Saturday, January 23, 2010
Replacement Guitarist by Lori Toland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First-time-author, Lori Toland's breakout novel, Replacement Guitarist, scheduled for release on February 1 from Dreamspinner Press. I didn't think it would be easy to review a book I'd seen grow from the very first manuscript through it's approval process. But it was so wonderful fall into the Jason-and-Blaze world that I kept forgetting to make notes to myself for this review. I just basked in their afterglow and well... see for yourself.
Summary: Blaze Shinozuka, a hot talent who auditions as a replacement guitarist for world famous pop star Cassie, is thrilled when he draws the attention of celebrity manager Jason Stockton—and not only because it could make his career. His instant attraction to Jason sends his world careening off its axis and drives him to make a move. But Jason reacts by trying to put distance between them, and Blaze finds himself thrust into the gritty world of rock 'n' roll while falling for a man he shouldn’t touch, let alone love.
Straight-laced Jason Stockton is always professional and never dips his pen in the company ink. But there's something about Blaze that leaves him wanting what he shouldn't, and the guitarist’s exotic beauty and compelling innocence turn out to be the temptation Jason can’t resist. But just one lie in the national media sets off a chain of events that pushes Jason and Blaze apart. Can they find a way to be together in the cutthroat, jealous world of rock 'n' roll even after the music stops?
What I liked about this book: It's a rock-n-roller's life and yet... it's not out of reach! I like that even though much of the celebrity aspects of being on tour with a famous singer are in the periphery of the story, the main focus is on Blaze and Jason.
The instant Blaze sets foot in Jason's office, it's instant attraction and a whirlwind courtship begins. While this is not uncommon in romance, what I love about these characters are the quirky things that make them real to the reader. I love Blaze! I really do! He's young and headstrong with a good head on his shoulders and a penchant for life that's invigorating while still being rather naive about a few things. It doesn't hurt that he's a hot, Hawaiian-born Japanese rockstar! The manga lover in me had hearts in her eyes the minute he set foot in my head. :D
Excerpt:JASON tried not to smile. Blaze looked adorable as he hemmed and hawed over his words, developing a posture to hide his desire for someone, something Jason hadn't used since he was a teenager. Jason licked his lips, his mouth going dry.
He was sure Blaze would say something as he stood there looking at the floor, but instead, he looked up, his pupils dilated, the need so clearly written on his face as words seemed to escape him. Jason felt himself moving. Blaze was as well, and they collided in the middle.
Their lips met, and the guitarist tasted sweet like apples, his lips moist as Jason sucked on Blaze's full bottom lip. Jason dragged his teeth across it enticingly, and Blaze moaned, opening his mouth. Jason pounced on the opportunity to slide his tongue inside the other man's mouth.
It was his turn to moan as their tongues met, sliding against each other. Jason couldn't believe how good this felt, how passionately the other man was kissing him. His arms left Blaze's shoulders and went to his hips, pulling their bodies flush against each other.
Jason groaned loudly as their cocks touched through their pants and slid against each other. Passion flooded him, and it took a while for the waves of desire crashing within him to ebb. It slowly dawned on him that Blaze's body had stiffened. He pulled away briefly and realized as he looked into those gorgeous eyes that Blaze was shocked and looking uncomfortable.
BLAZE looked up at the manager to see need plainly written on his face. He'd thought about seeing it as he was in his hotel bed last night, his cock hard as a rock as it begged for relief. He had jerked off once when he got to the room and again this morning in the shower, both times while he thought of the other man sucking him off and Blaze returning the favor.
He was so hard now that it was painful. The ache in his groin was slowly eating away at his good sense. Blaze knew he had to walk away from this. They worked together, and he tried to tell himself again that if it went sour, things could get really bad, really fast. And it wouldn't be Jason leaving, it would be the new guitarist, and that reputation would no doubt follow him everywhere.
Blaze wanted Jason so much he could nearly taste the desire. Even though Jason's lips weren't on him, he could still feel the pressure of the manager's mouth against his. He must have hesitated too long, because he felt Jason step away, and he made a split-second decision. He closed his eyes and tilted his face up. He was offering himself, hoping beyond hope he would be accepted, pushing aside his fear of rejection.
The other man lips were tentative on his own, slightly gentler than before. Blaze felt a surge of excitement mixed with surprise. He was sure Jason would take him hard and fast, bending him over the desk and fucking him senseless. He seemed like a person who took what he wanted without regard, but instead, his touch was gentle. His fingers were warm and soft as they touched his cheek. They were so different from his own, which were thick and callused from the strings of his guitar.
