Fire & Ice: A Guns & Hoses Novel by Brenda Cothern

Fire & Ice: A Guns & Hoses Novel by Brenda Cothern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Cothern is one of THOSE authors. We all have them. The authors whose books we cannot get enough of. The authors who when I’m asked if I want to review their latest book I don’t even bother to ask what it’s about or when it’s due (because I will give up sleep to read it). The authors whose writing pulls you so fully into the story that you’re perturbed when you have to return to your dull and boring life (at least compared to their characters’ it is). You know, THOSE authors. The latest novel from Cothern’s Guns & Hoses series was no exception as I found myself so completely wrapped up in Austin and Lukas’s lives that I stayed up way too late to finish Fire & Ice.

For those who have read Guns & Hoses, you will be delighted to know that we get to catch up with Tig and Flame as Austin is Flame’s cousin and he is trying to get a job as an arson investigator in Tampa. While Austin is more than happy to stay with his cousin as he’s always looked up to him and credits him for making his high school years survivable, Austin finds it hard to tolerate Flame’s heavy handedness when Flame’s protective instincts are triggered. And it turns out that Austin’s new partner Lukas sets off all of Flame’s protective instincts. Fortunately, Austin is more than willing to tell his cousin to back off and mind his own business, even if he’s not willing to share his biggest secret with his cousin. But Flame isn’t the only person Austin is keeping secrets from and I found his deception with Lukas rather entertaining. Normally I wouldn’t consider Austin’s deception appropriate, but Cothern makes it work because Austin’s intentions are good and not coming from a place of malice. That didn’t keep me from worrying about the fallout that was sure to accompany his secret being exposed, but the author does something that was so unexpected that the fallout was practically nil.

I loved almost everything about Fire & Ice and I’ll get to the teensy weensy issue that I didn’t enjoy momentarily. The chemistry between Austin and Lukas is intense, but Lukas spends so much time fighting against it that when they do connect it is explosive. And it’s even more intense when they scene together. The BDSM scenes are off-the-charts hot. I seriously enjoyed that it took Lukas so long to figure out Austin’s secret and that it was his denial of his attraction to Austin that kept him from seeing what was right in front of him. I loved the serial arson investigation that Cothern included in the book. It not only elevated the novel’s level of realism, but it also provided Austin opportunities he needed to prove his mettle as an investigator. But the arson investigation also brought in the teeny tiny part of the story I didn’t enjoy. Cothern does such a good job of bringing in the FBI and utilizing their reputation for taking over local cases that I was a little let down with how that scenario played out. For once, it was more realism than I wanted simply because I wanted to see Lukas and Austin break the case. But that’s just me pouting and it wasn’t enough of an issue to reduce my rating because I loved the way Fire & Ice played out in the end. I cannot wait to see what Cothern has in store next for the Guns & Hoses series.

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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The Summer House by R.J. Scott

The Summer House by R.J. Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a fan of Scott’s Texas series, I was excited for the opportunity to review The Summer House. I was pleasantly surprised that this new series has such a different feel than Texas does. I know, Texas and England are an ocean apart (literally) and should feel different. But this is not always the case when an author writes within the same genre, which in this case is M/M Contemporary Romance. Please don’t take that as a complaint either, because I often enjoy the familiarity such a writing style provides. But in the case of The Summer House I enjoyed the difference immensely and Ashby and Connor have already taken up residence in my reading heart.

When Connor and Ashby first meet sparks fly, but not the good kind. This actually gets worse as the day progresses and culminates in one of the saddest statements I’ve read from a character in a long time “normally people hate me after they meet me, not before.” Seriously, I wanted to cry for Ash when he said that, but it’s a good thing I didn’t because I ended up needing those tears much later in the book. While initially we don’t know the particulars of why Connor detests rich entitled playboys like Ash appears to be, it’s clear from the beginning that Ash is being judged by someone else’s actions toward Connor and fair or not, Connor doesn’t let go of his dislike easily. Thankfully Ash sees something in the veterinarian that calls to him and is not easily deterred. Once Ash comes to understand that Connor’s past is coloring his perception of Ash, he decides to start with friendship. Because he and Connor find themselves spending time together because of Ash’s brother Landon entering into a relationship with Connor’s best (possibly only) friend Rachel, Ash gradually works his way past Connor’s walls. As the summer passes and the men get to know one another better and eventually succumb to their attraction, Connor feels that he owes Ash the truth about his past because he doesn’t think their relationship should be allowed to progress further without Ash knowing what he’s getting into. And I absolutely loved Ash’s reaction and how he dealt with Connor’s fears.

