Talon P.S.'s Blog, page 5
July 12, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS ~ Mistress’s Release by Anastasia Vitsky
~ 5 Stars ~
Review of MISTRESS’S RELEASE, by Anastasia Vitsky
Contemporary Drama / F-f Romance / BDSM / * possible triggers*
*copy provided by author for honest review. Subsequently purchased at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Two women. Two pasts. One destiny.
Trinity survived an abusive fundamentalist father, needy siblings, an uncaring mother, and a lifetime of fear that she will go to hell for being a lesbian. Never mind her craving for kink and the intricate dynamics of BDSM.
Graciela, on the other hand, came of age following a picture-perfect childhood complete with 4-H, cornfields, and doting parents. Successful in her chosen field, she’s established a thriving overseas practice as a professional domme.
Now, with Trinity forgiven for cheating a decade ago, the two women are finally happy. But before returning to America, Trinity receives contact from her family: They want a reunion. Gracie hits the roof.
Her lover’s family almost killed her once. Wasn’t that enough? Graciela wants Trinity safe at all costs. She issues an ultimatum: No contact, even if it means cutting ties with her family forever.
But Trinity’s longed for this moment half her life. Family’s family, no matter what they do. She loves Gracie, but no one can replace parents. Why can’t Gracie understand? She has pledged to obey, but she can’t make this sacrifice.
Can Gracie and Trinity’s love for each other overcome this impasse? Or will happily ever after turn into a parting of ways?
Very few books leave me grasping for words to write which do them justice. Every now and then one comes along, usually unexpectedly, which only heightens the need to capture the emotions; the depth and the visceral response. This is a romance in every sense of that word, though mostly in its less common interpretations.
It is a romance of consumption. Devoured by the ravages of an abusive childhood, Trinity fears her needs and the unbearable loss of understanding by those she loves, because of them. Graciela’s ardent control of her very successful world and those in it often obscures the details right in front of her. Theirs is a love that has survived many obstacles, all brought about by missed opportunities to give and receive understanding.
It is a romance of passion and of hard-fought, hard-won covenant. Not the bodice-ripping, girl-meets-girl kind of passion, but rather the passion of need for connection to that one person whom you trust with your soul and all its issues. It is not easy to give up control, irrespective of what side of that equation you reside on, and the battle to do so is guaranteed to leave marks neither wants to leave, yet resolution requires that very thing. The worthiest roads are never the most easily travelled.
This is a damn fine story, and I know I didn’t do it justice.
MISTRESS’S RELEASE also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 5 HEARTS, in every aspect of the word “romance” ~
HEAT FACTOR ~ 2 Flames ~
STING FACTOR ~ 2 PADDLES ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ The Truth Shall Set You Free…but getting there is a tortuous path… ~
BONUS FACTOR ~ “When you get to the fork in the road, take it”.
July 11, 2016
July 7, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS ~ Plumbers and Other Lovers by Spencer Dryden
~ 4 Stars overall ~
Review of PLUMBERS AND OTHER LOVERS, by Spencer Dryden
Contemporary Erotica / M-F / Insta-lust / Vignettes
*copy provided by author for honest review*
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Plumbers and Other Lovers is a collection of four short stories about skilled tradesmen who stumble into romantic encounters in the course of their everyday, blue-collar lives. There is a tale for each season, beginning in summer with “Summer Heat”; on to fall for “Love Above See Level”; into the cold of winter with “Then, One Frozen Christmas Eve”; and finally, spring’s “The Accidental Gigolo”. It’s four seasons of love and lust among leaky pipes. You won’t find alpha males, billionaire bad boys, or self-destructive egomaniacs among Spencer Dryden’s leading men–just ordinary guys who are drawn into the orbit of some enticing women. When the lights are out, the heat is off, or the pipes are leaking, these are the kind of guys a woman wants to see at her door: real men with tools and talent–and some smoldering sexuality. There’s humor, tenderness, and plenty of heat in these stories told from the tradesman’s point of view. Dryden’s breezy style makes for easy reading, something to pass the time while waiting for the plumber.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Three of the stories are re-issue re-release titles.
All four of the short tales are based on the premise that some unsuspecting, ordinary Tradesman-Joe is going to, in the course of his everyday tedium, experience his every-guy fantasy and end up wanting more by the end of his day. They are light, hot and impossible flights of fancy…especially for a female reader because you see, plumbing actually *did* get done!
