Tag Archives: comedy

Between the Two of You by Melissa Lynn (Book Review)

As a trained accountant in Quebec, Amy Lefevre will be the first to admit that her life is not quite adding up. After all, how can anyone in her twenties already be in such a serious rut? When she decides to shake things up and create a new life in Winnipeg, Amy’s world suddenly takes a turn for the fabulous. His name is Jason, and he happens to be a card-carrying movie star.

Between The Two of You is the romantic comedy that follows Amy as she cultivates a serious crush on the dashing Jason Lane, only to soon find out that she has some fierce competition. Can Amy win Jason’s affection? And, above all, is it really what she wants?

Along the way, Amy finds plenty of support from old friends and new; a little side romance; and even a star-studded job prospect with Jason’s agent, David. Can they help her meet her bottom line—a brand new exciting life? Find out in this hilarious, endearing story of one woman’s quest of taking chances, which serves up plenty of heart-racing moments and as many hearty laughs.

 
 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
It’s not often I enjoy the supporting characters instead of the main stars; however, that was what happened for me in Between the Two of You
 
Jason Lane (actor) was extremely shallow and self-absorbed for over 90% of the story. 
 
David Cole (agent) acted like a jealous idiot for the same percentage of time. He was jealous of his friend for multiple reasons. What a sad, sad man and I don’t mean it in the way where I feel any compassion for him. 
 
Amy (leading lady) came across just as shallow as Jason. She liked Jason and Clive because they had a pretty face. 
 
Her whole attitude towards Clive and Jason confused me. Let me explain one thing I didn’t comprehend. Maybe you will. 
 
Amy perceived Clive too young for her, a ‘baby’, because he was 22 to her 27. However, Jason and David were both 39. Shouldn’t they have a problem with the 12 year gap? When David turned 40, still no mention of the 10 plus years separating them. So basically, she can’t date a younger man but a man can date a younger woman? 
 
Why? I don’t get it. 
 
Since the story kept fluctuating between the three men (in one way or another) and her, a center of their attention, I kept focusing on her weird ass logic with what was ok and what was not. 
 
For that reason, I scored this book a two. 
 
Again I must say, without the supporting cast of Olivia, Karen, Nathan and even Matt, Between the Two of You would’ve score a 1. 
 
 
Heart Rating System 
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
 
 

 
MELISSA LYNN is a first-time novelist, with her book Between The Two of You. She holds a degree in Business Administration, as well as a diploma in French literature. Born and raised in Canada, the author now lives in Mexico City, where she is currently working on her next novel.

 

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High Contrast: Evolution Ink by Tess Bowery (Book Review)

 The deepest scars aren’t the ones that show.

Jacob Shain is your average member of Generation Screwed. He has a boring internship, no cash flow, and a tiny NYC apartment he has to share with Ethan, his much-cooler, tattoo-artist twin brother. Not to mention his love life is DOA. At least, until his brother’s shop hires on a new piercer, and Jacob’s humdrum life takes a turn for the weird.

Cody Turner is gorgeous, funny and kind—everything Jacob wants in a boyfriend. Except for the way he refuses to talk about his past, or where he lives, or anything about his personal life.

When Ethan is arrested while on a mission of mercy, the reason Cody is so tight lipped comes to light. And while Jacob and Cody fight to understand the depth of their feelings for one another, the police dogs catch their scent. So does the local mob.

Now Jacob has to make the hardest choice of his life: stay safe like a good boy, or dive headfirst into a world he barely understands…and hope Cody is there to break his fall.

Warning: Contains a good boy who wants to be bad, a bad boy who longs to be good, bodies that are canvases for living art and high-speed chases with police dogs.

 

 

 

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

Are you a fan of gay romantic comedies? If you answered yes, then you MUST buy High Contrast. This book was jam-packed full of humor — some instances happening at the oddest of times. 
 
Case in point: Cody deciding to give Jacob a grammar lesson during foreplay. When a man is asking to “lick” anything, don’t point out his grammar error. Can I? May I? Seriously, I laughed at the hilarity of the teaching moment. 
 
Example 2: I’ve heard of getting cock-blocked, but to have an actual “cock”roach ruin what was turning into a “moment” had me grinning. Oh, I should mention these two fellas actually achieved said “almost moment” while dumpster diving. Gross but true. 
 
Now you might be wondering why these two fellas were in the disgusting wasteland. Well, it all centers around marijuana (for sick patients), cops, Russian mob, and the past meeting your present. 
 