Watching the romance between Ash and Connor play out was oftentimes heartbreaking. Each man brings his own baggage and issues to the relationship. Despite his enviable upbringing, Ash is unhappy with his life. He’s fulfilling the role he is expected to fill in the family business while living up to a social identity he’s no longer happy with and I found his brother’s assessment as to why quite insightful. While I don’t want to ruin the read for you, I will say that Connor’s baggage was quite damaging and once I learned (and confirmed some of my suspicions), I understood why he had such a knee-jerk reaction to Ash and why it took so long for him to overcome it. Despite their obvious differences and issues, Ash and Connor complemented one another well, making The Summer House a really enjoyable read for me. I look forward to checking out the next book in the series.

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 Summer House (English Hearts #1) by R.J. Scott blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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The Unseelie King by Heather Killough-Walden

The Unseelie King by Heather Killough-Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have to say that I feel sorry for all of Killough-Walden’s fans who read The Seelie King and then had to wait eight months for the release of The Unseelie King because I could barely wait the five minutes it took my Kindle to download and open the book. Okay that’s an exaggeration … it probably took a minute and that was too long of a wait. While it’s true that I have wanted the next book in the series each time I finished reading an installment, the fact that books five and six are so closely entwined made the need to go from one book to the next even stronger. And in true storyteller fashion, the author kept me on edge and at rapt attention the first page to the last.

The Unseelie King picks up where The Seelie King left off, with the discovery of the death of Selene and Minerva’s parents, but this time we’re seeing firsthand Minerva’s reaction and when her grief turns to rage, you come to understand why the old fae kings feared the power of the wishers so much. Unlike her sister, Minerva taps in to her innate fae knowledge almost immediately upon her transformation and sets out to make the world pay for its injustices. Fortunately Caliban understands his queen’s darkness better than his brother understood his bride’s and he’s ready to do what it takes to keep her from regretting her actions, even if it means he’ll never be able to claim his queen. And I must admit, even knowing that the queens are fated for their kings, I was right there with Caliban in doubting that their pairing would come to pass. Surprisingly, it was something as simple as food that breaks Minerva’s resolve and I for one want to know what the heck rainbow crepe cake is and where I can get some. But it is witnessing the potential of her power that shatters Minerva’s final wall and Caliban begins to make inroads in the claiming of his queen. And oh what a claiming it was!

I appreciated the author’s symmetry between The Seelie King and The Unseelie King. While all of the queens have been targeted once their identities were discovered, in both Selene and Minerva’s cases the threat against them came from within the fae realm and we finally learned who it was and why. And I just have to say … creepy! I really liked the author’s take on the myth of the unicorns. It’s not the first time that I’ve seen unicorns presented as the less than idyllic magical and gentle creatures we like to see them as, but it is a rarity and I found the reason behind it to be quite fascinating as was Minerva’s wish. Lalura’s discovery that there is another traitor among the kings’ ranks was disheartening to say the least, especially if it is as they suspect, motivated by jealousy. But it does keep the suspense level high in the series, especially in light of Imani’s divination. We also learned a bit more about the realms of the various kings and that the ever elusive Shadow King will soon be revealed as his bride is the next to be found. But the best part – aside from Caliban and Minerva – was learning Lalura’s secret and I was both surprised by it, yet not. As always, I’m ready for the next installment now!

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

Check out The Unseelie King (The Kings #6) by Heather Killough-Walden blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Discovery by Thianna Durston

Discovery by Thianna Durston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As a fan of Durston’s writing, I was excited to get the opportunity to review Discovery. While I love paranormal romances, most of my reads have been of the MF variety. After finishing Discovery I now have another MM vampire book to add to my reread list. While human-vampire hybrids are not new to the genre, I liked the way in which the author added her own personal twist to make the creatures her own (or at least it’s nothing I’ve encountered before). Actually I enjoyed it so much that I was again up until 2am reading and was nearly late to work because I got caught up in the story while I was reading it over breakfast.