Summer Heat is a 3 Star, no holes barred (pun intended) sex fest. He came, he saw, he did the AC, did the bar owner, he came again, repeat and rinse. As with most of what this reader classifies as erotica, this short is devoid of plot, of any real character in the characters, and yet there is a lightheartedness to it that is…refreshing. It does not, nor does it try to take itself too seriously. It is a quickie, pure and simple and yanno…every now and then, a quickie on the bar is all it takes.
Love Above Sea Level gets 4 Stars for its love-among-the-outsiders plot alone. Two players for whom a reader must cheer, simply because we can identify with the plight of not living up, or outliving our net worth. In the end, the guy is a good guy, the girl gets the real prize, and its all in a very well-devised and executed short.
Then, One Frozen Christmas Eve earns 4 Stars for the most sympathetic of the male characters in the four stories. I really, really liked this guy. I hated his ex and his “best friend” and I hated that he internalized their flaws as his own. I wanted to hug the stuffing out of him, which is why the female MC did not resonate with me. She gets her cookie, tantalizes the hero with his and then…is no better than the ex. 4 Stars for the dude, 4 Raspberries for the chick.
The Accidental Gigolo reminds me of an episode of Love, American Style in premise, except that this shortie is infinitely more clever than those admittedly antique TV Shows. And now that I have embarrassingly dated myself, lets hear 4 Stars for the plumber who gets the job(s) done, both real and fantasy, gets himself out of one tight spot and…erm…into two more. So to speak. But he is an unsuspecting nice guy, and job number two for the day is a very deserving nice girl with a very healthy passion for pearls. How number two gets her groove back is sweet. Hot and sweet. With a promise of pearls…
PLUMBERS AND OTHER LOVERS also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 2 Hearts ~
HEAT FACTOR ~ 4 Flames ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ Some perfectly ordinary guys find lust, want love, and unlike porn, plumbing actually did get done! Whooda thunk it! ~
BONUS FACTOR ~ Hey, see above: Plumbing actually did get done! This bears repeating ~
July 5, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS ~ In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
~ 4 Stars ~
Review of IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE, by Roan Parrish
Contemporary Romance / M-M / Big City meets Small Town
*purchased on Amazon.com*
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in.
Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.
When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.
There is a really genuine quality to this storyline and the characters who inhabit it, which makes for a captivating read. For most of the story it has a very pleasant, meandering ‘feel’ to it, and a reader can enjoy the exploration of the relationship at a summer’s-day pace, even though the story takes place over a realistic period of time.
Of course there is an appropriate share of drama, originating in the pasts of both main characters, but again, it all fits and flows organically, and ultimately puts the reader firmly in the cheering section for the extremely likeable Daniel and Rex. Neither life history is particularly unique for gay men growing up in the era which they did, but their circumstances did allow for this right-place-right-time story to unfold in a sweet but never saccharine way. And it is rewarding to see these two gain confidence in not just themselves, but in a relationship neither had experienced (or allowed themselves to experience) before.
Strong supporting characters, both loveable and “can-I-kick-their-a$$-now-able?” in disposition, add depth and strength to this story and make way for next. I would not say there were any major surprises in anyone or anything about this book, but the construct was excellent and there is something about the absolute ~ ordinary-ness ~ of life in Holiday, MI., that will have me going back for more. Particularly since the above referenced “Can-I Kick-Their-A$$-Now” is the subject of the next book.
IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE also received the following ratings: –
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 4 Hearts ~
HEAT FACTOR ~ 3 Flames ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ ‘O Brother, Why Art Thou (a dick)
BONUS FACTOR ~ Lots of “feel-goods” ~
July 4, 2016
ManCandy Monday brings you the real reason why its hot
YOU KNOW YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING AT TALON’S MANCANDY MONDAY WHEN THE FAN STARTS MELTING.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
June 21, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS – Strong Medicine by J. K. Hogan
4.5 ~ Stars!
Review of ~ STRONG MEDICINE by J. K. Hogan
Contemporary / Romance / mm / Mental Health
(copy provided by author for honest review)
Reviewed by Terry ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Two men who meet in a psychiatric institution couldn’t possibly find happiness together—could they?
The world seemed to be telling disgraced former child star and singer Cameron Fox that he would never be happy again. A drunken car accident gets him sentenced to a work release program at Riverbend Behavioral Health Facility.
