The Articles of Release by B.A. Tortuga

The Articles of Release by B.A. Tortuga

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Despite the fact that scenes within this book nearly gave me a heart attack more than once, Tortuga has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her writing is smooth, her characters are authentic, and the love between them is beautiful. The Articles of Release was no exception and I found myself falling in love with Eric and Troy – even as I wanted to throttle Troy on several occasions. His siblings were lucky he was the baby because had he been the firstborn, at least half that brood wouldn’t have been born.

Tortuga wastes no time in getting to the meat of the story with Eric’s introduction. In a matter of pages we learn that this career-military man suffered a life-changing injury, his family turned their back on him when they learned he was gay, and he has only one person he THINKS he can call on for help as he transitions from the military to civilian life. Fortunately, that person is Adam Winchester and Adam doesn’t even hesitate to offer his and Sage’s help and home to Eric. This not only gives fans of the series a chance to catch up with the pocket cowboy and his husband, but Sage’s own physical condition puts Eric at ease because Sage and Adam understand him in ways most people cannot. It’s also beneficial because Sage is able to introduce Eric to his personal trainer, Troy, who is helping him recover from the knee surgeries. And while Eric makes a complete and utter arse of himself during their first meeting, Troy gives Eric a second chance while he himself is recuperating from an injury. As the two men take down their walls and get to know one another, their initial antagonism fades rather quickly and the sparks begin to fly. But when Troy’s tendency for reckless behaviors puts him in harm’s way more than once, Eric has to decide whether or not he can live with the risk of loving an adrenaline junkie.

I loved this book. Thanks to some socially influential people of this decade, the injuries that service men and women suffer while protecting our country have been celebrated (for lack of a better term on my part). While this doesn’t make it any easier physically for the person who suffered the injury, I believe that at least some of the social stigma that was once attached to prosthetics and burns has been lessened. In The Articles of Release, Tortuga takes it one step further by not only addressing the injuries sustained by veterans, but also those of the civilian population as it is Troy who uses prosthetics due to an accident that occurred in his teens. With both of our main characters in this novel living with injuries that changed their lives, we get to see how their day-to-day activities are affected, how their relationships are affected, and how their sense of self is affected. For me, this proved to be quite an emotional read and I found myself holding back the tears more than once. But Tortuga doesn’t allow her characters to wallow for long and uses humor to break the tension within a heavy scene several times. The chemistry between Troy and Eric was palpable and I adored that the men could be both affectionate and raw – depending upon what their partner needed. The airport scene broke my freaking heart because I was at a total loss of how that was going to play out and I thought it was a perfect ending for the couple. I look forward to more books in the series and am hopeful that we’ll get to catch up with Sage and Adam, and Troy and Eric in the next installment because I’d love to see how they’re all faring.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters

Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


While I have read the previous books in the Rescue Me Saga multiple times, this is only the second time I have read Nobody’s Perfect. Why? Because in it, Ms. Masters deals with so many difficult issues that it’s a very emotional read for me. Even though this book focuses primarily on Damian and Savannah’s relationship, this is a series that builds upon itself so you need to have read the previous books first to be able to grasp the enormity of the situation when Savi shows up at Damian’s front door asking for protection.

We first met Savannah in Masters at Arms, the series prequel, when Damian rescued her from a couple of sadists who were abusing her in the hotel where he worked. They spent a “magical” day together but because of circumstances beyond both of their control, they were separated for almost a decade. Fate being a fickle witch, their paths crossed again when Damian was in California on a family matter in Nobody’s Hero. As a result of that incident, Savannah finds herself being hunted by her former abuser and goes to the only man who has ever made her feel safe – Damian. Being a former Marine and having Adam in his corner, Damian is able to provide Savannah with a safe haven and a means to begin to heal from the abuse she suffered at her father’s hands. As Damian sets out to show Savi that nobody’s perfect but that she is perfect for him, he learns to accept the same truth about himself as she embraces the discovery of his amputation without issue. While the sex is indeed hot – and sometimes funny when Damian and Savannah begin talking about Chico and Chiquita as separate entities – I loved the focus on healing, acceptance, and intimacy. Because of Savi’s abuse-related triggers and Damian’s PTSD triggers, there is a lot of time spent on overcoming the triggers (particularly Savannah’s) and accommodating those that can’t be overcome easily (for both of them).

