“City Knight begins with a lurch, grabs on tight and doesn’t let go until your eyes are burning and blurry from reading too fast to find out what’s on the next page, not wanting to put the story down until done…”
Read my entire review at Gay/Lesbian Book Reviews:
Today I am very excited to welcome Geoff Knight & Ethan Day to Joyfully Jay. Geoff and Ethan are here to talk to us more about the launch of Wilde City Press, a new publishing company they have started focusing on all genres of fiction and featuring gay male protagonists. Wilde City Press opened its… read more »Read more to find out about my new home…
http://joyfullyjay.com/2013/05/interview-wilde-city-press-with-ethan-day-and-geoffrey-knight.html
Reviewed by Jon Michaelsen
The Blue Moon Cafe
by
Rick R. Reed
Review by Jon Michaelsen
I usually listen to audio books (the unabridged versions); via headphones traveling on hours long plane rides or driving long trips alone. So, when a book I had my eye on was released in audio book format, I decided to take a chance to listen while in my car – which proved to quite often as I found myself finding places to go, errands needing done so I could listen to Rick R. Reed’s suspenseful, romantic thriller, The Blue Moon Café.
Taken from the blurb for both print and audio format, “Someone–or something–is killing Seattle’s gay men.” Something moves in the dark night at full moon hunting and killing gay men in the places they gather. The protagonist is Thad Matthews, a young gay man done with relationships and certainly not ready–or even willing–to take yet another dive for his perfect dream that presents in the form of a sexy, super compassionate, masculine, hairy and handsome Caecilian restaurant owner and chef, Sam Lupino.
Reed begins The Blue Moon Café with his signature terror/horror prose he is well-known for delivering, quickly ensnaring the reader–or listener in my case–with heart-racing, pulsating suspense. Vivid detail and full-moon-lit scenery ratchets up anticipation pushing the listener forward, sans trepidation. Reed tempers the heightened elements of the novel with a strong romance that provides a little distraction from the bloody killings.
Thad Matthews is unemployed and without purpose. He is every guy’s friend, the boy-next-door type you’d introduce to mother, a best friend always there to support you, even if having to take a back seat. Along with his domineering Chihuahua, Edith (don’t let the docile name fool you!), Thad fills his days looking for a new job, taking care of his neurotic friend, and pining about lost love. Edith, however, comes to the rescue in more ways than one, quickly proving dogs are excellent judges of character and man’s best friend.
Thad treats himself to a night out, which he can’t afford of course, in hopes of finding someone to spend the night with. Thad dresses to notice and sets out for The Blue Moon Café, where he meets the manly, macho, Sam Lupino.
Not only the owner and chef of The Blue Moon Café, Sam happens to be a werewolf in a family of werewolves. He becomes seduced by Thad’s naive charm, but once drawn to the young man, trouble beings. After a night of hot and heavy love-making, Sam leaves a goodbye note and disappears from Thad’s life. But, not for long as Thad can’t seem to stay away from the mysterious man who tells lies and holds secrets that prey on his insecurities.
I can’t divulge more of the story without ruining the mystery behind the killers, the betraying Thad and Sam both feel at different times throughout their rocky relationship. What I can share, is listening to the audio book version, the voice of narrator Topher Samuels is soothing, calming when he needs to be and ratcheting up the suspense with inflection that makes the reader “feel” as if we’re there, staring down the beast with yellow eyes, or making love to a most compassionate man with a wounded soul.
The Blue Moon Café is a horror/mystery/thriller and gay romance that will pull you in, scare the crap out of you and have you rooting for the unlikely relationship between human and werewolf. Non-traditional in that it strays from the modern-day romantic epics and ends with a surprise that just might break your heart.
Check out this write-up writer/blogger Ryan Field posted to his blog yesterday after reading an advance copy of SWITCH HITTER, an erotic baseball/S.W.A.T kidnapping suspense short out this Friday at loveyoudivine.com
Review: Switch Hitter by Alex Morgan & Jon Michaelsen
by Ryan Field
I was thrilled when the authors, Alex Morgan and Jon Michaelsen, asked me to read a pre-release copy of Switch Hitter for several reasons. One, I’ve been a fan of Jon Michaelsen’s LGBT fiction for a long time. And two because I’ve never read anything by Alex Morgan. I also recently finished Maya Angelou’s autobiography and that’s a tough act to follow, so to speak.
