ARC REVIEW : Running from My Heart by Felice Stevens

Rating : 5/5 Stars


Title : Running from My Heart

Author : Felice Stevens

Series : Rock Bottom book three

Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance

Release Date : October 6, 2019

Buy Links :

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Universal Link

"Holding onto the past can hurt more than letting it go." 

People say six years is long enough to mourn the death of his husband but for Ross Miller, the pain is as fresh as if it happened yesterday. He’s left his glittering Hollywood life behind, yet guilt still dogs his steps, no matter how far he runs. Trapped by his past and needing to escape his well-meaning friends, he rents a cabin in the secluded Adirondack mountains. A reclusive man moves in next door and piques Ross’s interest, but his persistent attempts at friendship are rebuffed. That doesn’t stop him because the one rule Ross Miller has always lived by is to never take no for an answer.

Novelist Arden Wainwright has given up. He can’t pretend a happiness he knows he’ll never find again. Solitary days turn into years, and he remains frozen, unable to take a breath. At his wit’s end, he retreats to the mountains, but it does little to stir his creativity. He continues to hide from life and avoids his overly nosy neighbor, who insists on planting himself at Arden’s doorstep at every turn. Making friends is the last thing Arden wants, but annoying or not, he can’t get the damn man out of his mind.

Finding peace in their isolated surroundings, the two lonely men forge an unlikely friendship where they realize they’re more alike than different and better together than apart. With Ross’s help, Arden begins to rebuild the shattered pieces of his life, while Arden gives Ross the strength to face his fears and find his way home. When love comes calling you can choose to hide from hurt, loss, and pain, but if you take a chance and open the door, you might discover that running from your heart is the last thing you'll want to do.

This book can be read as a stand alone but you may remember Ross, Foster's best friend from Broken Silence, Book One of the Rock Bottom series.

“Life took away the love I never planned to lose, but it also brought me you....The love I never thought I’d find again.”

🌱🌱🌱

I always curious about Ross's story since his first appearance as Foster best friend back then. The sadness and mysterious vibes he gave had raised my curiosity right away. Made me wondering, what story he has? And my heart instantly feels, it must be the heartbreaking one…

I’m fully aware of what kind of story I will put myself into this time when I started this book, but I didn't expect that this book will hit me with not just one, BUT TWO heartbreaking story!
And of course I didn’t prepare myself to be hit by double heartbreaking moments in one shot!

Being hit this hard, I must admit it shattered my heart into pieces along with Ross and Arden while I’m reading their story.
Both Ross and Arden drowning in their own grief, but how they dealing with the grief are different. Arden shut himself from people and the world, and grieving in silence, and Ross? He sleeps with a lots of men just to ease his pain, hide behind his cheerful happy face and ‘running’ from the regrets that keep chasing him from the past...

Fate then brought them meet as neighbors when they isolated themselves from the world.
From neighbors to friends, both Ross and Arden slowly found out that they both shared similar wound due to the loss of the people they love. If someone will understand the hurt and grief Arden has been through, it would be Ross. Because for years Ross also struggling with his own grief and regrets. And that what make they both understand the sorrow and regrets that eat them alive…

But after that small incident at the groceries store, their life started to change…

I love the dynamic in this story. I cried when they trying to deals with their grieving and I also laughs with their casual & fun banters. Their ups and downs emotions and how they both cope with their loss and grief by supporting each other are the wonderful things that ache my heart but also successfully warm my heart.

I know Felice’s abilities in wrecking the readers heart with her beautiful broken stories, but being hit twice in one time?
Ma'am – that’s cruel. But still, the masochistic side in me keep craving for her sad-angsty story even more...

Justin’s poem is one of the scene that hit me so bad beside ‘the baby osprey burial’ scene. When I thought that there’s no more tissues needed since everything seems to finally fall into the happy moments part, then Justin’s poem hit me hard. Then all the feels I felt from the beginning rushed back and put me back into another meltdown. This is the reasons why I ‘hate’ and love you at the same time, Felice!!!

Arden and Ross's story definitely will be my fave story from this series so far. They’re beautifully made for each others!

