only one to share his bed, he is not about to declare that love. No one can ever know, because the consequences would be too painful to consider for both of them.

When the king of Vancor visits Teruna, he promises that his son, Prince Sorran, will marry Prince Tanish to solidify the alliance between the two kingdoms, with the proviso that the virginal Sorran is instructed in the art of pleasing his husband-to-be. When Tanish’s father chooses Feyar to be this instructor, the lovers decide Prince Sorran must be taught that this is to be a marriage in name only….

A resentful prince, unwilling to share his lover.

A resentful Seruan, unwilling to share his prince.

And the shy prince whose very nature sparks changes in the lives of all those around them.

Teruna is about to change forever.

I love KC Well’s Collars & Cuffs series and I love me a good menage, so I was chomping at the bit to get to this one. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint! Story-wise, it’s very different from anything Ms. Wells has written in the past, but hot sex-wise, it’s right on target with her usual fare. Yum.

The story takes place in a fantasy world, but is told in a way where all the extraneous, complicated world building isn’t really necessary. It all makes sense and allows you to immerse yourself in the setting, but the story remains focused where it should be - on the characters. The virginal Prince Tanish has been taught the ways of love by Feyar, a Seruan – a race that is looked down upon by society because they’re essentially thought of as whores. When Prince Sorran is set to marry Prince Tanish as a political alliance, Sorran’s father hires Feyar to teach the virginal Sorran how to please Tanish, his husband-to-be.

Sometimes menages can be very difficult to accept as there can be an imbalance in the relationships between the three, but the title really says it all. There is such a strong bond between these men that even the minor hiccups in the beginning before they figure it all out doesn’t create too much angst. Their chemistry jumps off the page and grabs you and they are smokin’ hot together. I loved these men.

As far as the tone for this story, it remains super sweet and is definitely a feel good – almost fairytale book.

If you’re looking for a lot of drama and an abundance of tearjerker scenes, this isn’t for you. If you want wizards and dragon-slaying and evil witches – this isn’t for you. If you want to fall in love with three wonderfully sweet men in an alternate fairytale universe, then you will love the living heck out of this book. I’m of the latter opinion, so I give A Bond of Three Five Stars.

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To Be Human (To Be Human #1) by Pearl Love

TM 05637 was created to be a killer. Genetically engineered for superiority, he was facing a life of missions, blood, and death until his creator decides to set him free. On the run from those holding his leash, he is found by David Conley, an ordinary store owner who stumbles upon a remarkable find. Renaming himself “Tim,” TM 05637 sets out to discover what it means to have a normal life.

Through his friendships with a young boy dealing with a nightmarish family life, and David’s mother, who decides Tim is perfect for her son, Tim slowly discovers his humanity. Even more importantly, David teaches Tim about the power of love. But General Woodard, leader of the project that created Tim, threatens their happiness with his determination to bring his evasive quarry permanently to heel.

As the search net closes ever tighter around him, Tim must find a way to thwart his pursuers so he can stay with David and live out his dream.

D’oh, I loved this! Just go buy it. Seriously. This tells the story of a genetically engineered human created to be a killer. TM 05637 changes his name to ‘Tim’ when his creator sets him free to save him from the horrors of what he would undoubtedly face. While eluding his previous captors, he runs into David who’s a regular guy, owns a store, lives a normal life. Tim is desperate for that same type of life. Could he also share it with David?

During the set up for this I couldn’t help but draw comparison to the eighties film, ‘Short Circuit’. That one had a tension filled ending when the military baddies were trying to kill Number 5 the robot who’s become self-aware. With that in mind, I had a sense of where this story might be going. There was a lot of nail biting for me at the end to be sure – and yes – there is a cliffhanger!

However, before all of that is an amazingly well written story filled with gentle touches and raw emotion. The developing love story between Tim and David is told with finesses and is a slow, sweet burn. I absolutely adored it. The supporting characters and subplot were all worth the read too. I had a strong sense of the character’s motivations and I believed their actions and reactions. I’m definitely looking forward to the next one – Ms. Love had better be writing it right now (or better yet, it’s due out any minute). You won’t be sorry you took the time to read this wonderful story. I give To Be Human 5 Stars.

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Sext Based Adventures by Francis Gideon

 Chris thought he was done with his gaming days. He'd deleted his account, gone back to his day job, and put his fantasy world days behind him… but couldn't resist the urge to return. This time, however, he decided to play as a woman—a persona he maintains even when he makes friends with Jessica.