What, you thought this was going to be a book with nothing but two guys getting their horizontal groove on? Nope, the steamy shagfest didn’t start until chapter 7. Let me tell you, folks, when these two finally succumbed to their desires……. Holy smokes!!!
 
Trust me, you won’t want to miss a single minute of the lovin. 
 
You also won’t want to skip over the no holds barred action when worlds collide. It’s almost as good when Drew Sullivan (workplace bully) gets put in his place. 
 
Man, I could go on and on about this story but I’ll stop. Well, I must say one more thing……. 
 
I think marijuana should be readily available to the sick! 
 
Legalize it in all states!! 
 
Heart Rating System
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
 

 

 

Tess Bowery lives near the ocean, which sounds lovely, except when it snows. An historian by training and a theater person by passion, she’s parleyed her Masters degree in English history into something that would give her former professors something of a surprise.

Her love for the Regency era began as they always do, with Jane Austen, and took a sharp left turn into LBGT biographies and microhistory. Now she indulges in both of her passions, telling the stories of her community in the time periods that fire the human imagination. Her first foray into contemporary M/M fiction, High Contrast, releases in 2016.

Along with writing, Tess splits her time between teaching, backstage work, LBGT activism and her family. She spends far too much money on comic books, loves superheroes and ghost stories, and still can’t figure out how to use Twitter properly.

Get updates and book information at http://www.tessbowery.com, or hang out with Tess at http://tessbowery.tumblr.com, or @tessbowery on Twitter.

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Life, Love and Death: Short Stories by Cat Nicolaou (Book Review)

51mwxeieablTable of Contents

1) The Island of Bliss
2) On Fear and All!
3) On A Rainy Day
4) We Used to Talk
5) The Treehouse
6) She Only Thought I Was Dead
7) Clay Soldiers
8) High Heels, Stockings and Murder
9) The Last Kiss
10) The Nightcaller
11) A Midnight Date
12) Love Like Thorn
13) Hotel California, A Tribute
14) The Last Breath Of Winter
15) An Unexpected Meeting
16) Red Lips
17) Jack In The Box
18) Revolution Imminent
 
 
 
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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 
 
At 70 pages, this collection is a bargain at .99¢. Out of 18 short, creepy, weirdly fascinating tales, 10 of them can be skipped (IMHO) but, hey, you still have 8 stories worthy of every penny spent on them. 
 
I’m going to discuss the 5 spooky tales that I think are most memorable and worthy of a featured episode on the Twilight Zone. 
 
1. “Island of Bliss” – Sirens have been, and always will be, creepy as all get out! 
2. “The Treehouse” – Twisted, mysterious, with a touch of spookiness thrown in for good measure. Basically, a mighty good read!
3. “Clay Soldiers” – My momma always told me never talk to strangers and, most definitely, NEVER take anything from one. Cat gave us a frightening reason why the heck not. Good read! 
4. “The Nightcaller” – This story ended on a ominous note which bloody delighted me. No pun intended. 🙂
5. “Revolution Imminent” – Cat saved the best for last. This tale will please the readers who think technology will lead to our doom. Yeah, you know there are those out there who believe this with all their hearts. 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤1/2


Cat Nicolaou lives with her family and many pets on a small island in Greece. She grew up surrounded by crystal clear blue waters and beautiful beaches. Living in such a peaceful area, she enjoys the idyllic setting around her. It is therefore not surprising that she likes to write romantic stories. Strolling by the seaside is where she gets all her inspiration. As an ever-romantic herself, she likes writing and reading stories with a happy ending, though she does torment her characters before they find a happy resolution.

 
Not being one of those authors who have been writing since childhood, it came as a real surprise to the people around her when she finally decided to do it. But “When Time Comes”, life has a way to show you what needs to be done and she finally realised that she had to put her stories on paper and let people know her.
The greatest joy of writing for her is seeing where the characters will take her every time she starts a story.
Besides spending time with books, she likes drinking coffee like a maniac and listening to music. She also enjoys riding her motorcycle because it makes her feel free. Do not, therefore, be surprised if her next book includes a biker.
Her debut novella “When Time Comes” was published in February 2015. A story set on the island of Rhodes where a famous rock star and an artist find love that can last forever.

 
Contact Info: 

 

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Cleat Chaser by Celia Aaron and Sloane Howell (Book Review)

 

Kyrie Kent hates baseball. She hates players even more. When her best friend drags her to a Ravens game, she spends the innings reading a book… Until she gets a glimpse of the closer—a pitcher who draws her like a magnet. Fighting her attraction to Easton Holliday is easy. All she has to do is keep her distance, avoid the ballpark, and keep her head down. At least, all that would have worked, but Easton doesn’t intend to let Kyrie walk so easily. When another player vies for Kyrie’s attention, Easton will swing for the fences. But will Kyrie strike him out or let him steal home?

