Category Archives: Books

Book Review: A Marked Man (Assassin/ Shifter #1) – Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Posted on March 29, 2015 | Leave a comment

A Marked ManSandrine Gasq-Dion is one of my go-to authors whenever I feel like reading light-feel books. And this book falls between too angsty and too light.

Mateo Esposito loves his job as a hired assassin by the US Government. When he lands a job to get rid of CEO Riley Flynn of Flynn Electronics, something does not sit right with him and for the first time in his career – he begun to question himself.

Riley Flynn was comfortably hiding in the closet but has always wonder how it would feel to be with a man – when he crossed path with Mateo, something tells him that things are just about to change.

Now this one I find sweet and just  a-okay. It’s not exactly as memorable as the other stories from the author but it’s alright. I didn’t connect well with both characters but loved the way the story developed and its introduction of other characters. I must admit that I got a bit surprised with the little twist behind one of Mateo’s friend and the assignment to get rid of Riley. I thought that was really good.

The secondary characters are okay as well but I didn’t remember their names that much so I really have to find some time to read the succeeding stories in the series. This was definitely a great start of a series if I’m being honest. Not spectacularly good but definitely a good starter.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published January 10th 2012 by DIASQ

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Book Review: The Luckiest (Lucky Moon #2) – Piper Vaughn, M.J. O’Shea

Posted on March 28, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Luckiest MoonThis one was an okay follow up for Moonlight Becomes You. It  focuses on Shane Ventura’s brother – Nick Ventura. Yup, he’s the a-hole brother of Shane who’s jealous of his brother’s love life so he succumb to his usual vices and ends up crashing into a department store leading him into a rehabilitation center.

There he meets the openly gay nutritionist Luka Novak. The soft spoken Luka is the type of gay man that Nick usually sneered at. [Just a note, in the blurb it says Luka was flamboyant and effeminate but reading the book – I really didn’t get that vibe. NOT AT ALL]. What started out as a nutrition consultation turns into a friendship and when Nick was released from the rehab, he started to pursue Luka until the other guy finally gave in.

But Nick’s not ready to come out and is more concern with his reputation. Given an ultimatum by Luka, will he do the right thing or will he be left alone as always?

I honestly wanted to bitchslap Nick every time he messed up with Luka. I mean, how many more chances is Luka willing to give for him to change? If I were Luka, I would’ve let him suffer more. He’s really such a dick and doesn’t deserve the third and fourth chances even. In the end, I’m still not convinced with Nick’s sincerity but I’m still happy that somehow, Luka was able to worm its way into his life and perhaps help him change for the better. I still loved the writing though although I’m really not a fan of Nick but as usual, Piper and M.J. does not know how not to deliver! Bravo!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published March 27th 2012 by Loose Id

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Book Review: Moonlight Becomes You (Lucky Moon #1) – Piper Vaughn, M.J. O’Shea

Posted on March 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

Moonlight Becomes YouThis is a story of redemption, forgiveness and second chance at love. I loved the history between this couple and their young love was obviously a bittersweet one.

Eleven years ago, Shane Ventura made the biggest mistake of his life when he was pressured by his record label to kick his best friend Jesse Seider out of their band, Luck. Guilt-ridden until now, he still can’t fill that gaping hole Jesse left behind despite the success they’ve accomplished.

When he meets Kayden Berlin, the front man of  Britain’s hottest band Moonlight – instant attraction ensues but for whatever reason, Kayden keeps on pushing him away.  Until one night, secrets from Kayden have been revealed that left Shane yet again with another broken heart.

The story actually has a fairly simple plot. The ugly guy got kick out from the band, he made himself better. He changed his name and looks and got successful and voila! Instant revenge from hell! But it’s not easy to hurt a person who wronged you especially if that person is the same person you used to love or still in love with.

The whole revenge thing from Kayden would have been better if he made Shane grovel more for his affection. I loved the turnaround he did on his looks and I wonder why it took so long for him to plot his comeback into Shane’s life.

Anyhoo, the story was wonderful as usual – if you’ve enjoyed reading the authors’ collaboration in the One Thing series, you’d definitely enjoy this one as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published August 9th 2011 by Loose Id

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Book Review: Starting Point (Turning Point #3) – N.R. Walker

Posted on March 26, 2015 | Leave a comment

Starting PointBLURB: Matthew Elliott is a recovering man. As an ex-cop and ex-fighter, his new job teaching kids at the local community gym about drug awareness and self-defence, is a little bit of both. His new focus on helping street kids is helping him heal, and with Kira by his side, he’s making strides.

Brother and sister, Rueben and Claudia, are homeless kids and they’re very much alone. As they strike a chord with Matt, he does everything in his power to help them.

