Blind Faith by NR Walker

Title: Blind Faith
Author: N.R. Walker
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 246
Characters: Carter Reece, Isaac Brannigan
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Starting a new job in a new town, veterinarian Carter Reese makes a house call to a very special client. Arrogant, moody and totally gorgeous Isaac Brannigan has been blind since he was eight. After the death of his guide dog and best friend Rosie, his partnership with his new guide dog, Brady isn’t going well. Carter tries to help both man and canine through this initial phase. But just who is leading who?

Review:

This was such an honest telling of a budding relationship between two men dealing with their pasts; while making new possibilities for their future. For Carter moving is a fresh start. He has a new job, new house and a new life. Carter is still a little gun-shy from a previous relationship which has spurned his trust in men. He is looking forward to making the best of this new chance. With his sweet and caring demeanor, and his protective attitude he is the doomed to fall in love with the extremely handsome Isaac.

Isaac has been through more than most people could even imagine. Losing his sight and his mother when he was a boy made him a very strong person, but when he lost his father and his guide dog a few years later, it made him close himself off from others. Who could blame him? But when he meets Carter it changes everything. It made him realize what he is missing, woke him up from existing from day to day and want to live again by making him want more out of his life.

I loved reading about these two men. They had me laughing-crying-smiling and most certainly warmed my heart. Highly Recommended!

Reviewed By: Jerry

BUY LINK

Pack Business by Caitlin Ricci

Title: Pine Hollow Wolves, Book 2: Pack Business
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 111
Characters: Liam, Travis and Hannah
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Romance, Shifters, Series
Kisses: 3.5

Blurb:

Hannah’s gift creates panic within the pack and Liam has to choose between his pack and his new family. The choice he makes could have deadly consequences for all. A confrontation for Travis will alter his and Hannah’s lives forever.

Division lines are drawn when Hannah’s unusual gift creates panic within the pack. Liam has to choose between his pack and his new family and the choice he makes could have deadly consequences for the ones he loves. A confrontation for Travis will alter his and Hannah’s lives forever and he’ll have to make his own choices for the future of all he holds dear.

Review:

Liam is faced with a decision that no one ever wants to make. Forced to choose between the family he loves, and the family he was born into, is something I hope I never have to do. Travis is sweet, a little jaded and certainly a great father to Hannah. Together they are a great family unit in which I really enjoyed reading about.

Pack Business is a very easy read with very strong characters. When I finished the book it felt as if I knew each one of them personally and I really liked that. This is a very touching story about love, commitment and of course a little lust mixed in. Recommended!

The Pine Hollow Books in series order are:

Almost Paradise
Pack Business

Reviewed By: Jerry

BUY LINK

Silence by Shawn Bailey

Title: Silence
Author: Shawn Bailey
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 158
Characters: Andrew Lansky, Brett Julian
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 3

Blurb:

After Richard Julian is killed in an automobile accident, his will asks his best friend, Andrew Lansky, to look after Richard’s nineteen year old deaf brother, Brett. At twenty-four, Andrew’s never had such a big responsibility, but he takes one look at the gorgeous young man and agrees to help out.

Brett’s sorry his brother died, but he craves independence. He’s happy to let Andrew offer assistance, but only if Andrew gives him some space.

Andrew wonders what Brett’s world of silence is like and Brett ponders the sexy books Andrew writes. Life isn’t perfect for either man, but love has a way of breaking the communication barrier.

Review:

I admit I’ve been looking forward to reading this book. I’ve read several books by Ms. Bailey, and liked some more than others, but after I read the blurb for Silence, I was immediately intrigued and immediately requested to read and review it.

The blurb does an excellent job at describing the story. Andrew is a writer who lives in California. When he gets a call from his best friend’s lawyer who tells him that his friends has passed away and he’s needed in Louisiana because he’s in the will, Andrew drops everything and goes there.

What he doesn’t expect is that his friend has left his guardianship over his younger brother, Brett, into Andrew’s care. Brett is four years younger than Andrew and because he’s deaf and just nineteen, he needs someone to look after him. Apparently, his friend knew since Andrew’s grandmother was deaf, that Andrew would have an easier time with Brett and Andrew being a nice man, drops everything to take care of best friends’ brother.