As awful as it sounds, I liked that Ms. Masters brought Savannah’s monsters back into her life. It forced Savannah to face some terrible truths from her past that she had repressed, while giving her an opportunity to learn her own strength. And because Damian, Adam and the others rescued her, it gave Damian the opportunity to “slay her dragons” metaphorically and give her tormentors a little taste of their own medicine. I also liked that rather than wrapping the book up after Savi’s abusers have been dealt with, the author chose to continue to move their story forward and we got to see further development of Damian and Savannah’s relationship in this installment. I enjoyed the therapeutic nature of their “date scene” and how she continued to make progress through the remainder of Nobody’s Perfect. I really liked that even though the subject matter and most of the book was quite heavy, the author was able to make me laugh quite a bit at the end of the book with their pillow talk. As distressing as their journey was, I love Damian and Savannah’s story and look forward to re-reading Somebody’s Angel soon.

I reviewed my personal copy of this book.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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At War by Andria Large

At War by Andria Large

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The easiest way for me to express how much I enjoyed At War is to tell you that I got so caught up in the book that I devoured it in 3 hours AND, more importantly, forgot that it was the first book in a trilogy. The closer I got to 100% on my Kindle, the more I worried about how Ms. Large was going to wrap everything up. When I got to the end of the book, I was happy to be reminded that it was the first book in the trilogy. Why? Because that means I’ve got two more books in which I get to spend time with Dennis and Tucker. And I love, Love, LOVE these guys.

At War is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Dennis and Tucker are both veterans who returned from the war with injuries. Tucker lost most of his hearing, while Dennis lost part of his leg and his wife. Because both men suffer from PTSD and nightmares, we relive the events that led to their trauma and injuries and they were devastating. As scary as the scene was, Dennis’s suicide attempt and related depression enhanced the overall realism of his plight. What probably struck me most about the book, was that despite their pasts and everything Dennis and Tucker deal with on a daily basis, these two men retained their ability to laugh. While the sarcasm and humor increased over the course of the book as their relationship strengthened, the stuff they would think and say had me laughing out loud from the very beginning. As hot as the ménage scene was, it was the scenes of sexual exploration as Dennis and Tucker navigated their way through a type of relationship neither had ever contemplated before that really got my juices going. Of course, the pièce de résistance is when they fully commit to the love between them. Sigh!

I found the supporting characters that Ms. Large created to be almost as enjoyable as Tucker and Dennis. Duke was an absolute hoot. I enjoyed how his presence ignited Dennis’s jealousy and how they ultimately were able to become friends – their insult trading was another source of amusement for me. I loved the unwavering support that Dennis received from his sister throughout the entire book. It wasn’t so much a case of “he could do no wrong” in her eyes, but rather unconditional love; and it was vital to each of them considering the dreadful people they had for parents. While Tucker’s entire family was supportive of his adjustment to society, his hesitancy to tell them of his relationship with Dennis was sad. Yet Ms. Large managed to work in the most important source of approval from that camp from Tucker’s mom while she talked to Dennis during an extremely touching moment of lucidity. I loved reading At War and hope that Ms. Large is almost ready to release its sequel because I HAVE to know the answer to the question at the end of the book – not a cliffhanger, but certainly a dun-dun-duuuun moment.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the At War (War Trilogy #1) by Andria Large blog post at Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker

Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

I’m going to start my review off with a warning to Key West residents and geography buffs, if you can’t read a book without getting stuck on some of the geographical details that Ms. Walker takes liberty with, then don’t bother – you’ll be missing out on a great book, but you’ll avoid the heartburn. As geography is NOT my strong suit and I actually have no problem with an author shifting the locations of real places to suit his or her story, it was not a sticking point for me. So if you’re a reader who can go with the flow and you enjoy romantic suspense novels, then I suggest you dive right in (pun intended) and enjoy the adventure because Hell or High Water delivers the gut-wrenching action and suspense I’ve come to expect from Ms. Walker’s storytelling…and this time it’s in a much warmer climate.

While fans of Ms. Walker will likely draw parallels between the men of Deep Six and the Black Knights Inc. as in both cases we are dealing with some seriously sexy and dangerous alpha males, this band of ex-SEALs and their salvage company is not a front for a black ops group. Deep Six is an actual salvage company with their eye on finding a sunken treasure before the lease on the island that Leo’s family holds expires. And while you can take the SEAL out of the Navy, you can’t take the SEAL out of these six guys, especially when the request for help comes with a hefty payday that will fund their treasure hunt, but more importantly when it comes from Leo’s “the one that got away” – Agent Olivia Mortier. What follows is a high octane adventure as Deep Six faces off against a band of terrorists and a CIA mole in a race to retrieve the makings for one of the most dangerous chemical weapons known to the military. Of course no Walker novel would be complete without a searing romance and Leo and Olivia seem out to prove that if it’s worth having, it’s worth fighting for in the first book of the series.