But when Ruby and Claude need more help than he bargained for, it stops being about work, and starts being about home.

The day he met Kira, Matt’s life changed direction, and it’s only now he realises that everything he’s been through was a lead up to this. It was never about endings. His life, his purpose, was just beginning.

***

I really thought that after the disappointing second installment, the third book will be able to pick it up but oh lawd! No! It spiraled down even deeper. Like it “cannot be saved deep,” “Like what the hell happened deep?”

After finally reaching his breaking point, all Matthew Elliot can do now is to start over. And when I said start over – he decided to become Superman trying to save everyone. I think he was punched really hard in the second book and something happened with him psychologically. I don’t even know this new Matt. I’m not sure if he’s downright annoying or just too much everything.

I’m so glad that Kira somehow stayed in character but I really thought that he’s way better with someone else. That’s just for me though. I’d stop now because I’ve nothing more good to say about this third book. This was a fluke for sure at least for me. It’s just…tsk tk tsk.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Published May 23rd 2014 by Totally Bound (first published May 22nd 2014)

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Book Review: Breaking Point (Turning Point #2) – N.R. Walker

Posted on March 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

Breaking PointBLURB: As guilt plagues him, Matthew Elliott’s world begins to spiral out of control. The harder he holds on, the more it slips through his fingers, and he’s helpless to stop it.

Entering into the underground cage-fighting scene, he starts out fighting for what’s right. The deeper he gets, the more guilt consumes him – the more pain he takes for his penance, and he’s soon fighting for more than justice.

***

Honestly, this one didn’t work for me. It’s just too much and too angsty for me. There was also a bit of an inconsistency here about Matt’s character which if you’d read from the first book – you’d easily get it.

In this installment, Matt decided to “quit” the force and enters an underground cage-fighting scene. This was surprise! Surprise! An undercover job which he kept from Kira in “order to protect him”  – really man?!

You see, Matt’s still guilty for what happened to Kira in the first book and so he added more weight into his guilt by lying to Kira this time. Baloney!

I feel like this series lost its way from promising to less than enticing. Matt became unbearably annoying and all the talks about guilt, guilt and guilt were a bit unnerving. I really didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d like to. I only liked Kira here and thought that he should’ve let Matt grovel more and not gave in that easily. This series is definitely not one of my favorites from N.R. Walker.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Published November 22nd 2013 by Totally Bound (first published November 21st 2013)

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Book Review: Point of No Return (Turning Point #1) – N.R. Walker

Posted on March 24, 2015 | Leave a comment

Point Of No ReturnBLURB: Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives—a smart, tough, closeted gay man. When he falls for his gym instructor Kira Takeo Franco, it’s not his colleagues he should be worried about finding out…it’s the bad guys.

Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives. He’s been labelled the golden boy of the Fab Four: a team of four detectives who’ve closed down drug-rings all over the city. He’s smart, tough and exceptionally good at his job.

He’s also a closeted gay man.

Enter Kira Takeo Franco, the new boxing coach at the gym. Matthew can’t deny his immediate attraction to the man his fellow cops know as Frankie. But in allowing himself to fall in love with a man known to his colleagues, Matthew risks outing them both.

Matt and Kira work to keep their relationship and private lives hidden from Matt’s very public life, fearing it would be detrimental to their careers.

But it’s not the other cops who Matthew should be worried about finding out his deepest, darkest secret…it’s the bad guys.

All I can say is that I enjoyed reading this first book and back when I read this December of last year [2014], I was rather please to find out that this was actually only the first book in the series of three. Matt and Kira have amazing chemistry and the insta-love between them was amazing. The sex scenes were great although I honestly didn’t expect Matt’s preference in bed. The kidnapping was a great conflict which made it easy for Matt to come out and finds out who really his friends are. It’s a well written first book! Not as exciting or as the author’s other series but it’s still very enjoyable.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published August 2nd 2013 by Total E-Bound (first published August 18th 2012)

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Book Review: Nothing Ventured – Jay Northcote

Posted on March 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

Nothing VenturedBLURB: When Aiden agrees to run the Mad Mucker—a twelve-mile muddy slog over an obstacle course—he’s expecting it to be a bit of a laugh. The training will be tough, but Aiden could use the motivation to regain some fitness.

Matt is the sexy cousin of one of Aiden’s coworkers and a last-minute addition to the team. When he agrees to train with Aiden, Aiden suddenly finds the prospect of regular workouts a lot more appealing.

Soon attraction flares, and they embark on an intense physical relationship. Matt doesn’t want to fall in love with a man, and Aiden doesn’t want to fall in love at all, but despite their insistence on no strings, they grow closer. As the day of the race approaches, time is running out for them to work out how they feel about each other.

