Title: Hush
Author: Tal Bauer
Genre: M/M Romance, romantic suspense
Release Date: July 12, 2017
Publisher:  Tal Bauer
Length: 462 pages

Description:

A federal judge running from the truth.
A U.S. marshal running from his past.
A trial that can plunge the world into war.

Federal Judge Tom Brewer is finally putting the pieces of his life back together. In the closet for twenty-five long years, he's climbing out slowly, and, with the hope of finding a special relationship with the stunning Mike Lucciano, U.S. Marshal assigned to his D.C. courthouse. He wants to be out and proud, but he can't erase his own past, and the lessons he learned long ago.

A devastating terrorist attack in the heart of Washington, D.C., and the capture and arrest of the terrorist leads to a trial that threatens to expose the dark underbelly of America's national security. The Russian president is gravely injured and fixated on revenge, while a gay Russian dissident is arrested and put on trial in Judge Tom Brewer's courtroom.

As Russia beats the drums of war and the United States struggles to contain the trial before it races out of control, secrets and lies, past and present, collide in his courtroom, before his bench. With the world's attention fixed on Tom, secrets from his past explode during the course of the trial, which place him at the very center of the case and make him the only man who can try to stop the world's slide into war.


Amazon US Amazon UK


OUR REVIEW

When we heard that Tal Bauer had released Hush, we were excited, but also a little worried. How could Bauer possibly write another book as good as the ones in The Executive Office series?

Well, we shouldn't have worried. Bauer has done it again! Hush is once again set in D.C., but this time, we are plunged into the fascinating world of the Federal Court system where Federal Judge Tom Brewer meets sexy U.S. Marshal Mike Lucciano.

Tom has been in the closet since being given an ultimatum between being gay and going to law school. So, for twenty-five years, he's been celibate, but now that he's found Mike and now that times have changed, maybe it's his chance to come out, to be himself, and live the life he's always wanted to have.

"Living like I have, I don't recommend it."

Mike pulled back slowly, his hands on Tom's shoulders. He searched Tom's gaze, his expression unreadable. "Why now? Why are you doing this now?"

He squirmed. "I... fell for a guy," he breathed. "I fell for this guy, this amazing guy. I think he's worth it."

Mike looked like Tom had just kicked his puppy. "Tom..."

"It's okay, I don't expect anything. I know I'm not your type. But you are amazing, Mike. Just this. Just... telling you." He squeezed his eyes shut. Licked his lips. "Feeling your hands on me. It's worth it." His eyes fluttered open.

"You need to stop saying that," Mike grunted.

"Saying what?"

"That you're not my type." Mike swiped his thumb over Tom's cheek, brushing away the river of tears. "I met this guy, too. He's..." Mike sighed. "He's so brave. So, so brave."

With Mike at his side, Tom decides to take baby steps towards coming out. First with friends, and maybe later at work. But then there's an attack on the Russian president on the steps of the Capitol, and Tom's worst nightmare begins to unfold.

He couldn't think. Couldn't put two and two together. Could not string neurons into a coherent thought. Blind panic had replaced all higher order functions. Pure, unadulterated panic.

This was everything he'd feared. Exposure, media evisceration, millions of eyeballs poring over his life, his every movement, following him everywhere he went. Fears fell like drenching rain, and he tried to swim out of the rising tide before he drowned. Mike, the choices he'd started making, planning for his eventual coming out.

[...]

All of that, everything he'd planned, every careful step he'd agonized over, was going up in smoke. 

Page by page, Bauer weaves a web of plots, deals, and double-crossings that will blow your mind when it all comes to a head in a Bauer's usual spectacular way.

OUR RATING: 5 stars!

See our review of Enemies of the State (The Executive Office, Book 1) here.
See our review of Enemy Within (The Executive Office, Book 3) here.

#REVIEW Torn and Frayed by Rodd Clark #gayfiction #romhero

Genre: Gay fiction, crime fiction, part of the Gabriel Church Tale series
Release Date: January 9, 2016
Publisher:  Driven Press
Length: 277 pages

Description: “Conscience isn’t something all people are born with...”