As a fan of Ms. Walker’s writing, I was excited when I learned that she was writing a new series (I actually squealed out loud when I read the email). As a resident of Key West for 13 years, my excitement level rose when I learned that it was set on and around the island because seriously, what better place is there to set a novel about treasure hunting ex-SEALs? So forgive me if I seem a bit fangirly because I not only got to read a book set in my backyard, I got to read a book by one of my favorite romantic suspense authors…set in my backyard. All that aside, the author does a great job of introducing the men of Deep Six so that we get to know some better than others in this installment, giving us friends we’ll see in the next installment while leaving an air of mystery around the others to give us even more to look forward to. Not surprisingly – at least not to me – Leo and Olivia proved to be a great match. Their banter was entertaining, their resolve to get the job done was equally matched, and their chemistry was hotter than the Caribbean sun. Leo definitely knew how to make the most of cramped spaces and held nothing back when it came to making sure Olivia was taken care of – physically, emotionally, and sexually. The ending of Hell or High Water was perfect and already has me craving the next book in the series. Well done Ms. Walker, you seem to have created a new series that has the same feel as the Black Knights Inc. without leaving me feeling as though I’ve already read the book. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the men (and women) of Deep Six.

Check out the Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker Spotlight Tour post on Wicked Reads.


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The Virgin's Night Out by Shiloh Walker

The Virgin's Night Out by Shiloh Walker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The first thing you should know is that The Virgin’s Night Out encompasses about 60% of the book; the “bonus story,” Tempt Me accounts for the other 40%. So rather than getting a novel and a short story (which is what I expected), I got two novellas – but I’m not complaining. In true Shiloh Walker style, both novellas provided a satisfactory resolution to their respective (and unrelated) storylines while leaving me wanting to know more about each of the couples featured.

The Virgin’s Night Out is exactly that – Sloane Redding’s last night out as a virgin. Granted she didn’t go out that night with the intent of losing her virginity. Rather she went out to show her ex-fiancé what he missed out on by dumping her right before their wedding. I am pleased to report that she did so splendidly and did the jilted ladies of the world proud when she gave him what he deserved after he refused to accept her brush-off. Equally enjoyable was Boone’s reaction to Sloane’s ability to put her ex in his place. As the reader, already knowing that Boone and Sloane hook up without telling one another their names and that they are destined to meet the next day as members of Sloane’s brother’s wedding party did not diminish the entertainment value of those scenes one iota. The chemistry between Sloane and Boone was intense and made Sloane’s reactions toward the unpleasantness that became Boone’s life feel real. The twists and turns that Ms. Walker included kept the novella moving forward and left me wanting more of Sloane and Boone’s story (hint, hint).

The bonus story, Tempt Me, is a tasty little BBW romance that left me wishing I owned a corset. The fact that the “mean girl” gets her comeuppance merely added to my enjoyments of the steamy little novella that left me jealous of Rocki’s creativity, self-confidence, and man. Much like in The Virgin’s Night Out, Ms. Walker gives readers a few twists and turns that kept me glued to my Kindle as I raced to the end to find out how it was going to play out. As much as I enjoyed Rocki and Cole’s story, I WANT MORE! Well done Ms. Walker. I loved both of these novellas and look forward to reading them both again.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out The Virgin’s Night Out by Shiloh Walker blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Nobody's Hero by Kallypso Masters

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Masters at Arms & Nobody's Angel by Kallypso Masters

Masters at Arms & Nobody's Angel by Kallypso Masters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It has been well over a year since I read either of these novels, but I have read both of them multiple times (along with most of the books in the series). As such, I will strive not to reveal spoilers for future books while trying to explain exactly how much I LOVE this series and why I jumped at the chance to reread them when I stink at writing reviews for books I’ve read multiple times.

Masters at Arms – 5 stars

The first time I read Masters at Arms, I had “bought” it as a Kindle freebie. This was another one of my early forays into the BDSM genre and that Ms. Masters chose the make her Alpha Doms ex-military certainly got my attention. As the series prequel, each chapter/section is sort of a vignette as to how several of the series’ main characters meet. The book’s style is not one that typically appeals to me, yet Ms. Masters managed to give me enough background on each of the characters that she enticed me to buy and read Nobody’s Angel and Nobody’s Hero immediately after I finished reading it. As this is a combo novel, I need no excuse to rush off now to re-read Nobody’s Angel.

