Book Review: Mountainway Chant (Coulter and Woodard #2) by M.J. Calabrese

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Adam Coulter has returned and is coping with the horrific events of sixteen months ago as best he can, but not everyone is happy about it. His best friend and new husband, Detective Eagle Woodard, doesn’t want to speak to him and it’s starting to look like his fifth marriage isn’t going to be anymore successful than his other four.

FBI Agent Rick Kessler and Navajo Reservation Police Lieutenant Carlos Aiello, Eagle’s cousin, have pulled a reluctant Adam into another case. Five bodies discovered at the site of a planned casino, all dressed and painted up as Native American mythological characters offer confusing clues. Are they dealing with another serial killer?

Fighting to stay clean and sober, Adam’s 12 step sponsor is murdered. At first it seems unrelated to what he saw in the desert, but evidence comes to light that says otherwise. Revelations concerning Adam’s past and his father, Richard Coulter’s, connections to the local crime syndicate boss, Nelson Greybill come to light.

Can Adam repair the damage he’s done to his relationship with Eagle so he can help him solve this case? Can he win back the only man he’s ever truly loved, or will the demons of his past win the battle for his soul?

 

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Mountainway Chant (Coulter and Woodard #2) 


Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 3 stars

When Adam Coulter returns after 16 months he is determined to get his life back on track, however he is soon drawn into another murder investigation. Forced to work together once more with his husband, Eagle Woodard, Adam soon realises that this case is tied to him in ways that he couldn’t have realised. Can Adam and Eagle reconcile in time to solve the case and if so is there a hope for a future together after all?

I liked the second instalment in the series a little less than the first book hence the slightly lower rating. As with the first novel there were aspects I really liked and aspects I didn’t.

I do love a good murder mystery and for that Mountainway Chant does not disappoint. I enjoyed reading how the plot unfolded and how all the connections to the main characters were made. The final showdown was gripping and kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. The writing seemed to have been tightened up in this book as well, with less confusion over the names and nicknames of the characters.

What I didn’t like was some of the reactions of the characters as they still seemed really random and emotions seemed to change at the drop of a hat and with no warning or reason. So much so I almost got whiplash. As well it seems that everyone has slept with everyone else at some point (or still is!) and I cannot keep track of who has what relationship with whom. A lot of this seems needless drama and it would have been a lot better to have been cut out of the book completely. The novel would have benefitted from less side complications that seemed to have been only put in for drama, which it didn’t need as it has plenty of that already!

I am interested to see what happens in the third instalment of the series, but I’m slightly less enthusiastic about it than I was at the end of book one.

New Release Blitz: The Man from Milwaukee by Rick R. Reed

Title: The Man from Milwaukee

Author: Rick R. Reed

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 20, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 64500

Genre: Horror/Thriller, LGBTQIA+, horror, mental illness, grief, virgin/first time, Jeffrey Dahmer, HIV, AIDS

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

It’s the summer of 1991 and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been arrested. His monstrous crimes inspire dread around the globe. But not so much for Emory Hughes, a closeted young man in Chicago who sees in the cannibal killer a kindred spirit, someone who fights against the dark side of his own nature, as Emory does. He reaches out to Dahmer in prison via letters.

The letters become an escape—from Emory’s mother dying from AIDS, from his uncaring sister, from his dead-end job in downtown Chicago, but most of all, from his own self-hatred.

Dahmer isn’t Emory’s only lifeline as he begins a tentative relationship with Tyler Kay. He falls for him and, just like Dahmer, wonders how he can get Tyler to stay. Emory’s desire for love leads him to confront his own grip on reality. For Tyler, the threat of the mild-mannered Emory seems inconsequential, but not taking the threat seriously is at his own peril.

Can Emory discover the roots of his own madness before it’s too late and he finds himself following in the footsteps of the man from Milwaukee?

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: The Man from Milwaukee by Rick R. Reed”

What Day is it Anyway? Sunday 19th July 2020

My day: To do lists. These are something I excel at writing and then fail epically at completing. Up until the last two weeks I had them written on my phone in the reminders app so I could check them off when they were getting done. The problem. They weren’t getting done as I could just shut the app down and ignore them. So I went back to the old pen and paper list format and it really works. As it is sitting by my laptop, every night it guilts me into action and I complete at least 2 things on it. Of course, as with all to do lists the number of items on it multiples every time I check one thing off but I feel as though I am making progress this way at least.