Gabriel Church is a portrait in contrast. It would be easy to get lost in his pale-blue eyes, ache with the need to feel the strength of his masculine frame. He appears to be nothing but animal and instinct. The only people who know the full depth of that truth are dead, murdered, or two thousand miles away.

Gabe is a serial killer. For the first time in his life, he has more on his mind than his own survival. This time he is running from Seattle to protect the only person he thinks innocent in his laundry list of crime and murder: Christian Maxwell, his biographer and unexpected lover. Drawn to a place he never thought to return, Gabe finds new and different realities. Realities that insist he let go of his tragic past, those incredible perceptions of God, and his own divinity. He must open his eyes to what the love of a good man can do to heal a broken soul.

But when the killer is confronted by his own willingness to love and sacrifice, he is forced to ultimately ask the question: Just how far will he go to save a life . . . when all he’s ever done is take them?


Amazon US Amazon UK


OUR REVIEW

This second book in the Gabriel Church saga is, in some ways, even more powerful than the first. The previous book ends with Gabe leaving town. Christian has made an error that exposes him to Gabe's evil world and to serious consequences under the law. So, in Torn and Frayed, we see Gabe in his natural habitat--on the road, executing his divine justice, and staying out of sight of the law. It is chilling, fascinating, and awe-inspiring. Gabe is very intelligent and no one, except Christian, has any inkling of who and what Gabe really is.

But as the separation between Gabe and Christian extends, Gabe begins to realize the depth of his attachment to Christian, the depth of his feelings. 

The allure that bound them was based on something bent and unconventional. It was this distinction that outshone all else, and was the only thing that might've remained standing. It was a Romeo and Juliet tragedy in the making; two souls who'd shared a single foxhole, yet neither could see that clearly enough in those early days.

Gabriel is also starting to realize that his "divine" justice may not be so divine after all. He's also aware that because of his efforts to protect Christian, not only is their relationship at risk, but Gabe's very life is as well. In Seattle, he grew accustomed to talking with Christian and, bereft of him, Gabe discovers the need to talk about his past has not gone away. On one of his journey's Gabriel spots a quaint church, and for some unknown reason he is drawn to it. There, he finds surprising comfort in the form of Father Kait. 

If he'd learned one thing lately, it was how much danger he represented; maybe not for the general public, but for the white lighters who had the misfortune of walking past him and for those he cared about. He didn't need to get Maxwell tangled up inside his shit, and he knew he might just be swapping that preferred time with Chris for that of a stranger, but it was better than keeping everything bottled up inside. Or even the threat that his secrets might escape, only to rise to the surface, as secrets had a tendency to do. Maybe it was true that some things were better buried in the sticky mud at the river's bottom... but it was awful hard to keep them there.

A series of events brings Gabe back to Seattle and to Chris. We are drawn even deeper into Gabe's mind, his twisted logic, his protective instincts, his increasing need for love and acceptance. Chris is perplexed by his insatiable desire for Gabe, even knowing exactly who and what Gabe is. He can no longer pretend that the killings have stopped, because he has evidence to the contrary. He can no longer pretend that there will be a happy ending for him and Gabe, one that involves sandy beaches in a sunny paradise. Gabe has done too much and Christian has seen too much. So where can their relationship go from here? 

If you enjoy dark, twisted tales of serial killers with some seriously steamy sex and a deep and complicated romance, then you'll love Torn and Frayed! As usual, Clark's writing is excellent. However, there were some proofreading issues and I found a couple discrepancies between this book and the first one. 

OUR RATING: 4 stars!