Reclusive, traumatized writer Jonah Radley has an entire graveyard of skeletons in his closet. Jonah regularly hospitalizes himself for psychotic episodes caused by a horrific childhood trauma, his biggest secret—one he refuses to speak about in therapy.
Jonah and Cameron form a bond inside the hospital, forged in mutual pain and hope for a better life. Once they leave the hospital, they must decide if they are brave enough to explore the intricacies of living with mental illness—and find a new normal together.
I truly enjoyed Strong Medicine by J. K. Hogan. I was looking for a darker type of read and she delivered. Now a wounded or broken heart can cause some difficulty for getting your main characters where they need to be. If you add in a wounded or broken mind, which J. K. Hogan did, that makes the road to a HEA a little more challenging and rewarding.
Every reader will have a slightly different definition of what they think a dark read is or contains. I think any time someone has messed with a characters mind, not a mind fuck, but done damage to a person’s psyche this qualifies as dark for me. One of the things I liked about this story is we got to see a couple different shades of darkness from our main characters.
Strong Medicine didn’t read like a romance story to me. Yes there is a bit of romance in the story but for me it was only one element of the story. I think it was more of a coming of age/learning to live your life story. This isn’t a teeny-bopper story, coming of age can happen at any time in a person’s life. Our twenty something characters, Jonah and Cameron, are dealing with the choices made for them at a young age as well as the choices they have made since then. Here is where you insert a couple of my favorite clichés, Choices and Consequences and The Damage parents do to their kids.
Cameron Fox, I have to admit, in the beginning I didn’t really like him. He came off as a young man who started out as a child star and was just making the wrong choices. One that not only put him in danger but also hurt others, and finally someone was forcing him to grow up. First impressions can be wrong sometimes. There is more to Cameron than meets the eyes and when he winds up at the Riverbend Behavioral Health Facility we get to see it as well as he does. You don’t always see the problem until you are put in a position that you need to let down the walls and really open your eyes.
Unlike Cameron, Jonah knows there is a problem with his mind. After what he has been through it is understandable. Jonah’s story breaks my heart because he can hold it together most of the time. He is a successful author who writes under a couple different pen names for different genres. But a couple times a year his illness gets the better of him. He can see it coming, he knows the warning signs and when it does he checks himself into the same facility his mother died in, the Riverbend Behavioral Health Facility.
K. Hogan also built a believable world for this story. The places and people were spot on for Jonah and Cameron’s stories to combine. I also enjoyed the flow of this story, the order of events were presented at just the right time in the right way. There weren’t a lot of time shifts that took away from what was happening. I have to give J. K. Hogan a high five for her “Behavioral Health Facility”. As we all know “those” facilities generally always get a bad rap or just scare the hell out of us. Since this story has the feel of an episode of Criminal Minds and Touched by an Angel I won’t tell you which direction this facility was taken. I will let you know our young men do get a HEA, but like life this HEA isn’t all hearts and roses. Jonah and Cameron will have to continue to work and grow for it to last.
STRONG MEDICINE also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 2 Hearts
TWIST FACTOR ~ 3 plot and character twists
BONUS FACTOR ~ damaged mind/psyche, Daddy Dearest, forbidden kiss, don’t open that door, a new beginning
June 6, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS – Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me by Becky Jerams
~ 4 Stars ~
Review of REASONS TO LOVE A NERD LIKE ME, by Becky Jerams
YA / Contemporary Romance / M-M / Coming-of-Age
*copy provided by Author for Honest Review
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Scotty Williams is the nerdiest 17-year-old at UK-based Havensdale College – and proud of it. However being a nerd can have its downsides, particularly when you’re constantly being targeted by the school bully Taylor Raven and his cronies. As Scotty tries to navigate his final college years with the aid of his best friend Olive, he also finds himself on the radar of the mysterious and intimidating Vincent Hunter, toughest guy in the Sixth Form. Is Vincent really as bad as he seems? Will Scotty’s darkest secret ever be revealed? Can he ever just finish his last few college years in peace? But most importantly… will any guy ever find the reasons to love a nerd like him?
It seems an old broad like me can still recall and appreciate Secondary School/College years, the utter hell it often was just to be that age, and the effort it took to navigate its course. And while like most of us, I experienced random bullying in some form or another, I never did have to face it as a routine, nor did I have to face it because I was gay. Over the years I have read and reviewed many excellent if heart-rending stories with this theme, but this is the first YA story I have read and the whole idea of a young teen in formative years dealing with this BS day-in and day-out, was both sad and anger-producing.
