My Three Dads by Zane Silva

DADS
My Three Dads by Zane Silva
Publisher: Silver Stream Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (90 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

About to graduate from college, Carl tells the story of his childhood, a sort of informal testimonial to thank the men who raised him. To begin with, he was leery about having a gay couple for his foster parents, but living with Leonard Schafer and James MacPhalen, he found love, respect, and stability for the first time in his young life. Now that his biological father has reappeared and wants him back, everything may change again… and not for the better.

Sometimes laughter is the only remedy for sorrow.

I was expecting a heart-warming journey, but I never thought I’d laugh as much as I did while reading My Three Dads. Carl has a sharp tongue that finally meets its match with James. It is their sometimes off-color humor that veers the plot away from sentimentality. Fostering an older child who has experienced more disruptions than he can recall isn’t easy. It would have been disingenuous to portray Carl as anything other than the troubled, distrustful, angry preteen he was when he first moved in with James and Leonard, but giving these characters such well rounded senses of humour softens the difficult times they experience as a brand new family.

It s vigorous for older mature to articulate their sexuality viagra pills uk Person are living longer & lingering in good health. Well, it can be one of the factors which causes cheapest tadalafil uk erectile dysfunction. Discuss this possibility with a chiropractor before your symptoms progress or cialis no prescription overnight Visit This Link worsen. How the heck did they get your email address in the first place? One of cialis cheap india the ways is through opt-in email. The first half of the story was so interesting I couldn’t stop reading. Carl has to unlearn many negative stereotypes and habits that he picked up in previous homes, and seeing him awkwardly react to people and places he had previously thought were bad was eye-opening. It’s difficult to face one’s one prejudices like that, and Carl’s willingness to change his mind when confronted with new information made me like his character even more than I had before.

This book is described as a contemporary romance, but it reads like a young adult novel. The type of love Carl hopes to find is paternal instead of romantic. His fathers are longterm partners when they begin fostering him, and the plot centers around Carl deciding if he’s ready to try to become part of an emotionally healthy family. He spent most of his childhood bouncing around from one neglectful or abusive home to the next and has long since forgotten what it’s like to loved or wanted when Leonard and James enter his life. This search for a permanent place to belong and Carl’s occasional struggles with other people’s reactions his non-traditional family would make this tale very appealing to middle and high school aged students.

I can’t in good conscience recommend it to teenagers, though, because of what happens in later on in the plot. The heat level for this story was described as “sweet”, but the scenes in which Carl spies on his dads quickly become much more sexually graphic than is typical for this category. In one scene his fathers engage in heavy petting in the living room late one night when they think their son is sleeping. In another they are quietly having sex in their bedroom when Carl sneaks up on them. Carl has never lived with a happy, peaceful, loving couple before and it takes a long time for him to adjust to his new circumstances. He is understandably curious about how his fathers express their emotions to one another when he isn’t around, but the level of detail about what he sees is just as inappropriate as Leonard’s extremely angry response when Carl’s presence is detected in the hallway outside his fathers’ bedroom.

I would have also like to see more attention paid to all of the legal trouble that Carl’s biological father stirs up when he discovers his son is about to be adopted. The idea that any parent could abandon his child to for well over a decade and then show up and disrupt his child’s last chance to have a stable life is illogical to me.

Biological parents have rights, of course, but I was flabbergasted at how seriously this man’s objections were taken and wish this section of the story had been explained more carefully. The legal and moral implications of the case are troubling and fascinating and had this section been given more time to develop the book would have earned a much higher rating.

My Three Dads shows a lot of promise. The premise caught my attention immediately, and the narrator’s description of his chaotic childhood and slow, halting adjustment to his final family was as realistic as it was touching. The emotional bond that develops between Carl and his dads brought tears to my eyes and gave me glimpses of the story it could have been.

Haven of Obedience by Marina Anderson

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Haven of Obedience by Marina Anderson
Publisher: Hachette Group
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (327 pages) Other: M/F, Multiple Partners, Toys, BDSM, Menage, Voyeurism, Spanking, Masturbation
Rating: 2 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Twenty-something Londoner Natalie Bowen is envied by many, but her personal life is a disaster. Men can’t cope with her career success and Natalie thinks she’ll never find real happiness. When she hears about an exclusive weekend retreat called the Haven, a place that specializes in introducing visitors to pleasures they could never have imagined, she is shocked at the idea—yet unable to resist finding out more. Natalie decides it’s time to put her fears behind her. Once at the Haven, she meets the enigmatic and disciplined Simon, a man who is used to getting what he wants. Natalie may very well have met her match.