Oh, last but not least...
Well I can't denied that I’ve been curious about ‘that guy' while I’m reading Arden’s story, I ‘hate’ him at first but then I feel sorry for him and want to know more about him. So when I found out that he will have his own story, I must admit it surprise me and also excited me at the same time! Hopefully through his point of view I can understand more about him and what he’d been through….

And I really can’t wait for Ezra story too, I can smells another hints of heartbreaking story in him!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, Her characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.

Felice has written over twenty books in the gay romance genre. Her books been translated into German, French and Italian. Her novel. One Call Away, part of her Soulmates series, was mentioned in Buzzfeed as one of the best “Out for You” gay romances of 2017.

Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. She recently retired from the practice law and now daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

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ARC REVIEW : The Art of Drowning by Gillian St. Kevern

Title : The Art of Drowning

Author : Gillian St. Kevern

Series : Read by Candlelight #6

Genre(s) : Gothic paranormal romance

Release Date : September 19th , 2019

Rating : 4/5 Stars

How far will an artist go for his muse?

Frustrated artist Francis Dawson has come to the remote Scottish fishing village of Armadale to reconnect with his battered muse. But he gets more than he bargained for when he's struck down by a condition fatal to art: love.

Leith’s moods shift with the sea. Silent on his past, his present, in fact, on pretty much every subject, he nonetheless provides the inspiration Francis has been lacking. But even as his art takes flight, Francis finds himself mired in doubt. Are his feelings returned, or do Leith’s actions conceal a deadly secret?

When a fisherman drowns in perfectly fine conditions, Francis is drawn into a conflict knottier than a fishing net. But will solving this tangle free Leith—or end Francis’s painting career?

It’s always excited me every time I’m about to start another book from this series. What will I find next in this newest book? What mysterious thing I will experience this time?! Will it satisfied me?

Francis Dawson is an artist who trying to find back his desire in painting after being betrayed by someone he trust in the past. From the big town, Francis then decided to stay in this small fishermen village and start everything from the scratch again. Finding new muse to boost his desire in painting is another reason he leave everything behind and start his new life here. But could he find his muse back in this small village?

Then he saw him...

From the first time Francis saw this fisherman, he could feels that there’s something about this man that took his curiosity. The aura that come from the man full of mystery. There’s something that frightened him about this man but at the same time there’s also something that drawn him to the man. His logic scream ‘this man is dangerous’, but still Francis can’t denied the growing attraction he feels toward this man. Leith with his mysteriousness slowly light the spark in him that long has gone. Through Leith, Francis finally found his new muse….

But…. Can he keep his muse close to his side? What mystery Leith hide from him? Is he really dangerous?

With the mysterious murders that haunted the small town lately, will Francis following his instinct and leave or should he trust his heart instead?

I must admit that I’m a bit in struggle when I started this book. Not like with the previous book in this series, I have difficult time to get into the story. I need to reread the first two chapters before I finally get it. But after that the problems are solved by itself and I can enjoying the rest of the story.

I still found that the mystery things the author keep maintaining in her works are the best part that I enjoyed during the reading. Yes, the mysteries and the surprises!

Another thing that a bit confusing me while I'm reading this book is a young boy character that took part in this story. Julian. For almost the entire reading I’ve been questioning about this boy. Who is he? Why he’s sounds so familiar?
Then I found out that he’s actually the same Julian Westaway, Pip and Lord Cross adopted child and also the main character from The Well-Dressed Werewolf. I must admit that the timeline a bit confusing because in this book Julian is still a young boy.

Overall, the story still fulfilled my expectations and I really enjoying the reading!



Really can't wait for the next story from this series!! Yes, I'm addicted!

ARC REVIEW : Tallowwood by N.R. Walker

Title : Tallowwood

Author : N.R. Walker

Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance, crime, mystery, suspense

Release Date : September 23th, 2019

Rating : 5/5 Stars

But link : 

Universal Link | Amazon US

Amazon UK | Amazon AUS

Amazon DE | Amazon CA

Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.

Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.

When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.

But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

“I want to feel . . . alive.”


When you read a good book that made you speechless and cannot find any words to write the review….

