Two Mini-Reviews: Resilient Heart and Letters from Cupid

Title: Resilient Heart

Author: Annabeth Albert

Publisher/GR Link: GR

Genre: MM, Military

Vice: Military, PTSD, Dogs, Healing

Rating: 5 out of 5

Satisfaction: HEA 

Synopsis: Originally released as part of the Unconditional Surrender bundle, now available as a stand-alone novella complete with BRAND-NEW 10,000 word short story/epilogue. When a wounded soldier is forced to accept help from his former best friend, both men discover the true strength of their entwined hearts.

Army IT specialist Xander keeps his emotions wired as tight as his NETCOM gear, but when he’s seriously injured by an IED, his whole life unravels. Running out of options, Xander must accept help from his ex-friend-with-benefits, Mackey. However, Xander’s had feelings for Mackey for years, and close quarters only complicates his emotions. Further, Xander doesn’t know which is worse: combating his inner demons or dealing with Mackey’s guilty kindnesses. 

Mackey’s always kept his emotions close to his chest, but now he’s got a secret that could destroy his one chance with the man he cares far too much for. Both men will have to heal their wounded hearts to ensure a future together. 

Entwined Future: In this new short story, Mackey has news that could change everything for him and Xander, but a visit from Xander's family jeopardizes Mackey's plans--and forces Xander to confront some harsh truths.

Impressions:  This short novel backed a whole heck of a lot of punch.  I loved these two men, and I appreciated the sensitivity with which their struggle was captured.  I loved the packing of the story, which allowed us to share in the challenges and joys that these two men face.  I am quickly finding this author to be an auto-buy for me, and this book sealed the deal!  This is such  deep, complex book and the character development is handled so well.  I'd love to see these two men in the future!

Title: Letters from Cupid

Author: Ari McKay

Publisher/GR Link: Torquere, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Nerds, Strong/Silent types

Rating: 5 out of 5

Satisfaction:  HEA

Synopsis:Breaking up with his boyfriend has left English Professor Derek Chandler feeling lonely and down. He begins to think that he just doesn't have the passion to sustain a long-term relationship -- at least until a letter from a mysterious "Cupid" tells him not to lose hope. Intrigued, Derek replies to his anonymous admirer, and they begin a correspondence where Derek discovers he isn't the only one with doubts about his desirability.

Dr. Macon Pinney has admired his colleague from afar for quite a while, but he only intended his initial note to Derek to offer encouragement. Macon doesn't believe that outgoing, sociable Derek could ever be interested in the type of quiet, withdrawn man he knows himself to be. And yet when Derek writes back, admitting his worries about never finding a true partner, Macon can't help but reply, sharing his own feelings from the safety of anonymity.

But will Macon find the courage to step out of the shadows and admit to Derek his identity, or will both men spend the most romantic day of the year alone?

Impressions: I was looking for something cute and sweet, and this story was IT!  I loved Macon and his struggle to believe that Derek could really like *him.*  I really got him as a character, and this story kept a smile on my face the whole time I read it.  It was, in a word, perfect!  When you need a cute Valentine pick-me-up, grab this one!  I know I'll be revisiting it again!

5+ Banned in Boston Review: Beneath the Stain

Title: Beneath the Stain

Author: Amy Lane

Publisher/GR Link:Dreamspinner, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Rockstars, Loss, Recovery, Coming Out

Rating: 5 out of 5- Banned in Boston

Lock this book up: 4 out of 5 keys- Sex is hot but necessary to the plot

Length: 7 short novellas, or one juicy novel

Satisfaction: Bring your tissues, but you'll get an HEA

Cover Impressions: I love it.  Has Lane's style all over it

Best Line: “I love you, McKay. I love you so much it would kill me not to try.”

Synopsis: In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers-- and their penchant for making good music when they weren't getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams--made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind. 

Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he's hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn't flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that's not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav's help--but Trav's not sure he's going to survive falling in love with Mackey. 

Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn't do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey's past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.

Impressions:  Part of me feels like the author name says everything I could say in a review.  Amy Lane means the most delicious of angst, love, and enough hope to keep you holding on until the teary finish.  It means your heart getting rung out, and you coming back for more every single time.  It means a cast of characters that come alive, and that you feel like you know.

This book was no exception.  Mack and Trav are great for each other, and I loved every second of watching them find their love, their happiness, and their family.

