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text 2016-05-23 08:01

Celebrating Dark Captive Anthology, Book 1

Kitty's Book Spot!

Everyone has a dark side...

Dark Captive is an exclusive collection of dark erotic romance stories featuring alpha men with fierce sexual appetites. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. And they have their sights on one woman. Possessive and bold, these heroes give their conquests exactly what they crave—to be taken … to be owned. Any resistance offered will be tested, but in the end love rules.

Kidnapping, abduction, and sexual slavery are just a few of the titillating taboo themes in this hand-picked anthology.

Sinful by Lily Harlem

London is aflame with riots. Confusion and danger lurk around every corner. For Cheryl, caught alone and terrified in a dark alley, she fears she’s about to meet her maker.

Luckily the safe sanctuary of a small church, nestled between the deserted shops and houses, affords her protection. And within these sacred walls she finds Father Steve—a man whose decision to be celibate, marry his faith, seems to her an awful waste to the females of the world.

But all is not as it seems and as her hot and holy new friend reveals his layers and confesses his sins, the temperature in the church heats up more than the flames raging across the city.

Safety, however, is an illusion, and the pair must fight to survive. In doing so will fate draw them together? Have the heavens mapped out their destiny? And was Father Steve telling the truth about his virginity?

Excerpt:

“Don’t be shocked. Tonight is unusual.” He reached out and took a lock of my hair between his fingers. He rubbed it, spreading out the blonde strands. “I think God has thrown us together. To take care of one another.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.” He looked up and smiled.

It was a filthy, dirty smile. The sort I’d seen on boyfriends when we’d been drinking, flirting, having fun and about to start satisfying some seriously carnal urges. “Father,” I whispered.

“Yes?”

“What … what are you doing?”

“Sitting with a member of my flock who appears very scared.” He shifted on the narrow pew.

“Yes. I am scared. Of what’s out there.”

“Not what’s of in here?”

“Should I be?”

“Not if you have God in your heart.”

“I’m not very good at going to church.” There, I’d said it.

“I think you’re probably good at other things.”

“Like what?” My heart rate was tripping along.

“Other things that make you feel good. Things that make the person you’re with feel good.”

Damn if he didn’t have that white collar sitting around his neck, I’d think he was being suggestive. Actually, no, even with that white collar I thought he was being suggestive.

“Feel good?” I repeated.

“Yes.” He leaned closer, his lips only a whisper from mine.

Damn the instinct to kiss him was almost overwhelming. Sure he was a stranger, but he was a good man, a man of morals and beliefs.

Which was exactly why I couldn’t kiss him.

But what if I died tonight? What if this was it? Surely I should have one last moment of passion. I loved sex, and it was one of my favorite things to do.

“What do you want to ask me?” he asked, his breath washing over my mouth.

“I don’t know.”

“I know you do.” He paused. “One thing. Ask me one thing. I’ll be truthful.”

One thing. There were so many. He was the most unusual priest I’d ever met. Not that I’d met many. Not only was he handsome in a rugged kind of way, he also oozed sex appeal. It seemed to roll off him in waves. Had we been in a club I’d have gone for him, and had a one-night stand just to see how a guy like him did it.

“You don’t have anything you want to ask me?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Go on then…”

What was really in the bag? Why was he here at night alone? Where did he live exactly? Did he look at all women the way he was looking at me—as if he were undressing them with his eyes?

“Have you ever had sex?” I blurted. It was the answer I really wanted after all.

“No.” He shook his head. “Bonafide virgin.”

“Oh.” Damn it. If I’d been turned on before, now I was in white-hot ready-to-go mode. The things I could teach him given the chance. What I could do with his naive, inexperienced, gorgeous body. The delights of the flesh I could introduce him to.

“But I bet you’ve had lots of propositions,” I said, wondering if I should sit on my hands to stop myself reaching out for him.

“Yes. But I’ve always turned them down.” His voice was low now, husky too. “Do you want to know why?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

“Two reasons.”

“Which are?”

He glanced at Jesus. “I made my promises to the Lord.”

“Of course. Yes.”

“But lately…”

“What…?”

He shook his head and glanced at his lap.

“Lately what? Tell me.” Had he been questioning his faith? Was that it? Was that why he was looking at me as though he had only one thing on his mind—and it wasn’t the riot outside.

