Sticks And Stones by John Carson

May 27, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Sticks And Stones by John Carson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A horrific murder. A stunning abduction. Can he open an old case to prevent another grisly death?
Edinburgh DCI Harry McNeil isn’t easily intimidated. But after years investigating crooked cops, a promotion heading up a Major Investigation Team will put his reputation on the line. And he’s starting to sweat when the daughter of a rich and powerful family vanishes from the honeymoon suite in a Scottish Highlands castle…

Searching alongside officers from two other divisions, pushes McNeil to his breaking point when the investigation uncovers a charred corpse dressed in a wedding gown. Fearing the missing bride will suffer the same gruesome fate, the detective follows a fifteen-year long trail of clues littered with vengeance, false identities, and a tragic murder-suicide.

Can McNeil bring the butcher to justice before the celebration turns into a mass funeral?

I was pleasantly surprised by this Scottish mystery novel. Not as dark and gritty as some UK crime/mystery novels can be I nevertheless found the tone of the book to be similar to many other British crime novels. With a small number of main characters that I could easily keep a handle on this helped me feel pretty quickly like I knew the characters and the energy between DCI Harry McNeil and his work partner DC Alex Marshall. I was really pleased that – for me at least – the banter and friendliness between Harry and Alex didn’t seem to have an undertow of romance or chemistry. I feel for now at least their professional, working relationship was a good blend of boss and co-worker and the two of them being genuine friends. I’m not sure I’d want Harry or Alex to muddy that with sex or complications between them.

Indeed, for the most part I found this a refreshing, enjoyable Scottish mystery with a good – albeit slowly moving – plot. Readers looking for an action based, fast-paced mystery might find this one moves a bit slower than they’d prefer. Personally I was pleased to find since this was the first book in a series a decent amount of time was spent showing me Harry, Alex and the other main characters and setting the scene of the crime. A good portion of the start of the book was spent with the missing bride, the wedding guests and searching the massive grounds for clues and trying to piece together what had occurred. I was left a little bewildered, since I couldn’t seem to slot the prologue into what was occurring in the main part of the book, but I was really pleased with how everything wrapped up neatly, and a little over half way through the story there were a few plot-twists that I found particularly satisfying and felt really helped both move the plot along and give the book a taste of individualism which made me pleased I’d kept on with it.

Readers looking for an enjoyable, not too gritty mystery with good characters and a solid – though at times slow-ish – plot should really enjoy this book. I found it easy to stick with the book since the characters and writing style really appealed to me and especially around the half way mark when things started to really come together I was pretty chuffed that I’d stuck with it. I enjoyed this book enough I’ve ordered the second in the series and I might even look into the author’s other works since I really did enjoy his writing style and tone.

A good, enjoyable and interesting mystery book and a new-to-me author I’ll happily read again.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Dog Next Door by Sean Michael

May 21, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Dog Next Door by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Keifer’s a vet with a secret. Felix is his hunky next door neighbor. One weekend when they’re both out enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning, Felix asks Keifer out for dinner and ice cream. One thing leads to another and the two discover they’re very compatible, in and out of bed.
Keifer’s got that secret, though, and he’s not sure exactly how to tell Felix about it, and he’s more than a little worried about how Felix is going to take it. What happens when the truth comes out unexpectedly, and that truth has a tail?

Keifer and Felix are next door neighbors who hit it off in and out of the bedroom. But Keifer has a secret and despite his relationship with Felix deepening he’s not quite sure how to explain it. Can these two men move to the next level together?

I found this to be a fun and lighthearted short story. While a little predictable I thoroughly enjoyed watching Keifer and Felix begin their relationship together and learn to trust each other. There is loads of deliciously hot – and explicit – intimacy and while this takes up a large part of the story I was delighted to find the deepening of their emotional attachment to each other was equally front and center throughout the story.

