Going All In

Format: ebook
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60504-852-9
Price: $3.50

The higher the stakes, the harder they fall—in love.

Julia Savage’s weekly poker games are tearing her apart. She’s in love with two of her fellow card players, and much as she’d like to pick and confess her true feelings to one man, she won’t. Not if it means risking the love of the other.

Hunter Miles has wanted Julia for four months, and he’s about to deal a hand she couldn’t see coming. He’s determined to give her a New Year’s Eve celebration she never expected. He’s going to seduce her—in front of his friend and rival for her affections, Jay Baxter. But Jay’s not willing to lay down his cards. He’s going after Julia too, and he’s not above bluffing to get what he wants. Either way, one of them is going to win her over.

Unless they change the rules of the game. If they double up, there’s a chance they can split the pot…
Product Warnings

This book contains two hunky heroes, a heroine worth betting on, sizzling hot three-way action (m/f/m and m/m/f), a whole lot of unexpected fireworks and a New Year’s Eve to remember.

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Whew! I found this ebook in my to-be-read file. To be honest, I can’t remember what about it made me pick it up,  but I’m so glad I did. Julia, Hunter, and Jay have been playing poker for months. Julia has been hiding her lust turned love for them both, because she doesn’t know how she could ever choose. Luckily, one of the boys takes control, and opens the door for a whole new kind of relationship that Julia, and the men for that matter, have to come to terms with in their own ways. It’s a menage, and I expected it to be like most of the menage books I’ve read recently, where the men are both bisexual, and the woman embraces the trio without a qualm. Going All In addresses the real life issues that would arise in such a relationship. Jealousy, homophobia, and the fear of “coming out” to friends and family. Thank you Miss Dee for having the guts. This book has some heat, but also balanced out with an actual story. It’s short, just perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Good news folks, it’s book one of a trio, so you can bet I’ll be reading more about this poker game…

~Colleen

Where the Heart Is

Format: ebook
Publisher: Loose Id
ISBN:   978-1-60737-894-5
Price: $4.99

Jason, Steve, and Chris have seen each other through the toughest times of their lives, but when they’re snowed in together on their annual Thanksgiving ski trip, they learn that you can still have secrets even after twenty years. After Steve reveals he’s on the verge of a major decision that could break them apart, those secrets — their desires — might be the only thing that could save them.

Then a blizzard hits and snows them in, and there’s nowhere to run from the feelings they’ve been ignoring for years. None of them want to choose one and risk the other, but before the week is out, they’re going to have to find a way to make the three of them work again. If not, they’re going to lose each other after all.
Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/m).

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So we have a m/m/m friends to lovers interracial story. You’d think that would be a bit too much for one book, but it works. This book was a nice diversion. Just the right length for what needed to happen, long enough to resolve all the issues. My only gripe would be that each of these guys seemed like the same character, they didn’t quite have their own voices or personality. I only realized this when I had a hard time remembering the character’s names. This isn’t some deep book, with conflict galore, it’s a quick read, with plenty of intimacy. Just right for a  bedtime snack, which often is just what I’m looking for. Overall, this isn’t a book that will knock your socks off, but it’s like a nice warm sweater that you can put on when you need a cozy hug.

~Colleen

Muffled Drum

Format: ebook
Publisher: Carina Press
ISBN: 978-1-42689-186-1
Price: $3.59

Bohemia, 1866

They met in a port-side tavern, their lust-filled moments stolen from days of marching and madness. After eighteen months, Captain Rudolph von Ratzlaff and First Lieutenant Mathias Hofmann have decided to run away from everything they hold dear. Resigning their commissions is social suicide, but there’s no other choice. Someone will eventually see Rudolph’s partiality toward Mathias.

Now their plans have gone horribly awry… When Mathias goes to Rudolph’s tent after their last battle, his lover looks at him without a hint of recognition. Mathias can hardly believe the man he knew is gone. He wants to fill in so many of Rudolph’s missing memories, but the doctor says a shock could result in permanent damage. The pain of seeing Rudolph on a daily basis, when Rudolph doesn’t remember their love, is excruciating. Now Mathias must decide whether he wants to fight for the man he loves or forget him completely…

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First of all, take a minute or two to look at the cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? I’ll admit that the cover was half the reason I bought this book. Then the fact that it’s an historical m/m, and I was hooked. I’ve read so much contemporary romance lately, that I’ve forgotten how wonderful it feels to completely immerse myself in a brilliantly written historical novel. Rudolph and Mathias are in love. We don’t get to watch them fall in love in the beginning. From page one it’s clear. They’re about to commit social suicide together, by resigning from their post in the army to run off together. Hours before they put their plan in motion though, Rudolph is injured in battle and has lost all memory of the past two years. Poor Mathias is all but forgotten, so now we follow him through the emotional trip trying to comfort his lover while hoping something jars his memory. Talk about angst! Mathias has more or less lost the love of his life, right before his eyes. Now he’s questioning everything that happened between them.

This is a beautiful love story, and though there are some explicit love scenes, I wouldn’t call it an erotic romance. I highly recommend it.

~Colleen