The Tech Guy by Lia Fairchild
Genre - Romance
Length - Novel
TBR Reviewer - Daniella
Rating: 3 stars - A Good Read.

Emma has worked very hard for the last few years to get where she is now career-wise, not letting anything or anyone get in the way. That is until Guy, the hot tech guy, shows up. With them having to work closely on the digital launch of the magazine, will Guy find out the secret that Emma has guarded so closely?
 
This was an ok read for me. It had some interesting characters in it, although I think the secondary characters were more interesting than the leading lady. Some of the dialogue was witty and flirty, but parts of the narrative focused on not-so interesting details. The story in general got better towards
the second half where the real story started.

I might have enjoyed it more I think if I hadn´t felt mislead by the blurb. I was expecting a different story. This is maybe not so much a romance (I never got the sparking chemistry between Emma and Guy) and big secrets being exposed (although Emma´s "secret" was an interesting story twist).This felt more like Emma coming to the realization that she doesn´t have to live a life closed off from people around her, focused on only the organized world that is work, but that she can actually live life and let people in. That building relationships with people around you, and letting them be a part of your life, can bring much happiness. Also that many times one feels the need to build a persona, when people really like who you are beneath the façade. That is probably what I will take away from this read.

The Strength Of a Man By, Sara Winters
Page Count: 47 pages
Genre:Gay Romance
Warning: Sexual Abuse talked about 
 TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Rating: 4 stars -Recommended Read.
Heat: 4 handcuffs -An Erotic Ride

A young promising athlete with his whole world ahead of him. It’s funny how when you look through a window the house looks so much shinier than if you step on the inside. The truth is Kurt Dennings is finding it hard to have something to live for and he is simple waiting for that one more straw to break the camel’s back. James Theard knows what it’s like to be gay and he knows what it’s like to have your family turn their backs on you but he doesn’t really know if he can help Kurt with the other things that he is dealing with, that will take him helping himself. Are they strong enough?

 As a short story it was special, it brought emotions to the forefront. It was like a painting, it seemed effortless and yet it was thought provoking. The first part of this is actually a short story with a little more to it and then we go into the extended version. It is no less thought provoking, beautiful, and the characters are even more rounded with the additional meat. We do lose some of the poetic element to it though and there begins to be a bit of repetitious stand still with the plot of the story. 
 
I really loved the characters and enjoyed the hurt and care for elements but James went from “in a relationship you show your emotions with sex” to “I can hold out forever”. I picked up that there was growth due to age and finding someone he loves however there isn’t really a show of that progression in the book. I loved that James wasn’t some magical cure for the issues that Kurt had, there was
therapy and time. The book was very real and raw. Some of the emotions we see in James are age related and totally fit a Collage student. While I didn't always agree with some of Kurt's emotions such as how he couldn't see that he was abused, I could totally see how a young and insecure man would lay blame unto himself. This book was a hell of a lot more accurate when it comes to physical abuse than what I’ve seen in a long time. 

All together, The Strength of a Man was very well written, enjoyable story that once again brought the emotions forward and brought me to tears.

GIVEAWAY: Ms. Winters is giving away an Ecopy of her book. The TBR Pile is giving away a book from our prize list. To ENTER: Comment on why you want to read The Strength of a Man!

Hopeful Hearts by Susan Laine
Genre: F/F Contemporary
Length: Short
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 4 stars – Recommended Read.
Heat: 5 handcuffs - Orgasmic

Oh, Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind...but in this story Mickey is not a man but a female treasure hunter. Lily is the quiet, shy curator who's nursing a broken heart. Together sparks fly but will it last?
 
This was cute story. The heat was smoking and it was well-written. The characters didn’t have much development but I think that’s because of the length. This author did a great job with the genre
and I’m excited to read more from her.

The Baker Gets His Man by Rebecca Brochu
Genre: M/M contemporary romance
Length: short story (32 pgs)
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 4 stars - A Recommended Read.
Heat: 4 handcuffs - An Erotic Ride.

Jacob Stine has lusted and drooled after Race Carroway since Race opened his repair shop across the street from the bakery Jacob owns with his best friend. One day the sexual tension between them finally erupts, but Race then runs away and avoids Jacob for days. Jacob then has to decide if it is worth risking his heart by giving Race another chance or if it is time to move on to protect himself.

I really enjoyed this read. The characters seemed to jump off the page and I really enjoyed their fumbling encounters. Both men kept letting their lust for each other take over for their  brains, and it caused some craziness between them. The resolution felt realistic and I liked that although it was too short for them to have "fallen in love", they both seemed ready to see where they could go with a relationship. It seemed to have the right amount of movement for a story of this length and I didn't feel cheated or rushed by the ending. This is an enjoyable story for when you have a shorter amount of time available to read.

Blessed Homecoming by Lorraine Nelson
Genre: romantic suspense
Length: novel (227 pgs.)
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 5 stars - A Must Read.
Heat: 1 handcuff - Tame.

Wendy Danforth is a very pregnant, newly divorced woman when she steps off the bus in her hometown to return to her parents' home. Her past threatens both her emotional well-being and her life, but she is immediately attracted to her parents' new handyman, Jake Roberts, a drifter with an emotionally fraught past of his own. Both Wendy and Jake fight the instant attraction between them regardless of the elder Danforths' matchmaking attempts, but as Wendy's ex continues to threaten, events conspire to drive them together.

