Cherish Your Name by Mary Calmes
01 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: Cherish Your Name
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 158
Characters: Malic Sunden, Dylan Shaw
POV: 1st Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal/Holiday
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Malic Sunden is in hell—only not literally… yet. As a warder, Malic is used to fighting demons and squaring off against all kinds of creatures from the pit, but this year he’s facing a new and terrifying prospect: Christmas holidays with his much-younger boyfriend and his family.
He loves Dylan, his hearth, but Dylan’s parents, the Shaws, are another story. They think Malic is a cradle-robber, among other things. At least their neighbor, Brad, seems to like him. Then again, maybe not. When Malic gets offered to a demon who wipes his memory of everything but Dylan’s name, it will take all Malic has to escape his new life in a hell dimension and return to the man he calls home.
Review:
Cherish Your Name is a special holiday story starring my all time favorite warder/hearth couple. Make no mistake, I love all the couples in this series, and I especially love Raphael, but as couples go, Malic and Dylan have always been at the top of my list, and this day-in-the-life—well, in this world, that is—installment in the series made me realize why: Malic and Dylan, in some ways, remind me of Sam and Jory from Mary Calmes’ “A Matter of Time” series, so the loving thing is a no-brainer for me.
Spending Christmas with Dylan’s family proves to be one of the biggest challenges Malic Sunden has ever faced. Squaring off with demons? Pish. That’s nothing when compared to facing the less than enthusiastic reception the Shaw family give him. Malic is definitely out of his element when it comes to interacting with the Shaws: after all, they see him as the older man robbing their cradle of their much younger son and brother. They’re suspicious of Malic’s motives and his intentions toward Dylan, and that’s a difficult stigma to overcome. But there are times, thankfully, when actions are far more eloquent and convincing than words could ever be.
A bit of romantic angst, a duplicitous neighbor, and yes, a demon come along to complicate things for the warders. A quiet Christmas just isn’t in the cards for Malic and Dylan, but it will most definitely be memorable.
Cherish Your Name is the perfect addition to the warder series; it encompasses everything the warder and hearth relationship is about—that the home is not the place but the who that is the sanctuary. It is the name of the one who shelters you and gives tangible meaning to the words family and love that is the touchstone, the thing that keeps you grounded and gives purpose and direction when the way becomes unfamiliar.
Mary wrapped this one up and delivered it with a very sexy and sweet bow on top. This is a definite must read for fans of the series.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Honored Vow by Mary Calmes
29 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: Honored Vow
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Pages: 290
Characters: Jin and Logan
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Paranormal
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Jin Rayne is still growing into his frightening new powers as a nekhene cat and his place as reah of Logan Church’s tribe when he learns that a sepat, an honor challenge, has been called. Logan, who has never wanted to do anything but lead his small-town tribe, must travel around the world to Mongolia and fight to become the most powerful leader in the werepanther world.
Logan won’t be the only one making the journey. As his mate, Jin must fight with him to honor his commitment to Logan, his culture, and his tribe. But the trial is long, involving a prolonged separation between the two men, and Logan’s humanity is at stake. In order to make it through the nightmarish sepat, Jin and Logan must accept their fates, trust each other, and honor the vows between them no matter the cost.
Review:
And once again, Mary, you have done it. You have managed to keep your readers on edge for this whole series with this deep intellectual world you have created. The characters are so well fleshed out that I swear I could see them, I could almost hear them. I could feel their pain, their anger, their happiness and I fell deeper in love with them, if that’s at all possible.
This third installment brings Jin’s and Logan’s relationship to its peak, it’s the test of all tests, and it challenges them mentally as a pair and as individuals. It’s a true test of love and how fate takes its course in their lives.
Once again Jin and Logan are separated by a challenge that’s been called. Logan is being forced to take place in a challenge he really wants nothing to do with. All the poor guy wants is to be left alone with his pack and his mate to live their lives but since they’re anything but human’s this isn’t possible for them. So, while he and Jin are trying desperately to understand the powers of Jins other form as a nekhene cat, this challenge presents itself. And all too soon, Logan is whisked away for two whole months of “training and testing” and spending all that time as a cougar who is beaten daily. He’s made to act like an animal, he is not permitted to be a man at any point for any reason and quite frankly I’m glad the story was told in Jin’s POV because I may have thrown my reader across the room had it been any other way.
While Logan is off being conditioned to take part in this brutal senseless challenge that all the Alpha’s were requested to attend, Jin is learning more about his other self, his life as a reah and learning more and more about the pack he has committed his life to. He is miserable without his mate and he is a bundle of raw nerves by the time he and several other pack mates travel to Mongolia. Mongolia? In the middle of winter. It’s cold there. Very cold.
Now, let me tell you that those tests they are put through? Horrible. Just absolutely brutal. I cringed, shook my head, laid the reader down and quickly picked it back up to find out more. Mary holds no punches here. She actually writes for these panthers and she does not sugar coat anything. When they kill, they kill and you get the full details.
Expect some changes at the end of the story and expect for somethings not to end as you thought. Mary, you sorta hurt my heart at the end of this story. Crane just so happens to be my favorite in this story. In saying all this, I can’t recommend this book enough. Be prepared for a bit of information though. As I was reading it, processing all of the information I needed to know to move on with the story, my head was spinning just trying to understand everything. It’s a lot to understand and I’ll be honest here. I didn’t get some of it, but it didn’t hurt the story at all for me. I still caught the jist of what was happening to whom and why but the orders that came from the priest in charge just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me and the winner at the end of the “games” wasn’t at all who I expected. All I can say is: WOW.