I liked this book. Andrew shows a lot of character by taking on a complete stranger to help him out. He takes his responsibility seriously and he and Brett get along really well. I liked watching Andrew and Brett’s relationship evolve from strangers to friends. But, I will say that although Andrew likes Brett, I really wonder if he ever loved him. In my opinion, Andrew always seemed to see Brett more as a child than a potential lover. He’s conflicted by his attraction and feelings toward Brett throughout most of the book, and although I understood why he felt this way, their relationship seemed to be rushed toward the end of the book. I would have liked to have seen them really work at taking that next step in their relationship as well as seeing Andrew see Brett more as a man and as a partner instead of someone that isn’t quite his equal.

I liked Brett’s character and although he did have some bratty moments, I understood why Andrew’s wishy-washy affection towards him would totally drive him crazy. Although he has feelings toward Brett, there is also a friend of his that he develops the beginning of a relationship with, and in some ways, I would have almost liked Brett to end up with him. At least this man saw him as an equal and not some misbehaved child.

Andrew also has a love interest before he gets together with Brett. I did not like this man at all and wanted to shake Andrew for overlooking some of this horrible man’s personality flaws just so he could shack up with him. I admit, I was confused as to who I needed to root to be together…Andrew and Brett or Andrew with horrible Troy or Brett with James…

I will say toward the end of the book, I wanted Andrew and Brett to get together, I just wish the book had been longer.

All in all I did like this book, I just didn’t love it. I hate this because I wanted to so bad…maybe the author will revisit these characters in the future? If she does, I’d definitely want to read the rest of their story. There are some very sweet and tender moments between Andrew and Brett that I really enjoyed and I would recommend this book for any fans of Ms. Bailey’s and anyone who is looking for a story that has interesting conflicted heroes who end up doing the right thing just in time for their happy ending.

Silence is a complex read with interesting characters and a fast-paced storyline. It’d be a good book to read on a rainy day. It definitely gave me a couple of hours of escapism.

Reviewed By: Gabbi

BUY LINK

Eye of the Beholder by Edward Kendrick

Title: Winterfield Series: Eye of the Beholder
Author: Edward Kendrick
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 105
Characters: Preston Davison, Cary Fielding
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Kisses: 3.75

Blurb:

When Preston is attacked by an unknown assailant, he’s unable to face the future looking as he does. With the help of his new roommate, will he let down his barriers and meet his best friend Cary face to face again?

When porn star Preston is attacked by an unknown assailant who may have been working for his former boss, he goes into seclusion, unable to face the future looking as he now does.

Meanwhile his friend, Cary, and Cary’s boyfriend give up trying to find Pres and move on with their lives. Then, through his online business, Pres reconnects with his friend, although Cary doesn’t know it is Pres. Will Pres, with the help of the woman with whom he is living, be able to let down his barriers and meet face to face with Cary or will his fears keep them just online friends?

Review:

I’ve read several books by Edward Kendrick and I’ve enjoyed them all. I like his easy style of writing and his characters are always well-written, likeable people.

The blurb does an excellent job at describing the story, so I won’t rehash a lot of it. Cary and Preston have been best friends for years. Although they’ve shared just about everything together, neither man is willing to admit their love for each other.

Preston in particular has harbored unrequited feelings for Cary. Although their lives have taken very different directions, they’ve remained close, but when Cary begins dating a nice man, he realizes that they will never be together and hopes the best for his friend. But when he is viciously attacked and horribly scarred, this breaks his spirit and he runs away, not telling his family or Cary what happened or where he’s at. Lucky for him, he has a friend that happened to be a nurse on duty the night he was attacked and she talks him into moving in with her, while he heals and decides what he wants to do with his life.

Cary was on a business trip when he reads in the paper about Preston’s attack and because of bad weather he’s stuck out of town and cannot get to his friend. Once he gets to the hospital, Preston is gone and Cary is forced to try to get on with his life without him. But neither of them can forget the friendship they have for each other and the love they secretly have between them.

I liked this book. My heart broke for Preston when he was attacked. I understood his anxiety about wanting to hide away from others, but I also wanted to shake some sense into him too. In his mind he’s done the right thing by disappearing from his loved ones, but in reality he’s just isolated himself more. Thankfully, his friend, Tabitha, is able to help him heal and begin to realize he needs to bring his loved ones back into his life and not to hide himself away anymore.

I also liked Cary. I felt sorry for him when he couldn’t get to Preston in time and understood why he went on with his life…even though he never forgot or wished to be with Preston. I also enjoyed how they reunited and was glad to see how everything worked out in the end.