I could understand if some readers found Keifer and Felix’s relationship moved a little fast, though I feel the fact they’d known each other for quite some time (over a year as neighbors) and both were in a healthy and happy place to enter into a romantic liaison together this coupled with the short length of the story had be satisfied that it wasn’t really unusually fast or illogical. I was pleased both that Keifer felt he could trust Felix with his secret and that Felix didn’t over-react when Keifer opened himself up and made himself vulnerable with his lover and friend.

While it didn’t have many unexpected twists, I found this to be an enjoyable, satisfying and happy short story and a great, albeit quick read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes

May 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes
Publisher: Bookouture (an imprint of Storyfire Ltd)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The beautiful young woman is perfectly still, curled up in the trunk of the car, her long dark hair hiding her face. Her cotton blouse has ridden up a little, revealing two small dots an inch apart on her back. Just like the others.

Guilt has kept FBI Agent Tori Hunter away from her home in Manchester Bay, Minnesota for twenty years, ever since her twin sister disappeared on the Fourth of July, when the girls should have been together. But when she receives an anonymous newspaper clipping about another missing girl, Genevieve, Tori is dragged back to the past. Just like Tori’s sister, Genevieve vanished without a trace, her empty car abandoned on a lonely lakeside road as Independence Day fireworks lit up the sky overhead.

Returning to Minnesota lake country, Tori finds Genevieve’s distraught parents desperate for answers. How could their beautiful, popular daughter be snatched so near her own home? Under pressure to make an arrest, the police have no time for Tori’s theories. Besides, they already have a suspect for Genevieve’s abductor: a local man seen flirting with her the night she disappeared.
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But then the suspect is found dead in his isolated cabin, days before another girl’s body is discovered bound and strangled in the trunk of her car, two strange dots on her back. The bloodstains surrounding her body belong to the one man Tori thought she could trust. Reeling, Tori knows the closer she gets to the truth, the more her own life is at risk. But can she catch this killer before it’s too late for Genevieve?

I enjoyed this strongly written suspense/thriller full length book. While I found the plot to be fairly mainstream (twin sister of kidnap/murder victim returns home as an FBI agent after twenty years trying to get her life back on track after her world was shattered) this book is totally noteworthy and saved by both the author’s writing style – which I loved – and a large cast of very strong and exceptional characters. Indeed, I feel this book could have all too easily slipped into the category of “yet another FBI thriller”, but I enjoyed this story enough to feel compelled to write a review.

The characters – Tori in particular – really struck a chord with me as being believable and interesting but not picture-perfect. Tori comes across as intelligent and sensitive, but still warm and caring. She has a well-deserved ego and is confidant in her abilities but is still humble enough to understand she can miss things and make mistakes and doesn’t just automatically assume she’s right or her way is best. I really felt the author did an excellent job in balancing her character with realism while still making her gripping and intriguing enough to keep me as a reader turning the pages.

I found the plot well thought out with a good number of red herrings and false starts. To be honest the main draw back I felt with this book was the fact when you simplify the plot (unknown serial killer kidnapping and killing girls and burying them so they’re never found and the killer can fly under the radar) it’s pretty standard and nothing too exciting. That said, the way in which the plot unfolds and the story is written completely saves this book from being “one of many” to a book that really manages to stand out in my mind. The characters, the small town, that intricate network of everyone knowing and dealing with everyone else – that side of this book is so very well done and really takes up a huge portion of the story. This totally saves the book and makes me happy to recommend it to others and go back to order the second in this series.

There is a slow unwinding of the plot, and I enjoyed following along with Tori and Detective Will Braddock as they try to follow the few clues in the new case and slowly unravel a huge web of mysterious disappearances from all around the local area and state over the past twenty years. I love how while the case – and number of victims – grew throughout the story it was all totally logical and well-woven. Not once did I roll my eyes or feel anything was too coincidental or anything other than good writing. The mystery and thriller aspect to this story was great and the characters were phenomenal. There is a little (mostly off-screen) romance between Tori and Will, and a few (non-gory and only lightly descriptive) thriller/killer style of scenes.