Those fingers were trailing along his jaw, stroking gently as they moved to the back of his neck. Blaze sighed against his lips, opening his mouth when he felt Jason's tongue probing again. He heard a groan, and he realized it wasn't his own, but Jason's.
A hand on Blaze's hip, making its way to his zipper, shocked him into facing what Jason was doing. The older man was trailing his knuckles along his bulge, and Blaze felt his cheeks begin to burn. He was scared of Jason seeing his desire for him. There would be no turning back from this moment.
When Blaze didn't protest, Jason pulled down his zipper and deftly unsnapped his jeans. Blaze thrust his hips against the older man's hand, a moan flowing from him into Jason's mouth. The kiss was broken, and the older man looked down, fumbling with the waistband on Blaze's briefs. Then Jason's hand engulfed him, and Blaze let out a strangled cry.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Fur and Fang by Sean Michael
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really wish I could give half stars in my reviews on goodreads because this one is definitely one I would give 3.5 stars to.
Summary: Danger. Fur. Fangs. Bared claws, ready to defend territory and mate. The stories in this collection have all this and more! In Sean Michael's pirate story Law of the Jungle, Captain Marco is delighted with his crew's gift of a big, emerald-eyed cat. He's even more happy when he finds that the cat is also beautiful as a man. Will danger end their relationship before it begins? In Snake Oil, by BA Tortuga, old west drifter Haskell is just passing by the snake oil salesman's traveling show when he senses the presence of an old friend. Can he teach Truett to be human again? Lost Tiger, by Sean Michael, has were-tiger Torao escaping from the circus. Greyson finds Torao and decides to help this strange man, but will Torao's old Keeper find a way to drag him back to the circus? Finally, in Alpha, by BA Tortuga, werewolf Cage thinks he's found a safe place in his cabin in the woods, at least until the former occupant, alpha wolf Roman comes back for it. Will they be able to get along, and survive the attack from outside their brand new pack?
What I liked about this book: This collection of short stories is fun to read (and a quick read too) but because the stories are short, the conflict is readily resolved with a very sit-com feel. In a way, I'm pretty glad the stories had happy endings because as you're reading them, the angst is sometimes so heady that you wonder how the author is going to pull off the happily-ever-after... after all. Of the four stories in the book, I enjoyed the last one the most and yes, it's because I'm partial to the wolves over the kitty cats.
Law of the Jungle: I had trouble following the speech a bit on this one even though it had Spanish words in the dialogue. I do fault Stanza on some of my issue with the dialogue as this book did not convert well and most of its formatting went out the window when I loaded it to my iPod Touch. The sensuality in this story was as furry as Marrrrrrco's cat and while I tried not to picture Johnny Depp (he's my go-to pirate image) it was difficult with this one.
Snake Oil: I really enjoy BA Tortuga's works and this short story had all of the elements of a great, erotic story. The almost fable-esque way of the prose was beautifully done and the basic lovestory at the very root of it made this story a vividly delicious read!
Lost Tiger: This one was a fun read especially when we see Torao's point-of-view as a caged tiger. How many times have you looked at your pet and swore you could read its mind? Torao's outlook on the Man's world is not just fun, but enlightening and while he's learning how to be a man, he teaches Greyson how to be a mate. The long, sensuous lovemaking scenes in this one will definitely have you purring and panting!
Alpha: Yes, I'm partial to the wolves but that also means I'm more critical of their storylines and how they're written. Boy, did this story not disappoint! Not only was the wolf pack behavior written with such stark reality that you forget you're reading shifters, the love story between Cage and Roman is sizzling from its first claiming. Don't miss out on this one!
Excerpt from Alpha: Okay, maybe he needed to get the kid sorted out now. Setting the eggs aside, Roman pounced, covering the kid's ass and back with his body, his teeth sinking into the back of that vulnerable neck.
The cub yelped, hands scrabbling on the counter, body arching underneath him, trying to throw him off. Roman just went almost boneless, putting all of his considerable weight behind his teeth, pressing down. He could feel the panic, the fight as Cage panted and struggled, even as that compact body sank to the ground.
Smart cub. So smart. Roman went after him, covering him, just pressing down all the way to the floor. He knew the kid needed total submission to understand, to really know.
Breath coming quick and harsh, Cage finally stilled under him, just the softest noises filling the air.
