Becky Condit Reviews

Mrs Condit Reads Books is closing down in the Summer and I have copy pasted all the reviews my books received into this blog post to keep them.

RobynReads Awards 4.5 Sweet Peas to RJ Scott’s A Reason to Stay

Posted by Robyn Reads on May 9, 2014

“But I get the left-hand side of the bed. And you buy imported beer, not that weak American shit you drink.”

GENRE: M/M, military
RATING: 4.5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: When SEAL, Viktor Zavodny, left small town America for the Navy he made sure he never had a reason to return for anything other than visiting family. He wanted to see the world and fight for his country and nothing, or no one, was getting in his way. He fights hard, and plays harder, and a succession of men and women share his bed.

But a phone call from his sister has him using his thirty day down time to go home instead of enjoying his usual thirty nights of random sex and sleep.

What he finds is a mystery on the Green Mountains and the only man attempting to make sense of seemingly unrelated deaths. His childhood friend and first love… Lieutenant Aiden Coleman, Sheriff.

There were reasons Viktor left his home. Not least Aiden Coleman with his small town innocence and his dreams of forever. Now Adam and Viktor need to work together to save lives and prove there is a hero in all of us.

When it’s done, if they make it out alive, can Aiden persuade Viktor that he has a reason to stay? Maybe forever?

REVIEW: Ahh, what can I say that hasn’t already been said in the blurb? Cop + Navy SEAL + mystery = One hot read! Yes Ms Scott does it again. If you like her ‘Sanctuary’ series then you’ll love this.

Aiden and Viktor were hesitant lovers during their teen years until Aiden uttered those word – ‘I love you’. Viktor ran for the hills – or more accurately the Navy. Fast forward 14 years and they meet up again when Viktor is injured and is on 6 weeks recuperation leave. During these weeks they are hot and heavy and just perfect together – until Aiden utters those three little words. Viktor runs again. The b*stard. These two belong together but unfortunately only Aiden can see this. Viktor has blinkers on. Another two years pass and Viktor’s nephew is injured as he witnesses something happening up on the Green Mountains and Viktor makes the trip home to support his sister. He becomes involved in the investigation, much to the disgust of Aiden – who certainly doesn’t want or need his help. He’s over Viktor, of course.

I loved how Aiden was fighting with himself through most of this. He couldn’t deny the attraction of all those years ago and when he’s working in such close proximity to Viktor his resolve slowly crumbles. Viktor is just a stubborn b*stard – but god I loved him! He treated Aiden terribly at first but he had secretly loved him all these years. His denial was epic! The UST (unresolved sexual tension) here was off the charts! Aiden certainly wasn’t going to make the same mistake a third time and Viktor, well, SEAL’s don’t do love, do they? These are two strong alpha males and neither wanted to give in to their attraction, but eventually it just couldn’t be denied. The push/pull these two had was great. When the resolution came I would have liked some grovelling or begging from Viktor, I would’ve been happy with an apology but Aiden just took him back with a quick blow job and no questions. The mystery/crime part of this was quite good and pushed the story along nicely but didn’t detract from the two mc’s and their antics. I got the warm fuzzies when Viktor finally said the words he knew Aiden needed to hear, in typical Viktor style – “Just in case we crash in the helicopter, I love you” *sigh

This is the first of the ‘Heroes’ series and some of the ‘Sanctuary’ guys make a cameo appearance but its not necessary to read ‘Sanctuary’ first, although I would recommend them but only because they’re a great read. I’m really looking forward to book #2.

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Lady McNeill Reviews The Agent and the Model by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on March 29, 2014

Alex gripped him hard and shook him a little. “Fuck, I don’t pity you. I love you. I wanted to share everything with you but…I couldn’t.”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 3 1/2 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET: Lady McNeill reviews The Agent and the Model by RJ Scott.

BLURB: Mikey’s story.

Michael is returning to Ellery Mountain after six years away with only sporadic and short visits to his nan. He has nightmares even now about what happened to him in the park and doesn’t feel safe in the small Tennessee town. In fact he feels safer in the big city.

His infuriating agent, and ex, Alex, is friends with the actor Jason McInnery and hitches a ride down to Ellery with Michael for a party and an extended stay with his friend.

Michael can’t even look at Alex, let alone spend time with him. Not after an attack in Paris left him vulnerable and scared and it was all Alex’s fault.

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: The time has finally come where we get Michael’s story in The Agent and The Model by RJ Scott. We met him early on as a young teen in Ellery who was brutally attacked. He left town and has become a famous model in New York. Six years later, he’s coming back to Ellery to visit his Nan and somehow his agent Alex has decided to tag along. Alex is actually riding with Michael to see his close friend Jason and attend a big party, but instead of driving alone he manages to get Michael to drive him. It’s clear they had some kind of relationship in the past, but they are not on good terms. You can sense Alex is trying to break the ice but Michael is truly angry and clearly hurt.

At first I wasn’t sure about Alex but I think the way he treats his dog makes me think he has to be a good guy. Either way Michael wants nothing to do with him and is downright nasty. As Michael tries to come to terms with his past attack, the walls he built to protect his heart from Alex and starting to crumble. There are a lot of hints early on something bad happened but it takes many pages in the book before we learn what. I think it was almost too many pages because I felt like I was in the dark about something very important to the characters that seriously affected their relationship.

I enjoyed having all of the past characters in the story and all being together for Jason and Kieran’s party. Watching Avery and Travis warn Alex about hurting Michael was the best. Overall the story wasn’t as impactful as I was hoping; it just felt a bit rushed. Michael’s attack is solved, but was a bit anticlimactic. Michael and Alex’s relationship wraps up nicely but the story just felt incomplete especially since it is the last book of the series. It is definitely a must read for fans of the Ellery Mountain series. I’m sad to see the series come to an end.

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Becky Reviews Jesse’s Christmas by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on February 9, 2014


GENRE: M/M, holiday
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET: Becky Reviews Jesse’s Christmas by RJ Scott. 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: For Jesse Connor, Christmas is nothing but a series of bad memories. It takes a man imbued with the spirit of Christmas to help him realize that the Christmas spirit lies in everyone–if they only know where to look.

For photographer Jesse Connor, Christmas lost it’s shine when last Christmas, Jesse’s lover, the man he thought had been the one, absconded with millions of dollars from the company he traded for. The FBI landed on Jesse’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, and that was the nail in the proverbial Christmas coffin.

Now, alone in the city, facing another Christmas with nothing more than apathy, he’s offered a chance to see Christmas in a different light.

Can the residents of Eden Vale, and in particular a man called Gabriel, show him that he can start again and that Christmas and love can live inside everyone, despite hurtful pasts?

BECKY’S OPINION: Professional photographer Jesse was betrayed in every way possible by his former lover. His trust and his money were lost, on Christmas Eve, of all times, and that spoiled Christmas for him forever. Or so he thought.

Jesse’s agent gets a good gig for him in a small town that is famous for its uber celebration of Christmas. He is to post pictures and pithy comment on every event in town. Much to Jesse’s surprise, he finds a man who begins to mean everything to him, and even peels away some of the shame and depression that has tormented Jesse daily.

The question becomes, will Jesse be able to give up his sophisticated, if very insular, life in NYC for the coddled life as the partner of a small town teacher? Or will the small town teacher be able to leave his comfortable position as the beloved teacher and organizer of almost every facet of the month long celebration of Christmas in his hometown? We watch, knowing what their choices should be, hoping that they will be, and knowing that love just has to win in the end. Doesn’t it? An excellent story, set during the Christmas season, but meaningful at any time of the year.


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Becky Reviews Texas Christmas by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 16, 2013

”You’ll always be younger; I’ll always be shorter. Whatever, we’ll work everything out.”
GENRE: M/M, holiday, Christmas
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET: Becky Reviews Texas Christmas by RJ Scott. 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Six men with lives linked to the Double D… Danger comes to the Double D from Liam’s past and threatens everything Jack and Riley hold dear.

Centering on Jack and Riley, parents, lovers and friends.

Eli and Robbie have their home on Double D land. Their love is rooted in the Texas soil and they weather as many storms as can be thrown at them.

And Liam, a young men with a head full of dreams and sleep full of nightmares, finds that all things are possible when Marcus decides to interrupt his solitary existence.(less)

BECKY’S OPINION: Whenever you think RJ Scott might be running out of characters to write about in this series, guess again. I loved seeing Jack and Riley again, and all of their children, including the three new ones from Texas Family. Little Max is so challenged and so lucky to have Jack and Riley in his life. The twins are just babies but are as important to the family as anyone else.
The book looks back over the stories developed in the first four books and adds two new characters, the VERY determined Marcus and the equally frightened and elusive Liam. Watching that game of cat and mouse is a study in resolve. As much as Marcus pushes to get to know Liam, Liam backs away from anything that might bring his past back into his present.
A new nanny is found, the house is finished giving everyone a room of their own, Max is finally and officially part of the family, and Hayley approaches becoming the strong woman she will be. Beth’s family is also growing with the addition of baby Cam.
This series needs to be read in order but that’s no hardship as it is a very enjoyable series with people to love, hate, and get involved with. Enjoy!

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Becky Reviews The Heart of Texas by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 16, 2013

His head filled with images from that night, of Jack worried and scared for him. The images mixed with the feeling Riley had building inside him, want, need, desire— love. He couldn’t love a man. He wasn’t gay, had never been gay, and he didn’t know what to think.

RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Riley Hayes, the playboy of the Hayes family, is a young man who seems to have it all: money, a career he loves, and his pick of beautiful women. His father, CEO of HayesOil, passes control of the corporation to his two sons; but a stipulation is attached to Riley’s portion. Concerned about Riley’s lack of maturity, his father requires that Riley ‘marry and stay married for one year to someone he loves’. Angered by the requirement, Riley seeks a means of bypassing his father’s stipulation. Blackmailing Jack Campbell into marrying him “for love” suits Riley’s purpose. There is no mention in his father’s documents that the marriage had to be with a woman and Jack Campbell is the son of Riley Senior’s arch rival. Win win.