I wish I could only said , “DROP EVERYTHING YOU READ RIGHT NOW AND GRAB THIS BOOK. BECAUSE TALLOWWOOD IS ONE OF A MUST READ BOOK!”

But it seems not fair because ALL the feel this book gave me NEED to be appreciate properly. So, after calming myself for two days, I started to gathered all the feels, find my words and write this review…


First of all, I need to say they this book had sucked me deep into the story and didn’t give me a time to breathe! The fast pace and the tensions are breathtaking! Once I started it, I shut down the world and devour it in one sit.

The story was so intense from the beginning to the last page. The murder cases August & Jake trying to solve with all the twists and turns are consuming enough to make me glued to the story. The emotional connections between the two main characters are strong even if it’s kinda instant but feels so deep. They way fate bring they found each other through the cold case August been struggling to solve for years without any help from his colleagues because they won’t believed the possibility of the serial killer case and not just a simple 'suicide'.

When the remnants of bodies found by Jake have the similarities with the victims from August cases, they soon knew that their cases linked to each other. Together they trying to solve the mysteries when finally the real killer start to aim one of them as the next victim….

Could they finally found the killer and bring peace to ALL the innocent souls that lost his life in the hand of the killer?

I remember had serious anxious time during the reading, I cried at some part and have serials goosebumps feel at nearly end of the book! Yup, those kookaburras birds are really something!

And for ALL those feel this book gave, it definitely deserved FIVE STARS from me!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

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ARC REVIEW : Ride the Whirlwind (Love Across Time #4) by Jackie North

Title : Ride the Whirlwind

Author : Jackie North

Series : Love Across Time #4

Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance, time travel

Release Date : September 17th, 2019

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Buy link : Amazon

Soulmates across time. Two hearts, stronger together.

In present day, Maxton is good at finding trouble and bad at everything else.

In 1892, Trent Harrington, sheriff of Trinidad, Colorado, lives a respectable but lonely life, devoid of any closeness.

Trying to escape a past that keeps chasing him, Maxton drives south to avoid getting arrested. When his car spins off the road, he is swept up in a desert whirlwind and finds himself in the year 1892. Lost and alone, unused to the laws of the wild west, Maxton gets arrested anyway.

Trent is tasked with escorting Maxton to Trinidad. The request isn’t unusual, but the miscreant is. Maxton draws Trent’s heart out of its shell with his flashing green eyes and lush head of hair. It isn’t right. It isn’t natural. It’s illegal. Yet Trent cannot resist the impetuous young man.

As the two men travel through the vast, empty desert to their destination, will they find in each other the love and companionship they never thought they’d have?

A male/male time travel romance, complete with the scent of desert roses, brilliantly colored sunsets, starlit nights, bitter campfire coffee, growing honesty and trust, and true love across time.

WARNING : SPOILER ALERT!!



Maxton had always needed someone to belong to and with. Someone to love. Someone all his own. Someone like Trent...

🌪🌪🌪

This is still the continuity from the previous story, this time is the story about Maxton, Another Laurie's best friend, and I’ve been waiting for this story since I ended Zach and Layton’s book!

After Zach went missing mysteriously following what had happened to Laurie, Max then receiving another letter from Laurie that sent from the past which told that Zach now lived with him at Trinidad.

In the present time Maxton's life always get into troubles. Finding his life is in danger, he then decided to runaway. But on his way he’d been swept by the whirlwind and thrown into the past.
Confused and disoriented, Maxton then got into trouble and  jailed.
Then come Trent, a sheriff from Trinidad who brought the message from Laurie and had been assigned to take him to the place where Laurie lived.
Their journey back to where Laurie lived was not easy, both Max and Trent must face lots of obstacles. With the baggage and insecurity they both carried from their past and with the mysterious clouds and whirlwind that always ‘chased’ Maxton and want to throw him back to the future had made this book become another interesting and consuming book from Jackie North.

The two MCs come with their unique characters and the way the author describe Maxton's anxiety and afraid and Trent's dilemmas, and their slow changing feelings and deep connection are enough to make you glued to the story until the last page.

