Category Archives: Heidi Cullinan

April 7, 2014 · 11:58 pm

Review: Tough Love by Heidi Cullinan

toughTitle: Tough Love by Heidi Cullinan
Special Delivery Book Three
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Romance, Red Hots!!, Kink/BDSM
Length: Plus Novel
Book Rating B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

It takes a strong man to be this fabulous.

Special Delivery, Book 3

Crescencio “Chenco” Ortiz pulled himself up by his garter straps after his father’s will yanked the financial rug from under his spank-me pumps. He doesn’t need anyone, yet when Steve Vance steps into his life, the prospect of having a sexy leather daddy on tap begins to take on a certain appeal.

There’s a hitch when he learns Steve is friends with Mitch Tedsoe—the half-brother Chenco never knew except through his father’s twisted lies. Despite his reservations, soon Chenco is living his dreams, including a performing gig in Vegas. Now if only he could get Steve to see him as more than just a boy in need of saving.

Steve’s attraction to Chenco is overshadowed by too many demons, ones he knows his would-be lover is too young to slay. Yet as he gets to know the bright, determined young man whose drag act redefines fierce, Steve’s inner sadist trembles with need. He begins to realize Chenco’s relentless tough love might be the only thing that will finally set him free.

Product Warnings: This story contains glamorous drag queens, exhibitionist secondary characters, and no-holds-barred BDSM play, including watersports. Readers are advised they may well leave this novel feeling uncharacteristically fierce.

The Review:

Tough Love is another boundary pushing romance in Heidi Cullinan’s wildly popular Special Delivery series. This third installment delves pretty deeply in the sadism side of BDSM as Chenco Ortiz and Steve Vance explore their unexpected attraction. Their intense relationship is more than just physical; there is also a strong emotional connection between these two vulnerable men that heals the wounds from their respective pasts.

On the surface, Chenco and Steve seem an unlikely pairing. Steve is much older, financially secure, sexually experienced and heavily into BDSM, edge play and sadism. Chenco is in his mid twenties, scrabbling to make ends meet and not only has he never considered BDSM, he is very selective when it comes to sexual partners. But Chenco has an immediate response to Steve’s quiet strength and commanding presence. And Steve? He wants to protect Chenco and help him through his current difficulties while the dominant in Steve yearns to explore Chenco’s submissive side.

Both men have troubled pasts to overcome. Chenco’s issues stem from problems with his parents. He failed to live up to his mother’s expectations while his father was a homophobic, abusive jerk who took financial advantage of Chenco. Everyone he has ever cared about has betrayed him in some way and Chenco has a difficult time trusting anyone.

Steve appears to have his life firmly under control and while that is mostly true, he is a mess when it comes to his love life. He has a great deal of unresolved guilt from a failed relationship and his sense of responsibility keeps him tied to someone from his past. As Chenco becomes more confident and self-reliant, Steve’s vulnerabilities and fears threaten to derail their relationship.

The BDSM relationship between Chenco and Steve is fairly hardcore with plenty of kink (I definitely recommend reading the product warning). Steve is firmly in control with Chenco submitting to whatever Steve asks of him. While pain is always a part of their scenes, Steve is always quite gentle with Chenco in the aftermath. This dichotomy in his personality is incredibly fascinating and it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the caring, gentle man with the sadist who gets so much pleasure out of inflicting pain. Chenco is definitely centered by this domination and he flourishes under his care.

The characters from the previous novels in the Special Delivery series are integral to the unfolding story. Mitch Tedsoe is Chenco’s half-brother and their relationship is very rocky in the beginning. Mitch’s husband Sam helps smooth some of the rough spots between the brothers and he also helps Chenco understand some of the intricacies of the BDSM world. Randy is still endearingly blunt and while he sometimes oversteps boundaries, his heart is always in the right place. Ethan and Crabtree are also on hand to lend their assistance and all of the men fully support Chenco as he achieves his dream.

Sexy, smoldering and intense, Tough Love is a wonderful love story but it is also a journey of emotional healing for both protagonists. Heidi Cullinan does not hesitate to venture into forbidden territory as Chenco and Steve fully explore their sometimes taboo desires. The novel’s conclusion is sweetly sentimental and incredibly romantic. A marvelous addition to the Special Delivery series that old and new fans are going to love.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Heidi Cullinan, Kink/BDSM, Rated B, Red Hots!, Review, Romance, Samhain Publishing Limited, Special Delivery Series, Tough Love

March 3, 2014 · 11:56 pm

Review: Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan

doubleTitle: Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan
Special Delivery Series Book Two
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Romance, Red Hots!!, Kink/BDSM
Length: Plus Novel
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Know when to show your hand…and when to hedge your bets.

