Falling, by Barbara Elsborg- A BiB 5 Star Read!

Title: Falling, Fall or Break book #1

Author: Barbara Elsborg

Publisher/GR Link: Samhain Press, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: prison, abuse, rebuilding, trauma

Rating: 5 out of 5- a Best of the Banned in Boston!

Lock this book up: 4 out of 5 keys- The sex is hot and supports the romance perfectly.

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Perfection

Best Line: "If I'd have known you before I went inside, I 'd have gone mad with longing."

Synopsis: Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.

He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.

Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.

Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.

Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.

Impressions:  This was a book that I could not put down, but at the same time, I wanted to savor each moment.  I rearranged my plans so I could have chunks of time to return to Malachi and Harper.  These men are so broken, and so isolated in their own traumas, that I could not look away from my kindle in hopes that I would see another sliver of happiness for each of them.  Elsborg crafts this story with expertise.  She draws each man with such care and love, that it is impossible for the reader not to experience their own falling...for both of these MCs.

Harper is the man whose trauma is the most eye catching, and he broke my heart with each page turn.  Each small smile, or escaped laugh felt like a ray of sunshine in a dark room.  Harper literally starts off in the cold and dark, and when he meets Malachi, much to his shock, that begins to change.

Malachi, with his laughter and jokes, is no less damaged than Harper is, although in a prison that many others could not see.  I ached as I watched him try to piece a life back together for Harper.

Elfsborg does not shy away from difficult storylines and characters, and her writing is all the better for it.  There is enough angst in here to tug at anyone's heart strings, but the love and romance will warm you right back up.

This is one of the best books that I have read in recent memory.  Elsborg is a master story teller, and it is clear on each page of this book.  You do not want to miss this one at all, so go preorder it tonight and wake up to a gift tomorrow on your ereader.  But be warned, carve out a good chunk of time, or call in to work sick.  You won't be able to take a step too far away from these guys.

I am excited that this is a part of a series, and the next story looks just as compelling.  Let the countdown begin!

5 Banned in Boston stars!

Book Review: The Way Things Are, By AJ Thomas

Title: The Way Things Are

Author: A.J. Thomas

Publisher/GR Link: Dreamspinner, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary 

Vice: Big strong men, sometimes surly teenagers

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Lock this book up: 4 keys- the sex is very hot, romantic, and suits the story

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: What is not to love?

Best Line: "I don't want this to end"..."it doesn't have to."

Synopsis: A night of drunken confusion at nineteen resulted in Patrick Connelly fathering a child. Determined to be there for his son, Patrick walked away from a sport he loved and forever hid his sexuality. After Patrick's brutal divorce and a vicious hate crime, his son, Jay, has become obsessed with graffiti. Hoping for a fresh start, Patrick moves Jay to his childhood home in Seattle. Within two weeks, Jay is arrested again. On his way to pick Jay up, Patrick stops an assault, then finds himself in handcuffs too. Thinking things can’t get any worse, he’s confronted by the sexiest man he’s ever seen—his son’s new probation officer, Ken Atkins.

The hardest part of Ken’s job is working with difficult parents, and the undeniably handsome Patrick Connelly is going to be a difficult parent. A chance encounter and steamy hookup with Patrick leave Ken blindsided. As they work together to try to keep Jay on the right path, the passion between them proves impossible to resist. When the assault Patrick prevented comes back to haunt them and Jay gets into trouble again, Ken must convince Patrick that ensuring his son’s happiness doesn’t have to mean sacrificing his own

Impressions:    This was a book that I couldn't put down.  I loved Ken, and I never lost respect for him and he walked a tight line of professionalism, but I really fell for Pat.  I respected his work to be a good father, and his unconditional love for his son.  

The story was great, and the plot moved along nicely, but really it was the love that these two men shared that kept me hooked.  The pacing was just right, and Thomas did a great job of demonstrating that these guys found something special in each other when their paths crossed.  

This was a great book, and I was swept away into their world each time I picked up my kindle.  I sure never wanted to put it down!  The cast of characters really supported the story well!

Definitely recommended!

5 Star Review: With or Without Him

Title: With or Without Him

Author: Barbara Elsborg

Publisher/GR Link: Samhain, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Prostitutes, Abuse, Rich men, Great secondaries

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Lock this book up:  4.5 out of 5 keys.  Sex is HOT, plot driving, and fitting to the story.