This series become more and more addicted since I start the first book. Now with all these three best buddies finally reunited again in the past I assume the story about this trio finally come to its end. BUT….will this series also come to its end? Well, don’t think so. Because I’m sure the author still has more unique time travel story on her mind!

Last but not least, if you a time travel lovers like me, I’ll recommended not only this book, but this whole series to you! Trust me you’ll love all the story in this series!

"Pain holds me still, holds me here, in this year. It keeps me grounded, and keeps me from the whirlwind," said Maxton. "Just like the smell of roses—"

"Roses?" asked Trent. "Yeah," said Maxton. "I smelled roses, and knew I'd made it back to the right time, to you—"


"I won't let it take you," said Trent. "Focus on where we are, and where we are going. Listen to the sound of the wind on the river, the faraway wails of coyotes singing to the moon. Be with me now, be with me."

High Recommended!

And here's the links to the two previous book from A Love Across Time series :

Heroes for Ghosts

Honey From The Lion
Wild as the West Texas Wind

ARC REVIEW : Imitation of Life by Felice Stevens

Title : Imitation of Life

Author : Felice Stevens

Series : Rock Bottom book two

Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance

Release Date : August 16, 2019

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Buy links :

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Benny DeMarco is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He works hard, takes care of his little sister, and pays the bills. Childhood bullies and an abusive stepfather invade his dreams, and at times he wishes life would grant him a do-over. Would he like a boyfriend? You bet. But Benny knows love isn’t for him. He’s been looked over, looked through, and looked past all his life. Even worse, the one guy he’s been in love with for almost two years is the biggest flirt who will sleep with anyone. Anyone except Benny.

Gino Acosta smiles to keep from crying. Everyone he meets tells him he’s beautiful and sexy, but Gino knows the truth. His outside may be perfect, but inside he feels dirty and unworthy. Bounced around as a child, he yearns for someone to love and a family to call his own. He hops from man to man, desperate to belong, believing the lies he’s told, but all he finds is a body for an hour or two. Things would be so different if only he knew—the man he’s searching for is waiting for him, right under his nose.

Benny starts dating the “perfect guy” and it’s okay if there’s no spark—that’ll happen eventually. Won’t it? Gino’s fast-paced modeling career has taken off, but once again, he’s trading his body for a dream. When Gino’s world explodes, Benny must fight for what and who he really wants. Gino must learn to trust what people tell him—that he’s got so much more to offer than a pretty face and a moment of pleasure.

If all your life you believe you’re nothing, how do you move past heartbreak and hardship to reach for everything?

“There’s a reason we have a past tense, to show the difference between what was and what is.”

Tears…
Tears…
More tears…
And more…more tears…
That what happen to me during the reading…

I’ve been curious and waiting for Gino and Benny’s story since I spot them on Felice’s others book. Deep down in my heart I always knew that both Gino and Benny have their own story that worth to tell. The story that will broke another heart and brought tears to many readers…

“You and me ain’t so different. We both got fucked over by people we trusted. But we went in different directions, neither of which is healthy. I cut myself off from people, and you—”

“Fucked everything in sight.” 

Benny and Gino…
Two broken souls with traumatic past, being hurt by people they trust. One closed his life from the world while the other one grow up with very low self trust and need to learn how to value himself.
In their life, they desperately seeking for someone to accept and love them for who they are. Both Benny and Gino trying to imitated perfect lives because the reality was too harsh for them.

We’d both pretended to be happy, our lives a pale imitation of what we wanted but didn’t believe we deserved.

Deep down in their heart they love each other, but Benny always thought that Gino could never seen him because he’s too plain and ordinary…nothing.
And Gino, my poor Gino – always thought that the well educated Benny was out of his reach because with his past, he felt dirty and not worthy enough for Benny. So, keeping Benny at the friend zone area was his only way to stay close with the only person who didn’t fall for his look or body…

Will these two poor guys finally found their happiness?

The way the author woven their story and conflicts are amazing. Through her writing, she brought us to feels their dilemmas, traumatic past, anger, sadness and the biggest fear they felt…losing people they care the most and love…

The family values and friendships are the other things that made this reading could warmed your heart, very engaging and completely hard to put down.