Riley marries Jack and abruptly his entire world is turned inside out. Riley hadn’t counted on the fact that Jack Campbell, quiet and unassuming rancher, is a force of nature in his own right.

This is a story of murder, deceit, the struggle for power, lust and love, the sprawling life of a rancher and the whirlwind existence of a playboy. But under and through it all, as Riley learns over the months, this is a tale about family and everything that that word means.

BECKY’S OPINION: I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of this series. There was plenty of action, characters to love, characters to hate, twists and turns in the plot, and all of that from page one. There is a huge cast of characters to keep things moving through the series.

One thing I really liked was that although the MCs are gay men the stories revolve around family.

It’s like having your cake and eating it, too. Jack and Riley are big men with strong personalities. Once they finally accept that they are meant for each other they are great together in business, at home, and especially in bed. RJ Scott writes hawt sex scenes, let me tell you!

I was left wanting more and here it comes in the next book of the series!

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Becky Reviews Texas Winter by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 16, 2013

Riley’s heart nearly exploded in his chest. This moment here, looking at Red, standing with the man he loved and listening to his daughter call his husband Pappa… This was way past incredible.
GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 4 ½ Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET: Becky Reviews Texas Winter by RJ Scott. 4 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Riley’s past comes back to haunt him both professionally and personally.

His dead brother left more than just bitter memories for Riley to deal with. The FBI get involved and suddenly it is more than his good name that is on the line. Jack is always there for him but how much more can Riley’s husband reasonably be able to understand?

Especially when Riley finds out on his delayed honeymoon that he has an eight year old daughter he never knew existed…

BECKY’S OPINION: It was quite a challenge for RJ Scott to live up to the expectations set by The Heart of Texas, the first book in the Texas series. Texas Winter did not disappoint, with a pleasant story that tells the story of Riley’s daughter and how he is able to weave her into the tapestry of their family on the ranch. Jack tries to back up Riley but it takes trust that is almost there, but not quite, for Riley to accept that Jack will love his daughter as any father would.
The story was more gentle than The Heart of Texas. It didn’t quite have the bite and angst of the first book with its stories of blackmail, murder, deceit, and a family in crisis. A college affair resulted in Haley and when her mother dies Riley is all she has left as family. The trauma of losing your mother and finding a long-lost father would make any child rebel but Haley adapts quickly as do the men. That took me out of the story a little bit but I was able to settle back in and enjoy the story.
There are villains and some scary FBI involvement, which wasn’t overdone and therefore added to the story. It also set up the series for the next book as the mystery of past crimes and the source of Haley’s aunt’s money creep into the story. This is a great soap opera, well worth the investment of a couple of days to read each book.

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Becky Reviews Texas Heat by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 16, 2013

“You’re right to be angry. I didn’t think. That’s half my problem, I never do.”
GENRE: M/M
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET: Becky Reviews Texas Heat by RJ Scott. 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Against the backdrop of twenty half naked models on DD land, and in the midst of fighting the oil establishment that just won’t give Riley a chance, Texas Heat is the story of one hot summer in Texas with a Gay Rodeo, humor, angst and a love between two men that just grows stronger every day.

Jack hires Robbie, a man recovering from a great loss, to be his right hand man. Meanwhile Riley’s mischievous photographer friend, Eli, decides the DD is the perfect backdrop for a cowboy themed model shoot. Eli has secrets not even Riley knows about but despite what he is hiding he falls in lust with Robbie at first sight. Everyone except Robbie can see how perfect Eli would be for him.

What happens when secrets spill and lies are discovered? And just how far will Riley and Jack go to play matchmaker?

BECKY’S OPINION: Texas Heat is the book in RJ Scott’s Texas series that shows off her skills as an writer of humor. As the bond between Jack and Riley grows stronger and stronger, they become involved in the politics of big oil. If that weren’t enough, stir into the mix half-naked models and a gay rodeo.
Jack’s friend Eli cooks up the cowboy model shoot but his path is crossed with the new foreman of the ranch, Robbie. Both Robbie and Eli are hiding secrets. It wouldn’t be a proper soap opera without secrets, lies, bad communication, and lots of hot sex, would it? Ms Scott definitely delivers on all points.
Another enjoyable book in the Texas series, and this one is probably my favorite so far. Nicely done.

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Becky Reviews Texas Family by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 16, 2013

He pinned jack’s hands to the pillow and looked down at the gorgeous sleepy sexy face of the owner of his heart.

GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 4 1/2 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET : Becky reviews Texas Family by RJ Scott. 4 1/2 sweet peas!


BLURB: Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes begin a journey that will change their lives forever.

Set against the backdrop of the Double D, the cast of the Texas books face changes that won’t leave a single one of them untouched.

Jack and Riley want to extend their small family of three. Their first choice is surrogacy with Jack as the father and when all this begins smoothly both men can’t help but contemplate at what point would things go wrong. After all, their lives are far from normal and nothing is ever smooth.

Add a small four year old boy in foster care into the mix and suddenly things become a whole lot more complicated.

BECKY’S OPINION: I love baby stories, no doubt about that, and when the parents are gay I love it even more because of the difficulties they invariable have to overcome to get there. In Texas Family Jack and Riley already have a precious daughter but they want a bigger family and so begins their journey through the systems that can increase their family size by one more baby. What happens along the way to a bigger family is fun, sweet, and loveable. They wind up taking more than one route to their goal.

Jack and Riley have money, and plenty of it. That greases the wheels of the process but by no means makes things certain or easy. The generous woman who agrees to be their surrogate is a wonderful character. You are able to get inside the head of someone who can give birth and then leave her baby to grow up in another family, something I thought I would not be able to comprehend. RJ Scott takes us there and back in this story, and includes Rebecca’s family in that process. I still think her decision would be more difficult than is portrayed here but the character of Rebecca is well developed and quite believable, especially since such women do exist, giving couples who cannot have a baby the greatest gift.

Texas Family can be read as a stand alone but is better as part of the series. I had not read the first three books and was able to enjoy this one on its own, but there were situations and characters that I did not have the complete 411 on and I feel I lost a little bit of the story to that. So, I will go back to read the first three because I liked this one so much I know I will enjoy them, too. Another sweet, romantic story from RJ Scott, who always delivers what she promises: people in love and an HEA.


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Becky Reviews an ARC of Crooked Tree Ranch by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on December 10, 2013

“A mix of needs walked side by side in this place–gay, lesbian, bi, het, mènage–in rooms where the doors shut and no one asked questions.”

GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET : Becky reviews Crooked Tree Ranch by RJ Scott. 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: On the spur of the moment with his life collapsing around him Jayden Sullivan answers an ad for a marketing expert on a dude ranch in Montana. With his small family he moves lock stock and barrel from New York to Montana to start a new life.

Foreman and owner of a third of the ranch, ex rodeo star Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Todd has been running Crooked Tree Ranch. His partners in the business convince him that he needs to get an expert in to help the ranch survive. He knows things have to change and but when the new guy turns up, with a troubled family in tow – he just isn’t prepared for how much.

BECKY’S OPINION: For a Brit, RJ Scott sure can write her cowboys. I love them. I always get totally involved in the characters and end the book wanting more. In this case that’s no hardship because this is the first book in a new series.

The other trope I love is city boy falls for country boy and they have to decide together whether they will make a new life on the ranch or in the city. Budgetary woes and family pressures add to the angst of this book. The MCs are heads of households for their respective extended families, and that takes precedence over any personal relationship or sexual relationship either Jay or Nate would like to develop.

Jay is getting over a cheating boyfriend and Nate only has one night stands on his dance card since, well, since forever. Nate is running the ranch and when finances start to go south he is talked into hiring a business manager. Who should show up but a New York (New York!?) burned out businessman accompanied by his family who are not in a happy place right now. RJ Scott does her usual slow dance to a connection between Jay and Nate and by the time they settle down and do the deed I was ready to crack some heads. You can’t ever accuse RJ Scott of writing instalove.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great story with a plot that builds and holds your attention, but it’s the characters who drive it to a satisfactory ending.

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Lucky Reviews an ARC of The Case of the Sinful Santa by Amber Kell and RJ Scott

Posted by Lucky on December 9, 2013

For this go around, there were two quotes that made me laugh.

#1 – “Let’s go talk to the angel and the elf. Crap. I never thought I’d say something like that and have it sound normal.

#2 – Frankly, Sam scared the sugar cookies out of Nick.

GENRE: M/M, paranormal, holiday
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET : Lucky reviews an ARC of The Case of the Sinful Santa by Amber Kell, RJ Scott. 5 sweet peas.


BLURB: Book Four in the End Street Detective Agency series.

Zephariel, the Angel of Vengeance, Nick Klauson, nephew to Santa, Christmas magic, zombies in the school and a necromancer causing chaos…and at the center of it all—Mal.

Zephariel is the Angel of Vengeance and is tracking down his cousin Danjal for misuse of brimstone. When he walks into a bar and finds Nick Klauson drowning his sorrows, he is instantly drawn to him. Could this be his fated mate?

When Nick and Zeph join forces to deal with zombies in Mal’s school, sparks fly. Add in a demon, a wolf and a necromancer, and Sam and Bob have a hunt on their hands.

LUCKY’S OPINION: Personally, I don’t like it when stores start selling Christmas stuff before Halloween. In The Case of the Sinful Santa, the latest endeavor for Amber Kell and RJ Scott, I find myself asking why they waited so long!

Once again, this duo unites to bring new characters and old together for a rousing good time. If you read the last book (and you should start the series from #1 because you’ll want to enjoy every delicious morsel. Do keep in mind, however, Bob is mine) you’ll know that our group is dealing with some really bad man who seeks dominion over life and death. When Bob and Sam’s daughter, Mal, gets mixed up in some shenanigans at her grade school, the couple rides to the rescue.