Reviewed By: Michele
Nexus (Warder #5) by Mary Calmes
06 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: Nexus (Warder #5)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 164
Characters: Marcus Roth, Joseph Locke
POV: 1st Person
Sub-Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal/Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
Marcus Roth is a top criminal lawyer by day and demon-slaying warder by night, but he is simply one of five warders—not really important to anyone but Joseph Locke, his hearth. Or so Marcus mistakenly believes.
On a trip to Lexington, Kentucky, to celebrate Joe’s grandfather’s birthday, that belief changes as Marcus unwittingly uncovers a paranormal dilemma and ends up revealing his identity as a warder to Joe’s family. Faced with a traitor, demons, and the return of an old enemy, Marcus must put his own needs aside to save his friends—though in so doing he may lose the man he loves forever. Even living through the ordeal might not be enough if Marcus can’t forgive himself and learn that his hearth and the rest of his clutch can’t do without him.
Review:
Nexus—the title of the book says it all, really. It’s the one word that describes the clutch, the group of five demon warriors from San Francisco who position themselves as sword and shield between the demons of the nether realms and the unsuspecting humans on which those demons prey. Nexus is the link that connects a group. Nexus is the center, the tie that binds; for the warders, those bonds come in the form of their sentinel Jael; their hearths, the men who are everything to the warriors they love; and Marcus Roth, the warder who learns precisely how crucial he is in the lives of the family he has built.
But when a man has it all, it only means he has so much more to lose. When a man moonlights as an avenger of evil, it’s almost guaranteed there will come a time he will be forced to make a difficult choice, to sacrifice himself for the greater good, to protect those he loves at the expense of all else.
The fifth book in the Warder series brings Marcus and his hearth, Joseph Locke, to the fore. This is their story, one of a love so profound and essential to their way of life—the way it works for all the warders and their hearths—that the threat of losing it nearly destroys them both.
Mary Calmes brings things full circle in this installment, as Marcus tells his story and, in the end, learns a fundamental truth about himself and the part he plays within the fold of the brotherhood. Action and angst keep things moving along briskly, but not at the expense of taking the time to show how well Marcus and Joe work together as a team, how much trust and a primal need for each other play a part in their relationship. The nexus of the series itself is the theme of love and its power to transform and to heal; that theme ties each of the books together into a whole that has been a pleasure to follow.
Nexus is a lovely culmination to the Warder series, one readers might wish had lasted a bit longer.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Bulletproof (A Matter of Time #5) by Mary Calmes
12 Oct 2011 5 Comments
in Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: Bulletproof (A Matter of Time #5)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 260
Characters: Jory Harcourt, Sam Kage
POV: 1st Person
Sub-Genre: Crime Drama/Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Jory Harcourt doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Wherever he goes, it seems to find him—particularly when his partner, Sam Kage, is working undercover on a federal task force.
After the recession forces him to close his business, Jory goes to work as a matchmaker and event planner. From there, it’s only a matter of time before his big mouth and up-front attitude make him the rope in a tug-of-war between a trust fund baby and a drug-smuggling criminal. Then, as if that situation weren’t delicate enough, Jory’s undercover lover shows up working for the smuggler.
Between the men who want him and the men who just want him dead, Chicago is getting a little crowded for Jory, so on the advice of his brother, his boyfriend, and the FBI task force, he heads for Hawaii… where a serious accident threatens his quality of life. Can Sam and Jory keep the faith and prove that their relationship really is bulletproof?
Review:
Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage are back in Bulletproof, the fifth—and final?—chapter in the “A Matter of Time” series, in which Sam finds himself deeply embedded in an undercover sting, and Jory finds himself questioning his husband’s commitment to him and their relationship after a four month separation has left the demon of doubt gnawing at Jory’s mind and heart, wondering if Sam’s extended absence and silence is his way of disconnecting from their partnership.
Detective Sam Kage is a complex man. When he’s working, he’s whoever he needs to be at the moment, which, in this current case, has absolutely nothing to do with being Jory’s partner and everything to do with being Jason Bradley, the man who needs to work his way into the inner circle of drugs and arms dealer, Cristo Liron. Being Jason is easy for Sam because no Jory exists for him. Being Sam Kage, however, is the far more difficult of the two, because for Sam, Jory is everything. The moment their eyes meet after their months of separation, Jason is in deep trouble because everything Sam is calls out to the man who owns him, heart and soul.
Three years have passed since Jory and Sam married, but a ring on Jory’s finger only serves to remind him of how much he misses his husband, who’s working with the Feds to put Cristo out of business. Liron’s not the kind of man you want to have as an enemy. He’s not exactly the kind of man you want to have as a friend either, but Jory manages to gain the criminal’s attention when he saves Cristo’s brother Eddie from a long and deadly drop to the pavement. That bit in the blurb about Jory not having to look for trouble because trouble always finds him? So. True. Jory’s had a long line of men who’ve wanted to possess him over the years; that hasn’t changed in Bulletproof. Cristo Liron has just taken a number, and he wants to cut directly to the front of that line. The man wants Jory. Badly. And he doesn’t take kindly to rejection.