Full disclosure: This is an erotic romance full of hot guys in tight baseball pants, even more guys in tight baseball pants who know how to swing a big stick, and explicit sex.

 
Amazon Purchase Links: Paperback / Kindle
 

 
 
Love at first sight or is it just lust at first glance?
 
That, my dears, is the millionth dollar question. 
 
For me, I don’t believe in love at first sight. To truly be in love, you have to know a person.
 
Those warm tingly feelings people experience when they meet someone is not love, it’s lust, infatuation, carnal desire. Pure and simple. 
 
You might call me unromantic, cynical, but actually I am a realist. I believe in real feelings which, I believe, can only come with time. 
 
In Cleat Chaser, Easton claims to have fallen in love with Kyrie after only a week. Okay, maybe this is possible if they really spent 24-7 with each other but they didn’t. Heck for the most part, she gave him the cold shoulder. While she ignored him, Easton practically begged her to talk to him. 
 
At several points in this book, I wanted to yell, “Man the F-up!”
 
His behavior/actions were a huge turn-off. 
 
With all that said, if you take the whole lust/love aspect out of this story and solo focus on the sex, you won’t be disappointed. They were scorching, erotic scenes! 
 
However the best parts of Cleat Chaser involved any scene featuring Nikki, Kasey, and Braden. These three sexy, crazy, funny, wickedly kinky people kept me in stitches because they had no filter and would try anything once. 
 
Oh yeah, they are my type of people. 
 
Without them, this book would’ve scored almost nil. With them, I’ll give it 1.5 stars. 1/2 a star for each supporting actor mentioned above. 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤1/2
 

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The ‘Slater Brothers’ Series by L.A. Casey (Multi-Book Review)

Book #1

After a car accident killed her parents when she was a child, Bronagh Murphy chose to box herself off from people in an effort to keep herself from future hurt. If she doesn’t befriend people, talk to them or acknowledge them in any way they leave her alone just like she wants.

When Dominic Slater enters her life, ignoring him is all she has to do to get his attention. Dominic is used to attention, and when he and his brothers move to Dublin, Ireland for family business, he gets nothing but attention. Attention from everyone except the beautiful brunette with a sharp tongue.

Dominic wants Bronagh and the only way he can get to her, is by dragging her from the boxed off corner she has herself trapped in the only way he knows how…by force.

Dominic wants her, and what Dominic wants, Dominic gets.

 
PURCHASE LINKS: Kindle  – Paperback



#1.5 

Bronagh Murphy has been through a lot over the past few years, a hell of a lot, so when her 21st birthday rolls around all she wants to do is relax and spend the day with her family. Quietly. Her boyfriend, Dominic Slater, doesn’t do relaxed or quiet. He never has, and he never will. He plans out a day for Bronagh that is both romantic, and exciting. However, Dominic’s version of exciting is very different to Bronagh’s as she will soon find out. When things take a turn for the worst, and a bad altercation leaves Dominic once again fighting for his girl, Bronagh will have to decide once and for all if she will fight in Dominic’s corner or walk away and never look back. Bronagh loves Dominic, and what Bronagh loves, Bronagh protects.

 
PURCHASE LINKS: Kindle – Paperback
 



#2

Keela Daley is the black sheep of her family. She has always come second to her younger cousin Micah. Even in the eyes of her mother, Micah shone bright, and Keela faded to black. Now, in adulthood, Micah is a bride-to-be and the spotlight is solely on her. Keela is a low priority…or so she thinks. Alec Slater is a bachelor, never one to bed the same woman, or man, twice. He is a free agent who does what he pleases and answers to no one; that is until a fiery Irish redhead with a temper to match her hair colour knocks him on his arse. Literally. She hates to admit it, but Keela needs a favour from the cocky Slater brother, a huge favour. She needs him to not only escort her to Micah’s wedding, but to also pose as her boyfriend. Alec agrees to help Keela, but has certain conditions for her to abide by. He wants her body and plans to have it before anyone can say I do. What he doesn’t plan on is losing his heart as well as the possibility of losing his family when someone from his past threatens his future. Alec owns Keela, and what Alec owns, Alec keeps.