Then we meet Nick and Zeph. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was totally hooked over Bob, Zeph would be mine, too. (I’ll probably claim him anyway, so be warned.) Zeph is the Angel of Vengeance and his attitude toward Nick is nothing short of stunning. What he’s willing to do for the man gave me goose bumps. If only real men were more like book men, I swear.

The thing I like best about the End Street series is that it doesn’t. End, I mean. This is book four and there are already hints about future stories. Bob and Sam still rule the roost, but the other characters from past books make an appearance, too, rounding out the cast and making for a heck of a read.


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Pattycake Reviews The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott

Posted by Pattycake on December 7, 2013

“Okay, Zach.” The cop sighed. “We can do this one of two ways. It’s late , and it is the night before Christmas. I really want to go home to be with my family and you are kind of making this all very difficult. Now you can come with me, get a decent meal, a shower, and maybe some warmer clothes, and then you can sleep for the night in a warm bed. This can be all by your own choice, or I can make it official and arrest you, then force you to go.”

GENRE: M/M, holiday, YA
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!
CLICK TO TWEET : Pattycake reviews The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott. 5 sweet peas!


BLURB: Christmas is a time for giving – what do you do when no one gives a damn?

For Zachary Weston Christmas means sleeping on a churchyard bench in the freezing snow with nothing better in his future. Thrown out of his home for being gay, he is left without money or, it seems, anywhere to go.

Until a stranger shows him that some people do give a lot more than a damn.

Ben Hamilton is a rookie cop in his small home town. He finds a young throwaway, fresh from the city, sleeping on a bench in the churchyard on a snowy Christmas Eve. Can he be the one to give Zachary his own Christmas miracle?

PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: For most people a snowy Christmas Eve is the perfect time to gather around the tree with family and friends, enjoying the warmth of a fire and a cup of hot chocolate. For Zachary Weston, it means trying to sleep on a bench in a churchyard, with only a thin blanket to protect him from the snow. Beaten, and then thrown out by his abusive father for being gay, Zach ended up in a small town somewhere in Virginia after his money ran out. Ben Hamilton, a rookie cop in his small home town, finds a scared young man sleeping on a bench. He offers the cold and hungry man a warm meal, warm clothes, and a warm place to sleep for the night. Little did either one know that one night of compassion will lead to so much more.

The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott is a character driven story that highlights the all-too-common tragedy of kids being thrown out of their homes by their families for being gay. With a smooth plot flow, and a backstory that fills in the gaps, you can’t help but be pulled into this sad, yet ultimately hopeful tale. The author’s style is eloquent, insightful, and concise, and pulls back the curtain on a subject all too many people want to pretend doesn’t exist. This lovely Christmas tale has a HEA ending that I absolutely loved. So if you’re looking for a story that skillfully blends heartache and hope, then I definitely recommend this book to you.

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Recent Release Review: Chase the Sun by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell

Posted by Josie Goodreads on September 27, 2013

“I’m sorry,” Adam called after him. Scott stopped and closed his eyes. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if he really hated Adam. Even after six years, there was still a place reserved for only Adam in his heart. “Please, Scott, I truly am sorry. You were never supposed to get involved.”
GENRE: M/M
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Six years ago, Adam broke Scott’s heart, but now he’s back in Scott’s life and Scott is rightly suspicious.

Adam says he wants closure, and that he wants to say sorry. Can Scott trust the man who had spent three of the last six years in prison?

Is it a case of second chances? Or will history repeat itself?

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In Chase the Sun, Scott Antonelli is about to get the shock of his life. Six years ago, Adam Ross broke his heart and it was the trigger that set Scott off travelling around the world. For the last few years he has worked at Sapphire Cay with Dylan. On a simple supply run to Marsh Harbour, he is left reeling, as he comes face to face with his first love. Can he trust Adam this time round?

Adam Ross was an idiot. Looking for quick and easy cash, he got himself mixed up in the wrong crowd and paid the price – three years in prison and he lost the one person who had ever meant anything to him – Scott. Adam has done his best, tried to turn his life around and is in the Bahamas looking for a second chance. Finding Scott was the easy part. Getting him to trust him again, could be harder than he ever imagined.

JOSIE’S OPINION: Chase the Sun is a beautiful story of redemption and second chances. I loved it.

Adam Ross and Scott Antonelli were once happy and in love, but Adam wanted an easy life, with easy money, and Scott wanted a future. Six years ago Adam’s ‘easy’ money and stupidity brought the police to their door and broke Scott’s heart. Adam’s spent three years in prison which cost him not only his freedom but his future with Scott, who never visited or contacted him. Adam now released and in his final year of studying to be a chef decides the time is right to try and win Scott back.

After Adam was arrested Scott tried to move on, but six years after that fateful day Scott and Adam meet and Scott realizes that he hasn’t moved on at all, he’s still in pain, still furious, and seeing Adam in front of him his fury is unleashed, the first thing he does is punch Scott, telling him he never wants to see him again. Can Adam persuade Scott to see him, listen to him and give him a chance to show he’s sorry and that he’s changed?

I loved this book, I love all the Sapphire Cay stories but this one is my favorite to date. Both men are still haunted by their past. The emotions flowing at the beginning of the story are so real, feelings running so close to the surface that I wondered how Adam would ever get Scott to listen to him. The way the authors created the situation which gives Adam the time he desperately needs with Scott was brilliantly done, Adam was in a situation where he needed help and Scott, still deeply in love with Adam was unable to resist putting out a hand to help.

I loved both men but Adam was my favorite, I felt his desperation, which he carried with an air of dignity and resignation. He almost felt he didn’t deserve any happiness, which was quite sad. I did worry at one point that he might get tempted back in his old life but I trusted that he wanted Scott more.

I did understand how Scott felt though, he was betrayed, not just in the day to day life he shared with Adam before his arrest, but his dreams were betrayed and that I think was what hurt him the most, more than the lying and evasiveness he can now see when he looks back at his former life with Adam.

I also loved Dylan and Luke, loved how they helped both Scott and Adam, never taking sides, and the scenes in the kitchen between Adam and Dominiq were the most poignant, hinting at the kind of life Adam had to endure in prison.

I continue to be amazed at how two authors can write a story and I can never tell who wrote what. RJ Scott and Meredith Russell write together seamlessly and I always enjoy the books they collaborate on.
I adored Chase the Sun, its gentle and sweet, but angsty as well, a perfect way to spend a few hours. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

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Recent Release Review: The Barman and the SEAL by RJ Scott

Posted by Lady McNeill on September 25, 2013

“I like you a lot. I think about you all the time. I’m thirty-one and you are the first man that I’ve ever really connected with, and that is weird because we’ve seen each other twice. I’d like to kiss you and lie on the floor with my head on your stomach. But at the moment things aren’t so hot with me. I’ve come a long way, but there’s still things I have to get my head around before I can concentrate on anything else. So I wanted to ask you something. Hear what I have to say. Then tell me if you want to wait for me. If you don’t then no harm no foul.”

GENRE: M/M, military
RATING: 4 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: A Navy SEAL with PTSD, a Barman starting a new life. Maybe they can find love in Ellery.

Travis Baranski, Navy SEAL, is the first veteran to attend the Ellery Mountain Veteran Center. He is having a hard time coming to terms with what he had seen and what he has done. When he has a very public meltdown in Ellery stores it is Avery Gideon who steps up to the plate and helps him.

Avery Gideon, a man cut off from his family for being gay, runs the only bar in town – The Alibi – and listens to many a person’s problems whilst trying to forget his own.

He sees something in the wounded warrior who needs a friend and very soon finds himself falling in love with Travis.

Nothing will deter him from helping Travis, or from making Travis see he’s still capable of loving Avery in return.

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: Hands down The Barman and The Seal by RJ Scott is my favorite book in the Ellery Mountain series. Well, I did really love Jaime and Ian’s book but this one just squeaks ahead. Travis Baranski is the first vet to stay at the new Center. He’s been there for a few weeks and things are not getting better. He has PTSD from his time as a POW and he’s trying to adjust. In one of his few ventures to town he has a terrible encounter with Mikey which sends him into a full panic attack. Avery Gideon, local bar owner and good friend to Mikey is there to help Mikey but steps in to help Travis who is in full shutdown panic mode. Their next encounter is better but there are so many issues Travis has to deal with. Their budding friendship begins and slowly a romance grows. I love that they don’t just fall into bed together. In fact their sexual relationship comes after their love forms which to me seems so much more realistic and lasting. But don’t expect an easy go of it; Travis has a lot to deal with. I know I’ve said it before but I wish these books were longer. There is no huge conflict that causes angst in the book just more of dealing with Travis and his healing. I would have loved even more to their story that could have definitely fit in between the existing chapters but the book fits right in with the rest of the series. We do get to meet even more characters and they aren’t all gay males. The Friday night get-togethers are still going strong only more people coming to the party.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The Case of the Dragon’s Dilemma by Amber Kell and RJ Scott

Posted by Lucky on September 4, 2013

“I’m more than a friend,” Bob corrected sternly.
Sam sighed. “Fine. This is my mate, the love of my life, the one I can’t live without,” Sam said in a bored tone. “Better?”
“Much.”

GENRE: M/M, fantasy
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Dragons, battles, a deal Sam may come to regret, and a siren attack, leaves Sam and Bob in danger, and Mikhail finding a mate.

Bob and Sam take their kind-of-adopted-now vampire daughter, Mal to look around at new schools.

Mikhail is left to babysit the last remaining rescued child whilst they are away. When Sirens appear from a portal to kidnap her, he is left facing the attack alone until a mysterious hero comes to his aid.

Ryujin, or Jin to his friends, is a dragon shifter and his role as Captain of the Dragon Guards puts him in direct conflict with Mikhail. They both want to do what’s best for the kidnapped child but trust is an issue between two different species.

The minute Jin sees Mikhail he knows what he wants. Now if Jin can only get Mikhail to see things the same way.