Speaking of progress, Perfect World 3 is now two thirds complete! I cannot believe that only a few months ago I was still on the first few chapters and now I am thinking about cover design and synopsis!  Its insane that a release date for the first half of 2021 didn’t seem possible and now it kind of is!

I saw my Sims again today for the first time in quite a while. Bella seemed a bit stressed so I took her out for a night clubbing with her friends. She had a great time but when she woke up the next morning she had that mysterious rash that they randomly get for no apparent reason! So a few days off work and resting up in bed for her! I bet her Boss thought she was hungover!


Linda G. Hill came up with this great idea to keep track of the weeks and months ahead. For those who already are, and will be isolated in the coming weeks, it is important to all come together and support each other.

Book Review: After Vertigo by Amanda Meuwissen

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In a flash, the world changed. A solar flare—later dubbed Vertigo—activated the DNA of more than half the world’s people, granting them special abilities. Brilliant scientist Benjamin Krane might be Powerless, but his inventions are the only thing giving the police a fighting chance against super-powered evil. Ben doesn’t have much of a life beyond work, and when he gets wind of a robbery one evening, he decides to test his newest invention personally….

A thief, rogue, and shameless flirt, Grey Miller—aka the Streak—likes shiny things, but he doesn’t hurt people. When Ben catches him—and proposes they team up against the real bad guys—Grey doesn’t know whether it’s the offer or the man he can’t resist. But one thing’s for sure—they’re an ideal match in more ways than one.

With a psychotic supervillain’s catastrophic plan moving forward and everyone he cares about in danger, now might not be the best time for Ben to give in to Grey’s seduction, no matter how tempting. Grey is a man of secrets, and if Ben wants a future with him, he’ll have to learn to trust Grey—and himself.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: After Vertigo


Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When a freak event alters the DNA of over half of the world’s population, the police find themselves in danger of becoming overwhelmed against those with their newfound abilities and bad intentions. Scientist Benjamin Krane creates inventions to combat these powers. When he decides one night to test out a new invention in person, he finds himself teaming up with a super, despite having no powers himself. However his unexpected teammate Grey Miller – the Streak – seems more interested in flirting with Ben than saving the day. Yet when a supervillain emerges, Ben and Grey must learn to trust each other if they want to thwart the villain’s evil plan.

This a really fun and fast-paced superhero novel. The two main characters, Ben and Grey, are very likeable and intriguing in their own ways. Ben is extremely intelligent, but he struggles to make connections with people and before meeting Grey he kept mainly to himself. Grey is self-assured and extremely outgoing, however he has his secrets. The two of them are complete opposites, but this is why they work so well together. Each personality complements the other.

The writing itself is great. Everything flows well and I love Grey’s wit and sense of humour, even if Ben sometimes doesn’t appreciate it! The pace is quick enough to keep the story moving, but not at all rushed. It’s extremely clever how seemingly insignificant events feed into the plot and contribute to it until it all fits together at the end. The final confrontation is on the edge-of-your-seat stuff and it had me guessing right up until the last second!

What Day is it Anyway? Sunday 12th July 2020

My Day:  I have a three day weekend this weekend, which I had completely forgotten about! I had booked Monday off because me and my sister were going to Hyper Japan in London, but that’s been moved to next year now. I didn’t bother cancelling the day as a three-day weekend is always welcome! Especially at the moment when my Perfect World muse is working overtime!

I’m on Chapter 21 now and this novel really is just writing itself now!  I spent much of today re-vamping the Perfect World website and I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. Everything seems to be a lot more organised there now. I’ve also been adding to the Pinterest Board for the series!

Yesterday was the fishing tournament in Animal Crossing so I spent much of the day doing that. I managed to get all the items and then duplicates too. CJ seemed to think I really liked the fish rug as I got 5 of that! I do like the rug, but a bit of variation would have been nice! I also redesigned my campsite as I had some new ideas for it. I keep thinking I have finished making over my Island and then find there’s more I want to do. It’s so much fun though and a good stress-reliever too!


Linda G. Hill came up with this great idea to keep track of the weeks and months ahead. For those who already are, and will be isolated in the coming weeks, it is important to all come together and support each other.

What Day is it Anyway? Thursday, 9th July 2020

My day: For much of the duration of lock-down I’ve been more or less able to keep track of the days, but for some reason I have been losing track of the last few weeks. No idea why but I woke up this morning convinced it was Saturday. Checking my phone and seeing Thursday left me very disappointed.