Special Delivery, Book 2

Randy Jensen can’t stand to just sit by and watch as a mysterious man throws money away on the roulette wheel, especially since Randy’s got his own bet going as to the reason this guy is making every play like it’s his last day on earth. The man’s dark desperation hits Randy right in the gut. Half of him warns that getting involved is a sucker’s bet, and the other half scrambles for a reason—any reason—to save the man’s soul.

Ethan Ellison has no idea what he’s going to do with himself once his last dollar is gone—until Randy whirls into his life with a heart-stealing smile and a poker player’s gaze that sees too much.

Randy draws Ethan into a series of wagers that leads to a scorching kiss by midnight, but he isn’t the only one with an interest in Ethan’s vulnerability. Soon they’re both taking risks that not only play fast and loose with the law, but with the biggest prize of all: their hearts.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.
Product Warnings: This story contains high-stakes poker, gangsters with a weakness for kittens, foursomes, and kinky consensual sex.

The Review:

Set amongst the bright lights and sheer decadence of Las Vegas, Heidi Cullinan’s Double Blind is a captivating story of redemption for lead protagonists Randy Jensen and Ethan Ellison. It is also a breathtaking love story that is full of down and dirty sex and surprisingly tender emotions between our two über stoic heroes.

This second installment in the Special Delivery series begins about two years after the first book ends and this time, it is Randy’s turn to find love. Randy is an expert poker player but it is his uncanny ability to read people that is the true secret to his success. Accepting a bet from his friend (and former gangster), Crabtree, Randy approaches Ethan just as he loses the rest of his money on the roulette wheel and when these two make a wager between them, they set off for a little fun, a la Vegas style which of course includes innocent sightseeing, LOTS of booze, gambling and if they’re very lucky, some seriously hot sex.

Ethan is coming off a bad break up that did a real number on him emotionally and financially. With literally nothing left to lose, he accepts Randy’s offer to stay with him while he figures out what he is going to do next. He veers between the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and Randy is unexpectedly good at helping Ethan find middle ground. With Randy’s (unwitting) help, Ethan receives a job offer from Crabtree to help bring Herod’s (the casino where he and Randy met), back from the brink of financial ruin.

Surprisingly enough, Randy is the bigger mess of the two men and he is going to have to get up close and personal with his own demons if their relationship is going to have a chance of surviving. Mitch and Sam come back into his life for an extended period and while their appearance certainly complicates things, they also help Randy get his head on straight on more than one occasion.

The sexual attraction between Ethan and Randy is pretty darn hot right from the start and their first kiss is over the top SEXY. While their sex scenes are undeniably erotic, Double Blind is nowhere near as kinky as Special Delivery. There are a few light scenes with BDSM elements and of course Sam and Mitch are always ready for a little group lovin’, but a lot of their scenes fade to black or take place behind closed doors. But somehow less sex really works in the story and I really felt the emotional connection between all of the characters, not just Ethan and Randy.

Superb location, fascinating characters and super steamy sex scenes make Double Blind an outstanding read. All of the characters grow and mature and become more at peace with their pasts. Heidi Cullinan takes everyone (including the readers) on a bit of an emotional roller coaster but in the end, it is completely worth all of the turmoil.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Double Blind, Heidi Cullinan, Kink/BDSM, M/M, Rated B, Red Hots!, Review, Romance, Samhain Publishing Limited, Special Delivery Series

January 31, 2013 · 3:59 am

Blog Tour Stop, Guest Blog & Contest: Heidi Cullinan’s Dirty Laundry

Welcome and thanks for joining us along the virtual book tour for Dirty Laundry, the latest release in the Tucker Springs series! Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a $10 gift card to Riptide Publishing!

Iowa State U

Tucker Springs has two universities, a land-grant and a private liberal arts institution. By rights I should be more familiar with the latter, but I have to tell you, my heart belongs to the land-grant, and it’s all because of Iowa State.

I live in Ames, Iowa, and I’m almost literally a stone’s throw from Iowa State University, one of Iowa’s three public universities. Like East Centennial, Iowa Sate has a heavy agricultural and science component. Frequently driving across town takes me past the university horse barns and rows and rows of greenhouses. No one blinks an eye when huge fields are covered with nets and odd apparatus and students walking up and down the rows with clipboards and stern expressions.