However, as presented, it was also hugely inspiring, for super-achiever Scotty was blessed with a good home and parents who were both in-touch and supportive, and despite personal tragedy when young, he had had some terrific if unconventional friends in whom he also found the personal sustenance that allowed him to be fully in-touch with himself. This was less a story about how one young man tried to avoid confrontation, but rather, how he dealt with it head-on, with positivity and a depth of character that belied his years.
Resolution was hard-won and not without a good serving of the angst that is inherent in these years, but it fit these years and these characters and as such, rang-true. There were some fun supporting characters, some characters who saw the light and some who are, and evermore shall be asshats, world-without-end-amen. That’s life. Its never perfect, seldom pretty, but its lessons can make-you rather than break-you, and this tale was an engagingly wonderful example of the latter.
REASONS TO LOVE A NERD LIKE ME also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 4 HEARTS ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ the bullies actually did get theirs ~
BONUS FACTOR ~ boy-meets-and-gets-the-right-boy ~
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS – Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me by Becky Jeramy
~ 4 Stars ~
Review of REASONS TO LOVE A NERD LIKE ME, by Becky Jeramy
YA / Contemporary Romance / M-M / Coming-of-Age
*copy provided by Author for Honest Review
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Scotty Williams is the nerdiest 17-year-old at UK-based Havensdale College – and proud of it. However being a nerd can have its downsides, particularly when you’re constantly being targeted by the school bully Taylor Raven and his cronies. As Scotty tries to navigate his final college years with the aid of his best friend Olive, he also finds himself on the radar of the mysterious and intimidating Vincent Hunter, toughest guy in the Sixth Form. Is Vincent really as bad as he seems? Will Scotty’s darkest secret ever be revealed? Can he ever just finish his last few college years in peace? But most importantly… will any guy ever find the reasons to love a nerd like him?
It seems an old broad like me can still recall and appreciate Secondary School/College years, the utter hell it often was just to be that age, and the effort it took to navigate its course. And while like most of us, I experienced random bullying in some form or another, I never did have to face it as a routine, nor did I have to face it because I was gay. Over the years I have read and reviewed many excellent if heart-rending stories with this theme, but this is the first YA story I have read and the whole idea of a young teen in formative years dealing with this BS day-in and day-out, was both sad and anger-producing.
However, as presented, it was also hugely inspiring, for super-achiever Scotty was blessed with a good home and parents who were both in-touch and supportive, and despite personal tragedy when young, he had had some terrific if unconventional friends in whom he also found the personal sustenance that allowed him to be fully in-touch with himself. This was less a story about how one young man tried to avoid confrontation, but rather, how he dealt with it head-on, with positivity and a depth of character that belied his years.
Resolution was hard-won and not without a good serving of the angst that is inherent in these years, but it fit these years and these characters and as such, rang-true. There were some fun supporting characters, some characters who saw the light and some who are, and evermore shall be asshats, world-without-end-amen. That’s life. Its never perfect, seldom pretty, but its lessons can make-you rather than break-you, and this tale was an engagingly wonderful example of the latter.
REASONS TO LOVE A NERD LIKE ME also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 4 HEARTS ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ the bullies actually did get theirs ~
BONUS FACTOR ~ boy-meets-and-gets-the-right-boy ~
May 10, 2016
BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS – Nate and the New Yorker by Kevin Klehr
~ 5 Stars ~
Review of NATE AND THE NEW YORKER, by Kevin Klehr
Contemporary Romance / M-M / Novella
* Copy provided by author for honest review. Copy also purchased on Amazon.com
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
Cameron has it all. He’s rich, lives in Manhattan, and even has a cross-dressing butler. But then he meets Nate, an Australian who’s bitter about love. Cameron is determined to turn this realist into a dreamer by sharing his world of classy restaurants, Broadway shows and fabulous parties. And while Nate’s friends see the makings of a fantasy romance, it’s Nate who has to learn that in order to open his heart, he has to face a painful secret.
So, lets just get the bottom line out of the way: this is quite possibly *the* best novella-length story I have ever read. Clinically speaking, it is the textbook presentation of the successful short story and all that should entail, but seldom does. Start to finish, beginning-to-fully fleshed middle, to ending-with-a-slight-but-interesting twist, this is the quintessential big story compacted beautifully into a short.