Jory’s uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time hasn’t improved with age, illustrated by the fact that he finds himself at a party with Cristo, a party he’s at not five minutes before he looks up and sees Sam playing the role of Liron inside man, to the hilt; no wedding ring in sight and a woman draped over him. It’s a do or die moment for both of them, knowing that Sam’s cover could be blown with one wrong move, one wrong word, a single glance, and doing so would prove fatal for both of them. But if there’s one thing Jory is, it’s cool under pressure. Whether running from killers or staring down a ruthless criminal, he always manages to engage the hemisphere of his brain that thinks clearly, even in the deadliest of situations, and does so with precision timing. And where Jory is concerned, those potentially deadly situations seem to pop up everywhere.
One look at Jory, and it doesn’t take long before Sam’s desire to be with his man overwhelms his need to remain fully immersed in his mission. It’s a risk he knows he shouldn’t take, but it becomes imperative for Sam to reassure his partner that there is nowhere else he’d rather be than home, not at the place he considers home but with the person who is Sam’s refuge.
Things get hairy, and more than a little bit scary, when Jory rejects Liron and the man becomes suspicious that Jason Bradley isn’t who he says he is. Jory’s quick thinking again defuses the situation, but not before Sam pays a hefty price, and not before Jory goes a bit too far to prove Cristo wrong.
A quick exit is the only way Sam and Dane Harcourt see to keep Jory safe, and the farthest place they can think of to send him quickly and easily is Hawaii. But this is Jory Harcourt we’re talking about, after all; trouble would follow him to the ends of the earth and back. And it’s not only Cristo Liron who’s determined to cause issues for Jory—trouble will always find him, it’s just a matter of differing degrees. Liron’s merely the only one who wants to see Jory dead.
The Grim Reaper and Jory become far too intimate this time around; Death does not become him, not in the very least. And “bulletproof”? That’s very much just a figure of speech that brings till death do us part a bit too close for comfort. But now there is no running away. There is no leaving for each other’s own good. There is no more undercover work that will take Sam away from Jory. There is only staying and loving and supporting and planning for a future that will bring them so far from where they began.
Mary Calmes has taken this series and these characters on a fully evolved journey, from the first anxious days of Sam’s denial of Jory and his feelings to the final moments in Bulletproof, to a time and place when Sam knows that life would mean little if Jory weren’t there to share it with.
Dr. Seuss once said, “don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” I hope Mary won’t mind if I do a little bit of both.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Mary Calmes Loves Love, We Love Mary Calmes, And We Don’t Want Her To Herd Sheep In Mongolia
19 Sep 2011 7 Comments
in authors, Mary Calmes Tags: Mary Calmes
Mary, I want to start by saying how happy we are to have you here with us today. We so appreciate you taking the time out of your hectic schedule to visit with your readers, so how about if we kick things off with an introduction—will you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
Thank you so much for having me!
I am a wife and mother of two, one girl, one boy, and I work full time at an EDJ and write as soon as my kids go to bed and until ridiculous hours of the morning. I don’t think my family remembers what I look like without circles under my eyes.
When did you discover your passion for writing? Was there someone in particular who encouraged and inspired your love of storytelling?
I started writing when I was twelve and I wrote about two knights, or what I thought knights were like, and it was the adventures of Demetrius and Konor. And they did everything together and even though my mother loved it, she also said that two men shouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed together. And where were the damsels in distress? My guys just saved each other, killed the bad guys and rode off into the sunset together. I liked it being just them instead because I thought it was romantic. My family was confused.
Have you always written Male/Male romance? What drew you to the M/M genre?
I always thought how romantic a movie was or how beautiful a story was and then how much more romantic or hotter it would be if both the leads were men. I do it to my husband all the time, I say “that was great, but you know what would have been better…”
And by this time, yeah, he knows.
Are you surprised by the ever growing female fan-base of Male/Male fiction?
No I’m not surprised; there was a really good article in LA Weekly a few years back:
http://www.laweekly.com/2009-12-17/art-books/man-on-man-the-new-gay-romance/1/
that explained it a lot better than I ever could. But most of the women I know think the idea of two men together is very hot and very romantic and they love to read it.
What was your first published book?
A Matter of Time.
How many books have you had published thus far?
As of now I have 16 total.
Asking this question might be a bit like asking you to choose one child over another, but of all the characters you’ve created, do you have one who stands out among the others as a favorite? If so, who and why?
Jory (from A Matter of Time) is my favorite character because writing him is just so much fun. It’s like being in a car without breaks, just a wild fun ride. And Jory is witty like I wish I was and quick and can banter like nobody’s business and he’s way, way, prettier than me. He’s the cool kid I never was.
Dreamspinner press recently re-released your “A Matter of Time” series, with the next book, Bulletproof, coming out on Sept. 26th. Would you consider giving us just a small taste of what we can expect next from Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage?
This is an excerpt from when Jory sees Sam for the first time after being apart for close to 4 months:
As my eyes took in everything at once, my attention was caught by one of the men at the pool table closest to me. Defined muscles in his broad back flexed and bunched under a dress shirt that was straining across wide shoulders, bulging biceps, triceps, and fell untucked over a firm, round, tight ass. His movement was fluid for a big man, and I was reminded of the carved specimen that usually resided in my bed.
“Oh shit.” I caught my breath when the man turned, because I was looking at Sam Kage… and not, at the very same time.
