Category Archives: Tarnished Souls

June 13, 2013 · 3:59 am

Review: Tarnished Souls 4: Bread, Salt and Wine by Dev Bentham

Title: Tarnished Souls 4: Bread, Salt & Wine by Dev Bentham
Tarnished Souls Series Book Four
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, Romance
Length: Novel
Book Rating: A+ & A Recommended Read

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Some wounds never heal. George Zajac grew up in a religious family with a father who beat “the swish” out of him. Now he’s a troubled man. At thirty-eight he moves across the country to start a new life in Los Angeles, working as the catering chef for a prestigious French Restaurant.

Kenny Marks, a writer who’s currently waiting tables, is everything George cannot be–flamboyant, proud and sexually confident. Enthralled by Kenny, and against his own better judgment, George agrees to a date. Sparks fly. The sex is better than good. But even after the two get close, George remains crippled by humiliating sexual hang-ups. Still haunted by his childhood, he lingers in the closet and can’t commit to a relationship with Kenny.

Love is the great healer, but is it enough? George’s emotional scars could drive Kenny away, and with him, George’s last chance at happiness.

The Review:

Bread, Salt & Wine, the final installment of Dev Bentham’s Tarnished Souls series, is a poignant, yet ultimately uplifting romance. Closeted, reserved George Zajac cannot fight his desire for openly gay Kenny Marks. With George unable to commit to a relationship, they embark on a friends with benefits relationship that takes place over several years and goes through many ups and downs before George can freely admit his feelings for Kenny.

George Zajac’s abusive childhood absolutely broke my heart, but watching him find the courage to face the demons of his past is worth the tears I shed for him. The shame and embarrassment he feels over his sexuality and his desires is absolutely heartbreaking. George is unable to reveal the worst of what he experienced at his overly religious father’s hands, but the effects are obvious as he struggles with his attraction and feelings for Kenny. George is a tortured protagonist with wonderful qualities and I was eager for him confront the issues that keep him from becoming the partner that Kenny deserves.

Kenny has the patience of a saint to put up with George’s reluctance to fully commit to their relationship. His love and compassion for George override his frustration over the status of their relationship until it becomes obvious that George has serious issues that need professional help to overcome. Kenny’s growing unhappiness with George becomes the catalyst George needs to change, but is it too late to salvage their floundering relationship?

As with the other novels in Tarnished Souls series, there is a spiritual aspect that provides added depth and substance to the overall story. The Jewish holiday celebrating Queen Esther, Purim, plays a pivotal role in George and Kenny’s relationship. The celebration not only demonstrates the changes in George’s life, but it also proves to be turning point for George’s personal growth as well.

Bread, Salt & Wine is a heartfelt and moving conclusion to a refreshing and innovative series. Love gives the characters the strength to make positive changes in their lives. Their journeys are often difficult and filled with strong emotion but I have enjoyed traveling with them as they triumph over adversity.

Fans will be delighted at Dev Bentham’s last heartwarming glimpse of all of the characters in the Tarnished Souls series. I loved seeing all of the men whose paths have crossed in the previous novels brought together for one last time. I am going to miss this series and I highly recommend it to all readers of male/male contemporary romances.

Read my reviews of the other stories in the Tarnished Souls series HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under Bread Salt and Wine, Contemporary, Dev Bentham, Erotic, Loose Id, M/M, Rated A+, Recommended Read, Review, Romance, Tarnished Souls

December 20, 2012 · 3:59 am

Review: Tarnished Souls 3: Sacred Hearts by Dev Bentham

Note: Edited to reflect new cover & publisher

sacred heartsTitle: Sacred Hearts by Dev Bentham
Publisher: Love is a Light; 2nd edition
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Romance, Erotic
Length: 137 pages
Book Rating: A+ and a Recommended Read

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Life’s a gamble–and lately David Schwartz’s partner has been losing so much that David must close their restaurant, the hippest little place in Portland. He sells everything and moves back home, but at thirty-five, he’s not eager to sleep alone in his childhood bedroom or to be supported by his father for the second time in his adult life.

