ARC Review: Paint It Black, Beneath the Stain II by Amy Lane

From The Blurb:

A Beneath the Stain Novel 

Everybody thinks Mackey Sanders and Outbreak Monkey is the last coming of Rock’n’Roll Jesus, but Cheever Sanders can't wait to get out of his home town and make a name for himself where nobody expects him to fill his famous brothers’ shoes. He’s tired of living in their shadow. 

Blake Manning knows the feeling. He's been Outbreak Monkey's second lead guitarist for ten years. He’s come to terms with the fact that he’ll never be Grant Adams, the guy he replaced, and that Kell Sanders will never love him like Mackey loved Grant. He got this gig on luck and love, not talent. So watching Cheever blow through Outbreak Monkey's hard-earned money in an epic stretch of partying pisses him off. Blake shows up at Cheever's nonstop orgy to enforce some rules, but instead of a jaded punk, he finds a lost boy as talented at painting as Mackey is at song-making, and terrified to let anybody see the real him. It’s something he and Blake have in common. 

Both men have to make peace with being second banana in the public eye. Can they find the magic of coming absolute first with each other?

Karen's rating:

There's no monkey business here...well, not much...

I'm not sure that I'd say you 'have to' read 'Beneath the Stain' to follow this story but I do think it would be very beneficial and honestly, it's such an awesome story and if you're a fan of Amy Lane, I can't imagine that you haven't or wouldn't want to but that's for each of us to decide.

I loved 'Beneath the Stain' I read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the audio book. No matter what the format this story just worked for me but now we're faced with the second book 'Paint It Black' and I admit I was nervous...could Ms Lane pull it off could she write a second book that was worth of what she started with and the answer for me was...yes. Was it as good as 'Beneath the Stain' I think that's a matter of individual opinion but for me it was and comparing them was also a little bit like comparing apples and oranges. Both had their own strengths and weaknesses and each story brought a different perspective to the same time frame and some of the same events through the eyes of different characters.

In 'Paint It Black' the focus is on Cheever Sanders younger brother to men of 'Outbreak Monkey' whether by blood or of the heart these men are brothers and 'Blake' his membership to this band of brothers was a little harder earned by he's every bit as much a brother as the the others, he just doesn't realize his own self worth.

Cheever has reached adulthood but it hasn't happened without a price and while his brothers have spent the intervening years trying to reach him. He's had his own reasons for keeping them at arms length, they just weren't as good as he believed them to be. it's said that it takes a village to raise a child...well it can also take a village to pull that same child from their path of self destruction and that's where Blake finds Cheever.

ARC Review: Top Priority (The Game #1) by Cara Dee

Blurb:

In a perfect world, Lucas West would meet someone in one of the BDSM communities he was active in, someone who ached for a Daddy Dom as much as Lucas longed for a Little to care for. They would date, play, build something that was just for them, and share a future together.

In a perfect world, Colt Carter would get through his next deployment and then move closer to DC where he could create at least a semblance of a personal life. He wanted something outside of the Air Force, something kinky, something worth leaving everything behind for eventually. For years, he’d kept his inner Sadist and Daddy Dom locked up, only letting him out to play on rare occasions.

In a perfect world…

In reality, Lucas and Colt met each other.

---

Top Priority is the first novella in The Game Series, a BDSM series where romance meets the reality of kink. Sometimes we fall for someone we don’t match with, sometimes vanilla business gets in the way of kinky pleasure, and sometimes we have to compromise and push ourselves to overcome trauma and insecurities. No matter what, two things are certain. This is not a perfect world, and life never turns out the way you planned.

Jewel's rating:

You can't always choose who you fall for.

Top Priority wasn't quite what I expected. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though. I was expecting a lot more kink than there was. There really was very little. That said, the story really excelled in the relationship department. The author nailed it and given just how short this novella is, I find that fairly remarkable.

Colt is a fighter pilot, with an emphasis on 'control freak'. I love that in a Dommy MC. He's also got a sadistic streak, so the fact that Lucas also loves pain, there's definitely some delicious compatibility there, even if Lucas claims to not be submissive, much less a "little". I loved Colt's cockiness and the fact that he knows what he wants and how to get it.

Blogtour: Beauregard And The Beast by Evie Drae

Please say hello to Evie Drae with

Beauregard And The Beast

a Dreamspun Desires title

Blurb:

A Once Upon a Vegas Night Tale

His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.

Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he prepares for the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.

Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn't expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But Bo is pleasantly surprised when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won't be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.

But just as their relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge.

Exclusive Excerpt:

With a soft smacking of his lips, Adam turned his head away but showed no other sign he’d registered Bo’s presence. Inching a little closer, Bo angled his knees for leverage and laid both hands on the firm warmth of Adam’s shoulder. This time he shook with all his might, calling Adam’s name as he did.

A startled snort signaled Adam’s first step into the land of the living. Bo let go as soon as those sleep-heavy gray eyes fluttered open and locked on to his own. He leaned over, grabbed the first cup of coffee, and held it out as the peace offering it was. “Morning. Sorry. Hope I didn’t scare you.”

Adam slow-blinked a few times before scrubbing a hand over his face and pushing to an elbow. The muscles in his chest and shoulders rippled beneath his taut skin, their contours sharpened by the shadows thrown from the dim bathroom light. He accepted the caffeinated liquid and grunted in thanks before downing the whole thing in one long swallow.

After taking the empty mug from Adam, Bo hopped off the bed. He gripped the porcelain between both palms and stared into the dregs Adam left behind to keep his eyes from wandering over his boss’s naked torso as he stretched himself awake.

“Thanks for the go-go juice, my man.” Adam yawned, and his jaw cracked with the movement. He fluffed up his pillow and leaned against the headboard. “What’s on the agenda today? Anything mind-numbingly boring I should start planning an out for now?”

Bo snapped his gaze to Adam’s, swallowing a whimper at the sight of his sleep-mussed hair and lazy morning smile. He set the empty cup on the nightstand, scooped up the full one, and passed it to Adam. He’d already learned one cup was never enough, and discussing the monotonous details of Adam’s schedule always went over better paired with that extra jolt of caffeine. “Other than your regular training, Eddie is supposed to come by this afternoon with some more footage of Zaragoza for you to review. Oh, and Kyle wanted to go over a few new proposals for sponsorship contracts. He said he’d be around before dinner.”

“Of course he did.” Adam huffed out a laugh, then brought the mug to his lips. The second cup always went down with a little less desperation than the first. More sipping, less gulping. “The damn parasite just wants a free meal.”

Offering a noncommittal hum in response, Bo backed toward the door. He needed to break free before Adam tossed off the covers and gave him any more fodder for his relentless imagination. “I’ll get your shake started. Are you feeling chocolate or vanilla this morning?”

Release Blitz: Kept in the Dark by Charlie Cochet

Kept in the Dark

Locke and Keyes Agency Series, Book 1

Charlie Cochet

Gay Romantic Suspense

Release Date: 08.20.19

Blurb

Former Army Ranger turned government assassin Álvaro Montero and CIA Officer Caiden Cardosa crossed paths two years ago in Vienna, where their encounter ended less than amicably—despite the explosive sexual chemistry between them.

Now Caiden is riding a desk at Langley after his cover is blown. And Álvaro—who was “killed”—has a new identity and purpose as Delta/D, an operative for the Locke and Keyes Agency, under the leadership of the mysterious Alpha Orion.

When D and Caiden team up in a deadly black ops mission, the urge to kill each other will have to take a back seat to the desire for revenge against the man who betrayed them both. Surviving the mission won’t be easy. Resisting the passion between them—that might be impossible.

Universal Link

Excerpt

“You don’t need to be a designer to know how not to decorate your house,” D said, scowling at the vintage floral loveseat across from the blue velvet couch. “I think my grandmother had a couch like that. Except it was vacuum sealed in plastic. Nothing like sitting on a plastic-lined couch in the summer with no AC.”

Caiden gasped. “Wait, you had a grandmother?”

“Have. Yes.”

“Which means you had a mother.”

“Have a mother. Yes.” D squinted at him.

“Where are you going with this?”

“Well, damn.”

“What?”

Caiden shrugged. “I was under the impression you emerged from the darkness below. Clawing yourself out from the dirt, like a zombie or a great evil that’s come back to life after a misguided loved one buried you in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary.”

D didn’t appear impressed. “Funny.”

“What does the Dark Lord look like?” Caiden asked, moving to inspect one of the pillars between two bookcases. “Was he like Tim Curry in Legend or sexy and British like Tom Ellis in Lucifer?”