The light brown hair with highlights in it, copper, gold, bronze, and wheat was gone, replaced by black waves even darker than Dane’s. It looked so alien. The goatee was out of place, as was the stubbly mustache, since Sam was normally clean shaven. The shirt, open halfway down his chest, revealing his rippling torso, was a treat, but hardly in the man’s comfort zone. I had never seen him wear jewelry with the exception of his wedding ring and his watch, so the diamond cross that was hanging from his neck was glaring, drawing my eye. I also saw that his wedding ring was very absent. Taken all together, he looked weird, like him but not like him all at the same time. I knew him on sight; he would have to be invisible for me not to notice him, but why he was dressed like an extra from Miami Vice back in the day, I could not imagine. I would have to take a picture so I could show his sisters. They would laugh for weeks.
For the life of me, I couldn’t decide on a plan of action. My first thought was that I should wave, second, I was going to rush across the room and launch myself at him, and door number three was me just yelling until all my frustration with his absence was vented. It would drag on for several minutes, I was just sure.
In the end I did nothing, because wonder of wonders, my brain actually kicked in. Standing there like a statue, staring at the man I loved; I realized that we were both in trouble if I said even a word to him. Obviously he was undercover, as what I had no idea, but I knew I would blow it for him if I didn’t just walk away. I had to walk away. And I was going to, I was ready to, up until the second he looked up and his eyes hit mine. He did a quick double take, and I was swallowed in smoky blue. He couldn’t change his eyes without contacts, and looking into the familiar heat made my knees weak. The whimper in the back of my throat could not be stopped. He moved fast, crossing the floor to me. I braced for the assault.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled at me under his breath the second he was close enough.
I noticed his lashes had not been dyed to match his hair, and were still long, thick, and gold. The jet-black hair was colored so there were no highlights in it, flat black, not glossy, but still thick, still that which I wanted to run my fingers through and mess all up. He would look phenomenal all tousled in bed. I wondered if they had dyed the hair between his navel and his groin black as well. Did they mess with the treasure trail? The thought hit me like a fist, slamming through me so hard that I had to suck in a breath. I ached to be under him.
“Jory.” My name was spoken deep and low.
“Oh,” I said, stalling, trying to remember what he’d asked me.
Looking at him, being close to him, my mind had gone blank.
“J?”
Wait, where was I again?
“Focus,” he snapped at me, the annoyance there in his strained voice.
But he was right there in front of me, and it took everything I had not to reach out and put my hand on his face, another on his rockhard abdomen. I wanted to touch him so badly my stomach hurt.
It’s Jory’s regular roller coaster, if you love him you have to take the ride. Sam always rides.
I’ll try to ask this question without giving too much away, but here goes. The family bond is an important thread that weaves through the storyline, certainly for Jory and Dane Harcourt—how did Jory being orphaned influence your development of his character?
I will try and answer without being confusing. My original thought was that in AMOT Jory is an orphan and so is Dane and the thing about their relationship is that Dane has always treated him like a brother and so when the opportunity arose, I felt it was a natural progression of their relationship for Dane to make the offer for them to become true brothers. Dane wants a say in Jory’s life and Jory wants him to have it but the reverse is also true. Jory wants to be a person that Dane has to listen to. Their banter is some of my favorite, and because Dane is such a serious person, for Jory to be able to break through the ice to the man underneath, I always felt that there had to be a reason for that that ran deeper.
Have you planned the series out to a set number of books, or will you simply continue to gift us with more Jory and Sam until they have nothing left to tell us?
I think this is going to be it with Jory and Sam, I wanted to explain some things and I wanted to know what Jory looked like settled and writing about them is like visiting old friends. Sam especially, I can see his face and the long suffering smile and the tilt of his head.
Do you prefer writing in the 1st or the 3rd person? What advantages do you see in writing in one vs. the other?
I would love to write in limited 3rd person but I’m terrible at it. I so respect authors who can do it, that gift is amazing. I think you get so much more from 3rd person, both sides, both character’s feelings but I get sort of lost in the “epicness” of it all and it becomes a mad jumble. Once voice in my head is about all I can manage.
Do you have any works-in-progress or upcoming publications, other than Bulletproof and Nexus, you’d care to share with us?
Honored Vow, my third werepanther book and last book with the focus on Jin and Logan will be out in either November/December and I have story in the Dreamspinner Advent Calendar that will be released December 1st.
As for works in progress I plan to write a sequel to Again because Dante needs some redemption, a sequel to my novella Romanus because I have plans for Mason James, Domin’s book…it goes on because all the characters live in your head and it’s just getting it all down that takes time.
What is the most challenging topic you’ve ever broached in your writing?
When I wrote Any Closer, the secondary character was raped and I wanted to make sure that the topic was handled sensitively. Charlie Ryder is very near and dear to my heart.
When someone reads one of your books for the first time, what do you hope s/he takes away from the experience?
I just want them to have felt like the guys they just finished reading about really loved each other. I love, love, and that’s what I want to convey. I write romance because I am hardwired for the happily ever after and I want you to feel it inside, that everything is settled and good. Dreamspinner Press has this Bittersweet Dream line that I respect so much that I will never write. You mean the guys don’t get together in the end? Love doesn’t conquer all? There’s just no way.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received with respect to the art of writing? How did it change the way you approach your craft?
