Daddy, Daddy, And Me by Sean Michael


Daddy, Daddy, And Me by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend Beth, he never expected a tragedy to leave his newborn and three-year-old motherless. Beth’s loss has totally thrown his life into chaos: his lover has left him, his house isn’t anywhere near childproof, and his boss feels the restaurant has been patient enough with Jeff’s time off.

Donny has always known he wanted to work with kids, and he just finished his degree in early childhood education. He didn’t count on the prejudice he’d face as not only a male nanny, but a gay one at that. Job-hunting has been frustrating to say the least, so when he knocks on Jeff’s door and is greeted by the sounds of things breaking and a pair of screaming children, he thinks maybe he can begin this particular interview with a trial by fire.

Becoming the nanny to Jeff’s children might be a dream come true for Danny and exactly what Jeff needs, but are either of them ready to really be a family?

Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend, but never expected for tragedy to strike and for him to be left with full time custody of a newborn and his three year old. Jeff’s lover has left and his boss has had enough of being patient with the time off Jeff frequently needs. When Donny knocks on Jeff’s front door he decides to throw himself into the interview process by simply showing exactly how much he can help Jeff. Can these two men find a balance to family life that works for all four of them?

I really enjoyed this full length story. In many ways I found it a lovely comfort read with all the usual tropes – a very sudden full time dad, two adorable but rambunctious children, the newbie nanny/manny who hadn’t been given a fair shot but fell right in easily with the newly formed family. Readers looking for a story that is really envelope pushing, different or edgy probably won’t find this suits their tastes. Instead I really loved this comforting, easy to read and enjoy story. I found both Jeff and Donny’s characters realistic and gentle, and the two children were adorable. Just a gentle, almost sweet pace to the story really allowed Jeff and Donny’s characters to shine through and for them to build a solid foundation of friendship, trust and family before they explored a more intimate relationship together.

The slow pace to the romance was lovely and I felt it well handled. While there is plenty of steam and sizzle in the bedroom when the men make it there I was pleased they didn’t jump immediately into bed. Much of the plot was easy to guess and see coming from a mile away – but with the strong characters and all the emotions and new family situation needing to be grown into and sorted out I feel there really didn’t need to be complicated plot twists or convoluted story building. The real shine and hero of this story was Jeff and Donny’s characters, and the life and family they were meshing together and growing.

Readers looking for a delightfully written, character centric and gently woven story should find this an exceptional read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly be reading it again in the future.

Skin Game by Stuart Woods


Skin Game by Stuart Woods
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Teddy Fay receives a freelance assignment from a gentleman he can’t refuse, he jets off to Paris on the hunt for a treasonous criminal. But as Teddy unearths more information that just doesn’t seem to connect, his straightforward mission becomes far bigger–and stranger–than he could imagine. The trail of bread crumbs leads to secrets hidden within secrets, evildoers trading in money and power, and a global threat on an unprecedented scale. Under the beautiful veneer of the City of Lights, true villainy lurks in the shadows…and Teddy Fay alone can prevent the impending disaster.

Teddy Fay is given a freelance assignment from a powerful man he never thought would need his kind of help. Sent to Paris undercover to unearth a mole, Teddy figured it’ll be a quick and easy break – easily handled and shortly over. When one thing leads to another Teddy soon realizes there’s far more at play than any of them originally realized.

I’ve read plenty of books by this author and while I always enjoy them greatly, I strongly feel readers need to know this author always falls solidly into the “disengage your brain” style of story. Forget logic. Ignore reality. Just have a lovely large drink, sit back and follow along for the ride. There are a good cast of interesting characters who all know each other well and work together delightfully. There is an outlandish, but fast moving and interesting, plot that hooked my attention within the first few pages.

Readers looking for an action packed, light espionage style of story should feel this really fits the bill for them. There is a very light hand with the plot that I feel this author always does amazingly well. With enough plot and subterfuge to keep my interest, there nevertheless is no doubt this is not an intricate or complicated style of story. Readers looking for a fun summer read, or a quick and enjoyable escape from reality should find this mystery/espionage style of story is a delightful way to spend an easy and relaxing weekend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this full length novel and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Daddy Needs A Date by Sean Michael


Daddy Needs A Date by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

With four girls, single dad Ryan Withers has his hands too full to look for romance. He’s not complaining—he loves his daughter and the three nieces he adopted when their parents died, and he would do anything for them. He’s caught off guard when his mother and daughter decide to play matchmaker.

Alex Bernot works in disaster relief, his job taking him all over the world helping others. He’s staying with his aunt while he’s home, and she sets him up on a blind date. Finding a special someone isn’t really on his mind, but he goes to make his aunt happy.