“Lately my faith has been tested. The evil in the world, including here. It’s hard to stay focused.”

“I’m sure.” It was my turn to take his hand. I gave it a squeeze and looked at the way the hairs fanned over the back and disappeared into the black sleeve. I ran my fingers over the letters on his knuckles. Love was clearly a moto he lived by. “And what’s the other reason?”

“I told you I’d had propositions.”

I nodded.

“And always turned them down.”

“Because you’d made promises and you love God.” I paused. “Very noble. Very commendable.”

“Yes.” He tipped his head. “But the thing is, Cheryl.”

“What?”

“No one like you, no one as sexy as you, has ever propositioned me.”

*****

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1XpuKsk

Links to Purchase:

Evernight Publishing: http://bit.ly/242Et84

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TnfvRc

AllRomance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1W9zOBO

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Visit all of the tour stops to find out more about each story in this amazing anthology!

Dark Captive MF Anthology

5/20

Sensuous Promos http://sensuouspromos.blogspot.com

5/21

Michelle Graham www.michellegrahambooks.com

Nicole Morgan http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com/

5/22

Nic’s Book Nook http://nicsbooknook.blogspot.com/

Lea’s Crazy Nights https://leabronsen.com/crazy-nights-blog/

5/23

Jules Dixon www.julesdixon.com/blog-3/

***Kitty’s Book Spot! 2kasmom.Booklikes.com***

Illustrious Illusions Www.illustriousillusions.com

Andrew Jericho http://andrewjericho.com/

5/24

Ravenna Tate http://ravennatate.blogspot.com

Michelle Roth http://michelleroth.net/blog

Pick a Genre Already http://pickagenrealready.blogspot.ca

5/25

Donina Lynn doninalynn.com

Begin in the Dark http://naomiclarkwrites.blogspot.co.uk/

Dearly Loved MF Books https://www.facebook.com/Dearly-Loved-mf-books-905796382810741/ (this will be a facebook blurb post and not an excerpt containing blog post)

5/26

Blog Reviews Janis F https://bookreviewsjanisf.com/

Love Bites and Silk Ties http://lovebitessilkties.blogspot.co.uk/

The Book Pub http://thebookpub.blogspot.com/

5/27

Nessie’s Place https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

Wulf Tracks http://rosewulf.blogspot.com/

5/28

Liz’s Reading Life https://lizjosette.blogspot.com

Darkest Cravings http://darkestcravings.blogspot.com

Sage Marlowe http://sage-marlowe.blogspot.com/

5/29

L.D. Blakeley www.ldblakeley.com/blog

Bound by Passion http://www.boundbypassion.ca/

Wallflower Gone Wild http://ambermorganwrites.weebly.com/

5/30

Taylor Brooks http://authortaylorbrooks.blogspot.com

Nikki’s Nofsinger http://nikkitrueblue.blogspot.com/

Characters Behaving Badly http://www.charactersbehavingbadly.com/

5/31

Erzabets Enchantments Http://erzabetsenchantments.blogspot.com

Nicki Day http://nickiday.blogspot.com/

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review 2016-02-10 21:29

Cosy horror never felt so good

runner

Bernard Taylor is such a unique and unassuming voice in the world of horror fiction. His writing style is direct, very easy to assimilate and read, a type of cosy horror and just when you think it is safe he confronts you with something totally unexpected.

Alan and Kate live the idyllic life, in the picturesque village of Little Haverstraw, with their four beautiful children Sam, Davie, Lucy and baby Matthew. Alan is an illustrator and he works from his own studio close to the family home, and Kate is occupied with four busy and adventurous children. “A dragon-fly darted, hovered and darted, close to the bank. Flies hummed in the warm air. The flower in Kate’s hair slipped, tilted, and I reached up and secured it. I kissed her again, lightly. Now, I thought, now –just as it is; I wanted nothing to change” This is exactly what I love about Bernard Taylor, he gives you hope, he creates the illusion that you are safe in his hands, he paints a picture of the idyll as he invites you into his confidence with the shiftyeyed look of a black mamba!

They make the acquaintance of a pregnant young lady called Jane Bryant who they invite to their home and unexpectedly the baby is born. Immediately the mother disappears and after some deep soul searching Alan and Kate welcome baby “Bonnie” into their new extended and wonderful family. The story now adopts a more sinister feel as catastrophe and tragedy become the everday norm and Alan and Kate must now confront their worst fears as they fight to retain their sanity amidst the realization that the new baby has a dark and evil intent.