When Jessica offers online sex, Chris still cannot bring himself to confess his secret. As their relationship turns serious, still he cannot admit to the ruse. Then Jessica proposes they meet offline, and Chris is finally forced to confront the questions and choices he's been avoiding…

This short story was cute and hot. I was curious to see if the story went the way I thought it would from reading the blurb. Yup – it did (falls into spoiler territory if I say why, even if it’s pretty guessable). That’s not a bad thing and as a bonus, I got one of my favorite fetishes – a hot guy in women’s underwear. At that point, everything went fuzzy and I didn’t care about plot points or anything else – I was just enjoying the visuals in my head.

If you read the blurb, it clearly states that gaming is in the story, and it is a major part of the plot in terms of the ‘geek speak’. I’m not a huge fan of that, and I guess I wasn’t expecting all the World of Warcraft stuff. That’s probably my fault for not taking the blurb more seriously, but I was looking for more of the ‘Catfish’ element. If WOW isn’t your most favorite thing ever, your main reason for reading this better be a hot guy in women’s underwear. Just sayin’.

There were some clunky moments and a few actions by the characters I didn’t entirely buy, but did I mention there was a hot guy in women’s underwear? Oh, right. Overall, it was a sweet story with a little tension when Chris decides to go through with meeting ‘Jessica’. Their final hookup was what I’d hoped it would be and I thought they were a cute couple. I wouldn’t mind reading more about these characters in the future, but with less gaming and more underwear. Chris could delete his gaming account again and they could open up a lingerie boutique together. I would totally buy that book.

I give Sext Based Adventures 4 Stars.

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#Throwback: The Station

Ever since Cambridge-bound Colin Lancaster secretly watched stable master Patrick Callahan mastering the groundskeeper, he's longed for Patrick to do the same to him. When Patrick is caught with his pants down and threatened with death, Colin speaks up in his defense, announcing that he, too, is guilty of "the love that dare not speak its name."

Soon they're both condemned as convicts and shipped off to the faraway prison colony of Australia. Patrick learned long ago that love is a fairy tale and is determined that no one will scale the wall he's built around his heart. Yet he's inexorably drawn to the charismatic Colin despite his best efforts to keep him at bay. As their journey extends from the cramped and miserable depths of a prison ship to the vast, untamed Australian outback, Colin and Patrick must build new lives for themselves. They'll have to tame each other to find happiness in this wild new land.

I love historical romance. What I particularly enjoy though, is when the time period or location is unique - it isn’t the typical Regency or Victorian. I found that with The Station. This well-written story is set in the mid 1800’s and involves the slightly older Patrick – the stable master, and young Colin – the son of the wealthy family Patrick works for. Colin develops a crush on Patrick after spying him having sex with a man, and when Patrick is discovered and faces a hanging, Colin confesses he’s a lover of men too to save him. They both end up getting shipped off to Australia into an uncertain future.

The story is rich with description and setting. The characters are opposites who definitely attract, but Colin - the more emotionally enthusiastic one - has to work on thawing the standoffish Patrick’s heart. It’s a very sweet love story with some twists and turns that I enjoyed quite a bit. I have to reiterate again, I appreciated the uniqueness of the setting. I don’t know that much of the history of Australia at that time – so I can’t speak to the accuracy – but it was a very interesting tale.

I should mention that the romance between these two men is a slow burn. Once things take off, the sex is very hot and I felt their chemistry. Prior to that, there was a bit of the ‘schoolboy crush’ aspect to it. Once they were faced with limited options, they bonded more and I really felt their connection. Overall, if you want a read where you can lose yourself in another era, in a story with a bit of angst and drama, and a couple who are both hot and sweet together – then I would highly recommend The Station. I give it 4 Stars.

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After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” You can find out more about Keira and her books at her 

website, and on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Harvest: Journey's End (The Harvest #2) by M.A. Church

 Adapting is a word Dale Michaels has become familiar with. As he settles into his new life with the Tah’Narian starship captain Keyno, Dale has adapted to life with an alien, space travel, and having his body mutated so he can carry a young. He’s closed the chapter on his old life.
Living on Tah’Nar, Dale has a loving mate and good friends. He’s helped cement peace with the Onfre. Sure, being double-dosed during his harvest led to some serious drama, but that’s over. Dale’s happy.

But life is never that simple.

