Books

Cruising by Cate Ashwood

When his best friend wins a radio contest, Dylan agrees to go with Jake on an Alaskan cruise. Their stateroom is lovely, but there is only one bed. How are they going to share such cramped quarters when Dylan has secretly been in love with his friend since the day they first met?

There never was a radio contest, it’s all part of Jake’s plan to get Dylan to agree to a romantic cruise so that Jake can finally tell him how he really feels.

On their first night at sea, a few too many drinks, a karaoke love song, and a kiss in an elevator, transforms their relationship from friends to lovers in a single night of glorious sex.

Being with Jake is better than he ever could’ve dreamed, but that doesn’t stop Dylan from worrying that they’ve somehow wrecked their friendship. Dylan manages to avoid him for most of the morning (it’s a big ship), but Jake eventually confronts him. Why the angst? After all, what’s better than being in love with your best friend?

The fact is, there is nothing better, and they celebrate their new relationship status with another tumble in the sheets.

Cruising is a sexy/sweet short that perfectly demonstrates how charming the classic friends-to-lovers trope can be when it features two characters as kind as Dylan and Jake. They may have been too timid to reveal their true feelings at first, but once they were real with one another, the truth of their chemistry/attraction was too strong to deny.

Object of His Desire by Ava March

A debauched orgy is the culmination of a week-long house party at the Somerville estate, but Henry is bored by the carnality on display because all he is really interested in is their host, Arsen, Lord of Somerville.

His lordship unexpectedly pulls Henry aside and, over drinks, they discuss why Henry is his only guest who did not partake of the pleasures on offer. Arsen admires the steadfastness of his heart, whoever it may belong to.

Their conversation is interrupted when word of an unruly guest is brought to Lord Somerville’s attention. Henry helps take care of the drunkard, but some wine is spilled in the kerfuffle. They go to Arsen’s bedchamber where he changes his shirt and lets his appreciation of Henry’s large frame be known. Their kisses and caresses soon turn desperate as Somerville takes charge of their desire, giving Henry every pleasure he’s ever wanted.

During the night, Arsen ties up Henry for a bit of fun, but it sends the big man into a panic. His last lover had restrained him and was abusive. Arsen has no intention of ever hurting Henry and they spend the rest of the night demonstration the depth of their passion and trust.

In the morning, a reckoning comes. Henry is in love, but he won’t settle for scraps. It’s all or nothing. Arsen will gladly give his all to be with Henry, explaining that he’s done with life in London and is retiring to his country estate. Hopefully, with Henry by his side.

Slowly and tenderly, Henry proves just how willing he is to give everything to his new lover… today, and for all the days that lay ahead.

You want a scorching hot historical romance? This story does not disappoint. Though our heroes are only together for a single night (and what a night it is) Ava March brings to life the sizzling chemistry of Henry and Arsen in such a way that there’s no doubt that their intense erotic attraction will burn brightly for many years to come.

Object of his Desire is available in both ebook and audiobook formats.

Henry and Arsen’s story continues in the sexy short, Pleasures of Somerville Park.

Arsen is frustrated that his youngest brother has been sent from London to spend several days at Somerville Park going over ledgers and dealing with the family’s large estate. He’s most frustrated by the fact that, with a guest in the house, he and Henry must be discreet about their relationship.

One evening, after dinner, Arsen finds Henry in the stables, forlorn that Arsen must return to London with his brother. He assures him he’ll never do such a thing and that he is steadfastly committed to Henry. To prove his devotion, he bends over a saddle stand and begs his beloved to do what he knows how to do so well.

Taking place a few months after Object of his Desire, it’s should come as no surprise that Arsen and Henry still can’t keep their hands off each other and are still very much in love. If ever there were a couple who could assure that the halls of Somerville Park are filled with happiness, it’s these two.

Under Siege by Sandra Bunino

John Siege, found adrift at sea, has been put to work as a deckhand on The Black Devil. His reputation precedes him, and irresistibly handsome pirate Waite wants to know if John was once the captin of The Ghost. He was, but he trusted the wrong person and was cast off after a mutiny by his crew.

But if they were so keen on ridding themselves of him, why can The Ghost be seen just off the horizon? Why are they following him?

Oz, the man who betrayed him and took his ship, wants the treasure that John’s father has hidden away. John was left alive because a clue to its location is the tattoo on John’s back.

