Spirit Sanguine by Lou Harper

Title: Spirit Sanguine
Author: Lou Harper
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 290
Characters: Harvey Feng and Gabe Vadas
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Is that a wooden stake in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

After five years in Eastern Europe using his unique, inborn skills to slay bloodsuckers, Gabe is back in his hometown Chicago and feeling adrift. Until he’s kidnapped by a young, sexy vampire who seems more interested in getting into his pants than biting into his neck.

Harvey Feng is one-half Chinese, one-hundred-percent vampire. He warns Gabe to stay out of the Windy City, but somehow he isn’t surprised when the young slayer winds up on his doorstep. And why shouldn’t Gabe be curious? A vegetarian vampire isn’t something one sees every day.

Against their better judgment, slayer and vampire succumb to temptation. But their affair attracts unexpected attention.

When Chicago’s Vampire Boss makes Gabe an offer he can’t refuse, the unlikely lovers are thrust into peril and mystery in the dark heart of the Windy City. Together they hunt for kidnappers, a killer preying on young humans, and vicious vampire junkies.

However, dealing with murderous humans and vampires alike is easy compared to figuring out if there’s more to their relationship than hot, kinky sex.`

Review:

I loved this vampire story by Lou Harper and will state right from the start that I hope she plans to bring these two back for more. The characters, main as well as secondary, along with the story itself, are well written. I found myself pulled into their story from the beginning and could not put the book down. The main characters, Gabe and Harvey, are total opposites. Gabe is on the large size while Harvey is smaller. Harvey is more outgoing and book smart, while Gabe is street smart and tough. The biggest difference between the two though is the fact that Harvey is a vampire while Gabe is a hunter. With all their differences the attraction that pops up between them should not exist, but it does. The way that these two met had me laughing and I could not help but feel bad for Gabe. The laughs don’t end there as Harvey has a habit of being very snarky, so much so that Gabe has a hard time keeping up with him at times. I love the way their relationship builds as each man learns to trust the other. There seems to be a bit of cluelessness around the two, especially Gabe, as they start to feel possessive about the other and I could not wait for them to realize what was happening. The author does a great job showing the men’s relationship change and while the men may be clueless the readers know this is a relationship that will last.

It is not only the men that kept me tied to Spirit Sanguine though. I love how the author has given the readers a fresh spin on the vampire mythology. Not only are the vampires in this story different but so are their weaknesses and strengths. These changes are just one of the things that helped keep the story from feeling like a rehash of what is already out there. Another wonderful aspect of this story was the plot, or should I say plots, that the story revolved around. Both men have a bit of mystery surrounding them which plays an important role in the story. There are also a variety of secondary characters that have a big impact on the story and some will leave you wanting to stake them. There are many twists and turns not all of which I expected but all of which kept be tied to the story.

As I stated earlier, Spirit Sanguine is a wonderful story and those who love the vampire genre should make an effort to get it. I hope we will see more of Harvey and Gabe in the future.

Reviewed By: Lydia

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Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper

Title: Academic Pursuits
Author: Lou Harper
Publisher: Amber Allure
Pages: 30k words
Characters: Jamie, Jo, and an ensemble cast of sex partners
POV: first person
Sub-Genre:
Kisses: 2.5

Blurb:

The son of a well-to-do family and blessed with both dark good looks and buckets of confidence, Jamie lives for the chase. He has a well-deserved reputation around college as a seducer of straight frat boys. No man is off-limits to Jamie—he’s happy to help fellow gay students out of the closet, too. He even has lustful designs on his oblivious English professor, so it’s no surprise that his amorous pursuits often land him in sticky situations.

There’s just one flaw in Jamie’s perfect world—Roger Hunt. The hunky grad student, who dresses more like a lumberjack than the talented artist he is, gives Jamie hostile looks every time their paths cross. Jamie tries to ignore Roger, but they can’t seem to stop running into each other, and Jamie’s beginning to wonder if it’s more than chance that continues to steer them down the same halls..