I read this article about Walter Mosley in 2007 and it was called, This Year You Write Your Novel. He said that you must write every day. There are two reasons for this rule he says, getting the work done and connecting with your unconscious mind. Some days you may be rewriting rereading or just sitting there scrolling back and forth through the text. This is enough to bring you back into the dream of the story. If you skip a day or more between your writing sessions, you mind will drift away from these deep moments of your story. You will find that you’ll have to slog back to a place that would have been easily attained if you wrote every day.
Those were his sage words so I clipped it out of the magazine, tacked it on the wall, eventually transferring it to my binder that holds all my story ideas, and once I wrote every single day, 365 days a year, for at least 3 hours a day, things changed. I have friends that write so fast that I could never hope to keep up with them and they are phenomenal writers but for me, just making sure not a day goes by that I don’t write seems to be working. So Walter Mosley, he’s what worked.
What is the question you’re most frequently asked by your fans?
Are you going to write another book about Jory?
When you have the chance to sit down and enjoy some quiet reading time, what sorts of books are you most likely to pick up? Who are your favorite authors?
I read all kinds of things; something about the character just needs to spark my interest and I have to be absorbed by the first page. I have a tiny little attention span, like a gnat has better focus than me, so I have to be engaged fast. For me, a book has to just start. I do read out of my genre but find lately that most of what I read is m/m. As for authors there are so many but Amy Lane, Ariel Tachna are auto buys for me, Lori Toland, and ML Rhodes I read on a regular basis and I have discovered new authors I love like Damon Suede and Reiko Morgan. It’s so amazing when you’re reading and you’re so transported that when it’s done, you’re sad. I’ve also had the experience, like after I read Giselle Ellis’ Take My Picture where I thought, I can’t write like that, I need to go herd sheep in Mongolia.
How would you describe your sense of humor? What makes you laugh?
David Sedaris makes me laugh. Holidays On Ice is one of my all-time favorite things to read. Eddie Izzard will render me breathless. But I have a teeny-tiny little brain too so Sports Center commercials will make me giggle as well. My husband always gives me a look and rolls his eyes.
Of all the modern conveniences, which one would you most likely say you couldn’t live without?
Starbucks. Venti Quad Iced Vanilla Latte. A daily must have.
Thanks again for spending some time with us, Mary. It’s been a pleasure having you with us. Will you tell us where we can find you on the Internet?
http://marycalmesbooks.blogspot.com
And we’d love if you’d consider sharing a favorite excerpt from one of your books with us.
This is from Timing, when Stef and Charlotte are yelling at each other after the first part of a very emotional weekend for both of them.
“We know so much about each other, we’ve shared so much… all of that makes us more than just friends, Stef. I know how you need quiet in the morning, and you know how I like my coffee and that I like pickles but not cucumbers. I know how you held me the night I was attacked… after you brought me home to your apartment and made me tea… how you wrapped me in your arms under the covers, and I was so safe… oh Stef, do you really think I could ever not need you or not want you or not love you? Is that even fucking possible?”
No. The answer was no. It was not possible I was permanent. I squeezed her so tight she farted. “Charlotte!”
The crying turned to laughter instantly, and when I put her down, she couldn’t even breathe.
“God, you’re disgusting.”
It’s one of my favorites because you understand their relationship right there.
A Matter of Time: Volumes 1 & 2 by Mary Calmes
19 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in authors, Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes, publishers Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: A Matter of Time: Volumes 1 & 2
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 280 and 298
Characters: Jory Keyes Harcourt, Detective Sam Kage
POV: 1st person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance/Murder Mystery
Kisses: 5+
Blurb:
Volume One: Jory Keyes leads a normal life as an architect’s assistant until he is witness to a brutal murder. Though initially saved by police Detective Sam Kage, Jory refuses protective custody—he has a life he loves that he won’t give up no matter who is after him. But Jory’s life is in real jeopardy, especially after he agrees to testify about what he saw.
While dealing with attempts on his life, well-meaning friends who want to see him happy, an overly protective boss, and a slowly unfolding mystery that is much more sinister than he could ever imagine, the young gay man finds himself getting involved with Sam, the conflicted and closeted detective. And though Jory may survive the danger, he may not survive a broken heart.
Volume Two: Three years ago, Jory Harcourt changed his name and shut the door on a past full of pain, only to emerge stronger on the other side. He has a new career, a great working partner, and a satisfying life—except for the hole in his chest left behind when police Detective Sam Kage walked out with his heart.
Now Sam’s back and he knows what he wants… and what he wants is Jory. Jory, who doesn’t know if he can survive another break up or losing Sam to his dangerous job, resists returning to the arms of the only man he has ever truly loved. But when a serial killer with a score to settle targets Jory, he will have to decide if love is worth the danger as he tries to solve the case and keep Sam safe.
Review:
Mary Calmes’ A Matter of Time: Volumes One and Two ought to come with a variety of warning labels cautioning readers that beginning this series will cause extreme bouts of anxiety and fatigue, (because you’ll be up till all hours of the night, reading) will have you laughing and crying alternately in a case of emotional whiplash, will keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of betrayal and danger, but to top it all off, this book will make you fall irrevocably in love with its narrator, Jory Keyes Harcourt and his on again, off again, on again lover, Detective Sam Kage.