The Godsend did not quite inspire and entertain me as much as Sweetheart Sweetheart or The Moorstone Sickness but it was still an excellent read in the very creative and gentle style of Bernard Taylor. This is not horror that is graphic but rather relies on the reader and his imagination to create a picture in his mind and by doing so he can almost experience the story and live the tragedy as it unfolds.

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review 2015-05-03 04:01

Excuse me while I have a little ragefest...

...Bookfanatic

Godsend intrigued me because I found the premise a little different and I was curious to see if it would work.

This book starts with a gay man married to and supposedly in love with a woman. I say supposedly because from start to finish in this book I kept waiting for that moment the one where I would gush a little and sigh and think "oh, he really loved her in spite of the fact that he was gay, their souls called to each other and it was just meant to be"...nope never happened.

I've read a few 'GFYs' (Gay For You) and I was curious to see if an author could make me buy into a story that was SFY (Straight For You) because I honestly believe that this is a road that could go both ways. Instead what I was left with was the impression that Scott married his best friend Shelley, who yes happened to be female, because she was dying and he wanted to give her as many of the things in life as he could before she died. Shelley wanted the happily ever after and the white picket fence and probably the 2.5 kids and dog etc, etc. I don't fault her for that many women and men want those things and I don't fault Scott for wanting to give them to her. I don't even doubt that he loved her a lot. She'd been his best friend for a long time. She knew him, understood him as only truly good friends often can. But he loved her, I honestly don't remember any point in the book where he expressed that he was in love with her, that she was the love of his life and there was never any real mention made of a sexual relationship with her. I think it was eluded to once or twice. I felt like Shelley gave Scott that sense of security and belonging that he never got from his parents and that she was maybe in love with him. But at no point did I feel like this was a passionate romantic type of love. That they cared very deeply about each other and that Shelley filled certain emotional needs for Scott yes. But this did not hit the buttons that some of the GFY stories I've read have and I was not left really and truly believing that this person who has believed they were gay suddenly finds themselves hopelessly in love with someone of the opposite sex maybe if he'd proposed to her before he knew she was dying I might have felt it was more than a good friend trying to give a dying friend a bit of happiness.

I know he told Chris he'd bought the ring months before but the issue for me is if he'd wanted to propose truly wanted to he would have found a way to do it sooner.

(spoiler show)

The story starts essentially with Shelley's death and then jumps down the timeline a year

(for which I am very grateful I did not need to read a plethora of pages about Scott wallowing in the bottom of a bottle as he pushed his friends and family away)

(spoiler show)

to the point where Shelley's father with great determination forces Scott to get his head out of his backside and start trying to get his act together by attending a bereavement group where he meets Chris who is trying to work his way through the loss of his sister whom he was very close too.

Godsend jumps back and forth between Scott and Chris's POVs for the most part, however, in the first part of the book we do have some of Shelley's POV injected which is fine up to and including the point at which she dies. I don't mean to be crass or insensitive here but this is the point at which Shelley and her POV needed to move on, seriously woman you are dead shutthefuckup!!! I probably would have done a DNF at somewhere around 30% or so but Shelley disappeared, YEAH!!!....uuummm, I mean yeah, sorry she's gone but...Oh hell, who am I kidding I'm not the slightest bit sorry. Shelley was portrayed as being Miss Perfect and then some. She understood Scott like no one else, she always thought of what was best for everyone else first, she only did what she did to spare her family the suffering and pain of watching her go through a prolonged death, yadda, yadda, yadda ad nauseam. I'm sorry I may have bought this the first 2 or 3 times I read it but after the first dozen or so I wanted to either throw my e-reader or puke. So just about the time I'm ready to toss a coin and see which of these two things I should do god love Shelley, she disappeared. Don't know where she went, don't care.