RECOMMENDED!

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, Her characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.

Felice has written over twenty books in the gay romance genre. Her books been translated into German, French and Italian. Her novel. One Call Away, part of her Soulmates series, was mentioned in Buzzfeed as one of the best “Out for You” gay romances of 2017.

Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. She recently retired from the practice law and now daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

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RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW : Repeat Offence by Jackie Keswick

Book Title: Repeat Offence

Author: Jackie Keswick

Publisher: Jackie Keswick

Cover Artist: Pavelle Art

Release Date: August 14, 2019

Genre/s: Fantasy/metaphysical, fantasy/paranormal

Trope/s: abiding love, defeating death, 

Themes: actions have consequences, paying the price for compassion, perseverance, triumph over adversity

Heat Rating: 0 flames. No sexual content. (It’s a love story, but not a romance)

Length: 20 000 words/66 pages

It is a standalone story.

Rating : 4.5/5 Stars

Repeat Offence is a fantasy story, told in first person POV. It’s NOT a romance, and there’s no sex, but I consider it a love story. Apart from the first and last scene, the two MCs are apart. Readers can infer that it’s m/m, but Taz’s (the narrator’s) gender is never mentioned in any way. It fits into general fantasy as much as into LGBT+.

Add on Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon It

Blurb

It should have ended with their deaths.

But dying in a wash of blood was just the beginning.

Sentenced to eternal life for sacrificing themselves in battle, warriors Taz and Hiro must take turns living as human and Guardian on opposing sides of the veil with only a chance to catch a glance of each other in the moment of death.

Until an attack forces Taz and Hiro to make a choice. Should they cling to what little solace they’ve carved out for themselves? Or should they sacrifice their lives to save countless others and risk the wrath of the Judges for a second time?

Review

It should have ended with our deaths. 
It didn’t.
Dying in a wash of blood was just the beginning.

I’d gone to my death with a broad grin on my face. 
Only to wake here… wherever that was...

🌿🌿🌿

The blurb had caught me since the first time I read it. The warning that - there will no romance and no sex, but still consider it a love story – had curious me even more.

The fact that both main characters had to take turn living in the separated realm as a human and guardian pair, taking turns living and watching, seeing each other facing their tragic death with nothing they can do for hundreds years had become the something that glued me to the story.

Will the punishment given by the judge finally come to its end?

Will there’s a chance to both Hiro and Taz to be together again?

Find the answer by reading the book. Trust me, it worth the wait and your time.

This is the first book from Jackie Keswick and surprisingly I found myself like it.

My one and only complaint is….the story is waaaay too short! There’s a chance the story to develop into more deep and squeeze our heart even more.

Did I cry during the reading?

Yes! At nearly end of the story!!!

Recommended!

About the Author 

Jackie Keswick was born behind the Iron Curtain with itchy feet, a bent for rocks and a recurring dream of stepping off a bus in the middle of nowhere to go home. She's worked in a hospital and as the only girl with 52 men on an oil rig, spent a winter in Moscow and a summer in Iceland and finally settled in the country of her dreams with her dream team: a husband, a cat, a tandem, a hammer and a laptop.

Jackie loves unexpected reunions and second chances, and men who write their own rules. She blogs about English history and food, has a thing for green eyes, and is a great believer in making up soundtracks for everything, including her characters and the cat.

And she still hasn't found the place where the bus stops.

For questions and comments, not restricted to green eyes, bus stops or recipes for traditional English food, you can find Jackie Keswick in all the usual places:

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ARC REVIEW : Sword Dance (Sword Dance #1) by A.J. Demas

Title : Sword Dance

Author : A.J. Demas

Series : Sword Dance #1

Genre(s) : gay romance, historical fantasy

Release Date : July 31, 2019

Rating : 4.5/5  Stars

Buy Link : Amazon

Five years ago, Damiskos’s brilliant military career was cut short, leaving him with a permanent disability and scars that are not all physical. Adrift and still grieving, he tries to find meaning in an unsatisfying job.