Dreamspinner Press has rereleased this series (originally published in 2009 as four separate books) and condensed it into a two volume set. If you didn’t read books one through four in ’09, read them now. Just do it. Now. Seriously. Don’t wait. And a word of advice: go ahead and purchase both volumes at once because you won’t want to miss a beat in the continuation of this thoroughly consuming tale that begins the night Jory witnesses a cold blooded murder, nearly blowing a police sting operation, and meets the surly detective, Sam Kage, all in the name of helping his friend Anna, who is escaping an abusive husband.
From the moment Jory’s presence is exposed by the rambunctious pup he’s in Anna’s home to rescue to the moment he escapes to find himself face-to-face with a very angry Detective Kage, the young man’s life changes in ways he could never have dreamt of before, not in his wildest of imaginings.
At twenty-two, Jory’s managed to carve a good life for himself from the remains of a childhood that might have damaged a slightly weaker man. An unknown father, a mother who abandoned him, and a grandmother who raised him but died while Jory was still young enough to be thrown into the foster care system could have sent him down a far different path in life, but if you learn anything at all about the man as you read his words, you’ll learn that he is nothing if not tenacious and utterly impetuous, which succeeds…sometimes. Sometimes it just comes back to bite him in the ass.
Encouraged to enter the witness protection program to avoid the sure danger he’s in now, Jory adamantly refuses, much to the consternation of Detective Kage, who, let’s just say, perhaps doesn’t quite know what to do with the younger man.
Sam is straight, you see, and Jory is obviously not, which immediately handicaps poor Sam. Why, you ask? Well, let me fill you in; here’s lesson number two: everybody loves Jory, whether they want to or not. (With the exception of the people who want to kill him, of course.) But to everyone else, Jory is utterly irresistible. He is beautiful, both inside and out. He’s charming, funny, intelligent, dead sexy, charismatic, quirky, compassionate, magnetic, and perceptive. Jory is the consummate friend; he’s the man that everyone inevitably gravitates toward; it’s simply unavoidable. Jory makes himself indispensable, as though it’s imperative that he be somewhere within your center of gravity, so for Sam? Yes, you can see the dilemma.
Witnessing the attraction grow between the two men, watching their feelings for each other ebb and flow through adversity, and ultimately, heartbreak, is nothing short of sublime. Volume One is a study in endurance for the reader, not because the plot is poorly executed—not by a long shot—but because you wonder, as you’re reading, just how many times you can pull yourself back together after Jory and Sam have torn you apart.
Sam’s story is one of personal revelation, in which he will find the courage either to allow himself to love Jory completely, openly, and honestly; or he will return to the life he led before they met, continuing on with his dreams of marriage and a family, a life that will guarantee his security both personally and professionally. This is the conflict that provides for so much of the agony throughout this narrative. Sam is a massive presence, the consummate dominant male, strong and intimidating—to everyone but Jory, who brings the big man to his knees, leaving him unsure of how to move forward.
A three year time lapse between Volumes One and Two picks up with Jory having reassembled the pieces of his shattered remains after Sam disappeared from his hospital bedside without so much as a goodbye. Sam left to find the kingpin behind the Saul Grant murder, with the intention of securing Jory’s safety, but also to attempt to work out his feelings for the man who’d thrown his life into a tailspin.
For those agonizing years, Jory’s life is a shambles, falling back into his old pattern of partying and one night stands. He eventually finds the motivation to attempt to move on with another man, but even the dashing and wealthy Aaron Sutter is doomed to fail in Jory’s eyes because his love for Sam is now the benchmark by which he will compare everyone else. Though he’s convinced himself he no longer loves Sam, Jory seems incapable of loving anyone else, and it’s a paradox for the man; finally learning what true love is, only to have that love taken away, knowing that whatever or whoever else may come along will only pale in comparison to the one who nearly destroyed him.
His adoptive brother and former boss, Dane Harcourt, has given Jory a family, whose unconditional love and unwavering support has seen Jory through. In fact, Jory has done the same for Dane—they are brothers in every sense of the word but blood, and their bond is as necessary as breath to them both. This parallel storyline weaves beautifully into the romance, as well as figuring prominently into the murder mystery plot, proving that family isn’t always those to whom you are born, but is also those to whom you choose to belong. For Jory and Dane, and Dane’s wife, Aja, their bond with each other will prove dangerous, however, as Dane’s biological family attempts to insinuate themselves into his life.
Sam’s return to Chicago after his mission is completed isn’t one of happy reunions, by any means. He’s back for a full year before the two men run into each other, leaving little doubt that Sam has changed. But so has Jory, and the question becomes, have time and circumstance changed both men so fully that their lives can no longer intersect? Sam makes his intentions very clear, but mistrust is difficult to overcome; his abandonment of Jory was destructive, and Jory must protect himself from the pain that Sam can wield against him.
A serial killer is targeting Jory, as the FBI uncovers the evidence, albeit somewhat circumstantial, that his life is in danger. Protecting Jory, loving him, and convincing him that he’s ready to commit himself fully and forever to him becomes Sam’s obsession. But when Sam is nearly killed in an explosion, it’s Jory’s turn to take charge of his own life and future, to protect Sam, as well as Dane and Aja, from an unknown and insane force bent on murder.