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Delish!

Best Line: "You came to mean more and more to me, and I could no sooner have turned away from you than stop the earth spinning. I thought, if this ends with me broken, so be it. But as every day passed, I thought: he won't break me, he loves me and one day, he'll tell me. But you didn't because you don't."

Synopsis: "The most dangerous refuge could be his lover's arms. "

Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it's being in debt. He's so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he'll do almost anything-including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties.

But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he's truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music.

The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means-for the first time in his life-opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.

20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they're risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving.

Warning: Contains a "for hire" bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won't shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.

Impressions: This was one of those please-let-the world-leave-me-alone-so-I-can-read kinda books.  I was lucky enough to be snowed in for a few days, so I got a few of those minutes when I could hide away and keep reading!  I felt totally engrossed by these guys, and I felt like I *needed* to keep reading so they could get their HEA!

I wasn't sure that I would really get Tyler's panic over debt, especially given that so many of us have it, but Ellsborg made his fear totally relatable and believable.  Tyler had been through so much and it was totally evident in his current behaviors and beliefs.  Haris was also a man with a past, though he initially seemed so much more in control.  In reality, he was damaged and maybe even more in need of love.  

The secondary characters were very engaging, in particular Winslow and Jeremy.  They played a crucial role, and moved the story along nicely.

The action was intense and believable, and kept me tapping away on my kindle.  The miscommunication between Haris and Tyler was hard to watch, but never became a ridiculous plot device.  Everything about this book was gripping, but the connection between these two was amazing and really kept me hooked.

Though you may suffer a book hangover at its conclusion, it is worth every sigh!  Check this book!  I know I will be going to Ellsborg's book list and making sure I don't miss any other great reads!

5 Star Review: We Found Love

Title: We Found Love

Author: Kade Boehme

Publisher/GR Link: Dreamspinner, GR

Genre: Contemporary MM

Vice: Abuse, Mental Health, Loss, Healing

Rating: 5 stars

Lock this book up : 3.5 keys out of 5, sex is an important part of the story and supports the plot

Length: novel

Satisfaction: Well earned HEA/HFN - but very satisfied

Cover Impressions: I liked it.  The overall feel reflects the storyline well.

Best Line: "You need you."

Synopsis:It’s no surprise Riley Connors is dealing with issues. He was kidnapped as a young boy, and his parents abandoned him after his newsworthy return. He bounced from foster home to facility and back. Now an adult, ghosts from his past continue to haunt him. After a suicide attempt, he is locked away in Hartfield so that people can make him tune in to emotions he has tried to bury. 

Hunter Morgan had the kind of love that spans ages. But the stress of college and adulthood became too much to handle, and the love of Hunter’s life turned to drugs. After he overdoses, Hunter finds himself soaring out of control on the same miserable path. His brother finds him and calls an ambulance, and the sister Hunter would rather not have calls it a suicide attempt, landing Hunter in Hartfield. 
Finding love isn’t easy, but it can happen under the most dire circumstances. Together Hunter and Riley may be able to grow from their pain. But they will need to learn to live for themselves, letting love come second.

Impressions:  This book was something special.  I've read other work from this author, and I've always enjoyed them.  (Don't Trust the Cut, and The Keep Swimming Pair were 5 Star reads for me as well.)  This book, however, handled very complicated MC's with love and compassion, and more impressively, believability.  

I love tortured heroes, and I have a soft sport for MC's who have survived abuse or deep personal challenges.  I love watching them heal and find love and happiness, but often their stories are rushed, and their HEA seems forced.  I was so relieved and pleasantly surprised to see the compassion with which Boehme handled these two men.

Riley had had a very tough life, and it hasn't been getting much easier.  Though I wish I had even more of his back story, what we learned was heartbreaking.  Despite this, he has a sharp wit and a big coat of armor.  Riley seems to be on the edge of living the life of institutionalization while he yearns for a "normal" life that he has never had.  The introduction of Hunter into his life is the factor that sets him on the road to active healing, but he cannot be healed by Hunter, nor can Hunter be healed by Riley.

The quote that really stuck out to me was "You need you" and I think this is the magic of the book.  Love is important, but self healing needs to happen first.  The pacing of this love story was done perfectly.  I really believe that these men have made it past the biggest hurdles, and that they have the strength to continue their healing.  

This story was sweet, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at once.  Definitely check it out.  It is highly recommended!