I found both Wendy and Jake to be realistic, likable characters with real problems and a discernible development of their relationship. The instant attraction was not insta-love, which I appreciated in this story. It definitely made their push and pull believable. I also liked watching both of their pasts come out and be dealt with, together and separately. Rather than a "love cures all" type story, this one seemed a lot more like love encouraged each one to grow and heal. I especially liked the time where Wendy's baby was born and what all precipitated from it. The suspense plotline also wrapped up satisfyingly.

This is the second novel by Lorraine Nelson that I have read, and I think her writing is well-done and she tells a masterfully crafted romance.

GIVEAWAY: Ms. Nelson is giving away an Ecopy to one lucky winner. The TBR Pile will also choose one winner for a free Ebook from our prize list. To ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read Blessed Homecoming.

Theirs (The Bears bk. 1) by Hazel Gower
Genre: paranormal ménage
Length: novel (115 pgs.)
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Ratings: 4 Stars - A Recommended Read.
Heat: 3 Handcuffs - Blush Worthy.

Susie is a larger girl and after fighting to not gain another pants size, she decides to join a nearby gym and get some personal training to try to lose some weight. What she finds when she walks into Healthy Bodies is certainly more than she intended - not one, but two bear shifters that immediately declare she is their True Mate. Both Brian and Blake Bear have chosen to wait to find their True Mate, rather than mating with another bear shifter just to have children. These brothers have not even lived together in years, so to discover that they share a mate shocks them as much as it does Susie.

This book is funny - Susie keeps trying to run away from her domineering, dominating mates, but they
keep luring her back in. Blake and Brian both have their own pasts to deal with, a mother that tries to boss everyone around, and now a mate with insecurity issues. Brian, especially, often has a serious case of "foot-in-mouth" syndrome. 

Overall, it is a cute read that could have stood another round of edits in a few spots but did not take away from my enjoyment of the story and set up well for a story about Susie's friend and the Bear Brothers' cousins.

Masks of a Tiger (Club Ink #3) by Doris O'Connor
Genre: paranormal romance, BDSM
Length: novel (100 pgs)
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 4 stars - A Recommended Read.
Heat: 4 Handcuffs - An Erotic Ride.

In this third installment of Doris O'Connor's Club Ink series, it is Grisha's turn to find his happily-ever-after. In both of the earlier books, Grisha was a part of the storyline and then stood back and watched as his friends walked away with their soul mates. In this BDSM club that caters to shifters, a bratty sub just might have found her match. Neeve insists that she is not submissive and that she cannot understand why her friend wants to be collared, but there is a lot going on under the surface. 

Watching Grisha and Neeve interact was really fun - she was automatically attracted to
him, but kept trying to run away. Grisha, however, had a tiger under the surface driving him to claim and protect that he had to keep reining in so that he did not scare her away for good. Both characters had difficult pasts and seemed to be drawn to that similarity. I really felt for both of them as they opened up to each other about the past and the damage done to them.

This entire series is fun in a ‘BDSM light’ way and creative in that humans and shifters mix in the club, some unknowingly.

Purely Relative (The P.U.R.E. 1.5) by Claire Gillian
Genre:  contemporary romance, humor
Length: novella (88 pgs)
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 5 stars - A Must Read.
Heat: 4 Handcuffs - An Erotic Ride.

When we last saw the hero and heroine of The P.U.R.E., Gayle had lost her job by becoming a whistle blower and running around solving a mystery with Jon, her undercover FBI agent turned boyfriend. Unemployed and far from family, Gayle agrees to go to Thanksgiving dinner at Jon's home, never dreaming how much drama would be involved.

Imagine all the worst, craziest holidays you've endured, roll them all into one, and multiply by ten. Now you have an idea of the craziness that is this story! From having dinner with Jon's ex-fiancée's parents to watching both Jon's siblings' relationships implode, Gayle finds this
to be an unusual holiday. On top of all this comes the comedic angst of Gayle's unemployment and Jon's future with the FBI.

This sequel is a comedic glimpse into Gayle and Jon's future after Anderson-Blakely and is a great reunion with a wonderful romantic duo. I also enjoyed all their family members.
Ms. Gillian's writing is fresh and enjoyable, both funny and angst-filled in turns without being over the top. I highly recommend this book to those who have read the first one (and the first one to those who have not).

Loving the partner by Shawn Lane
Genre: m/m, contemporary, erotica
Length: Short
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 2 stars – It had potential but we didn’t like it.

It was great to have the characters from the previous books have a few lines. I’m sort of torn on this book though. Walt is dating Rebecca when he sleeps with Jacob. Essential he’s a cheating bastard so Walt isn’t exactly a character I liked. Jacob was really well written but again, he sleeps with Walt while he was dating another person. They’re both...low in morals and that for me, made this book somewhat hard to enjoy. 

I definitely recommend the first two books in this series but I can’t condone cheating.

Loving the Assistant by Shawn Lane
Genre: m/m, contemporary, erotica
Length: Short
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 3 stars – A Good Read
Heat: 3 handcuffs – Blush worthy.

There were a lot of smirking moments. It seems the author’s voice really came through
with this short story. It was still rushed but much more entertaining then the previous story in this series. The characters were really popping from the page. Lorrie was fabulous and Jackson sounded like a ‘romance novel hero’. The side characters were adorable. The sex was much more heated and the connection between Lorrie and Jackson made it that much more intense. The ending was a sort of brick wall, though. There were so many questions unanswered. How does Jackson’s mom do with her surgery? Does she come back to work at the restaurant?
Does Lorrie stay assisstant manager? Does Jackson and Lorrie move in together? The story just sort of drops off, pretty much mid-scene. Still, a good read and again there’s that potential for greatness in Shawn Lane’s stories.