Ryan and Alex enjoy each other’s company more than either of them expected, and they soon make a second date. Their lives are complicated, though, in very different ways, and soon family needs and their jobs conspire to pull them apart. They’ll need to figure out how to work through the things keeping them apart, but first they’ll have to decide if they even want to….

Ryan had never expected to be daddy for four young girls – but he hadn’t hesitated to adopt his three nieces when their parents died and the girls got along so well with his own young daughter he couldn’t imagine not being able to find a way to make this work. When Ryan and Alex are set up on a blind date neither of them expect to enjoy each other’s company as much as they do. But their lives are so very different and everything gets complicated so quickly – can they manage to make this work?

I really enjoyed this full length story. While Ryan and Alex are both interesting characters, I was mostly pleased that this story seems to keep away from many of the tropes so common in the “single dad to young kids finding love” type of stories that are out there. Both Ryan and Alex are up front from their first meeting that their lives are in very different places and they each are open to beginning a relationship but they also have quite different priorities. I found this made for some very interesting – and very honest – types of conflict where the two men needed to decide what they really wanted from their respective lives and relationships.

The author did an excellent job in my opinion in keeping the four girls different enough that the reader wouldn’t get too muddled by them, but equally not letting the kids’ characters take over the entire storyline either. I really feel this story has a plot and set-up different enough it should feel fresh and interesting to many readers. I greatly enjoyed that this doesn’t fall into any of the well-used cliches that make me struggle with so many other “men with an instant family of kids” type of stories.

With interesting characters and a different enough plot I was hooked all the way through the book, this is a great and steamy read.

Devil To Pay by John Carson


Devil To Pay by John Carson
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Deadly loose ends. Homicidal obsession. A mind-boggling crime locked behind lost memories.
Scotland. DCI Harry McNeil feels uneasy about visiting his late father’s dementia-afflicted former colleague. But he’s stunned when the retired policeman’s daughter pulls him aside in the nursing home to offer nervous accusations and shocking photographs. And with the images displaying a murder victim from twenty years ago, McNeil fears the senile detective might be the real serial killer long thought dead and buried.

Unable to pry answers out of the confused senior, McNeil is alarmed to discover fresh bodies in both Glasgow and Edinburgh linked to the decades-old case. And with the slayings so intimately connected to him personally, McNeil believes it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught in the crosshairs… and he doesn’t know why.

Will McNeil expose a murderous hidden agenda before it costs him his life?

DCI Harry McNeil is back again when two fresh bodies – one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh – are clearly linked and have strong ties back to two closed cases from twenty years ago. With his colleagues and Harry’s father’s retired old friend all helping can Harry and Alex discover what’s really going on and how it links to so far back in the past?

I really feel like John Carson is beginning to hit his stride with this series. I felt that the plot was multi-faceted and really well woven together – complicated enough I could get a good sense of what was happening without actually being able to untangle it all too quickly. I also was ecstatic Robbie and Jimmy were back yet again – they’re seriously becoming two of my other favourite characters outside of Harry and Alex. They add a good counterpart to Harry’s more serious outlook and it’s always a hoot when the four of them get together to solve a crime.

In many ways this book was a solid, very well written police procedural style of Scottish mystery, but that would ignore the fact a really strong world has been created in the last six books in this series. Alex and Harry’s relationship has progressed at a solid but steady pace and really laid some strong foundations. Harry in particular has grown as a character and I’m eager to see more of his deepening relationship with the young man his son, Chance, is becoming. And added into all this other solid writing was a complicated and engrossing set of two murders running concurrently yet clearly still tied together. Some of the “whodunit” aspect was shown right up front but the author did an excellent job in my opinion keeping enough of the how and why under wraps to keep me thinking and guessing and eager to turn the pages.

While this book is clearly in the middle of a series, I feel for the murder mystery readers can certainly pick this up as a stand alone. I do feel that all the intertwining character relationships and friendships would be better served with some of the previous stories having been read to give a bit more depth, but this shouldn’t have readers shy away from cracking this book open by itself and giving it a go. I found it well written, well paced and with an excellent mystery and well worth the time and energy in reading it cover to cover. Recommended.

Gifted by Sean Michael


Gifted by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Brett Travers is one of the weekend bartenders at the Hammer Club. It’s one of two jobs that he works as he puts himself through College. On a whim, he enters the auction at the Hammer’s annual charity Christmas auction. After all, he’s interested in the lifestyle, even if he has absolutely no experience in it yet.

Tucker Sanders is one of the Hammer Club’s chefs. Working mostly evenings and weekends, he loves feeding people, in fact caring for others is one of the reasons why he’s a Top. He’s never found his very own boy, but the tall, willowy Brett has definitely caught his eye.