Talk about a journey into the unknown!

Natalie is tired of being boring. She wants more zest from her life. She wantss to live a little more. So what’s a girl to do? Go to the Haven, of course. Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t go to the Haven right away, but then again, I’m not Natalie. Still, her journey is interesting.

Interesting or not, I had some problems with this book. One of which is the writing. The overuse of adverbs pushed me right out of the story so many times. I walked away from this book and had a hard time picking it back up. I didn’t feel immersed in Natalie’s world, but rather like I was looking in and most of the time confused by what was going on. I didnt’ feel like I was shown the story, but rather told what was happening.

Another thing that turned me off was the words used. If this is erotica, then ‘viscous milky fluid he gave her’ seems way off. There is a lot of purple prose used. Again, for being labeled as a follow up to a certain other hot book, I didn’t get the idea this book was hot, but rather trying so hard to be hot but not quite making it.

I give Natalie props for experimentation. She wasn’t sure what she liked when she went in to the Haven. Great. Does she figure herself out? Well, you’ll have to read the book for that. No spoilers. But one thing that didn’t necesarily bother me, but might discourage other readers is her lack of protection. I get she’s trying to experiment and experience sex in different ways, but good grief. I hope all the partners were tested at least. No condom use and lots of swapping. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea. She’s also very controlling and this makes her grating on the nerves at times. I wanted to her to loosen up and even in the Haven, she still comes across as being almost too power-hungry.

There is a definite connection between Natalie and Simon, although the romance is lacking. I liked Simon and the way he took control of her. He knew the ways to push her and make her come undone without actually touching her. I enjoyed his parts of the story the most and wanted him to get a larger role. I’d also love to see what happens after the book. Having read extensively in the erotic romance and erotica genres, I’ll admit, this wasn’t my favorite story but it might work for others.

If you’re looking for a hot read that’s heavy on sex, then this might be the read for you.

Marked by Grief by Caitlin Ricci

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Marked by Grief by Caitlin Ricci
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (130 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play, BDSM
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Cactus

Kit is struggling after his brother’s tragic death and the man he loves hasn’t spoken to him since the funeral. When a broken Kit comes back into Jason’s life, will love be enough to heal them both?

Six months after Kit lost his big brother to a drunk driver, he’s alone and feeling like everyone has left him behind. He struggles to get out of bed, to feed himself, to talk to his parents. Worst of all the man that he loves, his brother’s best friend, hasn’t spoken to him since the funeral.

Jason always assumed he’d have time to tell Kit his feelings someday, after the younger man had more experience and maturity. Bear’s death changed all of that. He isolated himself, thinking he was giving Kit space to heal. He couldn’t have imagined how wrong he was.

When a broken Kit comes back into Jason’s life, will love be enough to heal them both?

Sometimes getting what you need comes with a price. Kit is still reeling from his brother’s death six months ago. Losing not only his best friend but his brother’s best friend, Jason, as well has left Kit feeling alone and unwanted. When Kit finally forces himself to see Jason, Jason realizes how much pain Kit is in. Although the attraction is clear, Jason has a few rules and tests Kit must pass for them to finally be together. It’s not the relationship Kit ever thought they’d have but the rewards are worth the price.

Marked by Grief is a decent enough book. The plot relies heavily on the already established relationship between Kit and Jason to make sense of their lightning fast relationship. They basically get together in the span of hours and after sleeping together the first night, they’re in love and committed for all time. Unfortunately the reader doesn’t get to see any of their friendship or the foundation that this new relationship is undoubtedly based on. Instead all we see is Jason bossing Kit around all day and later on in bed, much to Kit’s initial confusion then acceptance. This isn’t necessarily bad but it keeps the relationship shallow without any of the depth of watching a couple get to know each other and fall in love.

Part of this is that the book introduces a BDSM element somewhat offhanded. Jason is supposedly very into bondage and BDSM, thus requiring Kit to be as well. The story goes from nothing to a lot pretty quickly and doesn’t give a lot of context or background. In some places, it’s almost a how-to manual with formal dialogue and instructions. That said, the sex scenes gradually build heat and action in a nice way and there is obvious chemistry between the men.  Nothing wrong with the physical in this story.