Work takes him to the remote seaside villa of an old friend, where, among an odd assortment of guests, he meets the eunuch sword-dancer Varazda. Enigmatic and beautiful but distinctly prickly, Varazda is the antithesis of the straightforward and serious Damiskos. Yet as they keep getting in each other’s way at the villa, their mutual dislike is complicated by a spark of undeniable attraction.

Then the villa’s guests begin to reveal their true characters and motives—no one here is what they seem—and Damiskos finds himself at the centre of a bizarre web of espionage, theft, and assassination. Varazda may need Damiskos’s help, but not as much as Damiskos, finally awakening to a new sense of life and purpose, needs Varazda.

Sword Dance is the first book in the Sword Dance trilogy, an m/m romance set in an imaginary ancient world, with murderous philosophy students, sex acts named after fruit, and love blossoming in the midst of mayhem.

“Coming to know you has been the best thing to happen to me in years. (But) when I’m around you I feel … as if you cast your light on me. As if I’m a little bit better— a better man, a better person— because of you.” – Damiskos.

“I have room in my life for you, Dami. Of course I do. You’d be a part of my life I never expected to have…” – Varazda.

The story is about a used to be such a brilliant military officer that must ended his career due to the injury. During his to visit an old friend’s villa, he then accidentally meet this gorgeous sword dancer with both masculine and feminine look that suddenly caught his attention. Trapped together in a riot when the students and the fishermen seized the villa had put them in sudden situation to save the remain slaves and their owner. Damiskos and Varazda then shoulder to shoulder helping their friend fighting to gained back the villa and save the other slaves who being held hostage there.

Will everything works according to what they have planned?

🌿🌿🌿

I’ve been falling in love with A.J. Demas writing style since I accidentally read Something Human. The way she wrote about love and imaginary politics conflicts in a fictional ancient world had successfully ‘fulfilled’ my thirsts about some historical story with strong male-male characters in it.

The believable story with ancient background, the slow pace, strong bonding between the two main characters that slowly build through their togetherness, the conflicts with the philosophers students, the political issues about nationalism, the gender identity issues are the points that made this book completely hard to put down.

As a starting book to the new series, Sword Dance had successfully caught my attention and now I really can’t wait for the next book in this series!

SIR by N.R. Walker

Title : SIR

Author : N.R. Walker

Genre(s) : contemporary gay MMM romance with light BDSM

Release Date : July 23rd, 2019

Rating : 4/5 Stars

A BDSM-lite MMM story

Founded over four hundred years ago, Sanctus Infinitus Redemptio is a private and very elite society where dominance and submission are revered. Steeped in tradition and excellence, every Dominant and every submissive, and their pairing, are selected with great care.

When Hunter Vargo is brought into the Sanctus, his need for strict dominance sees him paired with the wrong Master. But only a short time later, mistreated and his trust broken, he’s recalled, his collar removed. The Grand Master knows it will take a special kind of Dominant to restore the sub’s faith and trust.

Sig Bruckner’s world is perfect. He has a great job, he has high standing within the Sanctus, and he has Levin, the very best submissive. When he’s asked to take on a second sub, a young man with issues and a rule not to touch him, Sig’s world is turned upside down.

When his dominance, his patience, and self-control are tested, and when Sig’s relationships with both subs are pushed past his limits, everything begins to unravel. Yet Sig knows every good Dom learns from their subs, and he’s no exception. He might not be able to fix everything on his own, but perhaps the three of them together can.

“What do you want, sub?” I asked, still holding his leash taut. His reply was swift and perfect. “I want you to make me the best submissive I can be. Take me to that place where I’m free.” 

It’s been such a long long time ago since the last time I read BDSM story.
I used to love this kind of trope, but these past few years I have no interest in reading this kind of story anymore and been avoiding it like a plague.

So, when this book land in my hands, I must admit that I have mix feeling about whether I will pass it or give this book a try. And trust me I’m in dilemma right before finally I decided to read it because you know it’s N.R. Walker’s book. And she’s one of my favorite author which book I will auto read…

And gaining back the mood and old euphoria memories of how I used to love the BDSM thing was not easy, even when the author said that the BDSM touch in this book is very light, but still… I’m a bit struggling when I start the first few chapters at the beginning before FINALLY found something that could makes me engulfed to the story and found my own comfort to enjoying the book.