Overall I feel most readers should feel this book stays within the usual acceptable boundaries and doesn’t push too far over the line into the thriller/horror category. This isn’t a cozy mystery, nor is this a romantic suspense, this is a strong mystery/suspense and light on the thriller aspects and in general I don’t feel it should upset or trigger the majority of readers. While the plot isn’t fresh or new (to my personal perspective) I feel it’s exceptionally well written and strongly plotted. I adored the characters and found the whole range of them complex, well written and really interesting. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more by this author.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Seed Of Evil by Greig Beck

May 14, 2021 By 1 Comment


Seed Of Evil by Greig Beck
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Action/Adventure, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

There’s something growing deep in the old Angel Mine – Something the Native Americans warned us about – And now it’s rising again.

Mitch Taylor, ex-Special Forces medic, is seeking a quiet life in the town of Eldon. Tragedy has dogged his life, and he sees the small friendly place as a second chance. But buried deep below the friendly smiles and quaint painted houses is an old abandoned mine that holds a legend of an ancient and terrible god.

In the mine’s labyrinthine depths, something has been growing, something from a time of myth when ancient gods strode the Earth and mankind hadn’t even stood on two legs.

But when the earth shakes and the groundwater rises, it reaches out and those it touches begin to deform and reshape into the image of their god. Their one goal—to feed their ancient master deep below the ground.
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Mitch Taylor soon finds himself fighting again, this time for the town, the ones he loves, and for his life.

The Seed of Evil is a horrifying legend of an ancient god that turned out to be real.

After a heavy mortar round literally blew Captain Mitch Taylor’s world apart he struggled to come to grips with civilian life. With almost everyone on his last mission dead – or practically so – he knew he had to keep moving forwards. Trying for a second chance in a small, sleepy country town in Missouri, Mitch comes to love the little place – until an earthquake re-awakens something deep underground and Mitch once more realizes he needs to fight for his new life if any of them are going to have a chance.

I admit I am a huge fan of Grieg Beck’s work – both his Alex Hunter series and his Matt Kearns stories as well as numerous stand-alone books and trilogies. This book lives up to the high expectations I now have of his work in general. Part spooky fable, part military/action thriller, part action adventure this is a crazy and excitingly wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. Something about Beck’s writing style just tends to grab me and drag me along, addicted like crack and turning the pages. I now know well enough not to start one of his stories late in the afternoon unless I want to be up until crazy hours of the morning or pull and all-night reading binge. I held off starting this book until a Public holiday when I started it shortly after breakfast and stayed at it until I finished the last page early in the evening. I was in no way disappointed and felt the d ay well used.

I was really pleased that Mitch’s character was realistic and engaging. The opening few scenes were graphic and strongly written to explain the devastation of his life being torn apart with his military action going badly pear shaped, but the scene wasn’t overly gory or written for the blood and deaths to be titillating. The scene also wasn’t dwelled upon, even though those shadows and the weight of it clearly carried through with Mitch. I felt the author struck a really good balance here of realistic writing, and consequences for Mitch’s actions and the grief and weight he carried with him without bogging up the story or being maudlin. I also thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere the book held, part action/adventure but also part spooky fable or horror story. Beck in particular is an exemplary author for this sort of balance and I am rarely left disappointed in his story telling abilities or writing style.

Without giving too much plot away readers will find this story full of small-town secrets, an abandoned and quirky mine, varied and interesting characters and a few really believable and surprising plot twists (the bottled-water angle was amazing and a stroke of genius to my mind). Added together, these are all the necessary ingredients needed for a fantastic story. Throw in some military know-how, a deeply buried history of the towns previous disasters and just a dash of adventure and one word could easily sum up exactly how I found this story. Brilliant. I found the ending to be quite satisfying – but feel readers looking for a traditional or romantic “happy ever after” might not enjoy the ending as much as I did. I found it well resolved, strongly plotted and satisfying, but not a traditional sort of ending.