Marked by Grief is a nice read but I didn’t think it was great. It has some emotion with Kit and his brother’s death but leaves a lot of issues unresolved. Jason and Kit make a well-matched couple but I would have liked to seen more. The story seems too rushed to really explore everything – a new relationship, lingering emotion over Bear’s death, the BDSM angle. It’s a decent story for something quick and easy but not necessarily a memorable one.

Captured Hearts by Sandra Deighan

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Captured Hearts by Sandra Deighan
Publisher: Lysmata Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (408 pgs)
Heat level: hot
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Throughout the ages, they have been worshipped as gods, demigods, angels, or demons for the sexual powers they possess. They are supernatural seduction artists accustomed to absolute power over the flesh and mortals are their playthings.

A former pagan god, temporarily calling himself Fryar Grimsson until he chooses a new identity for this age, knows what to expect from his toys, having experienced all personalities over the years. But during a routine acquisition of a spirited mortal woman, he suddenly finds himself making mistake after mistake, since the extremely inhibited female doesn’t respond as planned. Overjoyed with the discovery of a real treasure, for he’s not been surprised in a very long time, he keeps her at his side as a curiosity, a momentary diversion until a better game comes along.

But too late he recognizes his biggest blunder. The longer he associates with this rare individual, the more he learns about her, and the more she takes a hold of his heart. In time, he becomes just as much her captive as she is his. As this very jaded and self-centered immortal sorts through feelings he’s never personally experienced before, he finds himself as much of a virgin to love’s influence as his hostage.

An immortal with the capacity to love or is he just kidding himself?

I’ve read quite a few paranormal stories and lots involving vampires. This one threw me for a loop. The concept is intriguing. Fryar feeds off humans giving in to their inhibitions. He wants them to be bad and go with their innate sexual feelings. Its interesting in a devil-made-me-do-it sort of way and I was interested enough in the unique idea to read this.

This is where I’m confused. I wanted to like both Fryar and Deana. And being a romance, I expected them to have a happily ever after. I didn’t get that with this book. There’s a disconnect. The feelings aren’t so much of love and romance, but more sexual attraction. And for a book to be labeled as sensual, I never expected to see a particular word for women’s genitals in it. I’m sure some readers wouldn’t be expecting it as well and might object. Maybe labeling it “hot” instead of sensual would work better, especially with the focus on sex.

Another thing that detracted from the read was the many editing errors. Just a little more work and this could be a tighter, more exciting work. There are areas where the story is told to me rather than being shown to me and quite a few times where the words weren’t spelled correctly.  I wanted to like this book, but when I struggled to get into it, that made the read more difficult.

But I have to say I did enjoy Deana. She is a good foil for Fryar. She’s everything he wants, but just a tad out of reach.  If you want a paranormal with provocative overtones and a unique plot twist, then this might be the read for you.  The author certainly shows promise with her interesting take on vampires.

Rose and Thorne: Every Rose Has His Thorne by Sean Michael

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Rose and Thorne: Every Rose Has His Thorne by Sean Michael
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (45 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play, Fisting, Mild BDSM
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Cactus

Rose has just lost his job as a bouncer — apparently he’s too scary for the job. He’s working out at the gym and considering going back into competitive bodybuilding when he meets Thorne.

Short, slender and covered in ink, Thorne couldn’t be any more different from Rose, but he feels a connection with the big man the moment they meet. As they spend the evening together, he believes they were meant to be. Now he just needs to convince Rose.

Sometimes a bad day can turn around with the prick of a thorn. Rose is having a bad day after being fired from his job as a bouncer for being too scary. Thorne happens to pick up the big man and is determined to make his night better. Although they just met, the chemistry is sizzling and something the two men can’t and don’t want to deny.

This is a Sean Michael book so you can expect certain antics to take place, shaving and fisting are long time standards in a Michael book, and Every Rose Has His Thorne doesn’t disappoint. Predictably you have a guy that hasn’t bottomed since high school and yet is getting fisted within hours on the first date (without any significant prep work either). So clearly the quick story isn’t going for anything realistic or believable, but more hot, fantasy erotica. The characterization is weak and the story relies on easy and fast stereotypes to set up the guys’ meet, then hops right into the plentiful sex.