When Tucker ducks out of the kitchen on Christmas Auction night and discovers that Brett is the next lot, he can’t help but start the bidding. There’s no way he can compete with most of the club’s members, though, and is soon outbid. Will the magic of Christmas bring these two men together despite that?

Brett is interested in the BDSM lifestyle but hasn’t had any experience with it as yet. He’s been working on the weekends as a bartender at the Hammer club for a while now and – keen to dip a toe into experiencing the lifestyle – he enters himself into the annual Christmas auction to test the waters and see if it’s really for him. Tucker is one of the chef’s at the Hammer club and he’s been interested in Brett, and seeing the willowy young man on the stage he makes a few bids, even knowing his budget won’t stretch as far as most of the other bidders. Can the two men find some Christmas joy together this season?

I found this to be a fun and sensual quick short story. While the setting is definitely Christmas time I was pleased that the story isn’t overwhelmed by this timing, the focus remains solidly on Brett and Tucker and the two men exploring their attraction and beginning a strong foundation for their relationship. I also really enjoyed that while there are quite strong elements of BDSM and the lifestyle in this story again it was very well balanced with the two men also getting to know each other outside the bedroom and showing us other facets of themselves. It helped me as a reader not only connect and become invested in them both, but also showed me how well suited and realistic their relationship as a while was – not just their compatibility in the bedroom.

I feel it’s important to note that Brett is quite new to the lifestyle, so readers wanting some very deep or envelope-pushing BDSM story on the cutting edge might not find this quick read really suits what they’re after. Personally, I enjoyed the slightly lighter hand the author gave here, as well as the happy Christmas feel to the story as a whole. While I enjoyed harder edged BDSM stories it’s so lovely to also balance that with seeing two men dip their toe in and start a new relationship together, exploring their boundaries and learning about each other. In no way did this detract from the BDSM elements and I found this refreshing and really enjoyable to read. I also feel this is a good, quick read that would be suitable to recommend to readers interested in trying something a little more intense in their reading material but not wanting to drop into the deep end with something overwhelming or too far over the edge.

A fun, happy and really enjoyable sizzling read, this was a great short story.

Weekends With Sexy by Treva Harte


Weekends With Sexy by Treva Harte
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by Fern

Sexy is cute. Sexy has ‘tude. What Sexy doesn’t have is his comfortable home and his well trained human servants to care for him. He’s completely unimpressed with the fancy condo and his caretaker Sandy.

Good thing Sexy knows just the guy to help straighten out this mess – Kirk. Maybe Sexy can show the grumpy Kirk that stargazing is better with a partner. Can the crazy dachshund bring these two humans together?

Sandy is trying to take care of a failed-foster dachshund, Sexy. In way over her head, her cousin recommends Sandy consult with Kirk, who lives in a remote cabin in the woods and takes care of rescue dogs. Can Sexy keep them both in line, or will they all let their insecurities ruin something special?

I found this a fast paced and fun read. I personally felt that Sandy and Kirk jumped into bed a little quickly – but for the short length of the story I could understand that neither could really drag their feet too long. Readers who like a slower build up or longer drop from interest into intimacy might find this was a little too quick for their specific tastes. That said, the connection and chemistry between Sandy and Kirk was quite intense and I found it mostly believable, especially with Sexy the Dachshund to help grease the wheels between them.

I was pretty pleased that the pace of the relationship between Sandy and Kirk slowed a little once they were intimate, I found it really helpful to see them doing more emotionally based, “relationship” types of things like spending regular time together and getting to know each other. This really helped sell me on their long term compatibility and helped me see them better both as characters and as a team working together. While the order of Kirk and Sandy’s relationship was a little muddled for my liking, I really ended up caring deeply for them both – and Sexy – and being heavily invested in their long term compatibility.

Readers looking for a fun, sexy and quick paced story should find this is a lovely and short read.

Driven To The Limit by Alice Gaines


Driven To the Limit by Alice Gaines
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

After rehab, Lauren King returns to the only home she has… a rock star’s compound everyone calls The Pit. She also returns to her only friend… an antique German motorcycle she’s nicknamed Jake.

Little does she know that the cycles Klaus Mannhof made have the ability to shift into human men. Mannhof designed Jake especially for Lauren. Using his special brand of magic, Jake’s going to teach her to love him — and to love herself as well.

Lauren is returning to the only home she has, and to her very special antique motorcycle, Jake. Little does she know Jake is even more special than Lauren could have believed, Jake might be a motorbike, but he can shapeshift into a man – and as a man he’s determined to teach Lauren to love herself – and also him.