It would be a disservice to leave the analysis at the clinical level, because there is just heart-for-days in this journey with compelling main characters and full-bodied secondary friends and family. There is a melding of disparate worlds, made possible by a gentle letting-go of pasts best left…past. There is a resolution of souls, in this world and the next, and every last bit of it—heart and soul of it—is exceptionally, beautifully and believably accomplished with *zero* descriptive sex. And it is every bit as visceral a journey as any explicit story I’ve read.
I can’t recommend this 80-something pages of deep and abiding soul highly enough for anyone wanting a great little story, and/or anyone wanting to see how any story -short or long- *should be composed.
NATE AND THE NEW YORKER also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 5 Hearts ~
TWIST FACTOR ~ relationships that are worlds apart-in distance, in social standing and even in plane of existence ~
BONUS FACTOR ~ Probably the finest novella I have ever read ~
Guest Spot: The Journey of Jimini Renn by April Kelley
RELEASED TODAY ~ MAY 10th
M/M Dystopian Romance
In a world without surface water, Jimini Renn wants nothing more than to live inside the protective walls of Adam City for the rest of his life, but his little brother has other ideas.
As far as Jimini is concerned, Adam City has everything he needs. It has a well that provides much-needed water, food, and safety from the dangers of the outside world. When his bookworm of a brother leaves to chase waterfalls, Jimini must follow even though he knows it will probably mean his death. When the first person he meets on the outside pulls a gun on him, he’s proven right. No one who calls himself a slaver and has a gun has Jimini’s safety in mind, even if he is sexy. The journey Jimini expects isn’t the one he gets.
Cover Art: Nathan Ott
Word Count: 46,318
EXCERPT:
“I will not hurt you, sir,” Jimini said and tried to keep some of the fear out of his voice. He knew he was unsuccessful, though.
He moved the jug of water next to the man and tried to move away as quickly as possible, but the man grabbed his hand in such a tight grip Jimini couldn’t get away from him even if he tried. The man pulled him down and took the jug with his other hand. He held it out to Jimini. Jimini looked at the jug and then at the man, trying to figure out what the man wanted from him.
“Help me,” the man whispered, so lightly Jimini could barely hear it.
Jimini nodded, taking the jug from the man with his free hand. “Let go of my hand and I’ll prop you up so you can drink. In exchange, I ask that you do not shoot the gun again.”
The man still held on to him as if his life depended on it. Jimini sat the jug down beside him. He placed his hand on the man’s gently and tried to pry his fingers away one at a time. It was pointless. His grip tightened even more. Jimini sighed and started working around the restriction.
“Why?” The man croaked out when Jimini moved his body, so he was cradling the man’s head in his lap.
Jimini pushed the weight of the man up as best as he could and wriggled around until they both sat up. “I’m misunderstanding the question.” Jimini handed the jug back to the man. “Drink slowly, not a lot all at once.”
The man tipped the jug up and took a long drink, some spilling out of the corners of his mouth, not listening to Jimini’s words of caution at all. “Do you not understand my words?”
Jimini reached for the jug with one hand, the other bracing them both with a fist in the dirt. He took the jug and set it down beside them. “You need to go slow with it, let your body adjust to the water. Going from nothing to full could make you sick.”
The man was heavy against him, his long dark hair tickled Jimini’s face as it came to rest against his shoulder.
“Why are you helping me?” The man asked. His voice was deep, and he sounded better this time as if the water wetted his throat enough to speak clearly.
“Why wouldn’t I extend help?” Jimini asked.
Author Bio:
Living in Southwest Michigan, April resides with her husband and two kids. She has been an avid reader for several years. Ever since she wrote her first story at the age of ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories. If April isn’t reading or writing, she can be found outside playing with the animals or taking a long walk in the woods. If you wish to contact her, email authoraprilkelley@gmail.com. Please visit her website at authoraprilkelley.com
LINKS:
WEBSITE http://www.authoraprilkelley.com/
BLOG http://writeraprilkelley.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/authoraprilkelley
Fb GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/1554526621464220/
TWITTER @authoraprilkell
GOOGLE+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AprilKelleyAuthor
PINTEREST https://www.pinterest.com/aprillynn222/
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