LUCKY’S OPINION: Bob (and everyone else) is back for the 3rd round of the End Street Agency series. This time they introduce a dragon shifter named Jin who is quite hot (in more ways than one). Jin answers the call of one of the kidnapped children with explosive results. When the dust settles he comes to find out that Mikhail, the half-vampire, half-siren friend of Bob’s, is more than just a half-breed.

This story involves political intrigue, double-dealing, backstabbing, and sex (because, you know, that’s the important part of almost all stories). The puppet master who is pulling the strings promises to play a role in future books, too, and I can’t wait to see what machinations he’ll cause. We also find out a bit more about Sam’s familiar,

Mikhail and Jin have some HUGE surprises in store for them. Ones they may not survive to overcome. If they do, their lives will be changed forever. If they don’t, well…it was really nice knowing them both.

Ms. Scott and Ms. Kell make a great team on this book. You’re never overwhelmed with too much information and are generally left salivating and wanting to know what’s waiting for our intrepid heroes in the next book.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The Paramedic and the Writer by RJ Scott

Posted by Pattycake on September 3, 2013

“I know you’re desperate for a man, Jamie,” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows,”but sitting with an unconscious guy is a new low.”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Paramedic Jamie Llewelyn moves to Ellery to start a new life away from the City. Attached to the hospital and working for his friend Liam Wolfe he’s happy—even if he has to keep coming up with excuses to miss the Friday meet ups. He had peace and he could finally make a difference in a community that needed him.

When he and Max rescue John Doe from a crashed car balanced on the edge of a ravine Jamie didn’t know but his life would never be the same again. John opens his startlingly violet eyes and suddenly Jamie is falling hard. If only John didn’t have a gun and could remember why he’d shot the passenger in the car. Then maybe passion could change into something else. Love.

PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: The Paramedic and the Writer is the fifth entry in RJ Scott’s charming Ellery Mountain series. This book is excellent as a standalone, but reading the first four in the series will give you some background on the various secondary characters. The blurb covers the basics and I don’t want to add anything to spoil it, so you need to check it out for yourself.

This is a charming character driven story with a smooth plot flow, and characters who are solid , down-to-earth, and could be your next door neighbors. The backstory lays a great foundation for the storyline, and RJ has done a fantastic job of deftly weaving each story in the series together into a seamless and glorious whole. The men are hot,and the sex is even hotter, without being slutty or over the top.

RJ’s style of writing is eloquently clear, clean, and concise. I really like how she has a wickedly delicious way of packing all the humor, angst, passion, and action of a much longer story into this short one. I really enjoyed reading this, and if you’re looking for a quick, but VERY satisfying book, then this is the book for you.

* * * * *

Labor Day Review and Recommended Book: One Night by RJ Scott

Posted by Josie Goodreads on September 2, 2013

Why, at the very peak of orgasm, did Micah intrude with gentle kisses and his words of need?
All Liam knew was at the very end of it, sated and finally sleepy again, he wanted more, even though with Micah’s clear need for gentleness and affection, the other man’s gay was clearly as broken and inappropriate as his own

GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 5 Highly Recommended Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Liam Wade is facing the biggest change in his life since marrying his best friend, Janelle, and adopting her daughter. Janelle has long since passed on, losing the battle to live a few days after her daughter is born, leaving Liam a father, in need of finding a mother for his daughter Emma. He’s rich, successful, and Leigh is the perfect, approved, wife for him. Before he settles down to give his daughter the best family he can, he wants one week away, to think. Just to make sure that he can leave half of himself hidden and marry without love, because Liam has one big problem in all of this — he’s gay.

Micah Adamson is the owner of a vineyard in Rochester NY, and has yet to find the partner he knows is out there for him. he believes in love and wants forever, and one day he knows he will find his ‘forever’ man. He attends a wine festival in Santa Monica, seven nights in a beautiful hotel on the beach.

Micah wants to show that love between two men includes affection, understanding, and can be forever. Will he make Liam see sense?

* * * * *

This title was previously available with Silver Publishing. It has been re-edited and approximately 1,800 words added as an epilogue.



JOSIE’S OPINION: One Night by RJ Scott is a rewritten 2nd Edition release. It’s a beautiful story of two men walking different paths, coming together to find love.

Liam Wade is a wealthy widower with a three year old daughter, Emma. He’s deeply in the closet and can’t imagine any other way to live, can’t imagine a time when he could come out to his family. Liam’s life is split between Emma, his job as a corporate lawyer working for the family business, and his finance Leigh. Leigh knows Liam is gay but their marriage is like the dynastic marriages of old, a marriage of convenience, Leigh is everything his father thinks a successful businessman needs, beautiful, sophisticated, poised, a society wife, and she would be a mother to his Emma. Love has nothing to do with it. Liam thinks he can live like, this but he needs to be sure before he meets Leigh at the altar, so he takes himself away for a week to a beach front hotel to think, and decide. There he meets Micah Adamson, a wine grower attending the annual wine festival which is being held at the same hotel.

Micah Adamson runs a successful vineyard, he is mostly happy and content with his family and his grapes, but he longs to find that one special person, a lover who will complete him. Packed off to the annual wine festival by his meddling, but well-meaning sisters, Micah meets Liam. The two men are poles apart, everything they are, and everything they think is possible, is dramatically different. Micah believes in love, Liam doesn’t.

Can a one night stand lead to anything more? Can Micah risk giving his heart to Liam, and if he does will Liam crush it, or cherish it? Can a few days really change two people’s lives?

I adored Liam, he was lost, so unsure of what he wanted, and what he could have, believing that being gay only meant impersonal one night stands, just getting off, with no affection and intimacy. He was constantly at odds with himself, hiding behind family and duty, determined to ensure his daughter has everything she could want and desire, putting himself last as if his happiness was unimportant.

And Micah, so open, sweet and gentle, a total opposite to Liam. Micah is determined to show Liam that that two men can have it all, not just sex with love and affection, but a relationship too.

Together they just slotted in, like they were made for each other, two lost souls joining, initial lust and hard sex developing into so much more. The way their relationship started over the few days they had together was lovely to behold, I really felt I got to know and understand them, and then when misunderstandings and confusion threaten what they could have, I really wanted to weep for them both. The ending is almost a beginning, a new start, a chance to build a future, it was just perfect.

One Night is a beautiful retelling of the oldest romance story in the world, the meeting by chance of two people, from totally different walks of life, and how that meeting turns their lives upside down. Highly recommended if you love tortured souls coming out and believe love can triumph over everything else.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The New Wolf by RJ Scott

Posted by Pattycake on August 26, 2013

“I don’t miss a thing,” Conner stated. “I just haven’t lost that city instinct yet. I can’t fully relax. It’s too damn quiet.”

GENRE: M/M, paranormal
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: After a hate crime leaves one of them near dead, Veterinarian, Josh Nolan and Cop, Connor Vincent are starting a new life in Black Creek, a remote town on the edge of the Adirondack State Park, Vermont.

Josh is taking over his grandfather’s practice and Connor settles into working as one of only four of the sheriff’s office covering the area.

When Connor pieces together a whole list of unsolved crimes going back fifty years he puts his life, and that of his partners, in danger.

An attack, a bite, and suddenly everything becomes frighteningly clear. Black Creek is where a new wolf has to find a whole new way to look at his life.

PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: What do you do when the small town you move to turns out to be just as dangerous as the big city you left behind, but with a supernatural twist? You end up with The New Wolf by RJ Scott, the first of the promising new trilogy Building the Pack. The Bratty Omega by Stephani Hecht is the second book, and The Alpha’s Own by Amber Kell is the third. The blurb does an excellent job of covering the basics, but only by reading it for yourself, will you be able to appreciate it.

This gem has a smooth plot flow, and is both character and plot driven. The characters are very believable,and they DEFINITELY change over the course of the story. There’s just enough of a backstory to fill in the gaps, without overwhelming you with trivia. The storyline has a solid foundation, and there are no plot holes to take away from the story. The sex is hot and passionate without being smutty, and the love between the two MCs is strong enough to withstand anything thrown at it.

RJ’s writing style is straightforward, eloquent, and concise. I love how she takes the same old shifter premise and gives it new life with a fresh and original twist. After a heartbreaking death and a near tragedy, the story does have a HEA ending. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next one in the trilogy. If you’re looking for a shifter tale that is anything but ordinary, this is the book for you.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review and Recommended Book: All the King’s Men by RJ Scott

Posted by Josie Goodreads on August 14, 2013

Nathan was tired and in pain. Why couldn’t Ryan see this and just leave him to sit on the side of what was left of the road. “Ryan, just go, I’ll—”
Ryan spun so fast Nathan almost lost his footing, and he was suddenly hauled up against a desperate-eyed Ryan, his face inches away.
“Fuck you, Nathan. I didn’t leave you to burn in your apartment. Do you think I’m gonna leave you to burn now?”

GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas! Highly Recommended

BLURB: When Ryan Ortiz decides to go direct to LA to fight for a second chance with his lover Nathan Richardson he is caught up in the biggest earthquake to hit the city since records began.

LA is destroyed, burning, people homeless, and fires are ignited high in the LA hills above Nathan’s apartment. Nathan is trapped and Ryan is his only hope.

It is a race against time and the powerful all consuming destruction of nature for Ryan to find Nathan, trapped in the ruins of his home in the hills, and to get both of them to help before the fire reaches them.

JOSIE’S OPINION: All the Kings Men by RJ Scott is a rewritten 2nd edition release. The 1st edition was the first book I ever read by RJ so it holds a special place in my heart.

When I first bought the book I knew nothing about RJ Scott’s writing, and hardly anything about MM Romance in general, it was the earthquake that caught my eye; I’m a bit of a disaster movie addict.

Nathan Richardson, model turned actor, lives in a rented apartment in the hills outside LA. Nathan is still very much in love with his ex-boyfriend, photographer Ryan Ortiz. Ryan it appears has finally realized just how much he still loves Nathan and is on his way to LA to be with him when LA is struck by a massive earthquake, just after Ryan’s plane touches down. Nathan is trapped in the rubble of his apartment up in the hills as fires break out all around him, his only chance is Ryan. Can Ryan get to him in time, and can they both escape the fires and the aftershocks and get to safety?