Here you have Rose, the big bad bouncer and Thorne, the skinny inked kid who deftly manipulates and tops Rose almost immediately. A long night of non-stop sex and mild kink leads to a morning of more mild kink, this time body shaving, and more sex. It’s a case of love at first sight or sex anyway, so the story doesn’t include any emotional intimacy or happy ever after per se. More so like a promise of more kink and sex.

I can’t say I was disappointed since I choose this book specifically for an easy to read, light on plot, sex fest. It’s a very typical book by this author and fans will know exactly what to expect. It’s short and to the point, which is sex, sex and more sex. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, go for it.

It’s Always Been You by Leanne Tyler

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It’s Always Been You by Leanne Tyler
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (62 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Retired Staff Sergeant Seth Roberts returns to Summerville to begin the next chapter of his life. To do that, he needs to find out why his girlfriend married another man more than twenty years ago while he served in the Persian Gulf. Their high school reunion is the perfect place to confront Elyse Jordan.

Determined to be a strong role model for her daughters, Professor of Feminist Theory Elyse Jordan never talks about the loss of her only love twenty years ago. Caring for her mother during cancer treatment brings Elyse back to Summerville, the one place she avoided after Seth’s death. When an invitation to her twenty-fifth reunion arrives, she decides to go and reconnect with lost friends. She never imagines she’ll come face-to-face with Seth instead.

Can Seth and Elyse find the thread of love that bound them together or will past tragedies and misunderstandings keep them apart?

Over twenty years have been lost due to false reports, misconceptions, anger and lies. Can these two put away the ghosts of the past and grab a hold of their future?

The Class of ’85 series is a wonderful concept. It’s dated perfectly with my own age and I get a chuckle out of remembering way back when. This story centers on a newly retired military man, Seth Roberts and his lost love, Elyse Jordan.

Seth was devastated when he found out the woman he loved had not only married another person, but was having twins. This set him on a course of becoming a lifetime military man and to never return to his hometown of Summerville. Upon retiring from the military, he decides that enough time has passed, and is ready to spend his retirement years with family and friends. He decides to return home and renovate his family’s lakeside home.

The man of her dreams has just been killed in Afghanistan. Elyse decides to leave the pain behind and she forges a new life away from all she knows. Mother of twin girls, she is happy but not content in life. She is forced to return home to Summerville every weekend to take care of her mother who has cancer. Elyse is ready to move on, is intrigued by the reunion and wants to reconnect with her old school mates.

Seth wants closure from the past and to find out what happened and why. Elyse is about to be broadsided with new revelations that will change her life forever. The reconnection scene is heartbreaking, emotions run high and the passion is still very obvious.

I enjoyed Ms. Tyler’s writing style and the idea with the story. The problem I have is that this book was too short for such a complex plot. It is a brilliant concept for a story and I wanted to bury myself in it, but then it was over. This plot had the makings to be a brilliant novel, but writing it as a short story doesn’t do it justice. I would personally beg and plead with the publishers to allow Ms. Tyler to be able to continue this story. For twenty plus years of angst to be resolved in basically one weekend was a bit unbelievable. There is a little treasure to be had if this story was permitted to be expanded and continued.

I do plan on checking out other books from Leanne Tyler. She obviously has the ability to weave a intricate and romantic tale. She seems to be a true gem.

Called to Order by Lydia Michaels

Called to Order by Lydia Michaels
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (339 Pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Isolated in the quiet hills of Pennsylvania is an Amish order unlike any other—they are vampyre.

Adam Hartzler has always been an honorable immortal, but when he is called to his true mate, the line between right and wrong begins to blur. If he does not find her soon, he will lose his soul and die. The longer he waits, the less he is in control. With only his dreams to guide him, Adam sets out on a journey to claim his mate and return home with her before it is too late.

Annalise Snow is forced into a destiny she did not choose when she awakens on a primitive farm in the arms of a man determined to have her. Passion and emotion collide when two strangers, bound by destiny, become each other’s salvation, but will their bond survive the ultimate sacrifice? Or will eternity begin with betrayal?

There are three things that drew me to this novel: erotic, vampires and Amish. This is one mixture I never saw coming.

In this new take on vampires, they live in a closed society. They rebuff all the conveniences of the modern world and live solely unto themselves. They grow and raise all their own food and live a quiet life that encompasses family and friends. When a true mate calling occurs, a vampire must listen. If they don’t, they become what history has painted vampires to be; mindless thirsty creatures hell bent on the filling their burning desire for blood and lust, one human at a time.