Nobody’s Angel – 5 stars

Despite having read Nobody’s Angel several times, I still find myself responding to different parts of the story as if it were my first time reading it – cringing at Angelina’s first experience with BDSM, being seduced right alongside Angelina by Luke and Marc, confusion at Luke’s distance, frustration with Marc (take your pick of scenes), fear during the abduction scene, and heartbreak when Angelina and her siblings find out the truth of what happened the day their father died. Ms. Masters hooked me with Masters at Arms, but she reeled me in with Nobody’s Angel. She does an amazing job of penning wonderfully erotic sex scenes and weaving them into the story so that her books move seamlessly from scene to scene without leaving me with the contrived-scene taste in my mouth. I absolutely love this series and look forward to setting time aside to reread the rest of the books in the series, especially Nobody’s Hero which may very well be my favorite book in the series. Thank you Ms. Masters for creating such an addictive cast of characters.

I reviewed my personal copy of the book.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Throwback: Masters at Arms & Nobody's Angel by Kallypso Masters blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of A Saint's Salvation by Beverly Ovalle

A Saint's Salvation by Beverly Ovalle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



So I learned something new about myself while reading A Saint’s Salvation ... I am not a fan of books in which the author tells me what is occurring, rather than showing me what is going on. By this I mean that rather than being inside Nick’s head and being “shown” his thoughts and feelings (e.g., Nick cleared his throat loudly, frustrated by her lack of her response), the author tells me what he is feeling (e.g., Nick felt as if he was unraveling). While narrative story telling is a perfectly acceptable style of writing, personally it prevents me from connecting with the character and thus reduces my enjoyment of the book. That being said, Ms. Ovalle does a good job writing this way and has produced a well-written story. I liked the verbal interactions between Nick and Doc and found the sex scenes to be quite enjoyable. I especially appreciated the message that A Saint’s Salvation sends regarding Doc’s injury. Even though this wasn’t my cup of tea, this was a good read and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy this style of writing.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out A Saint's Salvation by Beverly Ovalle blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of Own by Katie Porter

Own by Katie Porter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Own was an awesome read. It reminds me of Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series. Not the story itself, but the way it encompasses multiple genres. You get romantic suspense, action & adventure, and a contemporary military romance all with a healthy dose of some seriously hot BDSM/erotica. Ms. Porter (the pen name for the collaborative writing efforts of Lorelie Brown and Carrie Lofty) has created a fascinating read that only prior obligations and major exhaustion kept me from reading it in one sitting.

The action & adventure elements of this book keep the storyline moving full-steam ahead. The contemporary military romance and the romantic suspense aspects intertwine to produce plotlines that cannot be reviewed without revealing spoilers (NOTE – do NOT read the blurb for book 2 until you have read Own unless you want a spoiler). But it is the way in which Ms. Porter weaves the BDSM/erotica elements throughout the book that probably fascinated me most. I read a LOT of BDSM/erotica books and most of them focus on the D/s relationship. The relationship between Katsu and Evan starts off as a D/s relationship – both times. However, the second time around it begins to morph into an M/s relationship. I don’t read many M/s books; not because I don’t like them, but because I haven’t found many authors who can write them successfully. In my opinion, the relationship that Ms. Porter creates between Katsu and Evan captures the dynamic that is necessary to make the Master and slave relationship believable. In their relationship, when Evan takes on the role of Master he is able to give Katsu what she needs to feel whole and vice versa, her following his commands fulfills his need to own a woman, especially a woman he loves and who loves him back. I loved that he considers her his light in the dark world his work takes him.

I have read M/s books that are not only not believable, but the relationship is degrading and abusive and this is the primary reason I don’t read many M/s books. I don’t enjoy humiliation-based reads and a couple of badly written M/s books have put me off the sub-genre for quite a while because it’s not something I want to spend my money on. As such, the opportunity to review Own for free was a risk I was willing to take and I am so glad that I did. Ms. Porter has made a fan out of me and I look forward to working the second book in the Command Force Alpha series, Snap, into my reading schedule as soon as I can. Thank you Ms. Porter for giving me back the M/s sub-genre.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Own by Katie Porter blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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