"Shhhh." He bit down gently before moving back to turn Cage to his back. He nuzzled the throat, then the belly, and then the soft, fuzzy balls, Cage shivering under him but holding still. "Good. That's good."
He got a quiet little sound --not quite a moan, not quite a whine. The cub's scent was hot, strong, male, and promising. The only thing that might burn was the bread, so Roman covered Cage with his body again, rubbing back and forth, their cocks pressing. His whole body rocked at the feel, involuntary but so, so right.
All those muscles bunched, arching beneath him and rubbing back. Cage's lips parted on a growl, eyes rolling and wild. Roman bit down against the skin of Cage's throat, feeling it nearly split beneath his teeth, licking it to soothe after. He just kept rubbing, needing so bad.
Cage's cock started leaking, leaving wet lines on his belly, his prick, this new scent filling his nose and making his lip curl. His mouth watered, making him reach between them and pull at both their cocks, rubbing his own pre-come into Cage's skin, too, pushing them back and forth.
Cage pushed up, long tongue sliding over his shoulder, tasting him, licking at him as Cage humped up into his hand. He growled. So long. Too long. Grunting, he smacked down against Cage, biting, licking, snarling his fucking joy. His teeth scraped along Cage's throat, the thin skin catching, the salty taste filling his mouth. Heat sprayed over his hand, Cage howling with it, the sound almost surprised.
There. Right there. Roman came so hard he saw stars, his head snapping up and back, his vision filled with nothing but Cage and the look on the cub's damned face...
His hands were busy, even as he came floating down, rubbing his scent into Cage's skin. Marking the cub. Claiming. His.
So his.
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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Falling by M.L. Rhodes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've had this book on my shelves for a while and never seemed to get around to reading it. I can't believe I waited so long. M.L. Rhodes has sucked into me a world I want to read more of.
Summary: As the leader of an elite British group that hunts criminals of the magic world, Christian Wetherly comes to the U. S. undercover, posing as a British cop, to investigate a series of murders he suspects have been committed by a dark mage. He never expects, however, to find himself intensely attracted to the American police detective in charge of the case. Christian has long struggled with his hidden desires and hasn't admitted them to anyone. But Alec Anderson stirs something deep within him that's difficult to ignore.
Still...even if he could master his fear of coming out, Christian's dedicated himself to protecting the world from magic terrors. It's a dangerous life an ordinary human could never understand or accept. And to complicate matters, Alec's emotionally vulnerable, still grieving the death of his previous lover, a fellow cop killed in the line of duty. So Christian's determined to keep his true occupation and powers hidden from Alec.
Neither man can deny the powerful chemistry that burns between them, and both realize they're falling hard for one another, yet with so many secrets and complications, a relationship seems impossible.
When the two men becomes the target of the dark magic, however, and clues about an ancient legacy come to light that indicate Alec may not be exactly what he seems, can they find the strength to tear down all the barriers between them and risk their hearts in order to save each other's lives?
What I liked about this book: This is romance at its most romantic without being too schmaltzy. Yes, that sounds rather odd but as I sat here trying to put words to what I've loved about this book, I kept coming back to "romantic... utterly romantic". With lines like: "So you see, the only cure for what ails me is... I think... you."-you can't go wrong!
The attraction between Christian and Alec is not just immediate, it's powerful and completely overwhelming for the pair in the best ways and while the reader can easily see where the story is headed from the very beginning, it's still a deliciously wonderful ride! Add to the powerful love they share, several incredibly erotic "magical" dreams and this book will have you going over the edge in romantic ecstasy in no time!
Excerpt: At the thought of Christian leaving, at never getting a chance to see if there could be anything between them, all indecision fled. In two steps Alec crossed to where Christian stood, cupped the other man's face in his palm, and kissed
him, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Christian stiffened in obvious surprise. But then he was kissing back. Tentatively at first, as if he weren't sure Alec wasn't going to pull away any moment, but finally surrendering to it.
The first thing that struck Alec was how very different kissing Christian was from kissing Drew. There was no sense of being dominated, as there had often been with Drew. This was an equal and passionate coming together that stirred more than Alec's libido. Their mouths melded and tongues met with an odd familiarity, as if they'd kissed dozens of times before, yet it was new and thrilling at the same time.
And, my God, it was heaven. Christian's warmth—from his mouth, his tall, lean body, his hand that moved up to tangle in Alec's hair—speared through Alec until he felt like he would melt, inside and out.
When they paused for air, Christian's blue gaze met his, full of intensity, pleasure, but also caution.
