Review: Strength of A Man by Sara Winters

Blurb:
Kurt Dennings learned one life lesson the hard way: love, even between a parent and child, is not always unconditional. After coming out and experiencing a painful rejection from his parents and friends, Kurt feels as if he's lost everything that mattered.

James Theard comes into Kurt's life when he needs someone the most. A friend first and boyfriend second, James becomes his shoulder to lean on, a voice of reason and helps Kurt learn he is stronger and more capable than he imagined.

My Thoughts: 
**I received this book free for review from the author through the DBML (Don't Buy My Love) program in the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads.**

This is a first for me, meaning the first book I have read from Sara Winters. I was not disappointed though. Both of the MC's are on the swim team, Kurt is struggling a bit and James is the team captain.  Kurt has only been with a couple other guys and is shy and awkward. James is the go after what I want type of guy.  I loved both of these guys the care that James shows Kurt is amazing. He is able to help Kurt with his swimming technique so he can stay on the team and at the same time he is wooing him. They become fast friends and boyfriends but James is always there for Kurt. One thing I was a little leery of was Blake. He is James' friend but I didn't like the way James came off when he was around him. Yes James was sexually frustrated while being patient with Kurt, but he doesn't act that way around Kurt. I guess it just kinda threw me a bit. It distracted me from the image I had of James but I was able to get past it and really really enjoyed seeing these fellows get their happy ending. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Book Links:
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Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Review: Bright City Lights (City of Lights #1) by Declan Sands

Blurb:
Sometimes it's harder to be together than it is to be apart.

Rabb is an alpha shifter, a werewolf, who likes to defy both the odds and authority. He prefers the city lights over the open spaces most shifters enjoy.

Brant is a politician with a secret that's becoming harder and harder to contain. As mayor of Bright City, he's determined to keep the city free of shifters to protect his secret.

The two men share a fair amount of distrust, along with a smoldering history that threatens to drag them under again. But when shifters begin to die in Bright City, Rabb and Brant need to find a way to work together again. Especially when one of them inadvertently steps right into the murderer's deadly path.

My Thoughts:

**I received this book free for review from the author through the DBML (Don't Buy My Love) program in the M/M Romance group on Goodreads.**

Let me start by saying that this story was a bit of a mystery to me when I started it. I didn't read any other reviews and just glanced over the blurb. I find that by doing this I don't get spoiled and I enjoy the book I am reading so much more. 

We have Rabb who is the Alpha Werewolf, he has just purchased property in Bright City despite the efforts set in place to keep the shifters out.  On the other hand we have Brant, he is the mayor of Bright City and he wants to keep the shifters far out of the city. Upon starting out we are given hints that Brant is something other than human but we are not told what. We are also dropped little tidbits that he and Rabb have some sort of history.  I was quickly drawn into this book as it has all my favorite in one tightly wrapped package! It has paranormal, mystery/who-dun-it, and a slow burn M/M romance I mean what's not to like?! I was fascinated by trying to unravel who the "big bad" was, waiting to see exactly what Brant is and waiting for them to "come together". I love, love, loved this book! On Goodreads this book is listed as #1 of the City of Lights series and I seriously hope that Declan Sands is planning on continuing it. I was thrilled with the writing and have already purchased Dusted (Blood-hound#1)!



Rating: 5 Stars!

Book Links:
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble

Hop Against Homophobia And Transphobia (HAHAT) Info and Sign Up Link!

Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia Blog

**I just wanted to do an early post to possibly get more awareness out there and hopefully aid in getting more wonderful people to sign up. The following information comes directly from the sign up page.**

The Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia (HAHAT) was created to spread awareness of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and to stand together as a writer community against discrimination of our works. 

The hop is now open for sign-ups.

Dates:

Sign-ups for the HAHAT will end on May 14th.
The hop begins on May 17th and runs through May 24th. 

Participation requirements:

To participate in the HAHAT, you must be an author, publisher, reviewer, or cover designer of LGBTQ fiction (you do not have to write, publish, review, or cover design LGBTQ works exclusively) and provide a link to your blog and active email address. That's it!