***

I’m not really that sold with this story. I still question Matt’s sincerity towards Aiden. He’s bisexual and was too cynical to give love a chance – with a guy, that is. Yes, there was great chemistry between them but I find Matt too conscious for his own good. It feels like everything he’s doing was calculated. The ending isn’t that great as well. I was maybe hoping an engagement of some sort to cement Matt’s level of commitment on Aiden. The set up Aiden had with his friend was way hotter than the actual detailed sex scenes with Matt. There you go…I guess some people would enjoy this since it’s a fairly quick read though the story isn’t hat explosive as I expected it to be.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Published November 12th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press

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Book Review: Nothing Serious – Jay Northcote

Posted on March 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

Nothing SeriousMark O’Brien just got out of a six-year relationship because he realized that he’s in a relationship with the wrong gender. When he meets the big, bad sexy removal man Jamie Robertson – Mark was smitten at first sight.

When a cardboard box splits, revealing items of a personal nature that Mark never wanted anybody to see, he’s mortified but that started a friendship with Jamie – a friendship with benefits.

What started out as nothing serious turns into something really important that both men are terrified to admit – will they ever find the courage to tell each other how they really feel?

I thought the whole premise was cute with both Mark and Jamie charming the pants off their readers. I myself find myself smiling giddily with the whole thing. The feel of the story was light, feel-good and just adorable. This is the kind of story that you read whenever you feel like sitting under sun, chilling out and just wanted to pass the time. There was no major conflict here and it’s just a quick read which I don’t mind rereading every now and then.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Published October 23rd 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published October 22nd 2013)

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Book Review: Splintered Lies (In the Shadow of the Wolf #3) – Diane Adams, R.J. Scott

Posted on March 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

Splintered LiesWe met Joe Christie and Nick Alexander from the first book as the two shifters under Rob’s team. This was actually a total surprise for me when I found out that Joe’s the MC here and is going to do the nasty with Nick. I’m like – okay – he’s like super straight and has got a baby on the way right? It turns out that they actually have history together – deeper than being best of friends.

With the death of his wife and baby, Joe’s life was only consumed with grief and anger. When new information about his family’s death comes to light, his first instinct was to put the law into his own hands.

Trying to get at the bottom of this case muddled with murder and betrayal, Nick will do everything for Joe and fight the people who want to kill them both.

This has got to be my favorite in the whole series. The backstory given regarding Joe and Nick’s past was beautifully presented and quite bittersweet at that. It really hurts to see that one person you loved the most suffering. And it also hurts when you feel that other person will be happier with someone else – only, it wasn’t quite the case here. It was a whole case of misunderstanding, suppressed feelings, respect and just getting through life.

As they say though, love moves in mysterious ways. Although it moves in such a dick way, killing Joe’s family in the process – their love somehow will always be on top. I loved seeing Joe’s vulnerability here and felt his suffering all throughout. It’s also nice that Nick just kept on waiting and never loses patience. I guess that is what’s beautiful about their love for each other – it was solid, pure and it’s always there.

I loved that we get to see more of the whole gang as we go through Joe and Nick’s story and although this last book was written 3 years ago, I’m still hopeful that we’d get to see more of these characters. There’s more to the story especially now that we’ve got a new character. Was it Corbin? Not sure about the name but there surely was an opening for the next book to happen.

This I would say though, as a whole – this series was exceptional. It’s very easy to read and the characters are very easy to like. You’d definitely want to read this one!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published July 19th 2013 by Love Lane Books (first published September 29th 2012)

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Book Review: Broken Memories (In the Shadow of the Wolf #2) – Diane Adams, R.J. Scott

Posted on March 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

 

Broken Memories[Book 2 of In The Shadow Of The Wolf Series]

Sam Harrison almost didn’t make it if not for the help of Jamie (from the first book) and was left near “broken.” He doesn’t remember anything from his former life and only has nightmares that gave him trauma in shifting from human to wolf.

This is what Doug McKenna does not understand. He’s always been an Alpha and has little respect for the weak ones. With Sam near broken and helpless, he find himself looking out for the other guy and realized that he’s exactly what the guy really needs.

Okay, so I loved Doug from the first book but I didn’t get his sudden change of attitude. Yes, he was very parental over Jamie when the latter was still rooming with him but I thought he’s a chill and fun shifter. It’s like a new Doug altogether in this book. Of course, there was a “reason” behind this but it felt off if you’re going to compare the Doug from book 1 and the Doug this book.

As a whole though, I thought the story was solid and has continuity. I wished there’s more information about Sam and it’d been more fun if there’s more blood bath in here. Nonetheless, this was a great second book and I couldn’t wait to read the next book!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published July 5th 2013 by Love Lane Books (first published November 25th 2011)

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