(0410/2016)

#REVIEW Rubble and the Wreckage by Rodd Clark #gayfiction #romhero

Genre: Gay fiction, crime fiction, part of the A Gabriel Church Tale series
Release Date: January 30, 2015
Publisher:  Driven Press
Length: 254 pages

Description: Gabriel Church knows you can’t take a life without first understanding just how feeble life is, how tentative and weak it stands alone. If you desire murder, you hold a life in your hand. Whether you release it to grant life or grip tighter to end it, it is at your command and discretion. Gabriel is a serial killer with a story he wants told.

Christian Maxwell studied abnormal psychology in college but chose instead to focus on a career in writing. His background comes in handy when he thinks of writing about a serial killer. He can’t think of anyone more qualified to write the story of Gabriel Lee Church, and do so in the murderer’s own words. It’s been done before, but never with a killer who has yet to be captured or convicted.

There was never anything more than a gentleman’s understanding between the two men that Christian would record Gabriel’s life story. The killer did not ask for his complicity in any crimes, nor did he ever ask for his silence. Christian’s interest in the man, though, is fast becoming something more than academic. When the writer and his subject become unexpected friends and then lovers, the question remains: What is Gabriel’s endgame . . . and why does he want his story told?


Amazon US Amazon UK


OUR REVIEW

Rubble and the Wreckage is one of the most unusual books I've read. It's a dark, twisted, fascinating tale about a serial killer and a writer that seeks to answer the often asked question: how can a person fall in love with someone so evil?

Gabriel Church is a serial killer, who has been righteously executing his duty for some twenty years. The police are nowhere on his tail. In fact, they have no idea that a serial killer is responsible for dozens of murders across the country. But Gabriel isn't satisfied with anonymity. He senses that the end of his run is near and wants people to understand why he's done the things he's done.

When the man didn't offer a conciliatory gesture, Gabe continued, "Before Florida, before Seattle, I had been somewhere else... It was a better place for me because it still held some type of promise. Nothing had been carved into stone... if you'll pardon the pun." Church's head rolled back as if he were about to break into a hearty laugh.

He was a dangerous, sick man; Christian could see that. His reference to the markers of his varied victims, as well as his nonchalant manner in describing his affinity to murder, was unsettling, even for someone as akin to pathology as Christian Maxwell.

When he discovers that Christian Maxwell has some how put together one and one, he finds young writer and convinces him to become his biographer. Christian is fascinated by Gabriel, a man who is a textbook sociopath--charming and dangerous, and oh... he's as sexy as an angel... a fallen one. But as he learns about the past killings, Christian is plunged into an ethical dilemma.

He stood there watching the bathroom fill with muggy heat, rubbing his crotch front to remind himself of the fabric straining against his own fully engorged member. Was he that fucked up that he'd consider throwing himself at a man who had so easily killed so many folks across this country? Apparently so, he reasoned... because he hadn't moved away yet.

Through Gabriel's recounting of his past misdeeds, we are taken deep into the mind of a killer, one who barely acknowledges that maybe what he's done isn't all good. For perhaps the first time in his life, Gabriel starts to care about someone other than himself. Something that could prove deadly for all concerned.

The writer was someone Gabe liked. There were few who could easily fit into that category, and it was because they were friends that he didn't want to make him into a monster. Christian represented life before the murders began--he equally represented what it could have been like if Gabe had never taken his darker road. But he had, and that was an inescapable truth. Half of him wanted Christian held pure of the same ideologies he possessed, because it wasn't a healthy way of living, but the other side of him knew he needed to bring his new companion into the fold, or risk losing him completely.

Will Christian and Gabriel's relationship be what "saves" Gabriel or will it be the impetus that leads to the destruction of Gabriel's carefully constructed world?

Rubble and the Wreckage is very well written. However, there are some proofreading mishaps and instances of head-hopping. Not enough to detract from the story, but enough to be worthy of mention. Also, like many psychological thrillers, the pacing of the story slows down at times when the characters get into long introspective modes. While there is definitely a romance in this book, it is not your typical HEA. But, perhaps, it is something even better? We're anxious to read the rest of Gabe and Christian's story in the next books in the A Gabriel Church Tale series!