Alec stared back, a million things running through his head.
Fine lines formed across Christian's forehead and around his mouth. "You okay?"
The knot in his throat was back, nearly choking him. Alec shook his head. "I haven't been okay since you came here."
Christian's eyes widened, then he winced and his gaze filled with sad apology. "I'm sor—"
Alec pressed two fingers against his mouth to silence him. "No. I don't want you to be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for." He slid his fingers off Christian's lips and stroked his fingertips along the man's lightly stubbled jaw. "I just want you to kiss me and make it better."
He very nearly heard Christian's heart stop beating. Or at least he thought he imagined it. Christian started to speak, and Alec knew it was going to be a protest, so he silenced him again.
"You don't understand what I'm saying. You're all I can think about. When I'm away from you, all I want is to see you again. When I'm with you, all I want is to be close to you. Every time I close my eyes, I see you, feel you, dream about you, fantasize about you. My past, Drew ... I can't even
picture him in my mind anymore. Thinking about you, wanting you ... it's making me crazy, Christian."
Christian dragged in a slow, shaky breath. Then another.
Alec's voice was barely above a hoarse whisper. "So you see, the only cure for what ails me is ... I think ... you."
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Tuesday, January 05, 2010
An Improper Holiday by K.A. Mitchell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was such a delectable quick holiday read! K.A. Mitchell delivers again with a steamy historical romance that keeps the fires in the heart as warm as the ones in the hearth.
Summary: He followed all the rules…until one man showed him a dozen ways to break them.
As second son to an earl, Ian Stanton has always done the proper thing. Obeyed his elders, studied diligently, and dutifully accepted the commission his father purchased for him in the Fifty-Second Infantry Division. The one glaring, shameful, marvelous exception: Nicholas Chatham, heir to the Marquess of Carleigh.
Before Ian took his position in His Majesty’s army, he and Nicky consummated two years of physical and emotional discovery. Their inexperience created painful consequences that led Ian to the conviction that their unnatural desires were never meant to be indulged.
Five years later, wounded in body and plagued by memories of what happened between them, Ian is sent to carry out his older brother’s plans for a political alliance with Nicky’s father. Their sister Charlotte is the bargaining piece.
Nicky never believed that what he and Ian felt for each other was wrong and he has a plan to make things right. Getting Ian to Carleigh is but the first step. Now Nicky has only twelve nights to convince Ian that happiness is not the price of honor and duty, but its reward.
Warning: Just thinking about reading this book in 1814 could get you hanged, so the men in this book who enjoy m/m interaction of an intimately penetrative nature are in a hell of a lot of trouble.
I love when one character is oblivious to his own feelings and what they mean while the other is hellbent on making sure they stay together. Add to this storyline the need to keep true to honor and duty and you've got a pairing for the history books. Nicky and Ian's attraction is palpable and while it's easy to see how the book will turn out early in the story, the journey there is no less enjoyable.
Excerpt: Ian tugged at his cravat, itching to be free of the starched cloth and the high collar of his coat. What the devil was taking Simmons? Every bit of sinew and bone—both real and phantom—ached for a chance to settle into the mattress and forget the whole blasted holiday.
He wished he could lay the fault for his pains on the ride this afternoon, but Rowena had a softer gait than he deserved, especially after his dash pell-mell for land unpeopled by the heir to Carleigh. Upon his return, he had stayed with a groom to be sure she had not suffered from his ham-fisted treatment and seen to her getting a soft warm mash as a reward for the exercise.
No amount of mash or currying could excuse either his behavior toward a creature under his care or his assault on Nicky. Whatever the provocation—and Ian should have realized a man like Lewes could scarcely be counted on to speak the truth—Nicky hadn’t deserved the violence of Ian’s temper any more than had the gentle bay mare.
When at last the door opened, Ian spun ’round to be relieved of his coat, sufficiently irritated by Simmons’ delayed arrival to forgo his usual greeting.
Perhaps the fellow had been overindulging in whatever libations were being offered to celebrate the day in the servants’ hall because the valet was clumsy rather than deft, struggling just to ease the coat from Ian’s shoulders.
“And I shall be retiring, Simmons.”
Instead of the expected “Very good, sir,” the man left his arms pinned behind his back and brushed his fingers beneath Ian’s cravat. The unanticipated contact awakened Ian’s skin, his flesh alight with delightful ripples of sensation.
“What the devil?”
He would have turned to face the man, but Simmons stepped closer, hands moving to remove the starched tie while pressing his hips intimately against Ian’s arse.