Review:

Jamie is a 22 year old college student in Missouri, but he has an obsession with British culture—particularly British men. His best friend and roommate, Jo, is also his cousin. Jamie’s family is wealthy, thus he and his cousin Jo have their own apartment. Jamie is very good looking and knows it, and he leads a very promiscuous lifestyle, proud of his talent at seducing straight men.

The story chronicles the multiple sexual exploits of the central character which ultimately lead him to a place where he begins to rethink his approach to sexual relationships. When an unlikely suitor begins to pursue him with the intention of something more meaningful than a one night stand, Jamie initially bristles but eventually has to make a big decision.

I tried from the beginning of this story to like it, but I’ve got to be honest: I could not stand the protagonist. The story was a first person narrative, told in the voice of the main character, and he was sarcastic, snarky, rude, abrasive, arrogant, and oftentimes offensive. He struck me as someone who felt it was funny to put other people down, and by doing this he made himself feel better. Oddly, he had no reason to act this way. He was attractive, intelligent, outgoing, and very popular. He reminded me of the sort of person who goes around bragging about how much of a bitch they are.

In defense of this author, I would add that this is perhaps a very realistic portrayal of some (many) gay men. It gave me flashbacks of the bar scene in my younger years, where the guys who knew how attractive they were flitted around acting campy and tried to compete with each other by telling the snappiest insults.

I like to think that by the end of the story Jamie had learned something and perhaps started to evaluate beauty in a different light. I am not sure this was really the case though. It seemed more that the message was that it is okay to be materialistic, ego-centric, and shallow. This carrousel of sex partners that Jamie cavorted with were all guys that he just used and discarded, and he seemed to have no conscience about it. When he finally stopped this behavior, it was not because he had an epiphany or even a sudden surge of morality. He merely felt sorry for himself because he saw other people in happy relationships while he was alone.

The writing itself was fantastic. I hope that there are other books by this author that I may enjoy, but I’ve got to say that this type of sardonic humor is just not for me.

Reviewed By: Jeff

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Look Who’s Stopping By To Warm Us Up, Just In Time For The Holidays

Winter Warmers, just what are they, exactly? According to our good and trusted friend Wikipedia: “Winter warmer is a traditional malty-sweet English Strong Ale that is brewed in the winter months. It is usually quite dark, but not as dark as a stout, with a big malt presence. Sometimes, winter warmers have a few spices, especially in the United States, although spices are not necessarily a required ingredient in a Winter Warmer. The primary characteristic is strength; the average alcohol content by volume ranges from 6.0% to 8.0% ABV and some Winter Warmers reach 10% ABV or more.”

But how many of us really choose a mug of Ale to warm us up after a day spent out in the snow and cold? Here are some other warming options from the authors of Winter Warmers. A seasonal anthology from Lou Harper, Clare London, JL Merrow, Chrissy Munder, and Josephine Myles. Five stories of winter romance from Britain and the USA that are guaranteed to raise your temperature and soften your heart in time for the Holidays.

Josephine Myles: Sweet, dark, and with a bit of a kick, a Brandy Alexander is the perfect warm-me-up beverage for a chilly night.

Brandy Alexander
1 1/3 msr brandy
1 1/3 msr darke creme de cacao
1 1/3 msr double cream

Shake with ice and strain into a champagne saucer. Garnish with grated dark chocolate. Incredibly quick and easy to make, but it tastes absolutely delicious!

Chrissy Munder: The characters in Butterscotch Kisses, my story in the Winter Warmers anthology, mix together hot cocoa and butterscotch schnapps for a quick and wonderfully tasty beverage. Try it the next time you come in after sledding with the kids and make some hot cocoa. But to truly experience a Butterscotch Kiss, you need a few other ingredients:

Butterscotch Kiss
2 oz Everclear® alcohol
2 oz butterscotch schnapps
4 oz club soda

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into a collins glass half-filled with ice cubes, and serve.