Iowa State also has a huge horticultural bent, and as such you can’t go down your city block without tripping over a master gardner. When my daughter was young, we bought a season pass to Reiman Gardens, the university horticultural center which features a butterfly garden and rolling cultivated grounds. The main university grounds look like a garden too: old trees, nooks and crannies filled with flowers, herbs, and shrubs carefully maintained. We love to bike through campus in the summer and marvel at it all–I can’t imagine going to school within that beauty every day.

In Dirty Laundry we never got much further than the entomology department (there’s not just one building for that department at Iowa State but several), but I plan to go back to East Cent someday, and you can bet I’ll be using Iowa State’s campus as a model. I practically lived on their website while I drafted Dirty Laundry, and I was always touring the buildings in my head. Though I never attended Iowa State, it’s a huge part of my life now. The university brings so much to Ames, and like Tucker Springs, my small town immediately becomes a lot bigger than it has a right to be because of its educational component.

If you’re ever in Iowa and get a chance, swing through Ames and check out Iowa State. Stroll through Campustown. Visit Lake Laverne. Have a slice of pizza at Pizza Pit, enjoy yourself some Fighting Burrito, and enjoy some atmosphere at Cafe Beaudelaire. Swing by the Rose Tree Fiber shop and get some yarn. Kiss your sweetheart under the campanile.

Iowa State is so much more than Moo U. And it’s so, so much fun to put into novels.

Title: Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
Tucker Springs Series Book Three
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, M/M, BDSM
Length: 259 pages/Word Count: 71,400

Summary:

The course of true love doesn’t always run clean. But sometimes getting dirty is half the fun.

Entomology grad student Adam Ellery meets Denver Rogers, a muscle-bound hunk of sexy, when Denver effortlessly dispatches the drunken frat boys harassing Adam at the Tucker Springs laundromat. Thanking him turns into flirting, and then, much to Adam’s delight, hot sex over the laundry table.

Though Denver’s job as a bouncer at a gay bar means he gets his pick of geek-sexy college twinks, he can’t get Adam out of his head. Adam seems to need the same rough play Denver does, and it’s damn hard to say no to such a perfect fit.

Trouble is, Adam isn’t just shy: he has obsessive compulsive disorder and clinical anxiety, conditions which have ruined past relationships. And while Denver might be able to bench-press a pile of grad students, he comes from a history of abuse and is terrified of getting his GED. Neither Denver nor Adam want to face their dirty laundry, but to stay together, they’re going to have to come clean.

Dirty Laundry is part of the Tucker Springs universe.

Read my review of Tucker Springs HERE.

Author Bio:

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her husband and ten-year-old daughter. Heidi also volunteers for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Find out more at www.heidicullinan.com.

20 Comments

Filed under Blog Tour, Contest, Dirty Laundry, Guest Blog, Heidi Cullinan

January 28, 2013 · 3:58 am

Review: Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan

Title: Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
Tucker Springs Series Book Three
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, M/M, BDSM
Length: 259 pages/Word Count: 71,400
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The course of true love doesn’t always run clean. But sometimes getting dirty is half the fun.

Entomology grad student Adam Ellery meets Denver Rogers, a muscle-bound hunk of sexy, when Denver effortlessly dispatches the drunken frat boys harassing Adam at the Tucker Springs laundromat. Thanking him turns into flirting, and then, much to Adam’s delight, hot sex over the laundry table.

Though Denver’s job as a bouncer at a gay bar means he gets his pick of geek-sexy college twinks, he can’t get Adam out of his head. Adam seems to need the same rough play Denver does, and it’s damn hard to say no to such a perfect fit.

Trouble is, Adam isn’t just shy: he has obsessive compulsive disorder and clinical anxiety, conditions which have ruined past relationships. And while Denver might be able to bench-press a pile of grad students, he comes from a history of abuse and is terrified of getting his GED. Neither Denver nor Adam want to face their dirty laundry, but to stay together, they’re going to have to come clean.

The Review:

Heidi Cullinan’s Dirty Laundry is a superb romance between two flawed protagonists who find love despite their individual quirks. What I like most about this story is how realistic both characters are and how they make their relationship work although they are dealing with some fairly substantial issues.