David’s had enough. He needs to start over, maybe with someone like the elusive man he’s been seeing in his dreams. An old friend offers him a job catering a movie set in Puerto Vallarta. It’s been years since David’s alcoholism spun out of control along the highways of Mexico. Determined to experience Mexico sober, he stuffs his few remaining possessions in a backpack and takes the next flight down.

As Mexico prepares for Christmas, David lights Hanukkah candles, celebrating the return of the sun and wishing for true love. On the first night of Hanukkah, David meets a tall, dark stranger who rocks his world in a secluded moonlit cove. Is this the mystery man of his dreams–the answer to David’s prayers? And what must David sacrifice to make his dreams come true?

The Review:

Sacred Hearts, Dev Bentham’s third installment in her Tarnished Souls series, is a beautifully written love story between two captivating and incredibly engaging protagonists. Following the loss of both his boyfriend and his business, David Schwartz is in desperate need of a new beginning. It is with much trepidation that David accepts a job in Puerto Vallarta, where years before, he found then lost his first love. His return to Mexico offers David the opportunity to make peace with his past and a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger gives him hope for his future.

In the aftermath of his failed relationship and business, David picks up the pieces of his life, maintains his long term sobriety and discovers a great deal about himself in the process. David’s reflections on his first ill-fated relationship play a pivotal role in understanding how he ended up his last relationship and why he stayed in it. This self-awareness is crucial when he is forced to face his ex-lover as David deals with the unpleasant details involved with the closing their business.

There is an almost mystical quality to David’s meeting with the man he meets in Mexico. His new lover proves quite elusive and gives up very few details about himself. Their encounters are sexually charged and sizzling hot. There is also a charming aura of innocence as David’s new man stretches beyond his sexual comfort zone.

In Sacred Hearts, Ms. Bentham does a fabulous job of weaving together two very different faiths. The lead characters are both very spiritual and their strong beliefs add another layer to this richly detailed story. Along with hope, the rituals of David’s religion also bring him peace.

I really like the fact that the main characters in Sacred Hearts are both older. Their life experiences have molded and shaped them into the men they are and this maturity provides them with added depth. There are a few missteps and misunderstandings that advance the plot and provide insight into both protagonists. The story is realistic and delightfully angst free.

Dev Bentham brings the characters and setting vibrantly to life in this emotionally complex and compelling novel. Sacred Hearts is full of unexpected twists and turns and a romance that is so sweet it will take your breath away.

An incredible story of healing, hope and love that I highly recommend.

Read my reviews of the other stories in the Tarnished Souls series HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Dev Bentham, Erotic, Loose Id, M/M, Rated A+, Recommended Read, Review, Romance, Sacred Hearts, Tarnished Souls

October 18, 2012 · 3:56 am

Review: Tarnished Souls 2: Fields of Gold by Dev Bentham

Title: Tarnished Souls 2: Fields of Gold by Dev Bentham
Tarnished Souls Series
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: Novella
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Life is full of compromises. That’s what Avi Rosen tells himself. He’s a yeshiva boy turned historian, working on his dissertation and stretching his meager stipend by moonlighting as a closeted politician’s houseboy. Their relationship used to feel like a real affair. Lately it seems more like a job.

It isn’t until he meets someone decent that he realizes how corrupt his life has become. Pete is a tall blond farmer who charms Avi with his dazzling smile and his straightforward life. But even if he can believe this refreshingly honest man doesn’t have his own political agenda, will Avi find the strength to emerge from the dark life he’s chosen and find a future in the sun?

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.

The Review:

Fields of Gold is a delightful addition to Dev Bentham’s Tarnished Souls series. This captivating series features some imperfect yet appealing characters who choose a different path once they find love.