I was deeply intrigued by this slightly different Paranormal/shapeshifter style of story. I loved the idea of a man/bike crossover and found was intrigued enough to pick up this story and the first in the series as well. While I feel most readers will need to suspend a fair bit of disbelief at the very beginning – I don’t know many women who could calmly discuss the logistics of having witnessed an expensive motorcycle changing into a sexy man before their eyes, and mere minutes later blindly accept it was just fine – aside from this small blip I found the whole premise of the plot delightful and a lot of fun. The attraction and chemistry between Jake and Lauren was solid and steamy, and I did adore how Jake in bike form was more than compelling and in control of his and Lauren’s late night rides around the streets. There’s definitely something sexy about a gorgeous bike and I could well understand Lauren’s insta-lust.

I thought the plot surrounding Lauren’s crazy ex-boyfriend was interesting though a little over the top. It was definitely a good counterpart to the blossoming romance between Lauren and Jake though and helped keep the story decently balanced. While most of the plot threads were well tied together I thought there was definitely room left for more details to be fleshed out in potential future books. The ending clearly showed this was the start of a longer series and what I suspect is a multi-book arc which could prove very interesting.

Readers looking for a fun and sexy, slightly different paranormal romance should find this a steamy and interesting story that can easily be read as a stand alone.

One Owner Lady Driven by Alice Gaines


One Owner Lady Driven by Alice Gaines
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Claire Wilcox is in for the ride of her life…

Why would a normally sane woman pay a million dollars for a motorcycle? Hard-driving CEO Claire Wilcox has found the bike of her dreams — a 1957 Mannhof four-cylinder touring motorcycle.

Little does she know that the cycle’s designer made each of these beauties for one person only. The Mannhof is sentient — and he has the ability to take on human form. He was designed with purpose, and he’s on a mission — he’s here to heal Claire’s wounded soul. If she’ll let him.

Claire is a rich CEO and she’s not afraid to spend her money for something she truly desires – like a super-rare motorbike of her dreams. The million dollars she dropped on the machine was cheap for her at the price. Only Claire had no idea the bike was even more special than she could believe. It’s sentient and can change into a human man – one who is here to love and heal Claire and start a whole new aspect to her life, one that involved them being together, forever.

I found the power dynamic between Claire and Will really interesting. On the one hand Will is a paranormal being – a powerful motorcycle that can shapeshift into a physically powerful man, but then Claire is an extremely strong and powerful CEO, more than used to having her own way and charting her own course. They are very different people in nearly opposite ways of life but add in the intensity of their sexual chemistry and their slow opening to each other and they became a formidable couple. I found this dynamic – and the unfurling of their blossoming relationship – to be really interesting and different to read. It was quite unique to me, and I feel lots of other readers likely won’t have come across something like this either.

I admit I felt that the ending to this story felt a little rushed. There was a delightful build up to the final confrontation scene, and a few home-truths exposed for both Claire and Will, but the actual conclusion to their fight and reconciliation felt a little hurried at pat to me. I’m not sure if this was because of a word-limit or restriction imposed on the author, but for such a well-paced story and what I felt was an excellent build up to this final scene, it fell just a little flat to me and left me not as satisfied as I had hoped.

Sexy and sensual, this was a really interesting and unique story that I felt showed an excellent power dynamic between the hard-core CEO and a supernaturally powerful machine/man. With plenty of baggage and hurt on both their parts, this was an interesting and vibrant read. I was pleased to find it was the first in a series and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next.

Feet Of Clay by AJ Graham


Feet Of Clay by AJ Graham
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance. LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Galvin Cloud, a shy young journalist, is unexpectedly offered a chance to interview his favorite author, he ought to be delighted. Instead, he’s terrified. Galvin has always idolized Spike Radcliff, but the idea of actually meeting him face-to-face is overwhelming. Furthermore, despite the sensitivity of his prose, Spike has a reputation for being a surly, reclusive misanthrope. Still, Galvin knows he can’t pass up this rare chance.

After the disastrous interview, Spike surprises Galvin by offering him a job as his assistant. As they spend more time together, Galvin discovers that beneath the harsh exterior is a complex, broken man… one with whom he’s quickly falling in love.

Galvin has been a longtime fan of the author Spike Radcliff, so when Galvin is given the journalistic opportunity to interview Spike he knows he should be thrilled – but he is equal parts terrified. While the interview begins in an even more disastrous way than Galvin could have imagined, he is shocked when Spike offers him a job as Spike’s assistant. Can these two men look below the surface and see what’s truly happening between them?