Readers looking for an intense, action filled and slightly spooky story should definitely check this out – as well as other stories written by this author. I enjoyed every minute of this and am looking forward to a re-read in the very near future.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bloodman by Robert Pobi

May 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Bloodman by Robert Pobi
Publisher: Arrow Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

FBI contractor Jake Cole deciphers the language of murderers by reconstructing three-dimensional crime scene models in his head, a talent that has left his nerves frayed and his psyche fragile. Jake returns to Montauk, New York, for the first time in a quarter of a century when his father, a renowned painter, lights himself ablaze and crashes through a plate-glass window. Once home, Jake is pulled into a gruesome local homicide investigation that echoes his mother’s murder three decades earlier.

As he sifts through the detritus of his father’s madness, Jake discovers thousands of seemingly meaningless paintings stacked in the studio – a bizarre trail of dust-covered breadcrumbs the painter left as he tumbled down the rabbit hole of dementia. Breadcrumbs that Jake believes lead to the killer.

With the help of Sheriff Dan Hauser – a man scrambling to prepare the seaside community for the arrival of a catastrophic hurricane – Jake Cole sets out to find the seemingly unstoppable force of malevolence known as the Bloodman.
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A unique and disquieting thriller that redefines the genre, Bloodman will leave you reeling long after its operatic finale.

FBI agent Jake Cole is back home on Long Island to try and clear up matters for his estranged father. Between his father’s accident and Alzheimer’s Jake wants nothing more than to sort out what sort of living accommodations would be best for the elderly man, then Jake wants to return to his wife, son and regular life back in New York and to put this – along with the memories from his past – behind him. His plans are foiled though when a stomach-churning murder of a woman and child only a few miles away has him being drawn in to investigate as the only nearby and available FBI officer.

I found this to be an amazingly written and incredibly intense read. First up though I need to insist that this book won’t be to every reader’s taste and while the first half is more Mystery/Suspense the second half leans a bit more strongly toward being a Thriller and even mildly a horror style of novel. I don’t feel personally that this is a story for the faint of heart. While not really a horror – it’s not gory or overly descriptive and certainly it doesn’t use the murders or scenes in a titillating manner nor is it descriptive with the gruesome scenes – this book did give me the creeps when I was reading it late into the night and I’m pretty sure it won’t be enjoyed by readers looking for a more straight mystery style of novel.

That said, I found this book very well written. The writing style appealed to me as being easily read and relatable, I really enjoyed the complexities of the main characters and the first half of the book really is a more “regular” mystery/FBI/police style of story. By the half-way mark when I started to get an inkling of the plot not being quite as simple as I expected, the characters not precisely as they were portrayed and I finally cottoned on to the hidden snippets of what lay beneath the surface it was far too late for me. I was absolutely hooked – both on the plot, the storyline and the characters – and even though I spent all of a minute contemplating not going further I simply couldn’t put the book down and walk away. The last half of the book was quite a roller coaster and while I regret nothing, I wish I’d read a review that had at least suggested readers maybe read this book in daylight hours and not deep into the night. I might not have listened to such a suggestion, but it’s one I would have appreciated nevertheless.

I thought this book was intense. While there are tons of serial killer vs the FBI and local police in a small, deserted town style of stories out there this book had a number of twists and turns that made it feel unique and fresh to me. This isn’t like any other book I can recall reading before. Indeed a number of the twists took me totally by surprise and even though a few of them I knew I was missing something (or I knew there was more going on that I could recognize) when everything unwound I was still gobsmacked even as the pieces all fell together. This is a wonderful story in that the author carefully leads you through the pages and then when it all clicks together you can see it all for what it is and it totally makes sense. There’s no dangling plotlines or guessing what was meant – everything is very clearly and explicitly laid bare by the end and while amazing it’s as scary as it is thrilling. I really found this story to be akin to a roller coaster, half terrifying but equal parts exhilarating and at the end you’re not sure if you want to have a lie down or get straight back on and do it all over again immediately.

