Alike As Two Bees by, Elin Gregory
Page Count: 82 pages
Genre: Historical Romance, Gay Romance 
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Rating: 5 stars - A Must Read.
Heat: 3 handcuffs - Blush Worthy.

Philon is not a 'wet behind the ear' youth despite his innocence,  he knows what Hilarion is about when he comes courting. But despite knowing, the sweet way of Hilarion and his scarred, clumsy beauty seduces Philon in a way that no demi God could and so he let’s himself be courted.
 
I have an Italian friend who makes the best spaghetti sauce ever, and all that’s in it is olive oil, fresh tomatoes, onions, pepper, and herbs. Sometimes from the simplest ingredients comes the best meals ever. Needless to say this story is simple as the plot nor the characters are that original but I found that all the ingredients complimented each other so well that it made a very flavorful story despite the unoriginal template. 

This has an almost Dirty Dancing happy for now feel to it. You don’t see how the relationship could possibly work despite how badly we want it to work, not because the main characters are gay but because there are certain expectations for males of that time even when they are allowed to dally with other men. However the book doesn’t end feeling like a happy for now but instead we are given hope, a very simple but nice touch.

There are many characters and each is a bit stereotypical but it truly felt that the author took them deeper and made them more. We have the usual characters of the struggling poor young boy, the rich but mature youth, the bratty spoiled youth, and the father figure boss. However the detail put into them such as the missing tooth and scar on Hilarion, how Philon is calloused and not what you would consider the pretty boy youth, these things took the characters to a new level. 
  
If you couldn’t tell, I loved Alike as Two Bees by Elin Gregory, it left me with a warm gooey feeling.

Giveaway: Elin Gregory is giving away an  Ecopy to one lucky winner. The TBR Pile is giving away a free Ebook from our prize list. To ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read Alike as Two Bees!

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!

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.

Ripple in time Eternal by Mark Alders
Genre: M/M, Science Fiction
Length: Novel
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 5 stars – A Must Read.
Heat: 5 handcuffs – Orgasmic.

Wounded but alive, Zane wakes up to humans working with shadow eternals. Humans have volunteered to be hosts for the horrible entities. Now he and sexy Motac are on a mission to save the humans and
get rid of the eternals once and for all. Of course, things go wrong. Eternals are turned into crazy beasts that go cannibalistic. And there are only a few steps from Zane’s bare ass.
 
What an adventure! The action is fantastic and heart pounding. It had a lot of zombie like action that worked so well. The heat, as always was smoking hot. I really liked the twist and pace of the story. The eternals were given a might blow by the beloved team. There’s also a great wedding ceremony but I won’t say who’s. You’ll have to read to find out. 
 
A Ripple in Time Eternal is the third book in Diary of the Eternal War, a sexy, sci-fi adventure you should not miss! 

Beast within the Maze by Mark Alders
Genre: m/m, fantasy
Length: Short
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 2 stars – this had potential but we didn’t like it.

I was so excited to read this book but was disappointed. It was so rushed that the characters felt flat. The time period didn't match with a lot of story elements. The plot was fantastic but with the lack of fleshed out scenes I couldn’t get into it. We just meet Dymas when he talks about meeting mouse and then suddenly it’s several months later. As that section plays out things get very telling rather than showing. Then suddenly Dymas who we know very little about, is in love with Mouse. It all very disjointed I’m sorry to say. 
 
 I just read two other books by Mark Alders. Titan Prime and Ripple in Time Eternal, both were fabulously written so I was surprise at this book. It was hard to get through and I know Alders is a great writer. Trust me, pick up another Mark Alders book and you will not be disappointed!

Something Shifty
By, Erin M. Leaf
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Gay Romance, Shifters
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Rating: 4 stars - A Recommended Read.
Heat: 5 Handcuffs - Orgasmic.

Sometimes it takes losing everything to truly appreciate what you have. Dex Connor is a major rock star with an even more amazing group of people surrounding him but even so, it hurts him when is parents die before they can mend fences. As if he wasn‘t dealing with enough between his lost shifter abilities and their death, a great amount of responsibility is put on his shoulders to not only lead the clan but to find a mate. He feels as though the world is crumbling beneath his feet but when he meets Seth Dustin he learns that things often happen for a reason.
 