The story is gripping; it’s the stuff of nightmares and every disaster movie you’ve ever seen. The fires, the tremors, the desolation, people trapped in buildings, in cars, RJ pulls no punches, and the reader is filled with a sense of foreboding and hopelessness for much of the story. Nathan and Ryan struggle to get to safety and what they see on the way molds them into the people they will forever be. Their emotions are pulled in every direction, and the reader, following along, ends up not knowing whether to cheer or cry. The life and death struggle to get to safety puts all their previous arguments and petty squabbles, into perspective.

I can’t do justice to the sense of awe you feel when reading All The Kings Men. Nathan and Ryan are just two small insignificant people when compared to the disaster that has overcome LA, the descriptions of the devastation are horrifying, and you really get a sense of the immense disaster unfolding throughout the story. I don’t want to go too much into the plot, I can’t so much happens, but there is an epilogue at the end that wraps everything up nicely.

This book introduced me to the world of RJ Scott and I’ve never looked back, if you are a fan and haven’t read it yet then I really think you should, and if you’re not a fan yet, well give it a go.

* * * * *

Release Day Review: The Doctor and the Bad Boy by RJ Scott

Posted by Pattycake on July 23, 2013

“Then again, who was he to talk? It wasn’t like the vista of his love life was anything more than tumbleweeds and chirping crickets.”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 3 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Mitchell Ryan, the recovering alcoholic bad boy, meets Doctor Liam Wolfe, the man who shows him it’s okay to love…

No one has every understood Mitchell Askett. The bad boy. The alcoholic. The loser. Buying into the Ellery Mountain resort and placing down roots in the community for himself, his sister and his niece puts him on the radar of the Fridays and Dr. Liam Wolfe.

He realises he has friends in his new home that don’t judge him for what happened before and finally begins to escape his past. When he falls hard and fast for the Doctor he even sees a future for him in Ellery.

When his new happiness is threatened by family and by disaster he begins to lose faith, until Liam shows him it’s okay to ask for help.

PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: RJ Scott has written another great addition to her series Ellery Mountain. The Doctor and the Bad Boy is the fourth entry in this lovely series and continues the heartwarming story started in Book One. The blurb covers the basic storyline and anything I add would be a spoiler.

This character driven story has a smoothly flowing plot, and a backstory that lays a solid foundation for the book itself. The characters are very three dimensional, with each one trying to overcome past mistakes and hoping to build a better future. Characters from the first three books mske an appearance in this story and add to the overall texture. The sex is hot and passionate, without being smutty.

The author’s writing style is simple, eloquent, and adds a fresh twist to the tale. I really enjoyed reading this story and the HEA ending, but I just wish the story had been longer and had dug a little deeper into the emotions and past history that made these characters the people they are today. If you’re looking for a story that packs hot men, romance, and a touch of angst into a quick read, then this is a story that I can recommend.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: Worlds Collide by RJ Scott

Posted by Lady McNeill on July 19, 2013

This was a print of a message Dale had sent him on his cell not long after they pulled Beckett from the Bullen Mansion…
Stay safe, kick ass, come home. Love you.
Such a simple message, but the “Love you” didn’t have any kind of qualification. There was no I think I love you or I am falling in love with you, but a really simple, easy message.
I love you.
Just reading that message the first time had created feelings inside Joseph that he never thought he would feel.

GENRE: MM, military
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: It is the day after New Years and Dale is en route back to Albany in a private jet with Emily Bullen. She is coming back home after turning states evidence on her husband Senator Thomas Bullen.

What no one factored in, not Sanctuary or the FBI, was the lengths Griffin Ryland would go to in the effort to protect himself.

Joseph finds out Dale is in trouble and it is only with the help of his team of SEALs that he can make sure Dale is safe and that Griffin Ryland can’t cause any more trouble.

A snowy New Years, a deserted airport and a hostage situation with people already dead and suddenly the worlds of Sanctuary and the SEALs collide, with terrifying consequences.

Then, two weeks alone at a resort, falling deeper in love leave the two men with decisions to make and suddenly there is the chance to make forever a possibility.

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: In Worlds Collide by RJ Scott we get to revisit Dale and Joseph’s relationship. I guess you could call it a relationship though they’ve spent no time together with their current jobs with Dale on assignment with Sanctuary and Joseph an active Navy seal. We all assumed an HFN at the end of The Only Easy Day but they definitely haven’t had the chance to make a go of a relationship. Now they finally get two uninterrupted weeks together, but unfortunately there is all kinds of drama and action just to get to their vacation. Dale is escorting Emily Bullen back to Albany and there is someone out to kill her. I enjoyed the action in the beginning of the book. The continuing saga with the Bullen case helps bridge all the books together plus we got to meet Joseph’s seal team members which I hope leads to future stories involving that crew.

As for the main characters, I wasn’t completely enamored with Joseph in their first book. His “I can do all” attitude grated a little on my nerves but this book changed my perspective him. I always like Dale so this just made me like him more. Joseph seemed more vulnerable in this story really questioning his current career path and what he wants out of life. You can tell the two are very much in love with each other, or maybe it is lust since they haven’t really gotten to know each other so the two week vacation would be a good test. If anything they have a ton of sexual chemistry, the two together are hot hot hot. Thankfully it isn’t all just one continuous sex scene. There are hikes in the woods, dinner out so it becomes clear they are meant to be together. I love to read stories of men who can express their feelings and not just assume we know what they think because of how they act in bed.

I’m glad Ms. Scott wrote a follow up book to their story. Since I love to read series, any time I can read more about past couples it makes me happy. There were a few editing errors but not too distracting from the story.

Definite must read for Sanctuary fans.

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The Art of Words by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell

Posted by Pattycake on July 2, 2013

“What happened to the guy?” “I give him a two for topping,” Blu answered immediately. Ever since they had met a little over three years before, the two men had been scoring their hook-ups from one to ten. A two was pathetic. Giving marks for topping mafe the hook-up even more pathetic.”

GENRE: M/M, disability
RATING: 3 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: After years of following his activist parents, artist Blu Taylor finally found somewhere to call home. He sees art in the world around him yet is never truly part of it. There’s a line that keeps him just on the outside of everything and everyone except his best friend.

Thomas Harrington has everything–the money, the car, and the designer suits. But something is missing from a seemingly perfect life, lost when his mother fell ill. After attending a local art show, Blu is contacted by Tom and offered his dream–a chance to show at a gallery.

Though there is a growing attraction between the men, their worlds couldn’t be more apart. Blu speaks through paint and brushes, and Tom’s life is filled with words and paperwork.

Though opposites attract, these differences might push them apart.(less)

PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: The Art of Words by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell is the delightful story of two men from totally different worlds. The blurb covers the basic storyline but to really appreciate it, you need to read it for yourself. Anything that I could add would just spoil it. This is definitely a character driven tale with a plot that starts smoothly and flows effortlessly until the end. The characters are very well rounded with diverse personalities that complement each other, with strengths and weaknesses that bring them to life.

The authors’ styles of writing complement each other as they combine their genius together with simple, clear, concise,and original skill. There’s not much sex in the story, but it’s so well done that it’s really not needed. There’s just enough backstory to lay the foundation without too much trivia. The story has a HEA ending after a misunderstanding almost ends the budding relationship and I really enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for a great way to spend an hour or so, then I can really recommend this book to you.

* * * * *

Short Story Review: Child of the Storm by RJ Scott

Posted by Scotty on June 16, 2013

“When Cory grinned with a mouthful of chocolate fudge cake Ben decided he so was not sharing that observation with Cory. Not when what he really wanted to do was lick into that mouth and taste the chocolate inside.”
GENRE: M/M
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Ben Hyland is excited to be showing Yorkshire to Cory Vasilyev. Cory scouts locations for film studios and needs the right inspiration for a new film version of Wuthering Heights. Problem is, Ben wants to share his passion for the story and for the wild moors but Cory just wants to go home.

Until abruptly he doesn’t want to leave at all.

* * *
This story previously appeared in an anthology called *Hearts of England* published in 2012.

SCOTTY JONES’S OPINION: I loved RJ Scott’s short story Child of the Storm but just when I was really getting into it… it ended! I really wanted more of this great story that wanted to be told. Not knowing much about the film industry or England, I was quickly transported to the moors of Yorkshire. It didn’t hurt that it was based on a wonderful film, Wuthering Heights, a true classic. R.J. Scott hit all the senses: Taste, sight, smell and feel. I got it. I saw it, smelled it and tasted it, or wanted to at any rate.

The characters were solid. Ben the English Lecturer and the American film location scout set off on a trek to Yorkshire where the first kiss takes place. It was nice and hot. There is no explicit sex scene (damn it) and the connection that I started to feel for the characters was quickly established. A great job by the author, thank you very much.

Now for the not so good stuff: It felt rushed. There were a few places where it was a bit redundant, but not so much that it jerked me out of the story. If you are looking for a quick read that pulls you into a story, then this is it. Well written, solid characters, solid plot, but I will warn you, it will leave you wanting more. So R.J. Scott…are we getting more?

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The Teacher and the Soldier by RJ Scott

Posted by Lady McNeill on June 6, 2013

“This is going to sound like every cliché line in every romance on the Hallmark channel, but none of that means anything if I don’t have you here with me.”

GENRE: M/M, military
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Luke Fitzgerald left Ellery Mountain for college and vowed never to come back. When his father is murdered he has no choice but to return. Luke only goes home to sell off his share of the Ellery Mountain Cabins, but everything changes when he meets the son of the other owner. Daniel Skylar is an ex-soldier who lives every day to the limit and sees a future in Luke.

It doesn’t matter what Daniel says, or how much he needs Luke; Luke isn’t staying once everything is sold off. Surely Daniel can understand that?