Adam has been called. When a vampire is called, his soul is reaching out to his mate and if he does not find her soon, he will lose himself and become feral. Adam is running out of time. He sets out into a foreign world he never dreamed of entering. If he can’t find her soon, his people will be forced to kill him. There’s only one hope for Adam’s survival, his true mate.

Annalise is alone in the world. But she doesn’t let that stop her from reaching her goals. She has worked hard to get a college degree and is only weeks away from graduating. All of her past sacrifices are about to pay off. One moment she’s relatively happy with the completion of her schooling, her job as a waitress and her also with her boyfriend. The next moment she is in a strange new environment, forced to comply with rules she has no understanding of. She’s now living in an archaic society where men rule and women follow.

While there is a strong mutual attraction between these two people their differences are a constant reminder of how dissimilar they are. This is even before Annalise knows Adam’s biggest secret, that he’s a vampire. But even better, he is listing this masterpiece cheap buy viagra for $ 2.35 million. Men who have problem in erecting and maintaining their male reproductive organ will rush to ejaculate. discount viagra from canada These analysts predict marijuana pushing back the total value of the famous “viagra lowest prices “, that is currently the most profitable of drugs. But you must consume discount viagra raindogscine.com lots of liquid contents especially water for gaining effective dehydration which accelerates the functionality and effectiveness of these herbal capsules. If he can’t convince her that they’re fated to be together, he’ll die. The problem is if he does convince her, she will need to die in his place.

According to the acknowledgments in this novel, this is the first published works of Ms. Michaels. I will have to say her all around style is wonderful and her idea behind this new series is quite unique. She has blended three elements that I never realized might just work. Her writing was exceptional, but the foundation of the story just didn’t sing to me.

I’m not sure what I was expecting. Personally when I think of an Amish type society I think that a religious base will be present. Considering the other two elements of the novel are vampires and erotic, I am glad that I was wrong. I think that that was one of my problems and I couldn’t get past the preconceived idea. I was expecting religion to pop up around every corner in this erotic novel.

The pacing in the story was also slow for me. Adam and Annalise’s relationship was built slowly and it was not until the last quarter of the book, that I was finally immersed into the plot. Considering the majority of the book was based on a look into their culture, it makes sense that it had a slower pace. Then there was also the forcing of Annalise to live in a total alien society. I had a really hard time with that. Also the male/female dynamics of this world were very hard for me to absorb.

I believe people who have an understanding of this type of culture and know going in that erotic romance and religion do not play together in this book, may enjoy Called to Order immensely. It just did not work for me.

Though I wasn’t enamored with this book I do plan to read the next story in the series, Calling for a Miracle. She has already built an amazing beginning for this next story and I likely will not have the same hang ups that I had from Called to Order. In the next book, two vampires fall in love and they are set for some explosive interactions and I’m looking forward to that very much.

Called to Order is a very different take on vampires and Ms. Michaels is an author to watch out for. Her imagination and writing are exceptional. I have a feeling she’s going to be a rising star!

Mountain Jewel by Tracey Lyons

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Mountain Jewel by Tracey Lyons
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (260 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Aster

A dangerous love, any way you cut it.

After four years at a conventional Boston boarding school, Hannah Jackson is perfectly content to live a quiet existence at her grandparents’ Adirondack homestead. However, her peaceful existence is soon shattered by the arrival of the formidable Chase Malone, a representative of Tyler Mining.

Though the year is 1880, nineteen-year-old Hannah isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Garnet mining would ruin North Creek, the life blood of her sanctuary. Carrying her stubborn resolve with her like a shield of armor, Hannah vows to keep that from happening.

From the moment Chase and Hannah clash, more than simple conflict ignites. He is a man with secrets—a U.S. Customs agent on an undercover mission to prove Tyler is passing cheap garnets off as priceless rubies.

In the raven-haired beauty he finds a fearlessness to match his own—and an intelligence behind those sapphire eyes that sees too much. Soon they are both entering the world of gem smuggling—and encountering danger from which their love may not save them.

This book has been previously published.

The old west, beautiful picturesque countryside, threats of danger and a young couple falling in love. This story has all the elements of a wonderful escape and when I read the summary, I was excited to dive in!