Discovery is an odd combination of intense actions scenes balanced with really calm day-to-day life scenes as the author introduces us to Jaret and Aaron. Jaret is a centuries old drakyl who really doesn’t remember how old he is but knows it’s been at least five centuries since his change. Aaron is a 32 year old Montana man who suffers from a sun allergy and feels as though he may very well beat his 86 year-old uncle to the grave. Or at least he thought he was human until Jaret stumbles upon the Drakyl Ranch and finds out that the man who so entranced him a few nights earlier has no idea of what he is. Once Jaret learns why Aaron’s uncle kept his true nature from him, Jaret stays on to help out at the ranch and to be closer to Aaron because while he understands why Davis didn’t tell Aaron that Drakyl is more than his last name, he will no longer allow the man to suffer as he has been for over a decade. And while Jaret’s clock is ticking for Davis to ‘fess up, there’s an even deadlier countdown taking place that may put everything that Jaret’s found at risk.

That the author chose to open the book with a fast-paced action scene as Jaret is attempting to evade capture by vampyrs sucked me right into the book and my attention never wavered, not even when the book was forced to slow down. Because this is the first book in the Drakyl Ranch series, there is a bit of world building which provides for a slow build to the book (after its initial scene). The author takes the time to introduce us to the main players amidst the action and the day-to-day workings of the ranch. I liked the chemistry between Jaret and Aaron and obviously enjoyed their sexy fun times. I also liked how well Aaron handled his transition and was willing to reassess his stance on human blood when Jaret’s continued survival was at risk. The lengths to which a man in love will go is almost always entertaining. I LOVED that the author chose to include the attack on Jaret and Aaron at the end of the book rather than making readers wait for book two and the scene itself was intense (and highly satisfying for my blood lust). Discovery was an excellent read for me and I need book two NOW!!!

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 Discovery (Drakyl Ranch, #1) by Thianna Durston blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Master of Freedom by Cherise Sinclair

Master of Freedom by Cherise Sinclair

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Can I just say that I love it when Sinclair writes a “novella” for the 1001 Dark Nights series? Why? Because fans are treated to a full-length novel (over 200 pages here) for the price of a novella and the author does not skimp on the action, the domination and submission, the erotica, or the romance just because it’s called a novella. And Master of Freedom was an excellent addition to the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series and the 1001 Dark Nights series.

Because Master of Freedom was written for inclusion in the 1001 Dark Nights series, it can be read as a standalone (like most of Sinclair’s novels). That said, fans of the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series will enjoy it even more because we get to find out more about Atticus, whom we met in Edge of the Enforcer when he assisted in finding Lindsey after she was abducted. A bonus being that we get to catch up with many of the doms and subs from the earlier books in the series. I will readily admit that while I understood the mental components of sadism and masochism due to my degree in psychology, when I first began reading BDSM romances years ago I had a similar mind-set to Gin’s – this can’t be real. Of course I was quite jealous of Gin in the way she found out just how real BDSM was. Holy heck! Between Atticus’s dominant nature, military background, and assuming the mantle of adulthood at too young of an age, the natural submissive in Gin did not stand a chance when he began issuing commands. Boy howdy was she a lucky girl. But Gin’s daddy issues and Atticus’s well, daddy issues, made for several misunderstandings and miscommunications that nearly derailed their fledgling relationship more than once. Thank goodness doms are all about the communication [insert sarcastic eye roll there because Atticus needed a swift kick in the rear at times] and they power through the incidents to come out the better for it. Yet the greatest threat to their relationship comes from outside forces and Sinclair kept me hanging for far too many pages before I found out what kind of happy ending she had in store for the couple. I’m glad I can always count on this author for a happy, if somewhat unconventional, ending

I loved the chemistry between Atticus and Gin. Despite their mutual hang-ups, when they let go and relaxed they were such a comfortable couple to read about. Their banter had me cracking up regularly throughout the book. This is what made their misunderstandings so intense – it was as though I could feel the anxiety, hurt, and distress rolling off my Kindle. Of course this made for a couple of really hot bouts of make-up sex on top of the already steamy BDSM scenes. As for the events that made up the action and suspense part of the storyline, I saw part of it coming but I didn’t expect Sinclair to take it quite as far as she did, which kept that part of the storyline from being predictable. Needless to say the author crafted the perfect ending for Gin and Atticus – one that had me laughing out loud, jealous of Gin, ready for the next installment in the Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series, and praying that it’s already in the works. Another enjoyable read.

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

Check out the #WhipIt: Master of Freedom blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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