Translation




Select Your Language Below if English isn't Your Main Language

TRANSLATE / SELECT LANGUAGE

Saturday, May 30, 2015

For Real by Alexis Hall Review





Author: Alexis Hall
ISBN: 9781626492790
Word count: 125,000
Page count: 437
Type: Standalone
Release Date: Jun 1, 2015






Blurb

Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.
Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable.  Everything Laurie can’t remember being.
Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do. But he knows, with all the certainty of youth, that he wants Laurie. He wants him on his knees. He wants to make him hurt, he wants to make him beg, he wants to make him fall in love.
The problem is, while Laurie will surrender his body, he won’t surrender his heart. Because Toby is too young, too intense, too easy to hurt. And what they have—no matter how right it feels—can’t last. It can’t mean anything.
It can’t be real.


About the Author

Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret.
He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ice cream maker, fortune teller, lab technician, and professional gambler. He was fired from most of them.
He can neither cook nor sing, but he can handle a 17th century smallsword, punts from the proper end, and knows how to hotwire a car.
He lives in southeast England, with no cats and no children, and fully intends to keep it that way.










For Real

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For Real is the story of two men who are completely different falling in love. Laurie is 37 and jaded. He's pretty well-off with a decent job. He's a sub at heart but has difficulty handing over control or seeing the point in the lifestyle anymore. He's merely going through the motions. Toby is 19 and lost. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life. The only thing he knows for certain is that he feels the desire in his soul to be a Dom. No one takes his small stature and youth seriously.

Because the subjects are both into BDSM, I figured the storyline would be filled with wild sex scenes. I mean it does have these, but the approach is so different. The reader really gets an understanding of the training and emotional pull of the lifestyle. It's isn't all fairytale-ish. It's real which makes it beautiful. BDSM isn't the complete focus of the book. Life, death, love, family, career, direction, loss, acceptance. . . so many aspects play a role. Most of the standard conflicts of life are touched on.

After reading the first little bit, I didn't think this story was going to be that great. It kind of downplays everything compared to the usual overly enthustastic delivery of a lot of contemporary romance books. All the flaws are pointed out and nothing is romanticized. I thought it was refreshing but maybe it wasn't for me. I continued to read, and soon it hit me pretty hard. This book encompasses so much. It's philosophical. It's got that old school feel and staying power like Truman Capote and Oscar Wilde. I highly recommend it to someone wanting a deep read. If you're looking for flashy sexy super drama, it probably isn't for you.

4.75 stars



***copy given in exchange for an honest review***


toni






Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Afraid To Fly by S.L. Jennings Release Blitz Review



Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00037]

Afraid To Fly

The Fearless Series: Book Two

S.L. Jennings

Synopsis

I’d like to tell you that I’m ok.

That the meaningless sex with countless women has somehow numbed the pain. That it’s deciphered the constant confusion in my head. Eased the self-hatred that sinks into my gut every time I look in the mirror.

I’d like to tell you that time heals all wounds.

That we evolve and grow into well-adjusted, stable adults, set on a path to right the world’s wrongs. That we are not our past…we are not our pain.

I want to tell you all those things. Hell, I want to believe all those things. But I’d be lying. I’m good at that. Living a lie is the only way I truly know how to survive. But the day I saw her, I stopped surviving. I stopped existing. And for the first time in 24 years, I started living.

She brought me back to life. Set me free and sent my soul soaring. Made this useless shell of a man feel like…something. Something whole and real and good.

She saved me. Although she believes I wasn’t even worth saving.

 

Excerpt

It was if my body had known what my soul needed to mend itself from the verbal assault that had left me open and bleeding. Sex was that healing balm for me. And this was exactly the place where I could find it.

None of the dancers here were prostitutes, and I never paid to get laid. Ever. They fucked me because they wanted me. And I fucked them because I needed them. It was an even trade.

Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t stick my dick in just anything, and other than Cherri, had only been intimate with two other girls there: Skylar, a hot sophomore at UNC Charlotte, stripping her way through college, and Velvet, a tattooed, purple-haired vixen from England who fucked like a porn star and cursed like a sailor.

Right now, I needed Velvet. If anyone could make me forget the last twenty minutes, Raven’s razor-sharp words and myself, it was her.

My legs carried me inside, despite the numbness I felt. I didn’t want to be here, but I needed to be. And once I had the soft silkiness and warmth of a woman’s skin against me, I’d feel a helluva lot better. Luckily, Velvet was there for a day shift, working the lunch crowd in her usual getup of velvet and chains. Today she wore a cut-out thonged romper that left little to the imagination. And that was fine by me. I was tired of thinking anyway.

“Hey love,” she smiled as I approached. Her lips were painted a deep, dark eggplant purple that almost looked black. I’d have the color smeared all over me within the hour, most of it in places invisible to the public.