Every once in a great while, a book will come along that absolutely makes me want to shout its praises into the furthest reaches of the worldwide web. It doesn’t have to be perfectly punctuated, nor does it have to be flawless. It just needs to supply me with characters that I can become entirely consumed by, a story that I can become completely lost in from beginning to end. And most of all, it has to end leaving me wanting more, for no other reason that I don’t want to say goodbye. A Matter of Time, both volumes, left me with the overwhelming urge to go back to page one and begin reading them all over again just so I wouldn’t have to.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Watch for Jory and Sam’s story to continue in Bulletproof, releasing on September 26, 2011 from Dreamspinner Press!
After the Sunset by Mary Calmes
19 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes, publishers Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: After the Sunset (Timing #2)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 174
Characters: Stefan Joss, Rand Holloway
POV: 1st person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Two years after riding off into the sunset with ranch owner Rand Holloway, Stefan Joss has made a tentative peace with his new life, teaching at a community college. But the course of true love never does run smooth. Rand wants him home on the ranch; Stef wants an exit strategy in case Rand ever decides to throw him out. Finally, after recognizing how unfair he’s being, Stef makes a commitment, and Rand is over the moon.
When Stef gets the chance to prove his devotion, he doesn’t hesitate—despite the risk to his health—and Rand takes the opportunity to show everyone that sometimes life’s best surprises come after the sunset.
Review:
Mary Calmes introduced readers to Stefan Joss and Rand Holloway in Timing, a story of evolution for the two men—one who finds the strength to finally admit his love for the other, and one who ultimately finds the strength to fight his fears and accept that love is an investment worth making.
The fine line between hate and love blur for the two men, as they progress from animosity to friendship, and ultimately, to lovers and partners. Now co-owners of the prosperous Red Diamond Ranch, Stef and Rand have settled in and are looking toward the future, but there are still unresolved issues from the past, secrets and lingering bitterness that have fractured the Holloway family. When that animosity threatens the future of the ranch, and by extension, Rand himself, Stef takes matters into his own hands to protect his partner and the business he’s worked so hard to build.
Participating in a rodeo isn’t among Stef’s repertoire of skills, though his choices are limited to that or forfeiting the Red Diamond’s share of grazing lands, which Rayland Holloway will take full advantage of while Rand is distracted.
Confronting prejudice and refusing to back down from the challenges before him, Stef discovers the sad truth that there are those who believe he’s little more than a diversion for the formerly straight Rand, nothing but an experiment that Rand will tire of sooner rather than later, then will carry on with his life, will marry and start the family they believe he can’t have with Stef. What at one time might have fueled Stef’s own deepest apprehensions now serves to fire his determination that the love they share is more than enough to overcome doubts, regardless of what anyone else might believe. When that determination threatens Stef’s personal safety, however, Rand’s actions are all the confirmation those detractors need to see how imperative Stef is to his life, his happiness, and to his future.
After the Sunset is a fabulous addition to the “Timing” series and one more gem to add to the collection of stories Mary Calmes has created around charming, commanding, and entirely loveable characters who wend their way directly into the heart.
The significance of family bonds, those connections by blood and by choice, is a theme that weaves its way through the author’s work and is just as strong a theme throughout Stef and Rand’s story. The presence of a couple who find hope and the courage to love without limits in spite of the challenges they face is the essence of what I appreciate so much in Mary Calmes’ work. These are men who find a strength and completion in each other that is intrinsic, which is at once utterly romantic and entirely meaningful to who they were and who they’ve become.
If you fell for Stef and Rand in Timing, this continuation of their story is guaranteed to make you wish for more.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Again by Mary Calmes
06 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Dreamspinner, Mary Calmes, publishers Tags: Dreamspinner Press, Mary Calmes
Title: Again
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Characters: Noah Wheeler, Dante Ceretto
Pages: 90
POV: 1st person
Setting: Contemporary
Sub-Genre: Romance
Cover Rating: 3.5
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Six years ago, Noah Wheeler went to meet his boyfriend, Dante Ceretto, at the airport, and his world ended. Dante was kissing someone else and claimed to be in love. So Noah took his heartbreak—and the sonogram pictures of their surrogate child—and closed the door on the big picture of what he thought his life would be, focusing instead on the piece of the dream he got to keep, being a father.
Now on vacation in Las Vegas, Noah accidentally runs into Ceretto’s family, and then the man himself, and learns that not only was he deceived, but Dante was as well. Now Dante wants to make up for lost time, six years’ worth, and to do that he needs Noah, the only man he’s ever loved, and Grace, the daughter he didn’t know he had, to give him a chance at happiness. Dante’s going to have to take a crash course in communication and seduction, though. Noah’s not going to fall in love just to be broken again.
Review:
Mary Calmes and her stories truly are a treat to her fans. She brings us Noah and Dante who were lovers for four years, lovers who wanted nothing more than each other and their own family, however, fate plays a cruel game with the two men. Dante is an undercover agent, and has been one throughout his relationship with Noah, and that alone was the only issue they had between them. One afternoon, Noah heads to the airport to pick his lover up, but upon arrival he witnesses a scene that literally breaks him.
Taking his wounded pride, his broken heart, and news of their unborn child he rushes home and pines for ages. He knows he has to move on without Dante for their daughter, and he does. For six long years he does this, he becomes a dad and he is quite successful. However, he can’t find it in his heart to love another, as Dante still remains in his heart as the only man he’ll ever love.
While out of town in Vegas for a wedding Noah and his daughter Grace bump into Dante’s brother at the hotel they’re staying at. The man knows right off that Grace is his brother’s biological daughter and in that, so does the rest of Dante’s family. Which means one thing. Dante is close by.