Lou Harper: Cold and windy outside makes me reach for something warm and soothing inside. Try my favorite:

Hot Apple Cider
2 quarts of apple cider
10 whole cloves
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/3 cup of brown sugar packed
6 whole allspice
pinch of grated nutmeg
1 cup dark rum (can also use spiced rum)
4 cinnamon sticks

Combine ingredient in a large nonreactive pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. To really bring the flavors together, allow to simmer for at least half an hour before serving. Garnish with a slice of orange or a cinnamon stick.

It’s okay to keep the pot warm for hours – a crockpot is perfect for this purpose.

Clare London: I’m pitching in with Mulled Wine as it plays such an important role in “Lucky Dip” in Andy and Greg’s reconciliation!

As famous British chef Jamie Oliver says, “This is dead easy to make and tastes like Christmas in a glass. It’s a lovely celebration of those traditional festive spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. If you’ve got your own favourite spices, then feel free to add those to the pot too. Let everything cook away and warm up gently so the flavours have time to mingle with the wine. I like to leave my mulled wine ticking over on a really low heat and just ladle some into glasses as and when guests pop in.” Jamie, I agree!

2 clementines
peel of 1 lemon
peel of 1 lime
250g caster sugar
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 fresh bay leaves
1 whole nutmeg
1 whole vanilla pod, halved
2 star anise
2 bottles of Chianti, or other Italian red wine

Peel large sections of peel from the clementines, lemon and lime.
Put the sugar in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the pieces of peel and squeeze in the clementine juice. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and about 10 to 12 gratings of nutmeg. Throw in the halved vanilla pod and stir in just enough red wine to cover the sugar.

Let this simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved into the red wine and then bring to the boil. Keep on a rolling boil for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until you’ve got a beautiful thick syrup. This creates a wonderful flavour base by really getting the sugar and spices to infuse and blend well with the wine. It’s important to make a syrup base first because the mixture needs to be quite hot, and if you do this with both bottles of wine in there you’ll burn off the alcohol.

When the syrup is ready, turn the heat down to low and add the star anise and both bottles of wine. Gently heat the wine and after around 5 minutes, when it’s warm and delicious, ladle it into glasses and serve.

JL Merrow: My favorite Winter Warmer has, without question, to be Glühwein. This is very similar to English mulled wine, but often has an extra kick, due to a dash of brandy or port. I have fond memories of a long winter’s weekend in Vienna, when the temperature fell to -15 degrees Celsius, snow was thick on the ground – and Glühwein was available everywhere. There’s nothing quite like it for giving you a wonderful, Christmassy glow…

Glühwein:
1 bottle of red wine. A good general rule is to use something full-bodied, but inexpensive – and if it’s really rough, just use more honey!
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces 1 – 2 inches each
12-16 whole cloves
1 orange
2 tablespoons clear honey
1 heaped teaspoon allspice
1 glass of water

Method
1. Put water in large pan and place over medium heat.
2. Add cinnamon, honey and allspice.
3. While honey is dissolving cut the orange into slices. Push cloves into each slice and add to the pan.
4. Pour in all the wine. Yes, all of it. You’ll get to drink it later…
5. Turn up the heat. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL – do you want to waste all that lovely alcohol? Let the spices infuse for 30 minutes (if you’re impatient) or an hour (if you’re a purist). I know, it’s a long time to wait. It’ll be worth it, trust me!
6. Taste it. If it’s not sweet enough, add some more honey or sugar. Now is the time to slosh in a dash of brandy or port, if you think it needs a little extra kick.
7. Spoon out into a heatproof glass or mug, leaving the oranges and cinnamon behind.
8. Enjoy!
9. Repeat as necessary. And yes, it’s necessary.

And, in honor of our publisher, Pink Squirrel Press, here’s an extra warmer for us all to try:

Pink Squirrel
1 1/2 msr white creme de cacao (dark will do, which makes a Dirty Squirrel)
1 1/2 msr amaretto
1 msr double cream
1/4 msr grenadine

Rim a champagne saucer with lemon and sugar. Shake with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and flaked almonds sprinkled on top. Mmm… tasty and sophisticated looking!