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: In the Teacher and the Soldier, by RJ Scott, Luke Fitzgerald, son of the town drunk who was killed in the first Ellery Mountain book, has returned to town to sell his share of the Ellery Mountain Cabins. Luke’s last two years in Ellery as a teen were just horrible. Abused by his father he escaped with no plans to return. Unfortunately he’s going through a string of bad luck and plans to start over, but needs to take care of the property. He’s not handling his return visit very well and suffering numerous panic attacks.

Luke finally meets up with Daniel Skylar, whose mom owns the rest of the property, to discuss their plans. Hypersensitive he doesn’t react well to Daniel and it sets him off into a panic. Fists fly or at least Luke’s do but Daniel reacts with amazing calm. Kind of like dealing with an abused animal, Daniel does all of the right things. In public, Luke for the most part seems a skittish, shy with a recluse type personality, but that completely changes when he and Daniel get together. He becomes much more assertive and the two are super hot. They are definitely compatible in the bedroom. But Luke has no intention of staying in the middle of bum F*&k Tennessee and is going to start a new life in Colorado, but plans to enjoy these next two weeks with Daniel.

Daniel’s personality is a perfect complement to Luke’s. Seems within just a few days together they know the other is the one but Luke’s unwillingness to stay in TN and Daniel’s unwillingness to move seems they won’t have a future. I read this story twice and ended up liking it more the second time around. It is short and there is insta-love but it is the same with all of the books in the series. The story does included Finn, Max and Kieran which I enjoy keeping up with characters from prior stories. There is no major angst but a simple love story that left me happy in the end. Luke deserved to find love and Daniel was the perfect one to give it.

* * * * *

Release Week Review: The Carpenter and the Actor by RJ Scott

Posted by Lady McNeill on May 29, 2013

“I look at the menu all the time, but the only dish I want is five nine with blond, flicky hair, cornflower blue eyes and a mouth like a Hoover.”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 3 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Jason McInnery, hounded by the paparazzi after his brother’s death, runs to the one place where he hopes people will not sell him out. The place where he was born.

Hiding in the tourist cabins at Ellery Mountain Resort out of season he thinks he finally has room to breathe.

If only Kieran Dexter, a man ten years his junior, would stop fixing stuff and generally causing ripples in Jason’s calm space.

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: The Carpenter and the Actor by RJ Scott is book three in the Ellery Mountain series and we are blessed with Kieren’s story. I loved his personality in the earlier books and was excited to hear his story. Added benefit, the cover of the book was the image I had in my mind for him!

In this story, we meet Jason McInnery who is essentially taking his three week break from filming (he’s a big time Hollywood actor) to hide out from the paparazzi. What better place then deep in the mountains of Tennessee. If only he could have some peace and quiet when on day one he’s woken up early by Kieren working outside. Such a cute exchange between them and Kieren was just being Kieren talking a mile a minute. Jason is a hard character to figure out. His hiding out seems more like depression to me but it is his way of coping with the death of his brother. He was letting himself go with his appearance, but he finds Kieren is interrupting his thoughts and ends up making quite a proposition to Kieren. What begins as a three week hiatus from life turns into a whirlwind affair with Kieren but with a two week deadline. So what happens at the end of those two weeks?

The story is sexy and Kieren is definitely not just a bottom as people presume him to be due to his stature. Seems he and Jason are a perfect match in bed. Overall the story is short but it is exactly the same as the prior books in the series so if you’ve enjoyed them then this will not disappoint. I did feel like there was a slight continuity issue between the timing of Jason’s brother Ben’s death from the beginning of the book to the end. The story of Ben’s death began as potentially an illicit tale but ended up just being a tragic accident. That issue didn’t affect Jason’s and Kieren’s story but just left me wondering what more could have been brought into the story.

Looking forward to more of the Ellery series though I’m wondering how many more gay men can come out of the woodwork in this small town!

* * * * *

Recent Release Review: The Guilty Werewolf by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on April 29, 2013

If this was his time to die, then he’d face it well.

GENRE: M/M, shapeshifters, fantasy
RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Declan Finlay is hunting the guilty werewolf, his friend Connor. The incubus, Levi Tiernan, is his companion on the hunt. If Declan doesn’t track and kill Connor, then Levi will.

Declan Finlay is the best Retriever that Glitnir has.

Well, he is now that Connor Strand has gone rogue.

He is sent to hunt Connor – the guilty werewolf. But he doubts that his best friend could ever be guilty and he resolves to track him down and find out why he ran with the renegade vampire.

When the Fae Alliance, reporting to Glitnir, demand that he not go alone he is forced to accept the incubus, Levi Tiernan, an assassin, as his companion on the journey. If Declan doesn’t kill Connor, then Levi will.

What happens when old lust and love dictate action and suddenly Declan is questioning everything he knows.

BECKY CONDIT’S OPINION: First things first: I came into this book without having read the first book in the series so I missed out on a lot of RJ Scott’s world building and character development. Nevertheless, this story is thrilling and held me captive from the moment I started reading it until I finished.

When Declan is sent to find his best friend Connor He figures he can find Connor and get his straightened out from whatever hell he’s been through that kept him from returning home. However, when he is paired with the assassin Levi all bets are off. It is clear that Connor will not be returning alive with Declan, and in fact may already be dead.

Declan is not a killer but that is what he’s being asked to do. There are a lot of twists and turns to this story but there are no plot gaps so while it is complicated it is easy to follow.

I enjoyed this story and now feel compelled to go back to read the first book on the series. RJ Scott is always a story teller first and a writer of romance second, and never is that distinction more important than in this book. Well done, Ms Scott.

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Recent Release Review: Moments by RJ Scott

Posted by Trish on April 25, 2013

” Today has been only the second Christmas since I was fourteen that I haven’t met the day either drugged to the eyeballs or out of it on spirits.”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Everyone has defining moments in time.

A path chosen, a journey taken, a decision made. Jacob Riley, an actor with possession charges hanging over his head and an attitude that the world owes him a living, is facing such a moment.

It is only with the help of others can he ever hope to find his way. Could Mac’s and its enigmatic boss, Ethan Myers, be the ones to give Jacob his defining moment?

TRISH’S OPINION: Moments by RJ Scott is the beautiful and poignant story of how actor Jared Riley is able to go from a spoiled, arrogant, petulant brat to a mature, responsible adult with the help and guidance of Ethan Myers, the founder and boss of Mac’s, a literacy and life skills center in a poor section of Los Angeles.
This is a character driven story with a plot that grabs you from the start and flows smoothly and seamlessly until the very end. The character’s emotional growth and change is a fantastic journey from self destruction to self awareness that resonates with what many people deal with in real life. The author has a simple, concise but emotionally charged style of writing that draws you in and offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the real person hiding beneath the superficial persona that most people take at face value. I absolutely LOVE how the characters get their HEA ending after a heartbreaking misunderstanding almost ends the budding relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fascinating story and would DEFINITELY recommend it to everyone looking for a fantastic and satisfying tale.

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ARC Review: The Case of the Wicked Wolf by Amber Kell and RJ Scott

Posted by Lucky on April 22, 2013

Bite me! (It’s strangely romantic.)

GENRE: M/M, vampires, shapeshifters
RATING: 4.5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha make up the intricate story in the race to rescue the missing children.

Sam and Bob have more than just the case of one lost child to handle. Not only is Shelby Hartman missing, but other paranormal children have disappeared. The race to rescue the children is hampered by naiads, humans, sirens and a challenge for Alpha.

Hartman Hunter is desperate to find his daughter. He turns to the demon Danjal Naamah for help. The problem is that Danjal is the only person Hartman has ever loved—the man he let go for the sake of the pack…

LUCKY’S OPINION: Bob the Vampire is back! Oh, and so are the rest of the folks at End Street Investigations. But mostly it’s Bob. The vampire. The sexiest undead since Dracula. Oh, Bob.

Anyway (truth be told, if Bob was a shifter, I’d be mooning over him…get it? Shifter. Moon. Never mind.) Bob is back along with Sam, the more-than-human (though no one is quite sure what he is yet) investigator he’s in love with. In the first book we met Hartman Hunter, Alpha of the werewolf pack, whose daughter has been kidnaped. This book, we learn the identity of the abductor, why she was abducted, more about Hartman and also find out more about Sam’s sleazy, slimy, no good ex, Josh. It’s a lot to pack into a short book, but Ms. Kell and Ms. Scott do a great job of it.

This book is a bit different from the first. That book, the point of view was mostly Sam’s. This time we’re getting multiple points of view. It took me a minute to figure out, but the story made perfect sense and I was grateful to get to understand Hartman better.

Some of the best scenes in the book play on jealousy. Hartman and Dan, Sam and Bob, Josh (did I mention Josh is slimy? Yes? Okay.) who is going to ‘save’ Sam. We also learn that Sam has developed an interesting ability, but no one knows where it came from. (Okay, not true. *I* know where it came from, but I did read the story. You should, too.)

This is the second book of the series and it would do you well to read the first. You can learn all about Bob (did you know vampires mate for life?) and the rest of the crew (and did you know that Bob is sexy and possessive?) from End Street Investigations. (And did you know that…okay, fine, I’ll shut up about Bob.)

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Release Day Review: The Case of the Cupid Curse by Amber Kell and RJ Scott

Posted by Lucky on March 25, 2013

“Did you know that vampires mate for life?” Bob began conversationally. “We don’t cheat. Ever. A cheating vampire is a dead vampire.”

GENRE: M/M, Paranormal, Crime & Mystery
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: The very thought of paranormals is enough to drive Private Investigator Sam Enderson mad, but add in his attraction to a vampire, and his world is turned upside down.
Sam Enderson is a human detective who finds himself working for paranormal creatures, despite his resolve to stick with humans only.
Bob is a vampire and turns up on Sam’s doorstep to rent a room. Sparks fly, and Sam is attracted to the vampire in spite of himself.
Soon after Sam is cursed by a witch, two cases land on his desk. Dealing with werewolves, annoying ghosts and a grumpy gargoyle is bad enough. But somehow, in amongst all of this chaos, he has to find a lost fae and a missing shifter child.