Readers looking for something addictive, different and really well written should love this book. It’s a strong thriller/mystery and bordering (in my opinion) on horror but well, well worth the price of admission. I probably won’t be reading this again at night-time, but for sure I’ll be reading it again just to catch all those small things I missed the first time around. It’s an excellent story – it just won’t be for everyone.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Guarding January by Sean Michael

May 10, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Guarding January by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Lord January is at the top of the charts, only comes out at night, and is usually covered in blood. Say what you will, but the man knows how to put on a great show. But when the Vampire King is let out of rehab, the last thing he expects is someone forcing him to eat real food, hang out in the sun, and generally be a human being.

Rye Sommers, the best bodyguard in the business, has been hired to babysit a rock star whose biggest threat surprisingly isn’t all the hard drugs, desperate groupies, and crazy fans—it’s Lord January himself. But the closer Rye gets, the more LJ turns into sweet, gentle, caring Jeff Smart. He may still be the super-skinny, pierced and inked genius Lord January, but he is slowly shaking his death wish as he sheds the loneliness and exhaustion his stage persona saddled him with.

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I found this to be a surprisingly sweet and emotional read. While the cover and blurb had me thinking this might be an edgy or even slightly futuristic style of story what I actually found when reading it was a lovely bodyguard/musician romance story. I adored the pacing – finding the longer length of the story really allowed the author to do a slow drop when it came to the romance between Jeff and Rye.

I also thought that while the blurb was a little confusing at the distinction between the on-stage persona of “Lord January, Vampire King” and the actual real-life person of Jeff, this was exceptionally detailed and quite logically displayed within the story itself. Indeed, if there are any readers (like me, for example) who have held off purchasing this book mainly because the cover and blurb didn’t especially appeal to them I’d recommend them giving this book a try.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Rye and Jeff. Unlike a lot of bodyguard stories there wasn’t some instant sizzle and them jumping into bed together and throwing caution to the wind. Nor was there some long-buried history between the two and so they just “had” to act on their feelings and the danger of the situation be ignored. Instead I found this to be a lovely slow burn and a well paced romance. As the bodyguard Rye slowly learns more about Jeff and his situation, the trappings of the celebrity persona of Lord January and all the other small factors that fit together to form someone’s life. And while sure, as Rye learns more about Jeff and Jeff learns he can trust Rye absolutely, they each begin to fall in love it’s clear that their emotional connection, the trust blooming between them and the respect and friendship were all factors grown first and the whole relationship was not just emotional but realistic and logical as well.

Readers looking for a kinky, edgy or hard and explicit read probably will leave this story not fully satisfied in my opinion. While there is definitely explicit intercourse scenes, unlike a lot of Sean Michael’s work it’s not first and foremost here and neither is it overly edgy or hard core (ie BDSM). Like many of this authors other books, this one focuses primarily on the relationship, the emotional connection and the situation as a whole and I really loved this. There are a number of secondary characters who I found were well drawn and interesting – but not as prominent as you’d find in other stories. While I felt they really added to the story they were absolutely supportive characters and not given equal time or attention as Rye/Jeff. This definitely read as a single, stand alone story to my mind and that’s reflected in while the secondary characters were interesting and well written they weren’t prominent enough for me to want to learn their stories now as well.

With a lovely slow drop into love, an interesting and well written bodyguard/musician style of plotting and the strong emotional and romantic connection realistic and lovely to read this was a great read and one I will definitely enjoy again in the future. Recommended.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Daddy’s Sunshine by Olivia Joy

May 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Daddy’s Sunshine by Olivia Joy
Publisher: Tygerseye Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Welcome to the AirB&D! We hope you enjoy your stay.

James Lawrey is a CEO with plenty of cred in corporate circles and plenty of cash to go with it. Privately, though, he’s learned the hard way that it might be impossible to find the one thing he can’t buy–a young man to look after who wants and needs a real Daddy, not just a sugar daddy.

Textile artist Rye Henry’s last relationship went up in flames when his ex told him it was time to grow up. Rye’s got a lucrative business of his own, so he needs a lover who isn’t going to try to change him, a Daddy who wants his true devotion.