We encourage you to mention the blog in its lead-up. We'll be doing our part in promoting the event, but the more people talk about it, the bigger and better it will be.

There is a lot more information and exactly how to sign up as well as the Links for submission on the HAHAT BLOG!

So check it out and join us today in what is already shaping up to be a grand event!

Review: Double Hue by Briana Lawrence

Blurb:
When there’s red, close your eyes and try again.

“Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am the cause of this. Maybe you were normal before meeting me.”

When something tragic happens, you want nothing more than to close your eyes and make all of the pain go away. For Gable Peterson it’s a little more complicated than that. When detective Maurice Ashford shows up at his door with news that his boyfriend, Avery Blair, has been found dead, Gable is left devastated. Seeking some sort of comfort, Gable closes his eyes and imagines a world where none of this happened.

Only, when Gable wakes up, he’s surprised to see that Avery is still alive.

My Thoughts:

**I received this book free for review from the author through the DBML (Don't Buy My Love) program in the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads.**

Let me start off by saying that I jumped on the chance to review this book as soon as I saw it. The blurb just stood out as something that was totally different than everything else that I have been reading lately. Once I received my copy I started reading right away. The only reason that it took me several days to read was that I had to keep going back and re-reading parts of it. I kept feeling like I may have missed something important and sure enough I did. Once I figured out I had to pay more attention it was smooth sailing.

I fell for Gable and Avery from the get go. They just have an amazing connection and it is one that has the potential to stand the test of time. I really don't want to go into the plot too much just because it is one that I think needs to be experienced. I will touch on a couple thoughts I had while reading...

*Within the first few pages I found myself unconsciously humming the theme song from "Rent". You know the one... "five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred..." yep that's it! And it just kept repeating in my head over and over and over again.

*Is there Really fan fic featuring Sora & Riku (you know from Kingdom Hearts)?? Please someone tell me where I can find this!! I loved playing Kingdom Hearts and often wondered some of the same things Gable did while Avery was playing. Not to mention I agree that the boss at the end cheats :-)

*Oh no! Not the Butterfly Effect...Not the Butterfly Effect...Not the Butterfly Effect... If you have already read Double Hue you know exactly what I am talking about.

Those were just a few things that came to mind at different times during this story.

I mentioned earlier that I had to figure out to pay more attention. That is a must. I think if you don't have any distractions (like an 8 year old constantly calling mom) the story should be fairly easy to follow, just pay attention to detail and what Day it is in the book. That is where I made my errors, however just flipping back a few pages and I was spot on again. As the story flowed on I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the plot twisted! (No, I am not including any spoilers you will just have to read the story.) Then it just kept getting better and better. I really loved this story, it was just different enough to keep me interested, but not too far out in left field that I couldn't wrap my mind around it. It was a great blend of mystery and romance that the pages just kept flipping.  I would very highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a book that is fresh and new.

Rating: 5*

Review: Unbound (Freedom #3) by Jessica Freely

Blurb:
When Larke met Droje his whole world changed. Now he's left behind everything he's ever known to join Droje's band of freedom fighters. Life on the run is full of perils but Larke doesn't care so long as he's by Droje's side. Everyday he's discovering more-- about who he is, who he can become, and the unprecedented feelings he has for Droje. But when an enemy from within nearly costs Larke his life, Droje's efforts to protect him could end their relationship and rob Larke of his chance to help the rebellion as only he can. In this third volume of the Freedom series, Larke learns that before he can free others, he must first free himself.

My Thoughts:
I have been reading and reviewing this series all along and I absolutely love it. I think the world that Ms. Freely has created is fantastic and certainly one that I could get lost in. I also think that because of these books the sci-fi genre is really growing on me as well.
I just love Droje and Larke! I love how they are with each other even though in this one Droje made me angry by pushing Larke away, even though his motive was pure. I really want to read more from this world very very soon. I can not recommend these books enough. They are short and do not take very long to get through, but the characters will certainly draw you in and make you want to stay with them.

Rating: 5*

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