I really enjoyed this lovely story. While Galvin has some serious problems, he’s still standing strong, still doing the best he can and functioning each and every day – despite what it costs him. I really empathized with this strong but fragile character and almost immediately started to hope his long-held dreams of finding someone who was strong enough to hold and love him, to help him feel wanted and safe, would soon come to pass. I feel Galvin’s character was totally relatable and should appeal to a very wide range of readers and I was hooked on him from almost the first page.

Spike’s character initially comes across as a mish-mash of a few different elements, and so I found it really interesting as we, along with Galvin, sorted through all the various layers to try and understand what was really going on with Spike. Much of the story revolves around these two men learning about each other and through their interactions learning stuff about themselves too. While the attraction between them is present from the start, it’s a very slow simmer as both men have some significant wounds and baggage of their own and I felt this slow, cautious approach to a more intimate relationship really suited the characters, where they were, and it made the whole situation healthier and more realistic to my mind. This is the first book in a series (Bound By Words) and I’d be interested to see if these sorts of themes are carried through into the next books later in the series.

Readers who enjoy the sort of hurt/comfort style of stories should find this really clicks for them and I absolutely loved the emotion and rawness to a number of the scenes. There is quite a bit of chemistry and sizzle between Spike and Galvin, but no physical intimacy until towards the end of the story – so readers looking for something heavily erotic (in a physical and not emotional/chemistry sort of style) might not that this fulfils that expectation. But readers who really enjoy a story of two men coming together and helping to heal and uplift each other while finding a deep, emotional connection and building a strong foundation for a wonderful relationship should absolutely enjoy this story as much as I did.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths


The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus (Hatchette UK company)
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s been only a few months since archaeologist Ruth Galloway found herself entangled in a missing persons case, barely escaping with her life. But when construction workers demolishing a large old house in Norwich uncover the bones of a child beneath a doorway—minus its skull—Ruth is once again called upon to investigate. Is it a Roman-era ritual sacrifice, or is the killer closer at hand?

Ruth and Detective Harry Nelson would like to find out—and fast. When they realize the house was once a children’s home, they track down the Catholic priest who served as its operator. Father Hennessey reports that two children did go missing from the home forty years before—a boy and a girl. They were never found. When carbon dating proves that the child’s bones predate the home and relate to a time when the house was privately owned, Ruth is drawn ever more deeply into the case. But as spring turns into summer it becomes clear that someone is trying very hard to put her off the trail by frightening her, and her unborn child, half to death.

It’s been three months since Dr Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson worked together to solve a gripping crime. Ruth has returned to her normal life as head of the forensic archaeology department and DCI Nelson always has a desk full of other murders to solve. Only this time it’s Ruth who calls in Harry when the skeletal remains of a small child appear to have been buried under the doorway of what used to be a children’s home. Things quickly get out of hand and all too soon events are not a matter of what happened in the past, but what is occurring right now in the present.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series – but admit I am glad it’s been a number of months since I read the first book. Overall, I feel it’s a very atmospheric, slightly gothic, murder mystery with a bunch of well-drawn and interesting characters and a gripping plot that moves along at a fast pace. I felt a little odd that the tense the book was written in sometimes jumped from first person to third – I felt this was a little jarring and disjointed but have to admit broadly speaking it actually added to the atmosphere of the book which in itself was a little gothic and tension riddled and jarring. I can’t tell if this was something the author did on purpose or if it just happened to work well, but it’s quite different from books I usually read so became quite noteworthy to me.

I was particularly pleased that most of the book should be perfectly logical to a reader who happens to pick this one up without having read the previous book. While Ruth and Harry do share something of a past it is fairly recent and – more importantly – only superficially linked to this new case and the plotline of this story itself. I feel readers should be able to enjoy and understand everything that occurs in this book without having read the previous one, but I expect in the third or fourth book that will start to become more difficult as Ruth and Harry will (I expect) continue to have more to do with each other and this separation or “stand alone” aspect to each book will become increasingly difficult.

The plot itself was something I found interesting and at times gripping. While I could see some similarities between this book and the previous one, I feel it’s more to do with the archaeology/police sort of cross over than anything lacking in the storyline itself. Speaking personally, I really enjoyed this mixture of science with police work and expect I’ll enjoy it for many books to come. Readers looking for something unique and startlingly different might not find that here. I also feel that should a reader binge the entire series and read a number of these books back-to-back the plot (and perhaps writing style itself) might become repetitive – but I also feel that is true of any author and series, no matter how exceptional.

I feel readers looking for a different style of police procedural book – and in particular one with an interesting archaeology cross over – with vibrant and a good range of characters and a well-paced plot should find this book really fits the bill for them. I greatly enjoyed this book.