I thought I will face lots of things that will strained my mood with way too much cheesy-messy sex scenes and lack of emotional building, but it’s seems I was completely WRONG!!!

Because the way the author build the emotional relationship between Sig and his two subs and how both Sig and Levin trying to reach Hunter, the second sub who have serious trust issue to adjust in their life was picturing in a very smooth and perfect way. I can feel the conflicts on Sig’s side, the worries on Levin’s side and the constant needs in Hunter’s side that craved for being controlled and owned. The character building and emotional journey between the three feels so strong, deep, consuming and very engaging.

I must admit that I’ve been doubting myself and a bit hesitate when I’m about to start this book since BDSM no longer become my fave thing anymore, BUT then….I found that I’m in love with the story, the main characters, and found that I completely enjoying the rest of the read.

This book succeed satisfied me in a way I never expected before. And so glad that I didn’t put aside this book and decided to give this book a try and meet these three beautiful soul and how they finally found their peace in love….

Trust me it’s beautiful….and very consuming.

REVIEW : Haru to Aiden (The Brothers #1) by Alexia S. Praks

Title : Haru to Aiden

Author : Alexia S. Praks

Series : The Brothers book one

Genre(s) : contemporary gay romance, stepbrothers, Boys Love

Release Date : June 26, 2019

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Eighteen-year-old Haru Ono has been in love with his stepbrother Aiden Davis since he was in middle school. Trying to keep his feelings under wraps is annoyingly hard when they’re living under the same roof in such close proximity, more so since Aiden is so caring and selflessly showers him with kindness.

Haru knows that family is important to Aiden, who has been shouldering the burden of raising five younger siblings, and it’s best Haru never reveals his feelings to Aiden. Then again, an eighteen-year-old boy with raging hormones can only bottle up so much until everything starts to burst.

He hugged me tight and even kissed my forehead to soothe me, convincing me of his devotion. “You’re precious to me, Haru, and I seriously won’t know what to do if I don’t have you with me.”

The YAOI-ish cover had caught me instantly right from the first time I saw it, the blurb is the second things that made me one clicked the book and read it right away.

Having a crush on your stepbrother was not easy, lived under the same roof with your crush and must hide what you feel is a daily torture Haru must face everyday. Aiden is everything to him, a father, a mother, a brother and now he has feeling for him and the guilt slowly eat Haru from inside. Aiden become his stars and moon for years, and Haru can’t bear it anymore with the feeling. So he decided to move out from the house and trying to finding his own peace by being away from Aiden.

But the question is, will Aiden let him leave? Because what Haru didn’t realize is, Aiden also has the feeling for his little brother for years….

Stepbrothers-love is one of my fave trope, and I always have soft spot for this kind of story. Haru to Aiden become another fave book I love from this trope. It sweet, heartwarming with a bit touch of angst, but overall this book is definitely one good reading. I love the way the author stir the inner conflicts that engulfed both Haru and Aiden, how they trying to hold what they feels for long and the worries that almost ruined their relationship.

Haru's ‘shrine maiden look' that passed down from his Japanese ancestors not only has attracts both genders and Aiden but also ME!
His petite posture with fair skin like ‘snow princess’ reminds me of Yos, an Instagram couple I’ve followed.

(Pic courtesy Yos & Max Instagram)

Yos has delicate petite looks while his husband, Max suit Aiden description quite well. And I must admit that I’ve picturing them while I’m reading this book.

Really can’t wait for what happen next with them on the next book from this series, Aiden to Haru!


Note : I’ve heard that the story have similarities with Super Lovers Anime. I haven’t watching the anime so I can tell how ‘similar’ the story is. So, I made my review pure from what I read without being influenced by the anime. But similar or not, I must admit that the story is quite good, sweet & very light reading even with the slightly angsty touch in it. So, I’ll leave to you whether you want to give this book a try or not. But if you’re a BL or YAOI lovers like me, I will recommended this book for you.