Both men drop a pretty penny to experience a few days at the AirB&D, a swanky vacation home in Maine, for a fantasy that’s exactly what they’re looking for. Even if it only lasts one weekend.
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But could they get more than their money’s worth?

Of course. Just leave it to the matchmaker.

James and Rye have both paid a pretty penny for a weekend of their dreams at a very specific AirB&B, one that caters to certain men with a certain fantasy in mind. Will they find the weekend exactly to their taste, or will they both end up craving more?

This is a lovely short story that I was delightfully surprised by. While the concept isn’t particularly new I really enjoyed the small differences that made this thoroughly modern and the snippets of hints we learn about the two matchmakers running the AirB&B itself. Most importantly though I adored the two main characters – James and Rye – and found they both exceeded my expectations.

I’ve not been particularly drawn to the recent influx of “daddy kink” style of stories. While I don’t mind the trope itself it doesn’t really fully resonate with me so I was a little hesitant to read another story with that as a strong aspect to it. I’m glad that I allowed myself to be swayed into giving this story a whirl though as while the kink was certainly present, I found it didn’t overwhelm the story and both James and Rye’s personalities and characters shone through.

I felt the author did a good job balancing between the romance and the erotic aspects of this story. I thought the connection and blossoming love between James and Rye was well handled and while they only had a weekend to forge a bond together, I found it largely believable and the two characters very well suited. There is some very mild BDSM (a very small bit of kink and spanking) but for the most part I feel readers who don’t usually enjoy those elements shouldn’t be too put off by it.

Fun and short this was a lovely, erotic short story that I quite enjoyed.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee

May 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

India, 1920. Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharajah’s son, in the sequel to A Rising Man.

The fabulously wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore is home to tigers, elephants, diamond mines, and the beautiful Palace of the Sun. But when the heir to the throne is assassinated in the presence of Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-Not’ Banerjee, they discover a kingdom riven with suppressed conflict. Prince Adhir was a modernizer whose attitudes—and romantic relationships—may have upset the more religious elements of his country, while his brother—now in line to the throne—appears to be a feckless playboy.
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As Wyndham and Banerjee desperately try to unravel the mystery behind the assassination, they become entangled in a dangerous world where those in power live by their own rules—and those who cross their paths pay with their lives. They must find a murderer, before the murderer finds them . . .

This is the second book featuring Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant “Surrender-not” Banerjee and I was really, really pleased to find it as good – and possibly slightly better – than the first book, “A Rising Man”. Set in the British ruled India in the 1920s this is a historical book but written very strongly as if it’s simply a regular police procedural/mystery story. There’s no dense info-dumps about the time period or the setting of India in those times, no showing off about how much research the author has performed – just exactly what I (and I feel many readers) want, strong characters, excellent writing and a captivating mystery. It was refreshing and thrilling and still very strongly a historical novel as well.

I adored the balance the author found between showing the readers through the character and plots actions how very different 1920s India was from our current times without slowing down the plot or the pace. This is a very fine line and I feel the author did a really good job with it. I must admit there is even less back-story and historical explanations in this story than the first. I very much want to state that this second story can be read completely as a stand alone – but since I have read the first and have already taken in all the historical setting and explanations, the fact this book has slightly less description about the political and global situation India is in makes me wonder if someone truly picking this book up first will find it as enthralling as I have. Personally I feel it’s worth the risk – if I picked up this book and read it without having read the first I might go back and read the first (and then find it more enjoyable) but the main characters are very well explained and written, the plot is central only to this story itself and so I feel it would be an enjoyable read by itself.

I particularly enjoy the characters of Sam and Surrender-not. They’ve been rooming together and working in the police force as partners for a year now and so a lot of their professional relationship and personal friendship is quite settled, without either of them becoming complacent. Sam still has his opium issues and personal demons from the war. This is also quite well handled I feel making him relatable and vulnerable without being the main focus of the story. I also enjoyed the mystery feeling it and the setting of 1920s India made a refreshing and really interesting setting for a well written mystery story. I’m enjoying these enough I’ve bought the rest of the series and am looking forward to it.