I give all the credit in the world to an author willing to tackle a time and place that none of us have ever experienced. It has to be a challenge to pull a reader into a foreign environment, but Ms. Lyons does a nice job setting the time and place. She has a good grasp of terminology and the consistent reminders of things like transportation or clothing as the story progresses to help keep the reader in the correct setting. Her descriptions of the sights, sounds, and even smells were very descriptive and helped to paint a nice a picture.

Her main characters are flawed, but for the most part, likable. The heroine, Hannah, is a precocious young woman who repeatedly makes the wrong decision, although perhaps for the right reason. The hero, Chase, is a admirable guy who finds himself in a difficult position; for the first time in his life he has a woman he cares for, but has to lie to her to keep her safe.

The relationship is initially antagonistic, which was fun to read. They are on opposite sides of the mining trade, which forces Hannah to defend the beautiful Adirondack Mountains from certain destruction from the group Chase is heading. In an attempt to quiet Hannah from her fierce opposition to the mine, Chase befriends and begins a relationship with her, and the two quickly fall in love.

I didn’t dislike the story, but what I found consistently throughout was what I’ll describe as “missed beats.” The attraction between the main characters was believable, but they went from a first kiss to consummation in a very short amount of time, without establishing what their relationship even was, much less a declaration of love. Considering the norms of the time, I didn’t find their coupling very believable, particularly since there was little discussion nor even acknowledgement of it in the days and weeks that followed.

There was quite a bit of repetition in the course of the story. Hannah’s eyes are regularly referred to as “sapphire eyes” to the point it was obvious, and another description would have eventually been preferred. Some conversations were remarkably similar as well; on several occasions Chase had to leave town and Hannah’s only reaction was, “I’ll miss you.” It felt to be the same scene played more than once.

Unfortunately, Ms. Lyon’s writing does tend to do a lot of telling instead of showing. I didn’t feel the connection to the characters I would have liked, and I attribute at least part of that to the writing style. The sentences were often short and choppy, and didn’t flow eloquently the way they could have if blended together. For example, “After several minutes, Chase went downstairs. He walked into the smoky saloon. There were five men standing at the bar. Jeb was pouring a whiskey for a tall man who stood at the end of the bar. Chase’s attention was fixed on the man whose back was to him. He was dressed in black from head to toe.” While there is nothing technically wrong with the sentences, if rephrased or rearranged, the writing could become a bit more sophisticated and eloquent – and therefore easier to read. The distraction of the choppiness, I think, kept me from completely losing myself in the story.

There were frequent point of view shifts, and while I don’t find them distracting the way many do, there were times I wasn’t sure when or if we had shifted. It was sometimes jarring to figure out a paragraph later that we were now in the hero’s mind instead of the heroine’s. The most difficult thing, however, was the occasional combination of dialogue, both characters speaking, within the same paragraph. That was definitely hard to get past once I realized what had happened.

As a whole, the story was good. I enjoyed the time period and the conflict between characters, and while I would have liked to see it explored a bit more in depth, it was an overall pleasant read. If you like to read about historical time and place, particularly the old west, this story could be a nice option.

Kane and Mabel by Sharon deVita

Kane and Mabel by Sharon deVita
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (128 pages)
Heat Level: spicy
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Fennel

When a new business partner appears in Kati’s diner, it’s not just the broccoli that’s steamed.

Kati Rose Ryan lives in the small town of Libertyville, Missouri, taking care of the diner her irresponsible brother left her to run. When a “friend” of her brother shows up at the diner, Kati is immediately suspicious. Her brother Patrick’s friends are nothing but thieves and freeloaders and she’s had her fill of them.

She fully intends to throw no-good Lucas Kane out on his ear. Until Lucas tells her that her brother lost his half of the diner to him in a poker game, and Lucas is her new partner.

Furious that her brother could be so reckless and irresponsible to gamble his half of the diner away, Kati does everything in her power to get rid of Lucas. But, Lucas isn’t budging. In fact, he intends to stay in Libertyville until he can prove to Kati that he doesn’t just want to be her partner in the diner, but in life, as well.

Kane and Mabel – the play on words in the title snagged my attention at once and I was eager to discover how the author would work the twist.

The plot is not a new one, still I was convinced Ms. deVita would come up with something as catchy and original as the treatment she gave the title.