 
PURCHASE LINKS:  Kindle – Paperback
 
 
 
#2.5

Keela Daley is stressed out with nightmares and memories from her past, they are haunting her. She has no time to dwell on them as she is moving out of her dog box sized apartment and into her first house with her fiancé. Moving house is a dreaded task, and Keela would love nothing more than for things to go quietly and smoothly, but when you’re engaged to a Slater brother, nothing goes quietly or smoothly. Nothing. Alec Slater loves his woman. He also loves playing games and surprising her. Picking moving day to do both, turns out to be a failure of epic proportions. Alec wants to make it up to Keela for his mistakes, but as the day goes on, and things go from bad to worse, he doesn’t know if living with him is something she wants anymore. What started out as a simple day of packing and moving house turns into the day from Hell. Unwanted house guests. Business propositions. Alcohol. Pregnancy tests. Panic attacks. Fighting. Arguing. Sex, and everything else that is crazy and represents the name Slater. Keela has a choice to make, and not one she will make lightly. Keela adores Alec, and what Keela adores, Keela cherishes.

 
PURCHASE LINKS: Kindle – Paperback 
 
 
Released (June 2, 2015)
 
 

Aideen Collins is a free spirit. She is outspoken and tough as nails, but she has to be after growing up in a house full of men. Family means everything to Aideen. Her family consists of her four brothers, her father, and her group of wild friends. Aideen is protective of her family, there is not a lot she wouldn’t do to keep them safe.

Kane Slater is a tortured soul. Literally. He is misunderstood by people, even feared by them thanks to the scars that mar his face and body. He relishes in their fear because people who fear you, won’t want to know you. He likes his circle limited to his brothers and their girlfriends, but a thorn from an Irish rose is dug deep into Kane’s side, and her name is Aideen Collins.

Aideen and Kane don’t get along… at all. Aideen is the only woman who stands up to Kane and throws his bullshit back at him without fear of hurting him. Kane is the only man who can see right through Aideen’s tough exterior. He knows her deepest, and darkest secrets. They can’t stand each other, but they want each other. Badly. They hide their need behind arguments, and banter, but when Kane drops his guard for all to see, and succumbs to an illness within his body, it’s Aideen who steps up to the plate to take care of him.

An illness is the least of their worries when a devil from Kane’s past comes back to play with him. Everybody in Kane’s life is threatened, and with his body fighting against him, he doesn’t know if the luck of the Irish is enough to keep his family safe and his demons at bay.

Kane needs Aideen, and what Kane needs, Kane takes.

 
Print Link

 

—–> REVIEW OF THE SERIES <—–
 
We first meet Dominic and Bronagh when they are still in high school. It was hate at first sight with a healthy dose of lust thrown into the mix. These two bicker, name call, and basically give each other hell. It’s basically watching an the Jerry Springer show but with way, way hotter people. (No offense to whomever has been on the show.)  
 
Anyways, you might think at eighteen, two people can’t realize they met “the one”. However for those two, that is exactly what’s happened. In a short span of time, they’ve dealt with mundane high school drama and the mob. And that was only in book one. 
 
In book 1.5, we fast forward three years. Nothing against teeny bopper books but I was relieved to have them aged. I say aged because they didn’t really mature much at all. 
 
They still bicker which is just how they roll. You can tell they don’t mean it because their mouths and other body parts tend to be fused together after a “name” is dropped. 
 
An example of the love between these two: One of Dominic’s birthday presents to Bee “100 Reasons Why I love You”. Dominic, or should I say L.A., was extremely creative here. I laughed, rolled my eyes, and smirked several times over. 

Book 2 and 2.5) Alec was very adorable. I can see why Keela likes him/falls for him. However, when they first shagged I kept thinking how many holes that man filled while being an escort. Yes, he admitted to sexing many, many a man and woman. Quite a few at the same time. 

Alec may be sex on a stick, funny as hell, but I couldn’t find enjoyment in their love scenes because I was stuck on his number and what might be growing on his schlong, unlike Keela. I know he wore a condom with Keela but still, what holes he filled over the past decade filled my mind. No pun intended. 🙂

With that said, I thought the packing game was hilarious. Never a dull moment with these ladies and gents. 

Now onto the latest tale, Kane. This story I enjoyed immensely. Kane was the sweetest, funniest, but the most damaged brother. He had physical scars with emotional scars to match. I think he hide behind his sense of humor. Good thing he had Ado, whom saw through his bullshit. 

As for the overall read of this story, I laughed on many occasions. Too many to count. And I got misty eyed towards the end. 

It was a brilliant read with a happy ending. *smiles* 

 
 
 
Overall Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
 Score: ❤❤❤❤




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