When Noah sees him again, the words on the reader/computer before you come to life. Talk about two men in love? Two men so real you could swear you know them personally. Two men who draw the best out of one another. This is Dante and Noah.
Don’t miss this quick read. If you do, you’ll never experience the heat between these two men, and the adorable child they created. Grace.
Reviewed By: Michele
Sinnerman (Warder #4) by Mary Calmes
24 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Mary Calmes Tags: Mary Calmes
Title: Sinnerman (Warder #4)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 150
Characters: Jackson Tybalt, Raphael Caliva
POV: 1st person
Setting: Contemporary
Sub-Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
As a warder, Jackson Tybalt is one of the good guys until he sees the man he loves kissing another. Betrayed and angry, Jackson tempts danger and death, ignoring the pleas of other warders to be careful. It’s a vile mood in which to start a romance, but that doesn’t stop the kyrie Raphael, who more than anything wants Jackson for his very own.
Jackson doesn’t want a hearth, he doesn’t want a lover—he just wants dark and painful, and Raphael will give him what he wants. But sometimes the sins of the flesh are just what a body needs to bandage the wounds of the heart, and Raphael will hide the tenderness he feels for Jackson for as long as the warder wears the guise of the Sinnerman.
Review:
Bounty hunter Raphael Caliva is chasing more than demons in Sinnerman, the fourth installment in Mary Calmes’ sexy Urban Fantasy collection.
The Warder Series follows the adventures of a clutch of Bay Area demon fighters known as warders, as they battle to protect the unsuspecting human population from the forces of evil. Each warder is an orphan, entirely without familial connections save for his fellow warders, his sentinel, and his hearth, the partner who is utterly essential to the warder’s existence. The hearth is the touchstone, the grounding force that keeps the warders connected to something natural in an unnatural world.
Sinnerman is the story of the destructive aftereffects when the connection between a warder and his hearth is irrevocably broken. Jackson Tybalt and Frank Sullivan are an example of what happens when a hearth is more enthralled by the preternatural world that exists behind the veil of “normal” than he is with the man he’s supposed to love and protect. Jackson discovers his partner/lover/sanctuary in the arms of another man, the ultimate betrayal that brings an end to their partnership and leaves Jackson alone and vulnerable, a circumstance that spells death for a warder.
His confidence bruised, his soul shattered, Jackson spirals into a freefall of risky behavior, a situation that leaves him open to the temptation of the sexy kyrie who wants and needs to be claimed by the warder who owns his heart. Theirs is a story of healing and acceptance made even lovelier by the unconditional approval and acceptance of the closest thing these men have to a family.
Each time I read a book in this series, the immediate response is, “This one is my favorite yet.” And that trend absolutely continues with Sinnerman. I was already half-way in love with Raphael before this installment in the series. There is no half-way about it anymore. Raphael and Jackson take it to an all new level of sexy, filled with ups and downs, and the sort of emotional payoff I’ve come to expect from these brave, bold, and beautiful heroes.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Heart in Hand (Warder Series #3) by Mary Calmes
14 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Mary Calmes Tags: Mary Calmes
Title: Heart in Hand (Warder Series #3)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 140
Characters: Leith Haas, Simon Kim
POV: 1st person
Setting: Alternate Reality
Sub-Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 4.5
Blurb:
Simon Kim is very much in love with Leith Haas, but Leith is a Warder. His job—hunting demons—is dangerous and important, and Simon doesn’t want to distract the man he loves more than life with the small stuff. But he doesn’t quite get that when a Warder takes a Hearth, the Warder gives his heart without reservation. When Leith claimed Simon, Leith bared his soul, leaving himself vulnerable before the only man he’s certain he’ll ever love.
When Simon is sucked further into Leith’s perilous world—and into an alternate dimension—Simon realizes that the only strength he can give his Warder is the strength of his love. Can Simon sacrifice the control he has come to treasure for the man who already owns his soul?
Review:
Think it’s impossible to combine a sigh-worthy romance with demons, werewolves, and any number of other creatures that exist in the hellish realms of the Underworld? Well, think again because Mary Calmes has done just that in Heart in Hand, the third installment in the Warder series, where warders fight to protect humanity from the unnatural forces of evil, and their hearths fight to keep them grounded to home and, well, hearth.
Leith Haas and Simon Kim steam up the pages of Heart in Hand as Simon narrates the story of his and Leith’s first meeting: the attraction, the need, the inexplicable bond they feel for each other that goes far deeper than mere chemistry. The connection between a warder and his hearth is a visceral commitment that becomes essential to the warder’s existence. It’s a difficult connection for Simon to navigate at times, but in the end, when all hell breaks loose and it’s up to Simon to extend himself beyond any other experiences he’s ever had, that primal bond will serve to rescue his warder and defeat the plans of the demon Saudrian.
Mary Calmes has written a fast paced paranormal set in a world where the natural and the supernatural intersect flawlessly; where two men—each strong and capable, yet vulnerable—aren’t afraid to express their love for each other, through both words and actions.
This is romantic adventure that does its best to keep the reader turning pages (too fast), and succeeds. As if it weren’t enough to have two strong protagonists, the author also gives us some pretty intriguing minor characters as well—Raphael Caliva, the kyrie demon—yeah, I’m just sayin’. I think I could love him if he weren’t just a tiny bit scary.
Reviewed By: Lisa