I didn’t waste any time. I didn’t have it in me to go through the motions and pretend I was here for anything other than sex. I leaned in close to her ear, letting my lips brush her earlobe in that sensual way I knew would get her hot, and whispered, “Back room in 10.” Then I quickly made my way to the bar to slam a shot of tequila.

She was there when I arrived, lounging on a plush loveseat with her heeled boots propped up on the arm. She looked at me with sin gleaming in her heavily lined eyes and gave me a slow, Cheshire grin. “Someone’s awfully anxious today.”

I was already loosening my tie as I stalked towards her and said, “Clothes off, boots on and get on your knees.”

  ATF-teaser1 






   fof

Fear Of Falling

The Fearless Series: Book One

S.L. Jennings

I can’t remember the last time I felt completely safe. Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore.

He scared the hell out of me in a way that excited every fiber of my being. It wasn’t the tattoos or the piercings. It wasn’t the warmth that seemed to radiate from his frame and blanket me whenever he was near. It was just…him. The scary beautiful man that threatened to alter 23 years of routine and rituals, and make me face my crippling fear.

My name is Kami and I am constantly afraid. And the thing that scares me the most is the very thing I want.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling me into the hard warmth of his chest. “I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”

And just like that, Blaine had staked his claim on the untouched part of me that no living soul had ever moved. He had captured every fear, every reservation, and crushed them in the palm of his inked hand.

Amazon: http://bit.ly/FearOfFalling

About the author

c41f61ce955e0a82390af3.L._V336072414_SX200_

S.L. Jennings is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance, reality TV junkie, obsessive coffee drinker and collector of crazy.

Facebook / Twitter / Website



  cropped-SSFprLogo3.png



REVIEW


Afraid to Fly (Fearless, #2)

This story is very deep. I teared up several times. Dom is one of the sweetest and most tragic personas ever. I loved him right away. He had a total crap past and has turned it into motivation to save others from the same. The man he is now combined with all of the flashbacks of his experiences— Oh! My heart. Be prepared for floods of emotion.

I didn't connect as much with the female lead or her story. I think I absolutely loved this book until around 80 percent. I still really liked the story overall, but some of the last 20 percent took away from the previous amazing connection and flow.

Dom will always stand out as one of my favorite characters. He touched a special place in my heart. The author really outdid herself creating such a lovingly conflicted role. He's the perfect sweet dream.



***copy given in exchange for an honest review***


toni






Irrevocable by Shay Savage Review







Irrevocable (Evan Arden Book 5)
by
Shay Savage
May 26, 2015




Have you ever made a mistake? 
A big one?
I’m back in Chicago and back in business with my boss, Rinaldo Moretti. So much for my run at a normal life. There are some new faces in the organization, and someone’s been cooking the books. Personally? I think they’re after more than a just little cash. If I have any hopes of flushing out the traitor, I’m going to need to find a good hooker to help me sleep at night.
As the bodies pile up, I find solace in Alina. There’s something about her, something different. She understands me without asking a lot of questions. It’s as if she’s known me for years, yet we’ve only just met. If I weren’t so distracted by business, I’d try to figure out her story. She’s the only one keeping me grounded as my world spins out of control.
I’m going to lose the one man who has ever meant anything to me – the only man to ever call me son. I want to deny his request, but there is no avoiding what awaits me. I never wanted any of this, but I’m out of options, and time is running out.
Some choices have unforeseen consequences, and some choices are simply irrevocable.























Shay Savage Information
Twitter - @savage7289
Book links:

Ebook options:





International Amazon links:













Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her family and a variety of household pets.  She is an accomplished public speaker, and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International.  When not writing, she enjoys science fiction movies, masquerading as a zombie, is a HUGE Star Wars fan, and member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers.  When the geek fun runs out, she also loves off-roading in her jeep, and soccer in any and all forms - especially the Columbus Crew, Arsenal and Bayern Munich.  Savage holds a degree in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.









Irrevocable (Evan Arden, #5)



Even though Evan is a very flawed man, I have loved him since the beginning. This has been a 5 star series for me. I was super excited to receive more of his story.

In this installment, Evan has returned to his boss, the only person he feels deserves his loyalty. He still has the same issues with his mental disorders and still picks up hookers in order to sleep. I've always be attracted to how disturbing he is. He still kills like it's nothing and has no concern for his own life.

This story seemed to switch it's main focus several times. When we were headed one direction something would happen to make it seem like the overall point was something else. I found it to be a little difficult to keep up because it was like warring storylines battling to come to the top.

Evan and Sebastian will always be favorites of mine. I am glad I read this book, and I recommend it to other fans of the Evan Arden series. It will definitely keep you guessing.


***copy given in exchange for an honest review***


toni