I read the digital version of Switch Hitter all in one sitting last night. But it is about one hundred pages long and it can be spread out over a period of time just as nicely. I just had the time last night, so I decided to read it in full, which isn’t something I normally do. From page one the main character, Jase Dockery, drew me into the story and kept me fascinated for the rest of the evening.
http://ryan-field.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-switch-hitter-by-alex-morgan-jon.html
Review of “One Last Lie”
written by Jon Michaelsen
“One Last Lie” by author Rob Kaufman in a word is awesome, in a word is awesome, an incredible psychological thriller that will have the reader hanging on the edge during the explosive and thrilling final pages. Which is odd, since the reader knows a very important fact very early on that drives the novel – and yet, I found myself shocked and stunned by the actual event. To say that I was affected is an understatement.
Partners Philip and Jonathan seem to have a wonderful relationship together of ten years. They have earned all they wanted; a nice home, great jobs, and money in the bank. But, elluding them is the dream of having a child. But, soon this challenge becomes possible when Angela, Philip’s college friend – once a very large woman with deep depression – has appeared anew, lighter, happier, ready and willing to help the boys out. The three decide to have a child together through artificial insemination of Jonathan’s sperm. Got that? It gets better.
Life begins to unravel for Philip and Jonathan and Angela’s deceit comes to light as her pregnancy awakens hidden psychological and physical problems.
This psychological thriller is told man years later from an elder Jonathan in his hospital bed, awaiting death. Angela’s web of deceit had caused heartbreak, legal battles – and ultimately murder.
The first half of the tense and romantic novel seems tame at best, a love story between two men wanting desperately to have a child and the one driving this dream is the one who is sterile due to a previous bout with cancer, of which he is a survivor.
Kaufman is a master of romantic suspense. The novel is set in the beautiful, romantic Westport, Connecticut. The subject – gay couple wanting to father and raise a child – popular in today’s gay culture. The protagonists, Jonathan Beckett and dashing Philip Stone, are successful, love their careers, very wealthy and can afford the finer things in life – and to fulfill their dream of having a child.
In comes Angela, an old college friend – err, girlfriend – of Philip’s, squirreling her way into Philip and Jonathan’s lives, ironically offering what the boys are looking for – someone to carry Jonathan’s child via artificial insemination. Angela experiences a Jekyll-Hyde complex, able to turn on a dime with both her low-life moronic boyfriend, Tommy, and her brooding – and easily manipulated — best friend, June. Angela manipulates anyone around her that she feels able to advance her agenda, an agenda set into motion the moment Angela picked up and moved to Connecticut, without invitation, to assist the boys in having a child with her via artificial insemination.
Kaufman’s gift as a writer is detailed within the sharp dialog, vivid imagery, skillful flashbacks, and well-rounded multidimensional character portrayals, but his inherit talent lay in his remarkable ability to craft a spell-bounding story, laid out for the reader in a way to have you cheering for the good guys and demonizing the psychos.
There are critical clues dropped within the novel that are thrilling, yet disturbing yet the same as Kaufman’s hurls the readers toward a well-crafted, suspenseful climax that will leave some breathless and others – like me- angry. Yes, I said it; angry. The reason for my anger is simple: I didn’t want the ending to happen as it did yet I KNEW what the ending would be and still, the author managed to shock me.
Angela is neurotic, psychotic and delusional – all required traits in portraying the villainess she becomes. Several characters that came before her came to mind as I learned more and more about her character, such as “Alex Forrest” (portrayed stunningly by Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction”), or Annie Wilkes in Stephen King’s “Misery” (portrayed in film by the astounding Kathy Bates), even the sultry Rebecca de Mornay’s portrayal of Peyton Flanders in “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”.
The malicious plot Kaufman’s Angela devises years before putting the such an evil plan into motion upon signing the co-parenting legal contract with Jonathan’s and Philip’s attorney.
But, I digress…Kaufman has created a spectacular psychological thriller that is sure to stun – is that the right word? – Readers of the genre. [Book:One Last Lie|14624158] is chock full of tense drama, betrayal, lies, compassion and violence; all the marks of an excellent thriller.
My only complaint is likely due to the HTML uploading issues unique to Amazon’s conversion technology for uploading e-books. The reader can become confused with the sudden backward or forward in time breaks without the benefit of section dividers. However, these small inadequacies are easily overlooked.