My sister and her husband have a seagull family nesting on their roof and she’s been telling me how one fell off! He’s fine luckily and landed in their garden, but he’s now stuck down there until he can fly. The RSPB said to leave him alone as the parents will still look after him but they haven’t been that much as they have two more on the roof. So my sister has been giving him some food too as she was worried he wasn’t getting enough. He’s been named Steven (after Steven Seagal!) and now waits outside the backdoor for her to come out and feed him. And if she doesn’t he starts squeaking until she does! She also been leaving her guinea pig hutch open at night (she brings the guinea pigs inside overnight) so he has somewhere to sleep! I think his siblings are jealous that they didn’t fall off the roof too!

Steven


Linda G. Hill came up with this great idea to keep track of the weeks and months ahead. For those who already are, and will be isolated in the coming weeks, it is important to all come together and support each other.

Book Review: Warrior’s Way (Coulter and Woodard #1) by M.J. Calabrese

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Hello, tall, dark and handsome.’ Out and proud gay Albuquerque Homicide Detective Eagle Woodard studied Dr. Adam Coulter, criminal profiler, with a clinical eye. ‘Slender build…narrow waist, but nicely muscled underneath that Hugo Boss suit. People think you work out, Kemo, but you don’t.’ Eagle’s dark eyes narrowed. ‘You know I hate that day old beard look, but you were probably too wasted to bother. Nice eyes, green when they aren’t blood shot. Flawless tanned skin except for that tiny scar through your left eyebrow.’ The former Army Ranger grinned. ‘I gave that to you accidentally when we were 8 years old. When you stood up for this Navajo kid in an all white school. We both got our asses kicked.’ Eagle sighed and shook his head. That was the day he’d fallen in love with 4 times married, 4 times divorced, current roommate, Adam Coulter.

Eagle and Adam are faced with their toughest challenge yet. They must find an active serial killer before he strikes again. With the powers that be not cooperating and the killer proving to be elusive, will Eagle and Adam be able to stop the murderer while navigating their changing relationship? 

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Warrior’s Way (Coulter and Woodard #1) 


Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 3.5 stars

When Detective Eagle Woodard and criminal profiler Dr Adam Coulter pose as a gay couple with an upcoming fake wedding in order to catch a serial killer, it reawakens feelings that they both struggle to leave in the past. Eagle has always been in love with Adam, but Adam’s always insisted that he’s straight. However, as their fake relationship involves into something more real, they must put their feelings to one side in order to catch the killer or risk becoming their next victim.

I was very undecided as to how to rate this novel. There were parts I liked and parts that I didn’t like as much. I enjoyed the characterisation throughout the novel. Each character was well-crafted and had likeable and not so likeable traits as all good characters do. Eagle and Adam definitely had chemistry between them, however there were times when the relationship seemed a little forced, which was a shame as it really didn’t need to be.  It also felt quite rushed. One moment Adam was adamant that he was straight and the next minute they are flirting, kissing…it just seemed way too random how he’d change his mind so quickly, especially after getting so upset that the majority of his work colleagues already thought that he was gay.  More time could have been taken to develop the relationship naturally whilst properly exploring Adam’s denial.

The other trouble I had with this novel was how the author jumped back and forth between calling characters by their surname and then first name or nicknames. There was no logic to this and it just confused me.

The serial killer plot was great. The parts written from the killer’s point of view were quite graphic, but it was good to get inside the killer’s mind and their reasoning for doing what they did. The confrontation between the killer and the main characters took an unexpected twist which really took me by surprise.

Overall, I did enjoy it and I do want to read further books in the series as I am curious to see what happens next.

Series Review Tour and Book Review: Serial Investigations by Rhiannon D’Averc

SERIES REVIEW TOUR

Serial Investigations by Rhiannon D’Averc

Serial Investigations follows a private detective duo, Will and Ram, through tricky cases, mortal danger, and the horror of (maybe) unrequited love for your best friend – with plenty of demons to battle along the way.

The stories need to be read in order.

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 2 flames

Goodreads Series Link

Warning: All books contain depictions of alcoholism, anorexia, and violent crime/murder.

BOOK 1

Book Title: Bloodless

Length: 70 000 words/ 240 pages

Release Date: April 29, 2019

Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller

Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers

Themes: Identity struggle, murder, unrequited love

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

How do you solve a murder…

… When you’re the prime suspect?

