Random Review: Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen #Review #Giveaway

Author: Melanie Hansen
Title: Point Of Contact 
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: March 26, 2018
Length: 327 pages

Reviewed by Jenn

Synopsis

Only love can heal an impossibly broken heart

There’d forever been a thread running through Trevor Estes’s life—his son, Riley, strong and constant like a heartbeat. But when Riley is killed in combat, everything in Trevor’s life unravels into a mess he doesn’t know how to mourn.

Then Jesse Byrne, Riley’s friend and platoon mate, arrives on Trevor’s doorstep with a box of Riley’s things. Jesse’s all-too-familiar grief provides an unlikely source of comfort for Trevor: knowing he’s not alone is exactly what he needs.

Trevor never imagined he’d find someone who fills his heart with hope again. As the pair celebrate Riley’s memory, their unique bond deepens into something irreplaceable—and something neither man can live without.

But diving into a relationship can’t be so simple. Being together means Trevor risking the last link he has to his son…leaving Jesse to wonder if he’ll ever be enough, or if Trevor will always be haunted by the past.

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Review

How do you go on when your heart is broken seemingly beyond repair? After the death of his son, Riley who is killed in combat this is a question Trevor Estes must find an answer to.

Riley and Trevor were so close, Riley was the sun and moon in his father’s world. When Trevor says goodbye to his son before he leaves for deployment, he never imagined it would be forever.

When Jesse Byrne, Riley’s best friend and bunkmate shows up at Trevor’s door with a box of Riley’s things...the two connect. Neither is looking for more than someone to celebrate Riley’s life with, someone to understand their loss. The more time they spend together, the more their feelings begin to change, to grow. They are each dealing with loss and haunted by the past, but together they begin to heal.

This book was recommended to me by an author who loved it. I’m so glad I took a chance on a new to me author with a book that felt very heavy. This story hurts at times, but the beauty, the new beginning that shines through is worth the tears. At times I’d go from crying sad tears to tears of joy as I watched these men learn to live again. All the things that make them different pale in comparison to all the things that make them the same. A truly brutally beautiful book that I hope everyone reads.

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Flashback Friday: Getting It Right by A.M. Arthur #Review #Giveaway

Author: A.M. Arthur
Book: Getting It Right
Series: Restoration Series #1
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: March 16, 2015
Length: 256 pages

Reviewed by Michael


Synopsis

Detective Nathan Wolf might just be a junior detective, but he tackles every case with the passion that he lacks in his personal life. A series of failed relationships with women has left him still single at thirty-four—because he's too scared to admit to his longtime crush on his best friend James.

Dr. James Taggert likes to keep his profession as a psychiatrist separate from his party-animal persona. Known around the gay clubs as Tag, he's the guy who screws them, leaves them, and never looks back. But James's drinking is getting heavier, and when bad memories from the past resurface, he's close to becoming the worst version of himself.

After a drunken blackout ends in a hot and heavy make-out session with his very straight best friend, James has no memory of the steamy affair. But Nathan isn't sorry for the kisses that James can't remember. Nathan finally musters the courage to tell James how he really feels, but a life-altering event might force them apart before they can ever be together.

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Review

I’ve been a sucker for a good GFY story since beginning reading M/M romance.  For those that don’t know, GFY stands for Gay For You.  GFY is somewhat controversial because it takes one main character who had previously professed to be heterosexual and places them in a homosexual relationship.  Personally, I’m a firm believer that Love is Love.  Love doesn’t know gender.  You don’t feel emotion with your private parts, you feel with it with your heart and mind.  You should be able to form a connection with whom ever you feel drawn to. 

One of my other favorite tropes has always been the friends-to-lovers, especially when those friends are portrayed as close.  Simply put, the trope takes an existing friendship and deepens it, makes it more emotional, more loving and caring.  The saying goes that you should marry your best friend, and this trope bears that out.

Now, when you mix the two together, you have the makings of something truly special.

Such was the case of Getting It Right by A.M. Arthur. 

James “Tag” Taggert is a psychiatrist haunted by an event from his past that he feels completely responsible for.  He can help other people with their problems, but not himself.  He drowns in his own memories and booze, sleeping his way through as many men as possible in an effort to make the pain go away.  And, he’s had feelings for his straight best friend for years, complicating his already fragile emotional state.

Nathan Wolf is a detective, and James’ best friend.  Nate lives with his own confusion.  Despite his feelings for Tag, he’s dated numerous women, but each relationship has failed.  He’s also investigating a possible serial killer, further adding to his personal stress.

A kiss throws everything out of whack. 

I have made no bones about the fact that Tag is my favorite character created by A.M.  He’s loyal, strong, and so very flawed.  These characters are real.  The story is gritty and grounded, and the relationship (friendship and otherwise) is natural.  Despite their differences, they truly looked out for each other.  They were in sync.  There were virtually no secrets between them and were truly the best of friends.

I will confess, I read this book out of order.  A.M. Arthur has created and an entire fictional world populated by some of the most diverse and real people I have ever read.  This book is actually the first book of a middle trilogy.  That didn’t hamper my ability to read and enjoy it in anyway shape or form.  You can literally pick up any of these books at any point and read them.  Once I realized, I read the rest of the trilogy and literally devoured every book she has written. 