What’s your favorite Winter Warmer? Alcoholic or otherwise? Raise your glass and pick up your copy of Winter Warmers: http://pinksquirrelpress.wordpress.com/winter-warmers/

Mulled wine. Butterscotch kisses. Hideous sweaters. Candy at the beach, or a trip to a sex shop in Amsterdam. And the man of your dreams, wrapped around you…

Winter warmers come in many shapes and sizes, from the tongue-in-cheek to the hot-as-hell. Enjoy a quintet of heart-warming tales of men loving men from Clare London, Chrissy Munder, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, and Lou Harper that are guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.

One thing’s for sure—it’s going to be a red-hot Christmas!

Lucky Dip by Clare London
Andy Jackson always knew that class 2C’s help in preparing for the annual Christmas Fair would be a mixed blessing. Then he’s paired up on the Lucky Dip with Greg, the man who dumped him but now can’t keep away, the pupils are either lecturing him on his lovelife or losing bladder control, and no one’s fixed the broken handle on the storage room. It may all be one whoopee cushion too far for him.

Butterscotch Kisses by Chrissy Munder
Matthew Morrison is determined to conquer his fear of heights and achieve a winning outcome. At least, that’s what the best-selling, self-help book he’s listening to promises. Being stuck on a three-story tower in the middle of a snowstorm wasn’t part of the plan. With no St. Bernard in sight, it’s Cute Ticket Guy Adam to the rescue, and an outcome Matthew never anticipated.

Wintertide by Lou Harper
May meets December when Jem and Oscar chance on each other at the Santa Monica Pier, only weeks before Christmas. The two men are separated by age, social status, and their taste in candy, yet if they are both naughty and nice, they might just find holiday cheer together.

When in Amsterdam… by Josephine Myles
Brandon is on his first visit to new boyfriend Jos’s home country, just in time for their Sinterklaas celebrations. But an unexpected detour into a sex shop leads Brandon to new discoveries about himself, and a whole new dynamic to their relationship. The weather may be cold and damp, but Brandon and Jos soon heat things up!

A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips, and Thou by JL Merrow
What’s the best gift a young man could get for Christmas? Mohawked saxophonist Liam wouldn’t have picked the hideous collection of knitwear he’s presented with by his mum and his aunties. He’d rather have the gorgeous older man he sees every day while busking at King’s Cross. But with a little Christmas magic in the air, maybe those garish garments are just the thing for attracting a silver fox…

Winter Warmers – Now available at your favorite eRetailer including:
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Smashwords / All Romance Ebooks

Winter Warmers an Anthology from Pink Squirrel Press

Title: Winter Warmers
Author: Clare London, Chrissy Munder, Lou Harper, Josephine Myles, JL Merrow
Publisher: Pink Squirrel Press
Pages: 126
Sub-Genre: Anthology/ Contemporary Romance/Holiday Romance
Kisses: 4.5






Blurb:

Baby, it’s cold outside! Beat the chill with Winter Warmers – a seasonal anthology

Mulled wine. Butterscotch kisses. Hideous sweaters. Candy at the beach, or a trip to a sex shop in Amsterdam. And the man of your dreams, wrapped around you…
Winter warmers come in many shapes and sizes, from the tongue-in-cheek to the hot-as-hell. Enjoy a quintet of heart-warming tales of men loving men from Clare London, Chrissy Munder, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, and Lou Harper that are guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.
One thing’s for sure—it’s going to be a red-hot Christmas!

Review:

If there’s a time of year to allow oneself to believe in the promise of love and romance, it’s the holiday season, and these five contributing authors deliver that magic beautifully in Winter Warmers, a collection of short stories that range from poignant to comical to sexy to just a little bit kinky, but will surely make you believe there’s something special about this time of year.

Clare London delivers a “the one that got away” story in Lucky Dip, in which Greg must seek forgiveness from Andy, the man he so abruptly dumped. When a fortuitous accident throws the two men together, Greg learns that the true gift during this holiday season is the gift of a second chance.

Butterscotch Kisses by Chrissy Munder is the story of a man, Matthew, who tries valiantly to overcome his fear of heights but finds that his true conquest might just be Adam, the cute ticket guy at the toboggan run who wears the squirrely hats and comes to Matthew’s rescue.