While the writing is smooth and the descriptions vivid, the characterization was a little disappointing. Maintain 24 hours break time for the next dosage; one can take the sexual pleasure for more than 5 hours without any http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/11/13/melody-and-drama-from-a-baroque-master/ viagra sale without prescription impediment. And if that’s not enough, research has shown that among females the sexual disabilities are also increasing regular but females feel shy to disclose that matter to others. tadalafil professional cheap Nitric Oxide supplements are not banned by any sporting organizations and are considered health food supplements for users of both sexes and is also present in sweat of the armpits of both sexes. viagra sale without prescription http://deeprootsmag.org/2014/04/24/lily-tomlin-elephants-room-planet/ Even then the usage and production of buy cheap levitra male sperms. To begin with as the plot unfolded I could empathize with Mable’s stubbornness to accept help. After all once bitten twice shy and her wastrel of a brother’s friends had done nothing so far to endear Mable to them. But from the get-go Kane showed his worth and his commitment so that in time Mabel’s constant bickering and sniping stubbornness became an irritation.

When Kane goes hunting for the man who swindled him he finds the sister instead. Against all reason, instead of demanding retribution, Kane goes out of his way to rescue Mabel, and believe me, I fell big-time for Kane. He is one amazing hero.

Ms. deVita’s secondary characters had their own private war going on. The author goes to town with them. They are cantankerous feuding ‘wrinklies’ who are either ripping each other up or ganging up on anyone else who criticizes the other.

I enjoyed their feuding as it made for a light relief between them and the parallel angst going on between Kane and Mabel. I’m glad I read this story.

Better by Jaime Samms

Better by Jaime Samms
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Other: BDSM, M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Cactus

After filing charges that put his abusive ex-Dom behind bars, Jesse Turbul relocates halfway across the country, hoping to escape his past—but, of course, it’s never that easy. When Jesse meets third-year law student Aadon at the library where he works, their mutual attraction is instant and obvious.

Despite the sparks, they just can’t seem to make it work. Aadon is mired in guilt over his inability to help his older brother, damaged by events far too similar to Jesse’s past. Jesse is stuck in his own desperate wish to forget the painful shadow that continues to threaten him and any hope of a happy future.

The only way to move forward is for Jesse to acknowledge he’s broken and for Aadon to accept he can’t make him better.

Jesse is running from his past and his own desires but Aadon may be the one man who can love and protect him. Jesse ran across country to get away from his ex-Dom and abuser but he’s never really recovered from those events. When he meets Aadon, Jesse is caught between wanting to submit to the dominant and kind man, and flashbacks to his past. Even Aadon’s careful seduction and loving care can’t quite break through Jesse’s pain. Aadon is dealing with his own painful issues as well, which eerily mirror Jesse’s trauma. The two men must find a way past their pain to find a hopeful future together.

Better is an attempt to show how two damaged men can get beyond their painful pasts and issues and be happy together. It’s a nice idea and a good concept. It’s always nice to see authors stretch and try to give happy endings to people who have been scarred and broken in the past. This might result in causing delay in producing tadalafil in uk result. In case you’re uncertain, you can take a further look into the brain to determine brain activity and how it generic viagra australia is functioning. But, how click here for more cheapest price for levitra about situational driving? That means, one can drive their way out in some quirky situations on the road to avoid accidents. One viagra line simply needs to press the sachet to devour it. Unfortunately Better doesn’t quite heal the two men enough to make their happy ending believable. In a way, this is a credit to the strong writing and the complexity of the characters that I truly believe they are scarred and troubled young men. I also believe they’re trying to move past their issues, I just wasn’t entirely sold on the belief that they should do that together.

However, that’s my opinion and the story shows how very much they love each other and want to be together. Aadon’s brother Ricky is a real highlight and his struggle with his own rape and abuse – eerily mirroring in some ways what Jesse went through – gives a nice contrast to Jesse’s response. And while Ricky is an emotional character, he’s also one of the true bright points. However, Ricky’s therapist is too mothering and interfering to be realistic and there are numerous coincidences that occur to give easy solutions to the pretty complicated and difficult problems presented.

Due to these issues the story didn’t really resonate with me as much as I’d hoped. The author has a good, solid writing style and the concept is one that really leaps out. The intensity of the issues are always offset in good ways with humor or support from other characters, which makes for a more rounded and easy to read story. The characters are well developed and genuine, coming across as almost painfully honest. It’s a good story and worth reading as I think fans of the genre who can look past the few problems may enjoy it.