I do wish Cary and Preston had more time together in the book. I would have liked to have seen them really connect more than they did. The book moves very quickly and there is a mystery about who hurt Preston. I admit I was a little surprised who hurt him, but I thought the ending was a little rushed and ended up wishing some things wasn’t wrapped up so quickly. There were a lot of things left unsaid between them and some questions were left unanswered, but since I think this is the first book in the Winterfield series, I hope we will get to read more about this couple and see how they’re able to move onto the next step of their relationship.

This book is what I like to call a sweet romance…in other words; there are no sex scenes in this book. They share a kiss and that’s all of the sexual contact they have between them. Now, please don’t get me wrong…this is totally fine with me. Sometimes I want to read a strictly romantic book without all of the hot and heavy stuff, and I do think this story is a great choice if you’re not in the mood for a sweet and loving romance.

Eye of the Beholder is a sweet and thought provoking romance. I really liked these two men together and enjoyed watching them work through their fears to be together. I enjoyed it and I’m definitely hoping there will be more about these two characters in the next book of the series. Recommended!

Reviewed By: Gabbi

BUY LINK

Raven’s Dream by Kam Miller

Title: Portland Pack, Book 2: Raven’s Dream
Author: Kam Miller
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 168
Characters: Raven and Cale
POV: Alternating 1st Person
Sub-Genre: Shifters, Series, Suspense, Fantasy
Kisses: 3

Blurb:

Cale and Raven know they are mates. They have avoided claiming each other because of their nightmare pasts. To overcome his fears Cale must take a chance even though his past is threatening to ruin any future he may have.

Ten years ago Cale escaped the slavery that he lived in his entire life. In the process he met his mate. Raven is everything Cale could have wished for in a mate but he is unable to let go of the past in order be the mate that Raven deserves.

Raven has watched over and protected Cale since he showed up barely alive on his Alpha’s doorstep. He has dreamed of holding his mate for ten years but needs to wait for when Cale is ready.

After Raven is injured, Cale finds the strength to let go of his past and take a chance on his future. But Cale’s past rears its ugly head and threatens everything they hold dear.

Review:

Coming from a well respected lineage of wolf shifters, Raven is one of the youngest in his pack. But next to his dad and his three hundred year old brother, he grows stronger by the day. Tragedy strikes when a rival pack attacks his own, bringing his Alpha father and brother to their demise. With rage pumping his adrenaline, he brings down the alpha of the enemy pack. With only twenty pack mates left alive from the battle, they gather their dead to give them a proper burial. Storm, the last pup to live out of six, quickly gets taken in by Raven, seeing as they are now both orphans.

Years and years later, Raven is old. Like…really old. A little over a thousand to be exact. And in all the time, he had not found his mate. Until recently. Ten years before, a young wolf shifter by the name of Cale was rescued and brought to the Portland pack, which consists of not only wolf shifters, but a leopard and Siberian tiger as well. After seeing the malnourished, broken and beaten shifter, Raven knew, as well as Cale, that the moment they met, they were destined. They found their mate. However, Cale seems distant and stand offish; a lot of times even rejecting Raven’s advances. For ten years to be exact. Now, all Raven has done for a decade was watch and hope that whatever happened to Cale in his past was healing so they could be together. But meanwhile, Cale, is left wondering if Raven even wants him as a mate, and if so why is still messing with someone else..?

While the two ponder over why their status is at a stand still, an old and evil rival is looming in the distance, about to threaten the Portland pack’s life and shake the core of some deep, unforgettable scars.

This is the second installment for Kam Miller’s Portland Pack books. I had honestly never read the first one, which is entitled Liam’s Happiness. Now after reading Raven’s Dream, I will have to go and read that one. The Portland Pack series offer a good array of characters, all with a great mix of different personalities. Raven is a sweet and loving mate which blends well with the cute, but sassy Cale. These two will keep you guessing if they will ever get over their issues and end up together. I had a a lot of fun reading this story and enjoyed the characters immensely.

The only thing that kept me confused was all the characters at times. There is a good bit to keep up with and sometimes I would get lost on who was who and what was his mate’s name, etc. I still enjoyed them, but would have been nice if there was a little more clarity on that.

If you enjoy shifters, romance and drama, this is a nice book to read.