If you love Amy Lane, and really, who doesn't?, get this one and get started.  You can buy this as one novel, or as seven short novellas.  When I bought it, I bought the seven shorts for the bonus material which, though I enjoyed it, you did not need it to fully experience the novel.  Luckily for you all, the novel is totally released now, so there is no need to wait each week for it to arrive in your bookshelf.

There is an amazing cast of characters, and I know this will be a read I return to time and time again.

5 Star Review: The Truth as He Knows It

This book is released 2/10 from Samhain Press - Preorder it now!

Title: The Truth as He Knows It.

Author: A.M. Arthur

Publisher/GR Link: GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: OFY, loss, cops

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Lock this book up : 4 out of 5, the sex is very hot but totally suits the story

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA, with a few tissues

Cover Impressions: Cute, and looks like the mental image I had of the men

Best Line: "I want us, and everything that comes with us, and maybe even a dog."

Synopsis: Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.

When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.

Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.

The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.

Impressions: I love AM Arthur's work, and this book is a loose spin-off from the Cost of Repairs series, but can definitely be read on its own.  I love that series, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a few familiar "faces" pop up.

If you love AM Arthur's work, don't let this one slip by you.  I got the same feeling of being swept away in a great story with three dimensional characters that I always get from Arthur's work.  If you are new to this author, this is a great book to start with.

I really loved Shane, and I found his relationship with his brother to be complex, realistic, and touching.  In a move right out of the Gift of the Magi, both work to help each other, and in the process sacrifice their mental and physical health.  

Noel was a great hero for Shane, and I enjoyed watching him develop and grow throughout the story. Their love was real and believable, and I yearned for the two of them to get their well deserved HEA.  You will need a few tissues along the way, however!

I have to say, I am VERY eager for the next book in this series!

Highly recommended!

5 Star Review: Godsend

This novel is being released on 2/9!  Pre-order it today!

Title: Godsend

Author: Sloan Johnson

Publisher/GR Link: GR

Genre: Contemporary MM

Vice: Loss, Coming Out, Complex identities 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Lock this book up: 4 out of 5 keys.  Sex is super hot and fits the plot.

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: Well earned HEA

Cover Impressions: I love it.

Best Line: "The man Chris is comforting isn't the man I was married to, he's the man I always felt was lingering somewhere beneath the surface."

Synopsis: You can’t choose who you fall in love with. Despite knowing from a young age that he was gay, Scott Murphy couldn’t imagine life without Shelly. He threw away the labels and had eleven amazing years with her, but now, he feels even more lost trying to figure out how to move on after Shelly’s death. After nearly a year of watching Scott fade away, Shelly’s father forces him to start living again.

As much as Chris loathes the idea of attending a bereavement group week after week, it’s one of the only places he can go in this town, other than the bar, to not feel so alone. When there’s nothing to distract him or dull his senses, he spends too much time obsessing over how he should have been able to help his sister. When Scott shows up at his group session, Chris decides that maybe some good can come out of his sister’s death. 

There’s no denying that Chris is the first man to catch Scott’s attention in a long time, but how can he move on when just thinking of Shelly sends him to his dark place? 

The road to recovery won’t be an easy one, but Chris is determined to help Scott see that life is still worth living. But before Scott can allow himself to admit what he feels for Chris, he knows he has to reveal the full truth about Shelly’s death. 

Impressions: This is an amazing book, full of such deep emotions and such all consuming love, that I could barely put it down. 

The beginning of this book had me in literal tears.  Not like LOLing when I'm not really doing anything more than a smirk- but honest to God tears on my cheeks.  It was beautifully written, and in a lesser author's hands that could have been cheesy, in Ms. Johnson's capable hands it was moving and effective.

Having been part of a bereavement process in the past,  I was very interested to see how this was written, and I found it to be very accurate and honest.  The grieving that both Chris and Scott are experiencing is poignant and practically tangible.  

What really impressed me in this book, besides the love story, was how well she handled the complexities of Scott's sexuality coupled with his true love for Shelley.  I found this so authentic and so well portrayed that it truly impacted me as an observer to their love and friendship.  In the same vein that many of us love OFY and GFY stories, I loved this version of a friendship so deep that it became a true love.  There was no "cop out" on their love, and it made Scott's suffering so much deeper.

Obviously the best thing about this novel is the love story at the heart of this tale.  Chris and Scott do not have any easy path ahead of them, but I was swept away by their connection.  There were amazing secondary characters and plot developments, but it was the journey of love and connection between these two hurt men that made this a 5 star read for me.  

Highly recommended.