The shock and terror in his gut, even the pain of his confined shoulders, could not dampen the rush of arousal evoked by the touch, by the strength of another man’s embrace.
“Simmons. I must ask that you remember yourself.” Ian twisted free, retreating to place a wall at his vulnerable back, but his all-too-vulnerable front was exposed to—Nicky.
The identity of his assailant did little to mitigate Ian’s dismay.
“Are you mad?” Ian struggled with his coat, anger lending him sufficient strength to tear one of the sleeves from the body.
Nicky locked the door and removed his own coat. “It is Boxing Day, after all. Simmons has the evening off, as do almost all of the servants. Surely you would not deprive the man of his well-earned holiday.”
“It is not Boxing Day for another hour,” Ian asserted as the solemn toll of the chapel bell made him a liar. He flung his torn coat to the floor.
Nicky’s cravat parted company with his shirt, revealing a neck still defined with the strong tendons Ian had once traced with his tongue. Quelling thoughts of other flesh his mouth longed to revisit grew more impossible with each piece of clothing Nicky dropped onto the Aubusson rug.
“What are you doing?”
“I am preparing for bed. That bed.” Nicky indicated the four-poster in the center of the room.
“Is the castle so crowded the son of the house has been turned out of his rooms?”
“If it pleases you to think so.” Nicky straightened, torso bared to Ian’s gaze.
Firelight gilded Nicky’s skin, gleaming on the fine hairs of his breast, drawing Ian’s eye to the waist of Nicky’s breeches where the hair thickened and darkened. The garnet on his signet ring flashed as Nicky’s hands moved to those buttons.
Ian shut his eyes. “No.”
“No?” The amusement in Nicky’s voice had Ian looking again, forgetting what imminent danger had prompted his action. But Nicky only bent to remove his shoes and stockings, gifting Ian with the sight of the firm curve of his backside under the tight kerseymere breeches.
Nicky brought his hands to rest above his hips, fingers disappearing under the waistband. “Is it truly no or is that what the good soldier, the dutiful second son, feels compelled to say?”
Ian’s throat burned as it tightened, but he could not look away.
“Whom do you seek to save with your denial, me or you?” Nicky persisted. He stepped closer, but made no move to touch Ian. “Why are we to be denied pleasure when you must know how precious and brief life is?”
“The risk of—”
“You threw yourself against a wall of French rifles in service to your father’s idea of honor. Can you not permit yourself something your own honor knows is right? How can it be wrong when we both desire it?” Nicky shoved his breeches down and stepped free, the proof of his desire standing proud and hard.
As swiftly as snow falling off a steep roof, Ian’s body dropped into a pit of raw need. He made a last effort to find any handhold which might keep him from the abyss.
“I do want…” you “…this, but only what we did before. We cannot, I will not…” He tried making a gesture to communicate the specific deed.
“Bugger me?” Nicky grinned. “Fuck me?”
Despite Ian’s shock, the coarseness of Nicky’s words brought a faster beat of blood to Ian’s prick. That unabated grin suggested Nicky knew damned well what effect he had wrought. His next step brought Nicky close enough to try the truth with his hand. Fingers traced the outline of Ian’s prick beneath a layer of wool and linen, a light pressure that offered nothing beyond exquisite torment. A quick hard rub against the crown, dragging the linen across the damp skin until heat pulsed from the tip, the touch as unerringly accurate as Ian’s own.
Pleasure stole his breath as surely as a fist to the stomach. Sucking the air through his teeth, he reached a hand to Nicky’s shoulder, hips tipping into the caress.
Nicky leaned forward until his breath moved against Ian’s ear. “While I find your concern utterly charming, what makes you believe you could take my arse if I didn’t allow it?”
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Monday, January 04, 2010
Christian Sancho's here to warm you up on this rather cold (not frigid) day! ;)
Blatantly stolen from Elisa Rolle's post, where she says:
I don't know who Christian Sancho is, aside being an Argentinan actor/model, but I bet he is very good... yes, yes, I can say that, and no, it's not for the cute bum! (fingers crossed since I'm a liar...)
Joke aside it's really interesting to see what happens behind a photo shoot... wouldn't you have wanted to be the one to take of that towel or to wet that... all right, let the images speak:
He's starring in the telenovela Las alas del amor... Ángel. He plays the role of an angel, who's looking for a heart that's pure. And he is very sexy as face for Carlo Pignatelli:
http://www.carlopignatelli.com/
;;
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