Now we get to go back to Scott and Chris and watch them work on their relationship together as a couple and while it wasn't perfect it was not to bad. They had some cute moments. They had challenges and disagreements. Chris was incredibly patient and persistent in his efforts to convince Scott that he wasn't leaving and Scott could do his worst but he was going to be there for him. I liked this part of the book. I could relate to it because for different reasons that was the type of person who I finally ended up married to someone who saw the good in me before I did, who believe in us enough for the both of us when it was needed, who knew when to step up and when to stand back and just be there. So from about 30% to around 95% it was ok not an epically good story but readable with some good moments and then we get to the end the last 5% where we're about to get our HEA for these two men and who shows up? You guessed it the ever loving freaking ghost of Miss Perfect Shelley...really? WTF? I could have sworn she died. The really annoying thing was there was no purpose for her re-emergence in the story everything that she was babbling about could have been done from either Scott or Chris's perspective and probably better because of all things, I did not need and I bet Scott and Chris did not need her in the god damned bedroom with them either literally or figuratively.

At one point I honestly thought the whole purpose of Shelley not being able to move on because one of her POVs indicated that she wasn't able to move on because of Scott. So I figured once he started to get his act together she'd be on her way and had that happened I would probably have given this book 3 stars had the ending been different, I considered 2.5 but the fact that Miss Perfect ghost never moved on like she should of and spoiled the ending for me I'm sticking with 2 ghostly stars for this one.

At the end of it all this story was just a hot mess of feelings mostly anger and frustration that what could have possibly been at the very least a good read was just a hot mess and I do sincerely hope that Shelley has found some peace and moved on now that Scott and Chris seem to have their lives sorted around. While I'm glad I didn't DNF this one because I really think Shelley would have kept babbling at me if I had. I'm doubtful that I'll bother with anything else by this author. There just wasn't enough appeal to make me want to see what her other books are like.

m-m-books 2015 Reading Challenge

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review 2015-02-07 21:19

REVIEW - Godsend by Sloan Johnson

LisaP

4 Stars!

description

Godsend by Sloan Johnson is an emotional tale about being brave enough to take that second chance at love. When you have experienced a devastating loss that leaves you questioning how you will go on it takes a lot of courage to emerge from a grief-ridden state and open your heart once again to possibilities. There may be a light at the end of your dark tunnel; however, sometimes you need a push in the right direction.

Scott Murphy had to say good-bye and experience the horrendous desolation of losing someone when his wife died. Shelly was in his life for so long that Scott could not fathom experiencing anything further without her by his side. He is lost and manages to shut out those that care about him. As someone who was attracted to men, Scott shed all sexual orientation labels when he fell for Shelly’s vivaciousness and caring nature. They had eleven amazing years together and a little under one year together as husband and wife. He was never good at letting people in but Shelly broke through all his barriers and loved him as he was. Now, how was Scott supposed to continue living with the one thing that made his life worthwhile gone?

description

Shelly’s father finally breaks through Scott’s grief-ridden state and manages to get him to attend a bereavement support group. There Scott meets Chris, a sexy, blue-eyed blonde that he can’t seem to take his eyes away from. Chris has also experienced a tragic loss and attends the group so that he doesn’t feel so alone. Despite the under-riding current of attraction between the pair, there is no way Scott is ready for any type of romantic entanglement. A tentative friendship forms between the pair which eventually develops into more as they deal with the myriad of emotions they have for one another. Can Chris be the one that finally makes Scott see that life is still worth living?

Ms. Johnson has written a story with two very endearing protagonists. To the outside world Scott is this gruff individual who is hard to deal with, but underneath that cold façade there is a fragile man too scared to allow anyone in again. The reality of having to possibly lose someone again is too much for Scott to fathom. He would rather remain locked up tight with his emotions in check. I loved how careful and gentle Chris was with Scott. Chris understood that Scott came with a plethora of emotional issues but he simply could not stay away and cut their connection. As Scott and Chris begin to spend more time with one another and their relationship deepens, both men struggle to make sense of how the other makes them feel and what this means for their futures. I did feel like some of the drama near the end was a little too contrived and unnecessary; however, it was nice to see this emotional love story come to fruition and see just how Scott and Chris fit into each other’s lives. It really was a beautiful tale of love.

All in all, Godsend was a poignant tale that touched my heart. What you get is a sweet and emotional second chance love story that shot straight to my heart as the story unfolded. The road to a happy forever for Scott and Chris was chalk full of emotional obstacles and turmoil but there is something to be said for having to rise above the hardships to get to that place of unconditional love. We often have to walk through darkness to get to the place of beauty and light. In the end, it is always worth it.

description

****An advance reading copy of Godsend by Sloan Johnson was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

description