The two pirate captains agree to team up. Waite invites him into his bed and submits to John’s expertise. “We seem to make a powerful pair. Both on deck and below it.”

They awake in the morning to find The Ghost flying the white flag of surrender. Oz comes aboard and explains that the crew wants their real captain back. He also tells John that Waite isn’t a pirate at all, but a privateer in service to the crown.

He can’t believe he put his trust in another pirate and returns to his own ship. Once in port, John sets off on his own to find the treasure. Waite joins him and, as they follow the map/clues on John’s back, explains his relationship with the king – less a privateer, and more of an independent contractor who recovers stolen art.

They find the hidden cavern filled with gold and jewels and celebrate with some hard and rough sex, which is just how they like it. A powerful pair indeed.

As one might expect from a pirate story, this spicy short is filled with lusty romance and high seas adventure. It took a minute for John to truly trust Waite, but once he did, they made for a formidable team.

For the heroes in Under Siege, two tempting pirate captains are definitely better than one.

Déjà Vu by Lawrence I. Hill

Alvin is the hospitality director at an upscale Atlanta hotel. One afternoon while chatting/gossiping with friends Denise and Devon, he learns that their latest celebrity check-in is R&B superstar Tee Mills. As a kid, Alvin knew Tee as Tim, and they were best friends up until high school when Alvin got dropped for a more popular group of friends.

After receiving a special request from the penthouse suite, Alvin reluctantly goes up to find Tee preparing for some interviews and wearing nothing but a pair of briefs that show off everything he’s got to offer. Not that Alvin is interested. Especially not when Tim doesn’t even acknowledge him or their past together.

That night, Alvin is busy putting out fires (quit literally) at a large wedding reception being held in the hotel ballroom. The good-looking brother of the bride is chatting him up when the DJ starts spinning the Tee Mills classic, Déjà Vu. Hearing the song throws Alvin emotionally off center. He’s about to head home for the night when he gets another request from the frustratingly hot VIP upstairs.

Tim answers the door in nothing but a robe, and Alvin is frustrated by his obvious seduction techniques. Tim asks if the desert he brought up is one of Alvin’s own recipes, because he really like the food at Alvin’s restaurant.

In the years since they’d last seen each other, Alvin had gone to culinary school, opened his own place, and when that didn’t work out, he got the job at the hotel. It seems his old friend has been keeping tabs on him.

They get to talking over chocolate cake and champagne, Tim trying to explain how being on the down-low was never what he wanted, but it was his way of having both a career and a life. He always admired how Alvin was out in school and was jealous of how easy it seemed for him (it wasn’t) and how much Tim liked him back then.

They reminisce about a long-ago snow day when they danced to their favorite song and shared their first kiss. Tim shows him the ring that he wears on a gold chain around his neck, a ring that Alvin made in shop class and gave to him. He’s kept it because he’s been in love with Alvin all this time. He couldn’t tell him how he felt back then because he was too scared. He’s stronger now and has come back to Atlanta over the holidays to show Alvin how he really feels – how he’s always felt.

Everything Alvin has ever wanted is standing right in front of him. It’s a second chance and it’s one he’s not going to pass up.

After sleeping together, they cuddle up close and Tim whispers that he wrote Déjà Vu about Alvin. It was just for him.

In the morning, Alvin leaves the comfort of the suite to start his day, when his phone starts blowing up. In a telling tweet, Tee Mills has come out to the world. Dating and loving someone as famous as Tim is sure to have its challenges, but deep-down Alvin feels this is the start of something good – their future is filled with nothing but possibilities.

Déjà Vu is a story that’ll definitely have you rooting for the two heroes. When they’re finally able to openly talk about their past and realize that the future they want is together… well, that’s what swoony, feel-good romance is all about.

I though the characterization in this novella was particularly strong, and I especially liked the dialogue. The way Tim and Alvin talk with each other has a wonderful flow, a very natural rhythm. It’s so good that I think this story would make an amazing one act play. I would love to see Tim and Alvin’s story brought to life on stage.

If ‘second chances’ and ‘romance with a superstar’ are some of your favorite tropes, then I suggest you give this story a read.

Déjà Vu is available in both ebook and paperback formats.