Even though Dale loves Keyno, he still struggles with the way the Tah’Narians harvest young males as mates. Dale finds himself hijacked by his own body, courtesy of his extra dose of Tah’Narian DNA. Then there’s the devastating secret his mate, Keyno, has hid all this time. And if all that isn’t enough, outside forces threaten to rip Dale’s hard-won peace apart as well.

Join Dale for a non-stop adventure and a love that crosses several worlds and transcends space.

This has been the sequel that I have been waiting for because I just loved The Harvest: Taken.  I’m not a fan of sci-fi books in the slightest – and the fact that I love this series should say something!

I am so glad that we were able to catch up with Dale, Keyno, and everyone else as well.  I thought that it was great that Ms. Church didn’t *cut* anyone out of the sequel, they all had important roles in the first book and they continued on in this one.  I loved the fact that Dale and Keyno were just like a normal couple.  They weren’t an *insta-love* in the first book, and even in this book, Dale was still fighting with Keyno and standing up for himself and his friends.  I just loved that he didn’t lose who he was or change completely because of who he was mated too.

There is a great amount of suspense and action that kept this story going.  It wasn’t overdone to the point where there was something happening with every page turn, but just enough to keep you interested and wanting to find out more.  I thought that it was very smart of Ms. Church to add in some more of the different cultures that men had been Harvested from because that just added another new layer to the whole book.

Twists and turns were very apparent in the story, but, to me, that is what kept the story as interesting as it was.  There were so many things that happened that I really want to mention, but I don’t want to give anything away.  But I will say that Ms. Church did a great job at bringing together family and showing that you don’t have be blood related in order to love someone unconditionally.

I think that Ms. Church has another hit on her hands with this release and I really can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next in the world that she has created.

We open pretty much where we left off in book one, just got done visiting Colt and Ti on Ti’s home planet of Onfre. Everyone is getting alone and settling into the new friendships and the mates are finally settling into the new lives.  Until Dale starts getting antsy on the ship back home and starts his estrus cycle.  Once home and fully sated, life returns to normal until Dale starts planning a young shower for Jolak. Between the young showers, the attack on Ti and Colt Dale’s not sleeping, eating and losing weight. Is it because of the stress or did the first cycle really work? Are they pregnant?  Can anything be normal for Dale and his double dose?

Just like book one, I just loved it from page one to the last. Until like the first one, this one had more humor in it. I found myself crying, laughing and saying that nickname that Keyno loves so much. Once again even though we are focused in on Dale and Kenyo you can’t have this story without all the characters, including the young at the end.

 

I have been chomping at the bit for the conclusion of Dale and Keyno’s story for a while and I’m happy to say I was not in the least bit disappointed. Well – unless there’s not another book on the horizon. Will there be? Please? I won’t spoiler – but we definitely need to know what happens to the next generation of both the young and the ‘new wave’ at the end. That worked out well for Star Trek, so why not here? *grin*

On to the review. I’m going to assume you read the first book, because this is one of those series where you’ll not only be completely lost, but would miss out on the building of a beautiful, sweet love story. You need all the back story to understand the m-preg, or it won’t make any sense. Ms. Church does a hell of a lot of incredible world building in the first book as well that’s so important to the overall story.

Dale and Kenyo are settled into their life as a couple and sure enough, Dale goes into Estrus, which turns out to be a very taxing rather than sexy process. Basically, if Dale doesn’t mate constantly during the 24 hours of his cycle – he’s in agonizing pain. Even the horned up Keyno is a depleted mess by the time Dale is done. Soon, not only is Dale pregnant, but so are Chad, John, and Colt – all of Dale’s friends from the first book. Most of the rest of the story deals with the Alpha males fretting over their mate’s condition and the mates struggling with the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy – especially as they’re men! I loved all the birth sequences - probably my favorite parts of the book.

There’s not a lot of plot here – but that’s okay. The majority of the plot happened in the first one, with a few hiccups in the second one to resolve some of the issues brought up by the first. But if you’ve read the first book and loved it, you seriously won’t care. That’s because this story is all about the knee-weakening, awe-inspiring, cute love stories of the characters – primarily Dale and Keyno, as it’s told in Dale’s perspective. This is not heavy sci-fi, or dark, or gritty or anything like that. This is fun, sweet, sexy and told with a humorous and sometimes snarky touch.

But now that I’ve fallen in love with the world that Church has built and melted over these characters – there has to be more! I want more on all the characters – the current ones, the young, the future chosen. Bring it on! I give The Harvest: Journey’s End 5 pleading Stars for more books *wink*

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