Avi Rosen’s chance meeting with Pete Jakobsen coincides with his growing dissatisfaction as the ‘other man’ in his current relationship with local politician Jack Krausman. Although he genuinely cares for Jack, Avi is becoming more and more disenchanted with his role of house sitter and lover to the married assemblyman. He is already struggling with conflicted emotions about his affair when he meets Pete at a local farmer’s market. Despite his uneasiness about beginning a new relationship with Pete while he is still involved with Jack, Avi begins dating Pete. But it is his emerging feelings for Pete that finally give Avi the impetus to begin reevaluating his life.

What I really like about Ms. Bentham’s stories is that she does not hesitate to give her characters some morally questionable failings. In the first book of the series, Learning from Isaac, Nathan is working as a rentboy to pay his way through college. In Fields of Gold, while Avi may not officially be a rentboy, he is exchanging sex for living rent free in Jack’s apartment. Of course Avi does not view his arrangement as prostitution until Nathan gently points it out to him. But Avi still continues to drift along, juggling the two relationships, until he finally sees his relationship with Jack in a whole new light.

One of the other things that I really enjoy about the Tarnished Souls series is how Ms. Bentham incorporates tenets of the Jewish faith in the storylines. In Fields of Gold, the ending of the story coincides with Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah. Avi uses this time of reflection to atone for his past mistakes and make amends with Pete.

Fields of Gold is well-written with engaging protagonists and a fascinating storyline. It is a wonderful story about personal growth and new beginnings. A thoroughly charming addition to Dev Bentham’s Tarnished Souls series that I highly recommend.

Read my review of Learning from Isaac HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Dev Bentham, Erotic, Fields of Gold, Loose Id, M/M, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Tarnished Souls

April 11, 2012 · 3:56 am

Learning from Isaac by Dev Bentham

Title: Learning from Isaac by Dev Bentham
Tarnished Souls Book One
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: Novella
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

Nathan Kohn has been teaching Aquatic Science at St. Genevieve College for 15 years. It’s not a perfect situation, but he’s resigned to being a gay man in a straight culture, a Jew among Catholics and single in a world of couples. Until the stunningly attractive Isaac Wolf appears in his classroom. Isaac is a few years older than his fellow students, brilliant, self-composed and Jewish. Wouldn’t Nathan’s mother be pleased? Except, of course, relationships between faculty and students are forbidden, especially those not sanctioned by the Church.

Isaac has his own secrets, which Nathan finds out when he visits the racy new club downtown where boys can be bought in the back room. Behind the beaded curtain, the man on his knees turns out to be Isaac. What happens in the club stays there, right? Except Nathan’s mind isn’t the only thing Isaac blows, and Nathan can’t stop thinking about that night. But what kind of future can there be for a college professor and a rent boy?

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.

The Review:

Learning from Isaac is another incredibly touching yet sexy romance by newcomer Dev Bentham. Nathan Kohn’s quiet and unassuming life as a college professor is complicated by his attraction to his student Isaac Wolf.

Learning from Isaac has a fresh storyline with charming and three dimensional characters. Told in first person from Nathan’s point of view, readers are privy to his thought process and sometimes conflicted emotions. Nathan has a good relationship with his mother and a close friendship with his childhood friend Kenny.

Isaac is an immensely appealing but delightfully flawed protagonist. His past is complex and provides many layers to the story. Isaac’s career as a rent boy plays a crucial role in the development of his relationship with Nathan and adds a great deal of depth to his character.

Learning from Isaac is a beautifully written story that is heartwarming and compelling. The plot is unique and the story flows well. Isaac and Nathan’s relationship builds at a leisurely pace and the issues facing them are realistically portrayed. Their sex scenes are exquisitely detailed and highly sensual.

Dev Bentham is an extraordinarily gifted storyteller and I highly recommend Learning from Isaac to anyone who enjoys contemporary male/male romances.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Dev Bentham, Erotic, Learning from Isaac, Loose Id, M/M, Rated B+, Romance, Tarnished Souls