One Good Lord Deserves Another by Eden Blake

Edmund is tasked with turning the newly christened Lord Alec into a respectable gentleman. Keeping the devastatingly handsome and flirtatious Lord in check may be a bigger task than he first imagined.

Alec cannot believe that Edmund has found his way back into his life. Years earlier, when he was a child, Edmund payed him a kindness, one that Alec has never forgotten, and ever since that time he has been smitten with the older gentleman.

Their days are spent doing the things gentlemen do during the season – making calls, taking a promenade in the park. One afternoon, the two of them are sharing an eel pie from a street vendor (don’t get grossed out, it’s apparently really good) when Alec saves Edmund from a pint-sized pickpocket. The compassion Edmund shows the little street urchin, despite the attempted theft, makes Alec love him all the more.

At a ball Alec insists he only has eyes for Edmund but does his prescribed duty and dances with several eligible young ladies… and a few gentlemen, which raises Edmunds ire. Could he possibly be jealous?

Alec finds Edmunds possessiveness a turn on. They go outside to take some air. In a dark corner of the rose garden Alec is finally able to steal the kiss that he has wanted for so long. He explains their meeting from years ago and then whispers all the wicked ways he intends to explore his irresistible lover.

They both share the same intense attraction but falling for Alec is the last thing Edmund should be doing. Alec’s uncle is heavily invested in Alec finding a good match and producing an heir.

Both of their futures are at stake.

They carry on through the season, and Edmund goes to great lengths to show Alec there is only one responsible choice to be made. But He is having none of it and soon has his beloved naked in bed, proving he knows exactly what he wants, and that is Edmund. They start slowly, but Alec is soon worked into a frenzy. If this is truly the only moment that they’ll have, then he is going to take all that Edmund is willing to give.

Afterward, Alec comes up with a scheme. With the help of a friend who has a reputation as a rogue, Alec pretends to be “ruined” so that the only honorable way out of the scandal is to marry Edmund, who is penniless, but titled, nonetheless.

They open a shop where Alec will ply his trade as a barber for the upper-class. They will make their own way, beholden to no one. A perfectly adorable HEA for a perfectly adorable couple.

Okay, where do I begin with how much I LOVED this novella? One Good Lord Deserves Another was historical age-gap perfection. Alec’s passion for Edmund practically leapt off the page. And can we please talk about how amazing it was to see an older, thicker hero, coming into his own and finding his one true love? Alec, who is a traditionally irresistible handsome hero, simply cannot get enough of Edmunds roundness which is described as plump and sturdy. His bulk is heavy and full. At one point, Alec even describes his lover a “perfect armful”. It’s all very sweet, and very, very sexy. I’d love to see more husky heroes just like this.

I also liked how in Eden Blake’s historical world, Alec and Edmund were able to marry. The only objection wasn’t to the fact that they were two men, but to the question of an heir to Alec’s title. If the rest of the stories in Eden Blake’s world are this openly accepting, and unrelentingly sexy, then sign me up! I definitely want some more.

Colder Than Fiction by Amanda Meuwissen

Ezra is a man with a deadline. Add to that the stress of the holidays, plus the mother of all hangovers from a recent Christmas party, and needs an escape if he’d going to finish his latest manuscript on time. Some quiet time alone at the family cabin should be just the thing.

He awakens in the morning to find an extremely handsome stranger in his bed, one that bears an uncanny resemblance to Jon Havoc, the roguish thief who tempts the hero in his latest thriller.

Ezra doesn’t know if he’s lost his mind, but with Havoc as his sexy inspiration, he’s finally able to make headway on his book. Havoc inspires Ezra on the page and in the bedroom, his fictional creation encouraging him in ways no other man has.

With the book finally finished, Ezra’s editor praises the new direction his work has taken. While leaving the office, Ezra runs into a man whose bluer-than-blue eyes remind him of a certain flirtations anti-hero. Is it a matter of fiction made real, or is real life stranger than fiction?

If you like flirty banter, then Amanda Meuwissen has got you covered. The banter between our two heroes is sexy and fun. I particularly enjoyed how Havoc is able to seduce Ezra as well as Graham, his fictional love interest in the thriller Ezra is writing. Speaking of which, we get to read sections of the book as Ezra is writing them. The adventures of Havoc and Graham are pretty compelling, and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading more about their exploits in the future.

Colder Than Fiction is a terrific short that sexily plays with the line between reality and fantasy.