LUCKY’S OPINION: Sam Enderson has inherited a building from his late Uncle Oscar. After finding his ex-boyfriend in bed with his ex-best-friend, Sam needed a change. He decided to become a detective and open his own agency. This is how our story begins.

Sam makes a mistake on his first day by telling a witch his true name, which gives her power over him. He also finds out his world isn’t exactly how he envisioned it. First the uncle who left him the building may have been involved in something very shady (he finds this out from a gargoyle). Then Bob comes to look at the apartment. Bob is a vampire and apparently they really can read minds. Whoops.

Then there are the mysterious twins who have shown up looking for their third. Silly fae.

And then there is the werewolf. Boy, Sam has a full caseload and it’s only his first day!

This was a fun read. I truly enjoyed the characters and the supernatural background of the story. Bob is great! I’m hoping that Ms. Kell and Ms. Scott make this a series because I want more of these beings. Perhaps if I use a combination of puppy dog eyes and whining? Or maybe I could employ one of the sirens from the story?

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Recent Release Review: Spirit Bear by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on February 19, 2013

“So let me tick this off: eyes to your soul, height and a slim build that just freaking turns me on, hair that is so soft, kisses that shoot straight to my cock, and to top it all, you know all the shit there is to know about the bears. What more could I want?”

GENRE: M/M
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Dominic Novak left more than a legacy for conservation and an instinctive love for animals behind when he died.

He left a son, Anthony, who craved the instinct with animals that his father had… and a pupil, Mitchell, whose life changed after hearing Dominic lecture on conservationism at college.

Anthony is hiding from the world, scared of people finding the real him and keeping a lid on his grief. Could working together at a placement in Khutzeymateen, a grizzly bear sanctuary in British Columbia, be the making of Anthony, or will it end up destroying him?

JOSIE GOODREAD’S OPINION: In Spirit Bear by RJ Scott we meet Aiden Samuels, a shy insecure young man who takes a place as a ranger at the annual bear census held in the Khutzeymateen reserve in British Columbia. He travels to Khutzeymateen with experienced ranger and teacher Mitchell Steward. Mitchell is immediately attracted to Aiden, but what Mitchell doesn’t know is that Aiden Samuels is a pseudonym, Aiden is actually Anthony Novak, the son of the late brilliant and famous conservationist Dominic Novak, who founded the Spirit Bear Park sanctuary where Mitchell works. Mitchell studied under Dominic Novak, idolised him. Mitchell’s work at Spirit Bear is a legacy to Dominic’s memory.
Aiden wants nothing more than to continue his fathers work, but on his own terms, without the pressure and fame the Novak name would give him. He wants a final few weeks of anonymity, precious time to gain practical experience, before he joins Spirit Bear as his fathers son. What happens when Aiden and Mitchell meet? When Mitchell finds out who Aiden really is?
I haven’t read any books set in the nature world and thats why Spirit Bear drew me in, it was something totally different. I know RJ researches her books very well and Spirit Bear is no exception. I loved the description of the rain forest and the desolate wilds of British Columbia, all the information on the bears, (I adored Vanilla and Cocco) and the history of the native canadians who live there, it made me feel a part of the story.
The characters of Aiden and Mitchell were perfectly drawn and complimented each other like ying and yang. Aiden so very sweet, clumsy, full of complex insecurities and hiding from who he really was, needed Mitchell, a man who was confident as a ranger and a teacher but was actually quite shy in his initial attraction for Aiden. I loved how the relationship built up, the way they took things one at a time, becoming friends as well as lovers, and that speech Mitchell gave to Aiden about why he wanted to kiss him, my favourite words of the book, just melted me.
“So let me tick this off: eyes to your soul, height and a slim build that just freaking turns me on, hair that is so soft, kisses that shoot straight to my cock, and to top it all, you know all the shit there is to know about the bears. What more could I want?”
I liked the fact that Mitchell didn’t just walk away when he found out who Aiden really was, he had his moment of hurt and anger but then he waited for Aiden to explain, tried to understand.
I loved both MCs but Aiden was my favourite, I loved the tactile touching, I also touch things, stroke things, so I understood that side of Aiden’s nature, touching makes everything real, makes you feel connected, I adored Mitchell for understanding that.
Spirit Bear is ultimately Aiden’s story, his journey to accepting who he is and what his future could be if he can be brave enough to clasp it. I loved every page.

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Book Review: The Fireman and the Cop by RJ Scott

Posted by Lady McNeill on February 11, 2013

RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

BLURB: Book one in the Ellery Mountain Series
Rescuing cop Finn Ryan from a burning precinct was easy; it’s keeping him alive after that which fireman Max Harrison finds difficult.
Ellery is a quiet town in the Smoky Mountains, at the base of Ellery Peak, and nothing ever happens. Max is escaping from his firefighting job in the city to take up a role as assistant to the Mayor whilst also holding the position of a volunteer fire fighter.
Finn Ryan is one of only three cops in the small town and it soon seems to Max that someone is out to hurt the sexy cop. Rescuing Finn from a burning precinct was the easy part; it’s keeping him alive after that which fireman Max Harrison finds difficult.


LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: If the Fireman and The Cop is any indication, RJ Scott has created a new must read series called Ellery Mountain! The first book features Max Harrison a new firefighter in Ellery, TN who has left the big city to be assistant mayor and volunteer firefighter. Day two on the job, and he’s already working on a major fire where Finn Ryan, a local police officer is still inside. After a dramatic rescue, Finn unknowingly hits on Max as he’s being carted away in the ambulance. Could it be that Finn is gay like Max? What are the odds in such a small town? As they worked to uncover who is the arsonist the story quickly changes as the Finn becomes the target. Max finds himself falling for Finn if only they can manage to keep Finn from becoming a victim.
I loved both Finn and Max! Who doesn’t love a man in uniform and here we have two! We are treated to both POVs and I think Finn is just too sweet for words and Max isn’t sure how best to handle his attraction to Finn. Neither does “relationships” but there is something that could be worth working towards. It’s obvious there is a lot of attraction between these two and when they come together it is smokin’ hot! Since the story is short they do very quickly fall in lust/love. What I’ve liked about Ms. Scott’s stories is her ability to weave mystery and action into a story and that is what makes this story an interesting read. I do wish the book had been longer. The overall plot is great, but the story would have benefited from extending the timeline, filling in between with more interaction between Finn and Max getting to know each other. Finn has a great set of friends and I look forward to reading their stories in future books in the series!

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Book Review: Journal of Sanctuary One by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on February 2, 2013

BLURB: Jake spends every Christmas at Sanctuary 1. From a small child the cabin was home for his family in the special season, and with the third anniversary of his dad’s death approaching he arranges for Kayden, Beckett and himself to meet at the cabin a few days before Christmas. When a snowstorm means Kayden is blocked in NY with Beckett, Jake ends up in the cabin on his own.

Sean is being hunted and the only place he can run to is somewhere mentioned in an old journal – the original Sanctuary Cabin. The cabin is no longer in official use but it would be a good place to heal and take stock of just what the fuck is going on with his life.

Neither man is prepared for being stuck together for an entire week, nor for the secrets that threaten to get them both killed.

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: I was excited when I read there would be another book in the Sanctuary series. The Journal of Sanctuary One by R.J. Scott features Jake Callahan and Sean Hanson. The more books I’ve read in the series, the more I’ve wanted to read Jake’s story. As the leader of Sanctuary, I knew he was destined for love at some point. Seems authors always love to save the leaders for the end! Jake is on his way to meet Kayden and Beckett at their winter cabin to spend the holidays. Unfortunately a massive snow storm means Jake may be all alone. The cabin is the original Sanctuary safe house and holds a lot of memories of Jake’s parents. We learn a lot about the original formation of Sanctuary and the story of their deaths. It was a really interesting addition to the series.
While Jake is snowbound in the house, who comes crawling to the door but the traitor Sean Hanson. He’s betrayed the Sanctuary and he ruined any attraction Jake had for him. I do enjoy the locked in a winter cabin troupe. What a better way to work through their issues than to be forced to be together. Sparks fly quickly as Jake and Sean have a hard time denying their attraction to each other. But even better, we get a whole new sub-plot on Jake’s parents.
This story makes a perfect addition to the Sanctuary series! It fits with the writing style of all of the previous books and is a sweet HFN for Jake and Sean especially with the holiday theme!
LADY MCNEILL’S RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

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Book Review: Full Circle by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on January 29, 2013


BLURB: Manny Sullivan is the backbone of Sanctuary. He has his fingers in every pie and when he spots Josh Headley where he shouldn’t be, it is Manny who goes in and rescues him.

Josh is in Sanctuary witness protection after his dad turns on the Bullens. Not only is his dad a murderer but his ex is a liar who was using him for information. With his skill in information retrieval, he hopes to make a contribution to the solution.

What started with the death of Elisabeth Costain is drawing to a close and Josh and Manny are in the middle of it all. When Manny risks his life could it finally be time for Josh to risk his heart?

Title: Full Circle
Author: R.J. Scott
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Series: Sanctuary #5
Genre: m/m, mystery, suspense
Length: 36,750 words
Favorite Character: Josh Headley


LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: For fans of R.J. Scott’s Sanctuary series, you will enjoy Full Circle. Manny’s story and reading the resolution on the Bullen case. We’ve know Manny as the systems expert but now he steps out from behind the computer to go undercover. But who will step in to fulfill his role but none other Josh Headley, the son of Elisabeth Costain’s murderer. Seems Josh is as much of a computer geek as Manny is. While in close quarters working together, sparks begin to fly between the two but Manny has to focus on his undercover job or risk the case and his life.
I definitely like Manny and Josh together. Their personalities fit together. The book was a quick read and wraps up the Bullen case but definitely leaves other questions that get addressed in Jake’s book. I would love to see the novels extended because the stories could have been expanded and the growing love and subsequent relationships stretched out a little more. Overall a great addition to the series! I’ve enjoyed the series being focused on one case. The mystery makes it fun to pick up each new book and see what happens next.