Readers looking for a slightly different mystery book – particularly one with a different cultural or historical perspective – should find this a really good read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ranch Manny by BA Tortuga

May 3, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Ranch Manny by BA Tortuga
Publisher: Turtlehat Creatives
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Trace is down on his luck, out of his teaching job, and on the road with his young daughter Susannah. Just as he’s contemplating tucking his proverbial tail between his legs and heading back to his ex or his parents to ask for help, a job opportunity falls into his lap. What he’s not sure about is working for a handsome cowboy. On a ranch. In the middle of nowhere.

Cowboy Brent has a ranch to run. three kids he inherited when his cousin passed away, and an elderly ranch hand with Alzheimer’s to care for. He needs help, stat, and when Trace falls shows up at the local diner, Brent doesn’t hesitate, even though he knows people might question Trace’s rainbow dreads and piercings.
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As Trace struggles to fit in and do his ranch manny job, and Brent tries to make time to breathe, the two of them find common ground and gradually a burning heat for each other. But can they make a real home together, or will everything fall apart as they both try to keep up with all their responsibilities, and face a life or death situation for all of them?

I really enjoyed this full-length romance. Readers looking for a long, slow drop from strangers to friends to family to lovers should find this a delicious and well paced romance. I really enjoyed both Trace and Brent’s characters, finding them well written, realistic and best of all not perfect. Brent has a very slight temper when things get frayed and he can snap (like everyone alive I know) and isn’t afraid to own up to it and apologise quickly and honestly. I was particularly pleased that while the chemistry and attraction between the two men was present pretty much from their first meeting the pace of the story really gave them a lot of time to setting into a routine first, get to know each other and find their rhythm before they (much later into the book) acted on their feelings. No insta-lust here and no jumping into bed the moment the kids went to sleep. It was really clear the kids and their slowly meshing family was front and center and the main focus of both men. I really liked that.

There is also an excellent cast of very strongly written secondary characters, from Curly and the other ranch hands to a few other members of the small country town this book was full of lovely characters and wasn’t simply focused on Trace, Brent and their kids. That helped give the story as a whole a really well rounded feel to me and made it seem so much richer and deeper than just two men struggling against the odds and finding love.

While certainly a cowboy story I found this to be strongly emotional and in its own cowboy way really romantic. Readers who enjoy a small-town feel and slower paced, more deeply written romances should definitely give this a try. I’ve not read a lot by this author but I was really impressed and found the story gripping and really emotional and addictive. I definitely plan to look at her other titles and cherry pick a few more for my to-read pile.

Romantic, well paced and with vivid and the style of characters that stick with you, this realistic and really loving story was an excellent find and a story I’m sure I’ll read again in the future.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

That Ass Is Mine by Sam Crescent

April 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment


That Ass Is Mine by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Talia Clarke has the biggest crush on her boss. He’s much older than her, an ex-biker, and owns the strip club where she works. As a virgin, she doesn’t exactly know how to approach him.

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But what will happen when she falls pregnant? Sarge didn’t promise her forever. Will he put his rules aside and let himself love, or will he turn his back on her and his unborn child?

Sarge had been waiting four years. Four very long, excruciating years. Talia had come to him pleading for a job as a waitress at eighteen and even though he burned for her, Sarge hadn’t wanted to take advantage. But Talia is all grown up now and when she lets Sarge know she wants him as much as he wants her all bets are off.

I enjoyed this super steamy romance novel. Short and sweet I enjoyed the fact that Talia and Sarge had known each other – and trusted each other – for quite some time. It let me relax a bit when they hit the sheets very early on in the story and made the intensity of their lust for each other a lot more believable to me. Readers looking for an intense or complicated plot likely won’t find this story suits their needs. Steamy and full of hot bedroom action and plenty of anal play this book has an intense and explicit romance played out between Talia and Sarge as they both finally admit their attraction and act upon it.

With a lovely happy ending and a bunch of smoking hot sex this is a great, quick read I feel most erotica readers should enjoy.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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