Highly, highly recommended!!

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Blog Tour: Barrel Proof by Layla Reyne ~ Exclusive Post #Giveaway #Excerpt

Barrel Proof by Layla Reyne

Series: Agents Irish and Whiskey #3

Publisher: Carina Press (HQN)

Release Date (Print & Ebook): August 7, 2017 (Ebook and Audiobook)

(Audiobooks of Single Malt (AIW1) and Cask Strength (AIW2) also releasing August 7, 2017)

Length (Print & Ebook): 189 Pages (Ebook); 6hr, 30mins (Audio)

Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense

This book features: Book 3/Trilogy Conclusion. Angst, Action, Romance, HEA

Synopsis

FBI agents Aidan "Irish" Talley and Jameson "Whiskey" Walker can't get a moment's peace. Their hunt for the terrorist Renaud seems to be nearing an end, until a fire allows him to slip through their fingers—and puts Jamie's life in danger. When Jamie is nearly killed, Aidan learns how many forms loss can take.

Aidan says I love you just moments before learning that Jamie's been keeping a devastating secret about Aidan's late husband. How quickly trust and love can go up in flames. When Aidan requests a solo undercover assignment, Jamie hopes Aidan will find a way to forgive him.

But the explosions are far from over. Aidan's cover lands him in the heart of the terrorist's conspiracy, and Jamie will have to put his life, his career and his freedom on the line to save the man who has become his entire world. Partners, always is a promise he intends to keep.

“A heart-pounding, romantic conclusion to the Agents Irish and Whiskey series.”

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Guest Post

Favorite Alpha Males

Several years ago, a fanfic friend suggested I read the Dream Man series by Kristen Ashley. This was my introduction to modern romance novels, and so it’s no surprise I now write romance involving adrenaline-fueled alpha males. In Agents Irish and Whiskey, Aidan and Jamie are two alphas in one story, trying to work out who ends up on top, in more than just the bedroom. One a top cop, one a top hacker. One a top ball player, one a top marksman. They manage though, each an alpha when they need to be for the other. My reading interests also continue to trend toward alpha characters, and these are just a few of my favorites alpha males:

Ty Walker from Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley is the Queen of writing alpha men. When I started reading KA, every time I picked up a new book, I had a new favorite KA guy. Until I met Ty Walker, and I was done. D-O-N-E. Top of the mountain, and he is just that, a mountain. Tall, built, brooding, and beautiful. Just the description of him lights the page on fire. As does the unexpected romance between him and Lexie, the woman who picks him up from jail. Their romance is a roller coaster ride—from Ty’s wrongful incarceration, to their fake marriage, to the murder and conspiracies they barely escape, there’s so much going on. Plus, so much love and angst. And when it comes time for Ty to grovel, as all alpha males must do in romance, Ty’s grovel is EPIC. Best of all, Ty goes through hell and comes out on top—a town hero with the family he never thought possible. This is an alpha hero you can root for!

Julian Cross from Warrior’s Cross by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

Ty and Zane usually get all the love in the Cut & Run ’verse but if I had my pick of the C&R alpha men, it’d be Julian Cross, every single time. With an ever-present smirk, he outsmarts heroes and villains at almost every turn, proves to be a hero himself, and he loves his partner, Cameron, with such complete and total devotion I dare you not to swoon.

Ox from Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Ox is the perfect example of an alpha who doesn’t have to be loud and brash, who can be quiet and humble, who doesn’t always have to be the strongest or bravest, who can be sad and afraid, who can even defer to another alpha, and still be the person in the room everyone looks to for guidance and leadership. He’s a gentle, fair, unassuming leader who commands respect just by being the calm and steady presence everyone needs, and by being loyal to his pack, human and wolves, no matter what.

Excerpt

Aidan ran a hand through his hair and tilted his face up for another slow, haunting kiss. “I love you, Whiskey,” he whispered against his lips.

“I love you too, Irish.”

Aidan turned to leave, was halfway across the room when something on the dresser caught Jamie’s eye. “Aidan, wait!”

Jamie limped over to the dresser, and Aidan rushed back to his side, helping to balance him. He snatched up the Chevelle keys and pressed them into Aidan’s hand, their fingers entwining around them.

“Jamie, what—”

“She doesn’t belong in my garage, if you’re not here too. I can’t bear to look at her there, until you’re back in my bed.”

“I can’t.”

Those words had haunted Jamie for days. With a renewed spark of hope, he could do something about them now. “Yes, you can,” he said, and leaned in for another kiss. This one was quick, firm, and with a dash of promise and hope infusing the goodbye. “When you’re ready, the both of you come home to me.”

About the Author

Author Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart pounding romance. When she's not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.

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Adrenaline-Fueled Romance

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Prizes: (2) HUGE Agents Irish & Whiskey Gift Packs including: 1 Kindle Fire Tablet, 1 Agents Irish & Whiskey mug, and surprise swag! (Ships to US/Canada only; international winners will receive Amazon Gift Card: $35)

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