LADY MCNEILL’S RATING: 3 1/2 Sweet Peas!

BUY LINKS:

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Book Review: Guarding Morgan by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on August 17, 2012



BLURB:
Morgan Drake is the only witness to a murder in an alleyway. Nik Valentinov works for Sanctuary, a foundation offering witness protection to anyone whose safety is compromised. Morgan discovers a bodyguard’s arms can offer more than protection.

Morgan Drake witnesses a murder in an alleyway. He is the only person who can give evidence in prosecuting the cop responsible for the crime. When the FBI safe house where he’s being held is compromised, he follows the instructions of the agent in charge and runs.

Nik Valentinov works for Sanctuary, a foundation that offers witness protection when FBI security is questionable.

When Morgan’s handler sends him to Nik for safety, neither Morgan nor Nik could imagine that two weeks alone in a cabin in the woods would have their hearts racing with something much more than merely trying to keep Morgan alive.

Love.

Title: Guarding Morgan
Author: R.J. Scott
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Series: Sanctuary
Genre: m/m
Length: 193 pages
Favorite Character: Morgan Drake


LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION:
One thing I almost never do is read books in a series out of order. But somehow I jumped into R.J. Scott’s Sanctuary series on the second book The Only Easy Day. I continued on with the rest of the series knowing I was going to come back to Guarding Morgan at some point. Now I’m kicking myself I didn’t read it sooner because I think it was my favorite of the series. The entire series takes us through murder case involving the Bullen family. This story begins Elisabeth Costain’s murder mystery and the protection of Morgan Drake who witnessed her death. Protected by the FBI, Morgan’s location is exposed and he finds himself being thrust into Sanctuary’s protection. Nik Valentinov is coming off another protection case when he’s jumping in to take Morgan to security. Locked up in a cabin for two weeks, Morgan and Nik begin to form feelings for each other.
Morgan is by far my most favorite character. I have seen glimpses of him in later books but in this one we really get to know him. He’s witty, sexy and knows what he wants. He really makes it hard for Nik to resist him. Nik is hard on the outside but Morgan quickly breaks him down and what you find is a man who really can love. Nik and Morgan to me really fit as lovers and partners. It was nice to read the beginning of the murder mystery so if you can, definitely read this series from the beginning.

LADY MCNEILL’S RATING: 4 1/2 Sweet Peas!

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Book Review: Still Waters by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on July 9, 2012

BLURB: Adam is given an assignment — to work with a man he hates. The same man that didn’t trust him two years before and destroyed their relationship in a single day.

Lee is adamant that he needs to understand why Adam betrayed the Bureau and the Bullen case is the perfect cover to get back in his ex lover’s life.

Against the backdrop of Sanctuary and the Bullen case, can they both realise not everything they saw was real?

Title: Still Waters
Author: R.J. Scott
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Series: Sanctuary
Genre: m/m; contemporary
Length: 161 pages

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: Still Waters by RJ Scott is the fourth in the Sanctuary series. The story picks up on the continued involvement in the Bullen Case as the Sanctuary group tries to find enough evidence to convict monster Alastair Bullen in the murder of Elisabeth Costain. The FBI is unhappy as the Sanctuary is still protecting Morgan and Beckett, who are now both intimately involved with other members of the Sanctuary group.The FBI is now asserting themselves and Adam Brooke is being assigned to work directly with an FBI Agent, Lee Myers. Unfortunately Adam and Lee have a past and it isn’t pretty so can they work through their hurt and betrayal and make progress in the case or will the FBI take over complete?

If you’ve enjoyed the past Sanctuary books then you are sure to enjoy this one. Adam is a great agent with a sordid past but things aren’t what they appear. Past hurt and betrayal has left him bitter and the last person he wants to deal with is Lee. Their interactions are heated at best but there is a strong sexual tension between the two. It is clear who is the alpha in this relationship but too many hurt feels are getting in the way of any progress. What I found frustrating is there were many things that could have been resolved through open communication which was clearly missing in the past but is rampant now. Years wasted on assumptions!
I’ve really come to enjoy the Sanctuary series and Ms. Scott’s style of writing. The stories are short enough to enjoy in an evening and the continuing storyline makes me look forward to what will happen next in the case. The characters are all big, strong, tough males but they still seem to have the ability to all out love their partner meaning they really express their love both physically and emotionally. You will find that these men move very quickly in finding love, but they really seem to know what they want.
Still Waters is a great blend of a criminal investigation with a super, sexy love story!

LADY MCNEILL’S RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!

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Book Review: Face Value by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on April 21, 2012

Beckett Jamieson is temporarily blinded by his uncle and father’s harsh beating. Rushed to safety by a secretive organisation, the one person he trusted leaves him in care of Kayden Summers. Can he now trust the doctor to keep him safe?Beckett Jamieson discovers he’s adopted when a lawyer hands him a letter from his mother on his twenty-first birthday. His real name is Robert Bullen, but the Bullen family is involved in criminal activity of the worst kind. He decides to bring them down but ends up badly beaten and temporarily blinded. A Sanctuary agent takes him to a safe house to heal.Doctor Kayden Summers is a Sanctuary operative and isn’t happy about being stuck in the middle of nowhere with an unconscious man. When Beckett wakes up, the situation goes from bad to worse. Beckett doesn’t trust him, is as determined as ever to find the evidence his mother hid, and on top of all that, Kayden finds himself attracted to the determined young man.

Can they overcome their issues and eliminate the threat from the Bullen brothers?


LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: Face Value by RJ Scott is the third book in the Sanctuary series. The story picks up from Beckett Jamison’s point of view. In the last book, he had been beaten severely while trying to extract information and has been taken in by Sanctuary to be cared for by Kayden Summers who is an operative and doctor. Beckett had learned at 21 that he was actually adopted and the son of the Bullen Family who is known for criminal activities. Led by a letter from his long deceased birth mother, he is attempting to search for information, but is discovered and beaten before The Sanctuary is able to come to his rescue.
The story takes us through his healing and growing attraction to Kayden who returns the affection. The story is very fast paced so they go from doctor/patient to a relationship in a short time. It is very sweet how they are with each other; I find it almost more romantic to read about that first kiss as their emotions are coming out than to read a detailed sex scene. This book is full of those romantic type moments as Kayden and Beckett make a cute couple. I really enjoy the story RJ Scott creates. The beginnings of Face Value and The Only Easy Day (#2 in Sanctuary) both have a lot of detail and intensity. The whole Bullen family drama is very interesting. I really like all the characters involved, then are funny, cocky and great at their jobs. My only regret is the story raps up very quickly to the point I question can the relationship last. I want more scenes which is a testimony to her writing since I formed an attachment to the men and seeing them fall for someone.
Face Value is quick and sexy story about covert operatives fighting crime and falling for love at the same time. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

LADY MCNEILL’S RATING: 4 blissful sweet peas!

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Book Review: The Only Easy Day by RJ Scott

Posted by Becky Condit on February 26, 2012

SUMMARY: One dead girl, one scared witness, and two men trained as Navy SEALs. Whether searching for justice or revenge, the final showdown between them is the same—explosive.

Dale MacIntyre, former Navy SEAL, works for Sanctuary. He’s the acting handler for a member of the Bullen family’s inner circle. He’s close to obtaining the evidence he needs to prove Elisabeth Costain’s death was ordered by them… until someone gets in his way.

Joseph Kinnon, active Navy SEAL, is back on US soil for the first time in months, and he’s told the tragic news that his stepsister is dead, gunned down in an alley by an unknown assailant. He’s determined to find out who murdered her… until someone gets in his way.

They both want the same thing but have different methods of accomplishing their goals. They both want the Bullen family brought to account, but one wants justice and the other wants revenge.

What happens between them, however, has nothing to do with either.

COMMENT PROMPT: What is the difference between justice and revenge?

LADY MCNEILL’S OPINION: The Only Easy Day is the second book in the Sanctuary series by RJ Scott. I highly recommend reading the first book because this story is a continuation of a murder mystery. It isn’t necessary since I was able to pick up the gist of what occurred but I think it would have helped with continuity. In this book, Navy Seal Joseph Kinnon has come home for leave when he learns his step sister has been murdered. He immediately intends to spend his next thirty days finding out what happened.

When we first meet Joseph, he is as I expected any Navy Seal to be: tough as nails, stealth and very effective at what he does. He is very dedicated to his team and even on leave they are working as a unit to help him gather intel to find his sister’s murder. He is openly gay with his team but not in a flamboyant way. On the other side of the story is Dale MacIntrye, a former Navy Seal who is working for a covert operation called the Sanctuary which seems to specialize in protecting witnesses or people in danger. Not sure if this was intended or my imagination but it seems everyone that works at Sanctuary is a gay man. I’m wondering if that is just a coincidence or if I missed something that would explain that in the first book. Dale’s is currently trying to protect Robert Bullen the son of a suspected mobster who is also suspected of killing Joseph’s sister Elisabeth.

Interestingly it takes a lot of back story to lead up to when Dale and Joseph finally meet. While very cautious of each other, they do immediately begin to work together on a rescue mission. Through this one on one action is when sparks start to fly. To me Joseph was an enigma, because I expected him to behave like the Seal described in the beginning of the book, but he did and said things that were counterintuitive to that. He was a lot more vocal about his feelings and expressions of love. Of course I love to think of an alpha male being able to express feelings but it didn’t fit with me. One moment he is a bad ass and then next he’s openly flirting with Dale. I also don’t normally have issues with insta-love but these two were at their HEA within days of meeting. I just can’t believe that, there will have to be more in the next book for me to be convinced this is more than just lust. Maybe because the book took a long time to build up to their meeting that the resolution came way too quickly.

For my friends who aren’t big m/m fans, this book is surprisingly not erotic at all. There are some sexual scenes in the book but they are very non-descriptive. You will not be getting a play by play of each movement.

If you like military, mystery type books then I’d recommend the series.

LADY MCNEILL’S EVALUATION: 3 1/2 blissful sweet peas!

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