Blurb

A body cut up into pieces and left in Highgate Wood. It sounds like the most exciting case that private detectives Ram and Will have had to deal with since leaving their FBI training and returning to London.

As each new body is piled up amongst the trees, the stakes get higher – and Serial Investigations London embraces their first real challenge.

But Ram’s lifestyle – staying out all days of the week, drinking too much, and having sex with a different man every night – soon catches up with him when the police realise there’s just one link that connects the bodies.

And it’s him.

Will faces a battle around the clock to prevent his best friend from being put away for life – and while the two of them face their own demons, there’s a secret hanging over their heads that might just bring it all crashing down.

If you’re a fan of BBC’s Luther, Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.

Continue reading “Series Review Tour and Book Review: Serial Investigations by Rhiannon D’Averc”

What Day is it Anyway? Wednesday, 1st July 2020

My Day: I feel as though I’ve stopped writing these as much as I used to. I think its really because I’ve been waiting for something interesting to happen that I can share and also I’ve been doing quite a few book reviews recently. I don’t like posting multiple posts on the same day, especially for book reviews as I don’t want to limit exposure for the authors by knocking the review off the top spot in the same day.

I have had plenty of time on my hands to write and finally the muses are cooperating enough for me to make some serious headway in Perfect World 3. By serious headway I mean it is now halfway done. I officially hit the halfway done mark last night. I know I keep saying it, but it really is a lot darker than the previous books in the series. Even more so than I thought it would be! I think that just happens sometimes, once you get writing you go in a direction that you perhaps weren’t quite expecting but find it just feels right that it took that path. Anyway, its halfway done and I’m hoping that a release for early next year isn’t too ambitious but we’ll see. I have also been inspired to write a little side project to do with the series. If that comes together I’m planning on making it a freebie that you’ll be able to download on the Perfect World website.


 

 

Linda G. Hill came up with this great idea to keep track of the weeks and months ahead. For those who already are, and will be isolated in the coming weeks, it is important to all come together and support each other.

Book Review: Blood Sucker (Serial Investigations #4) by Rhiannon D’Averc

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A dead body posted on social media. A vampire stalking the streets of London?

Will and Ram’s private detective partnership seems to be unravelling. After they ended up sleeping together, the tension between them is at an all-time high – and the unsolved Simon Shystone case is haunting them and their police contacts.

DI Alex Heath normally wants their help, but when a murderer posts images of his victim on social media, the chase is on to trace his digital footprint. With his superiors breathing down his neck, he might not be able to bring Serial Investigations London in on one of the biggest cases of their career.

They should be focusing on the artist who seems to have disappeared without a trace from his home studio. Could his latest commission have something to do with it? And will they be able to handle finding another client turned up dead?

Things are spiralling out of control for Will and Ram – and this time, they might not have each other to rely on. 

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Blood Sucker (Serial Investigations #4)


Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Will and Ram have another missing persons case to solve when local artist and recluse Jack Motterhead goes missing. His older brother Ben hires them to look for him and they are both hoping for a better outcome than their last missing person’s case. There is also the possibility that the so-called London Vampire is another serial killer when he posts about his murder online. Frustratingly Will and Ram find themselves shut out of this investigation, however it still manages to distract them from their original case.

Ram is finally getting some help with his drinking and is doing really well, despite one or two setbacks. Will’s eating disorder is getting worse as things between him and Ram continue to deteriorate. Both of them are filled with conflict over their night that they spent together and instead of talking about it, they just push each other away at a time when they need each other the most.

Book 4 definitely has a darker tone than the previous book in the series. Will’s problems are getting much worse and I really felt for what he was going through. He truly believes that he is worthless and has convinced himself that Ram couldn’t possibly love him, which is so sad as it is obvious just how much Ram cares for him. Ram in comparison is getting better, but he’s convinced himself that Will isn’t interested in him romantically. Several incidents occur which drive them further apart and by the end of the novel it looks as though they are going their separate ways for good.

The main case itself was not as bleak as the ones that they’ve undertaken in previous books which was a nice change and even though their relationship was in tatters Will and Ram still came together to solve it.

It looks like Coda is now ready to reveal his true plans for them and I cannot wait to read book 5 to find out who he is, what is going to happen and if Will and Ram can reunite after everything that has happened.