Lou Harper’s Wintertide is the supremely touching story of a May/December romance between Oscar and Jem, a man who finds healing and redemption in the arms of a near perfect stranger, and discovers that letting go and moving on does not mean forgetting.

Josephine Myles delivers an oh-so-sexy story that leaves no doubt as to whether it’s possible to be both naughty and nice at Christmastime and still get everything you want. On holiday in Amsterdam to meet his boyfriend’s family, Brandon quickly learns that where Jos is concerned, taking charge and dominating his boy is better than anything Sinterklaas could leave in his stocking. After all, When in Amsterdam…

Rounding out the collection is JL Merrow’s A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips, and Thou, a wonderfully clever story told by Liam, a mohawked punk with more charm and wit than anyone has a right to have. He’s had his eye on the older man he sees every day at King’s Cross station, but can’t seem to catch the man’s eye. That is, until his well meaning mum and aunts decide to brew up a strategy guaranteed to add a little bit of color to his plumage. When he finally catches Neil’s eye, Liam learns the anticipation of unwrapping a gift is half the fun of the holidays.

If you’re in the mood for a yummy yuletide collection, Winter Warmers just might be the perfect holiday treat.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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Hanging Loose by Lou Harper

Title: Hanging Loose
Author: Lou Harper
Publisher: Loose Id
Pages: 131
Characters: Nate, Jez
POV: 1st person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 4

Blurb:

When you fall in love, it can’t all just be hanging loose…

After graduating from art school Nate left the Midwest for sunny Southern California, not quite sure what he hoped to find. It was almost certainly not falling in love with another man. His whole world and assumptions about himself begin to slowly turn upside down on one hot summer day. Seeking respite from the heat and his loneliness at Venice Beach he has a chance encounter with a handsome blond surfer.

Jez is friendly, easygoing, and just a little bit mysterious. Openly gay, Jez offers cutie Nate a place to stay, and the two men become fast friends. Nate makes new friends, adjusts to his new life, but his unbidden attraction to Jez keeps growing. In their moments of closeness Nate realizes that he wants Jez more than just a friend, but it might be too late. To make Jez his, Nate has to face not only his own fears and insecurities, but his mysterious mate has secrets of his own.

Review:

Nate is a man who’s spent the first twenty-three years of his life being practical—college graduate, gorgeous girlfriend—but life in Indiana was missing substance. It was never, for as long as he’d lived there, truly a home for Nate; life there was not fulfilling in a way that made him want to settle down, so he packed his bags and moved to SoCal, in search of…something. What he found on a beach one chilly evening may very well be exactly what he’d been looking for—but it’s the who of it that most likely came as a bit of a surprise to our narrator.

Lou Harper’s Hanging Loose is a lovely and romantic story of self-discovery. It is the journey of two men who take a chance on each other, not as lovers, initially, but as friends, only to find their feelings would grow into so much more.

Jez is the epitome of the California surfer, blonde and beautiful, with a heart as big as the ocean, but he also has secrets he longs to keep hidden from the man who’s moved into his house, into his life, and has quickly stolen his heart.

Nate begins his journey, conflicted by the feelings Jez ignites in him. He professes his heterosexuality to Jez from the beginning, but it soon becomes clear, during quiet moments, moments that aren’t sexual but are deeply intimate, that Nate’s feelings contradict his pronouncement. As he begins to explore those desires for Jez that run well beyond friendship, Nate discovers that who he’d thought he was has very little to do with who he wants to be, or with whom he wants to build and spend his life.

The journey from friendship to love for the two men is laced with threads of conflict and uncertainty, which serve to build the trust they both need—in each other and in themselves—for their bond to grow and strengthen, but first they must learn to communicate honestly and openly with each other, causing its share of misunderstandings before the lesson is learned.

For fans of friends-to-lovers stories, for the sincerely romantic, for the appreciation of two genuinely likable protagonists, Hanging Loose is as satisfying as a cool breeze on a sunny day.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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