Ultimately, Kaufman has created a “must-read” novel for anyone searching for a kick-ass psychological thriller with a strong romantic theme. [Book:One Last Lie|14624158] will suck you in and won’t release you until the shocking ending, indeed the ‘one last lie’.
http://www.onelastlie.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/745558.Rob_Kaufman
I am humbled by the wonderful review of my latest erotic thriller via The LL Book Review reviewed by Amos Lassen.
http://llbookreview.com/2012/06/murder-most-deadly-1-false-evidence-by-john-michaelson/
This is the second novel I’m reading as juror for the 2012 GLBT Rainbow Awards
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/tag/rainbow%20awards%202012
Blurb:
Philip and Jonathan have had the perfect life together for ten years – fulfilling every dream except that of having a child. Along comes Angela, Philip’s college friend who apparently conquered her old demons of obesity and manic-depression.
After reacquainting and becoming good friends, the three decide to have a child together through artificial insemination of Jonathan’s sperm.
From that point, Philip and Jonathan’s idyllic life begins to unravel. Angela’s mask of deceit gradually slips as her pregnancy awakens psychological and physical problems, leaving Philip and Jonathan regretting ever allowing her into their lives.
Told from an elderly Jonathan’s hospital bed, Angela’s tangled web unwinds into heartbreak, deception, legal battles, and finally murder – with a surprise ending no one could have ever imagined
Dominic is tired, old and alone; weary of his existence to the point of withdrawing from any human contact…except to feed.
It’s been a while since he’s had a lover, one that touched him as much as the one from his past. For a reason not entirely clear to the reader, Dominic finds himself watching Ink every night, a tattoo shop emanating smells of blood and sweat that draw him and where he spots Michael, a young tattoo artist that stirs something in the ancient man that he has not enjoyed in a long time – something he has attempted to avoid over the many decades.
Michael is a young tattoo artist at Ink. He’s handsome, witty and insightful, yet somewhat aloof in his youthful grace. When a mysterious and alluring man comes into the tattoo shop one evening as it’s ready to close and asks for a tattoo, Michael quickly volunteers to “ink” the man. He is intrigued by the mysterious, brooding man.
But Dominic – the customer – erases the experience from Michael’s memory. However, Dominic returns several nights later for a tattoo that disappears by the next day.
Michael feels drawn to the mysterious man for reasons he cannot explain, or understand. He stalks Dominic, spying on him, inexplicably drawn to the man – a pull beyond his understanding. But Dominic will have none of Michael. He discourages Michael, even pushes the young man away with powerful impulses of his mind.
Dominic chooses to end his “life”, not wanting to bring any harm Michael. Michael still feels compelled to look for the man he’s feels drawn to, romantically and physically – to seek the man out, to understand his feelings, determine once and for all if there is any possibly of a relationship with Dominic.
Michael locates Dominic and excitement turns to fear as he realizes Dominic is dying, possibly dead. In a desperate attempt to revive the vampire, Michael shares his blood with the man and curls beside him in bed.
Through the first half of the novel, Dominic seems to do everything
he can to push Michael away, but the pull is too strong and soon, Dominic gives into his desires, only to attract the attention of his “maker”.
And all is not well when Dominic’s maker senses a chance to reclaim
his “son”, and interfere with Michael’s newfound love affair – the man’s very existence and that of his close friends, is suddenly in danger.
Ink is a dark, at times gothic, at times mushy, romantic tale of angst, fear and discovery, of an ancient vampire’s loss of hope and desire – a m/m romance with strong characters and plot; the writing is very good, save for a few references to modern pop culture that appeared odd. The novel builds very slow and deliberate until Dominic and Michael are finally joined as lovers, only to meet a fate stronger than either of them could have imagined.
Isabelle Rowan has created a very gratifying m/m love story – and thriller (the part I loved most toward the end!); a novel between opposite men, unlikely lovers – men destined to meet in this lifetime (or perhaps the next.)
The story drags at some points in the beginning, but pushing forth to the thriller portion of the last fifty pages or so are well worth the wait.
A very enjoyable read indeed!
View all my reviews
I’m about halfway through the new book, Ink
It’s a novel expanded from the original novella INK, about a Roman centurion named, Dominic, who hasn’t lived as a human since the time of Hadrian. In the life of a vampire in the centuries since, he’s witnessed much change in the world, but finds himself captivated with a young tattoo artist in Melbourne, Australia. A very alluring, seductive novel of desire between vampire and his male object of attraction.
My thoughts so far is this is an elegant m/m paranormal (vampire) romance – classic centuries old vampire falls for a young, sexy and funny, male mortal in modern Australia…more to come!!!