I really enjoyed this unique twist to the usual shifter plot. It’s fast paced, entertaining, and beyond sexy. It might be a bit much for some people but I like to think it’s just the right amount of sizzle
unfortunately the more we get into the spiciness we see a bit of repetitiveness in the plot.
 
I loved the characters and not just the main ones. There is a whole cast of characters in this book and each one is very different and well written. They blend well amongst each other creating some really rich and enjoyable dialogue. However, there is not enough background detail given to the most important
characters. There especially needed to be more rounding out when it came to Seth Dustin, especially as you expected it to be this big thing at the end where it would be revealed and instead there is disappointment because you find out nothing!
 
Despite some of the minor glitches, it’s a really good book that I know I’m guaranteed to pick up and reread again.

One Night Contract
By, Lilith Duvalier
Page Count: 30
Genre: M/M romance 
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Warning: Unprotected Sex 
Rating: 3 stars - A good read.
Heat: 4 handcuffs - An erotic ride.

Once upon a drunken night, two friends embark upon a road that they will never be able to return from. Will they remain friends after tonight or will they be forced to go their separate ways?
 
Love it or hate it please take note of the author’s name as I have no doubt that we will be hearing much more from her. This review falls somewhere in the middle. I loved the characters, there was a lot of detail and depth put into them despite the shortness of the story. The dialogue between the characters was entertaining. The sex scenes were pretty hot too.
 
I didn’t like that there was unprotected sex especially with all the talk in the book about previous booty calls. It takes away from the story when an author does this as all I can think is STD, a general reference is an absolute must. There is also, and it might possible just be my copy, major editing issues.
 
Though there are some big things that lower the rating on this story, it bares mentioning that I will personally be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

Titan Prime by Mark Alders
Genre: M/M, science fiction
Length: Novel
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Rating: 5 stars – A Must Read
Heat: 4 handcuffs – An Erotic Ride.

Horrow was a pleasure droid who was tortured by a cruel master and then became aware. He developed feelings, fears and wants one thing in the world he can’t have, love.  
 
This story was so incredible, marvelous, and spectacular. I could go on and on. The way the author created this world of Titan Prime was vivid and wildly imaginative. Poor horrow gets abused and tricked only to be forced to prostitute himself. The harshness of some scenes was so touching and scary. I felt Horrow’s pain and fear, not literally of course, but it came off the pages so realistically. As the story continues, we see new sides to horrow and a particular Captain who wants more that a quick romp. The action is edge of your seat, the sex is freaking hot and the story of Titan Prime is one to fall in love with.
 
I cannot find one issue with this story. It was engaging, well written and unique. Titan Prime is a heartbreaking tale of a pleasure droid looking for love and finding his soul mate.

Gustav's Gargoyle Adventure By, Charlie Richards
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Gay Romance, Shifters 
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Rating: 4 Stars - A Recommended Read.
Heat: 4 Handcuffs - An Erotic Ride.

 Sometimes it just takes time and gentle hands to heal a wounded soul. Having someone else to lean on helps a lot too. Gustav is doing just that, surviving and licking his wounds, and he’s doing a pretty good job at it with the help of a variety of shifter friends. When he catches the scent of his mate he finds it’s even easier to heal when you have someone who is always there for you.

 This is a sweet well-written book about some unlikely shifters getting together and a whole bunch of clutching your stomach humor along the way. There is no angst to the plot but nor is there any villains.
I love Gustav, he’s a gentle giant all the way around. He might have been a victim of abuse but he is shown as realistically handling things and not as a victim but as a survivor. He’s quirks in the book are relatable but emphasized to give added humor, which easily kept a smile on my face throughout the
telling. I love the whole adopted primacy of Tible. It added extra oomph and humor to the story. I wish it had been expanded just a bit more to help round out some of the questions I had as far as how they knew so much about gargoyles and yet didn’t know some important gargoyle information that arises in the book. 
 
I loved the simplistic fun of this book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. There could have been more expansion on certain parts seeing as this wasn’t plot laden, it really needed a little more meat in sections. However, it’s still a really good read that I absolutely recommend to those that need a nice hot
chocolate read once in awhile. 

A Growing Lad By U.M. Lassiter
Genre: Gay, Science Fiction 
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf
Rating: 3 stars - A Good Read.
Heat: 2 Handcuffs - Flirty.