OUR RATING: 4 stars

(4/8/2016)

ARC #REVIEW: Rebirth (The Eternal Dungeon #1) by Dusk Peterson #mmromance #gayfiction #romhero

Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy, Gay Fiction, part of The Eternal Dungeon series
Release Date: February 21, 2016
Publisher:  Love in Dark Settings Press
Length: unknown

Description: "'This prisoner deserves special treatment.' The hooded man looked over at the young man again."

Elsdon Taylor, a prisoner accused of committing a terrible murder. Layle Smith, a torturer with a terrible past. Their meeting in the Eternal Dungeon appears certain to bring out the worst in both men.

Yet neither man is quite what he appears. As the prisoner and his torturer begin to be drawn toward each other, the ripple effects of their meeting will have a powerful impact on other inhabitants of the Eternal Dungeon: Layle's faithful guard, struggling to contain his doubts. A younger guard determined to take any shortcuts necessary to ensure that his life follows the path he has already chosen. An old love from Layle's past, still sorrowing. And most of all, a prisoner who has not yet arrived at the Eternal Dungeon, but whose fate will depend on how Layle handles Elsdon Taylor . . . and on how Elsdon handles Layle Smith.

A winner of the 2011 Rainbow Awards (within the "Eternal Dungeon" omnibus), this tale of love and adventure can be read on its own or as the first volume in The Eternal Dungeon, a speculative fiction series set in a nineteenth-century prison where the psychologists wield whips.

The Eternal Dungeon series is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series (Waterman, Life Prison, Commando, Michael's House, The Eternal Dungeon, and Dark Light) about adults and youths on the margins of society, and the people who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. As a result, the New World retains certain classical and medieval customs.


Amazon US Amazon UK


OUR REVIEW:

Rebirth is the dark, fascinating tale of two very different men who come to know and love each other under almost impossible conditions. The writing is detailed and powerful, the story fresh and unpredictable. But this is not a romance in the traditional sense. If anything, I would categorize this story as gay fiction because the Eternal Dungeon, in my opinion, is the main character, comprised of the setting and the myriad people who live and work in the dungeon.

Metal jingled nearby, then scraped. He heard the screech of another pair of door-hinges. Without waiting to be pushed, he walked into the destiny that awaited him. The room was small. He was not sure how he knew this, for his eyes were still shut. Perhaps it had to do with the way his footsteps sounded upon the floor.

The room was warm as well, warmer than the dungeon's entry hall had been and light danced against his eyelids. He tried not to think what the purpose of the fire might be.

I must give kudos to the author for creating such a rich world, filled with detail, and structure. It is easy to believe that the Eternal Dungeon is a real place in the shadows of a relatively modern world.

We learn about our two heroes, Elsdon and Layle, in relation to the the Eternal Dungeon--when and how they arrived there, how their lives were changed by the dungeon, and how they came to know each other through it.

The sound of a step next to him caused him to jerk his head up and open his eyes. The Seeker was only an arm's span from him now, and his hand was still empty of any whip or binding or other instrument. His body looked as relaxed as that of a man in bed with his beloved.

The romance between Elsdon and Layle is not to be underestimated either. Elsdon is the victim of years of abuse, accused of killing his father, while Layle is the sadist assigned to be his Seeker (i.e. torturer). How could two such men ever become friends much less lovers? How can one who is trying to recover from abuse surrender himself to one whose every sexual fantasy revolves around the torture of his partner? 

Eldson sighed. "Layle, what are you going to do, stop thinking about sex for the rest of your life? Whether you're with me the next time you think of sex or whether you're alone by yourself, I know what image is going to come into your mind. I know that what I suffered under Master Aeden will give you pleasure."

Over the course of Rebirth, as the truths about the heroes lives prior to their arrival at dungeon are revealed, we see this relationship go through many ups and downs. Can it survive? Can love overcome such incredible psychological hurdles? Read Rebirth and find out!

OUR RATING: 4.5 stars!

(3/16/2016)