Reviewed By: Seth Azzarello

BUY LINK

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl by Vicktor Alexander

Title: Flip the Coin book 1: Chocolate Vanilla Swirl
Author: Vicktor Alexander
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 82
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Family & Relationships, Gay, Holiday Story, Romance
Kisses: 4

Blurb:

Braxton Brown and Hamilton Drake have loved each other for years, but neither knew how the other felt. Christmas in Lakeland, Florida reveals their feelings, but their newfound relationship may not survive interference from Braxton’s disapproving family.

Review:

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl is a funny, cute and very sweet story. Set in Lakeland, Florida, Braxton and Hamilton have had a long two sided crush since high school. The way the author set this story was very profound. I’ve learned that some families disown, completely ignore, or label you as an abomination because of who they love, female or male. But this book was really great when both characters follow their hearts so they can find happiness. I highly recommend this sweet short story.

Reviewed By: Jen

BUY LINK

If the Stars Fall by Diane Adams

Title: The Making of a Man book 5: If the Stars Fall
Author: Diane Adams
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 268
Characters: Jared Douglas, Alex Ross
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

For sixteen incredible years Jared Douglas and Alex Ross share their lives and their hearts, each golden moment seeming to promise a lifetime of the same. When calamity strikes, it hits hard, leaving the couple shell-shocked in the aftermath. As Alex struggles to recover from an injury and cope with the resulting depression, Jared’s efforts to help are ineffectual. Alex is slipping away and Jared can do nothing but love him and cling to hope. When things are darkest, Alex and Jared continue their struggle to find common ground; what they discover comes as no surprise. Sadly, even the strongest love can be stretched too far. They don’t want to lose what they had but is looking back the answer?

Review:

I could not have loved If the Stars Fall more if I tried. The love between Jared and Alex was unbelievably beautiful. It truly made me jealous. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to get to know these two heroes, and this book really helped me to do that. By the end of the story I felt like part of their extended family.

The author did such a beautiful job with explaining everything that it was easy to pretend you were there with them, experiencing their life right next to them. If the Stars Fall had me laughing, crying, hoping, and truly inspired. Highly Recommended!

Reviewed By: Jerry

BUY LINK

New Beginnings by Edward Kendrick

Title: New Beginnings
Author: Edward Kendrick
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 172
Characters: Rome, Jeff, Vance, Theo
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Action, Family Relationships, Romance
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Rome, a police detective, and Jeff, a closeted construction worker, become friends and then much more. Then Rome joins Vance Montgomery’s team of covert ops. Soon afterward tragedy strikes and the team must deal with the aftermath as Vance implodes.
Rome, a police detective, and Jeff Reynolds, a closeted construction worker, have maintained a loving relationship for four years while keeping their sexuality hidden. Then Rome is outed, quits the force, and finds a new job as part of Vance Montgomery’s covert ops team. He and Jeff move to New Orleans to begin their new life together.
When a job goes bad, Van goes off the deep end, hiding in the bottle, unwilling to see anyone. Eventually his associate, Rico, faces him down and makes him accept he cannot continue on the way he’s been going. With the help of his friends, Van straightens out his life, and goes after those who caused his grief.
CONTENT ADVISORY: This title includes a bittersweet ending.

Review:

The first story hooked me, Rome and Jeff were a great couple. There was lots of action and plenty of romance, but more than that the story of the two of them really hooked me. I loved the way the story evolved and truly enjoyed reading it.

The second story(or continuation) yanked, pulled and twisted my heart. This was the first book in a long time to have tears in my eyes. When Vance is talking about “his Ginna” it just shook me. I could really feel the pain and anguish this man was going through. Theo was just enough a part of the story to make you want more. He was everything a 4 year old should be and more. I don’t know if there is more of this story to come, but if so sign me up..

Reviewed By: Jerry

BUY LINK

The Perfect Gift by Lisa Worrall

Title: Mr. Popsalos Book 2: The Perfect Gift
Author: Lisa Worrall
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 129
Characters: Jamie Papadopoulos, Luke Fisher
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance, Series
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Jamie knows what he wants to give Luke for their first anniversary. The wedding bands have been in a suitcase in the attic for months. But before he can say those four life-changing words, an accident throws their lives into disarray.

Review:

I’ve read several books by Lisa Worrall and I’ve enjoyed them all. She has a knack of really getting to heart and soul of her characters and she has a humorous voice that I really appreciate.

Jamie and Luke have been seeing each other for almost a year. So far, things have gone pretty smoothly for them. They are still in their ‘honeymoon’ phase of their relationship and even Luke’s young son, Reggie, has adapted to their little make-shift family. They are so happy, Jamie plans on proposing to Luke on Christmas. He’s ready to make a firm commitment to Luke and his adorable son, Reggie.

But life can be unpredictable. Just when Jamie believes that life couldn’t be more content, the rug is suddenly pulled out from him when they are in a serious accident. Now, Jamie is faced with the prospect of losing the two people who mean the most to him. Is Jamie and Luke’s relationship strong enough to survive the obstacles and pain life is throwing between them?

I loved this book! Jamie and Luke have a strong emotional bond between them that really resonated off of the written page. There is an obvious love and affection between them, but what I really liked about their relationship was how much they truly seemed to like each other too. There is a deep friendship and respect they have for one another and I found myself becoming enchanted with their story.

I also loved the way Luke’s son, Reggie, also bonded them together. Even though Reggie is not Jamie’s blood, in Jamie’s mind, Reggie is just as much of his son as he is to Luke. I liked how they all communicated with each other and I loved the easy-going banter between them. They were truly a family unit and not once did I believe differently or question their affection for each other.

Even though this book is a pretty smooth and easy going read, there is also enough angst in it that kept this reader on the edge of her seat at times. I found myself experiencing a vast array of emotions while I read this book, and yes, there were times I reached for my tissues as well as times I found myself laughing out loud. I loved the strong romantic undertone this book had and I truly hated to see it come to an end.

The Perfect Gift is the second book in the Popsalos series. When I requested to review this book, I had no idea it was in a series. Once I started it, I found myself wanting to see how these two men met and came together, so I quit reading it and bought the first book. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed reading how Jamie and Luke met. Saying this, I also believe that this book could easily be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Worrall does a great job at keeping the reader informed of their back-story, so someone who hasn’t read the first book will easily be able to follow along and pick up where this story begins. I do recommend reading the first book just because it’s also a great book and it really enhances the dynamics between the three characters.

Beautifully written with heroes that will live long in your heart, The Perfect Gift is a story that will leave you with a smile on your face. I loved every moment of this book and I can’t wait to read more about these characters in the future. Highly Recommended!

Reviewed By: Gabbi

BUY LINK

The More Things Change by KC Beaumont

Title: The More Things Change
Author: KC Beaumont
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Pages: 81
Characters: Bryan Mullally, Aaron Briggs
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 4

Blurb:

Surgical Tech student, Bryan Mullally, has been pining for his best friend, Staff Sergeant Aaron Briggs since they met in middle school. When Bryan’s exhaustion from juggling school, work, and helping support his sister and nephew catches up with him, his secret slips out, and he wholeheartedly expects the ultimate rejection. As it turns out, Bryan hasn’t been the only one keeping secrets.

Despite the new—and very physical—phase of their relationship, Bryan realizes their lives haven’t changed all that much. When Bryan recognizes that Aaron still looks at him the same way he always did, even when he says, “I love you,” he finally understands the old adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Review:

I’m a sucker for the best friends-who-turn-into-lovers themed romances, so once I read the blurb to this book, I was pretty excited to read and review it.

The blurb does an outstanding job at describing the story, so I won’t rehash it. Instead, I thought I’d write about why I enjoyed this book and why I’d recommend it to those who are in the mood for a sweet and sexy romance.

Both Bryan and Aaron have been best friends for years and it shows. They take care of each other, rely on one another and have a deep friendship that really resonated off of the written page. Both men are likeable characters who were easy to root for, and I enjoyed watching their transition from being best friends to partners in life. I also liked how both Bryan and Aaron really looked out for Bryan’s sister and his nephew. Bryan, in particular has made sacrifices to help his sister out, and since Aaron is such a huge part of Bryan’s life, he too, really steps up and is part of Bryan’s family.

There’s not a lot of angst in this book and in all honesty, I was glad. I was in the mood for a sweeter and more romantic book, so The More Things Change really fit the bill for me. I also enjoyed the author’s easy and straightforward style of writing Ms. Beaumont has. The More Things Change is a heartfelt, lovely romantic read that left me with a smile on my face. If you are looking for a lighter, sexy romance, then this book is definitely for you! Recommended!

Reviewed By: Gabbi

BUY LINK