What begins as a really hot one night stand between Adam Ellery and Denver Rogers soon evolves into a relationship that neither man really expected. Adam’s only relationship could not withstand the weight of his anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) while Denver’s previous relationship was emotionally abusive. Both men are afraid that if they reveal their secrets, the other will end their burgeoning relationship. In spite of their qualms, they each realize that if they are going to have a future together, they need to come clean about their pasts. Adam and Denver are pleasantly surprised when the outcome of their discussion yields surprising results…

Although at first glance it is not apparent, Denver and Adam really are perfect for one another. Denver is infinitely patient and he seems to know instinctively how to handle Adam. Adam is wracked with self-doubts and a negative thought pattern that spirals out of control but his involvement with Denver has a calming effect on his both his anxiety and his OCD.

While Adam’s issues are obvious right from the beginning of Dirty Laundry, Denver’s are more deeply hidden and readers catch glimpses of them here and there. Although it would seem that Adam would be self-absorbed due to the challenges facing him, that is simply not the case. As soon as he learns about Denver’s past, Adam jumps at the chance to help him overcome the obstacles that are holding Denver back.

There is a slight BDSM edge to the sex between Adam and Denver right from their first encounter and continues throughout the novel. Toward the end of the book, the relationship goes in a D/s direction, with Denver in the dominant role. Adam questions his motivations for submitting to Denver and since I had the same concerns, I was very glad that Ms. Cullinan included this in the storyline.

The anxiety and OCD play a prominent role in the story, but it is never overpowering. Since it is such a huge part of Adam’s life, if it were glossed over, I think it would have been a serious injustice to the plot. Heidi Cullinan does an excellent job demonstrating what life is like for someone coping with these illnesses and I really appreciated seeing the different ways Adam found to manage his everyday life.

Dirty Laundry is a perfect blend of kinky sex and sweet romance that fans of M/M novels will enjoy. Both characters undergo a tremendous amount of growth and they truly bring out the best in one another. The sexual chemistry between Adam and Denver is off the charts smokin’ hot and their encounters are downright nasty (but in a good way :)).

Dirty Laundry can be read as a standalone story, but you won’t want to miss a single visit in this wonderful town. And if you have been reading the Tucker Springs series, characters from the previous installments make guest appearances which provides readers the opportunity to catch up on their lives.

4 Comments

Filed under BDSM, Contemporary, Dirty Laundry, Erotic, Heidi Cullinan, Rated B+, Review, Riptide Publishing, Romance, Tucker Springs

September 10, 2012 · 3:58 am

Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton

Title: Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
Tucker Springs Series
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Word Count: 50,000
Book Rating: A

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he’s not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.

El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn’t apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.

Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There’s no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn’t mean second best.

The Review:

Fans of Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton are going to LOVE Second Hand, their co-authored release in the Tucker Springs series. It is a delightfully charming romance between two appealing protagonists who are going to steal your heart.

Open a dictionary, look up oblivious and you will find a picture of Paul Hannon. His self-confidence is so low he cannot conceive of anyone being interested in him, let alone notice when they are. But his innocence is also quite endearing and he is just so darned likable you cannot help but root for him to get his act together.

Emanuel “El” Rozal is cynical, world weary and cannot believe how incredibly naive and clueless Paul is. But he genuinely likes Paul and he takes him under his wing. El’s family is a little dysfunctional, but they are a close-knit and loving clan. They are involved in one another’s lives and El displays a great deal of concern for his various family members.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Second Hand is not a “gay for you” story. Rather, it is a journey of self-awareness for Paul as he comes to terms with his long-repressed sexuality and his desire for a “normal” life. Paul fell into his relationship with his ex and he allowed her to steer the course of their future. His attraction to El forces him to re-examine his teenage sexual experimentation with a male friend and re-define what he wants out of his life.

El and Paul’s relationship begins as friendship and slowly grows into something deeper and more meaningful. While there is a great deal of introspection from both Paul and El, Second Hand is a light, angst-free read. It is quite humorous with plenty of witty banter between the characters.

Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton take a rather unusual approach to storytelling in Second Hand. The story alternates between both protagonists perspectives which is nothing out of the ordinary. What is unusual is Paul’s point of view is first person while El’s is third person. Despite the shift, the story flows well, and I definitely enjoyed getting inside both of the characters’ heads.

I highly recommend this fast-paced and highly entertaining romance. Although Second Hand is the second installment of the Tucker Springs series, it can easily be read as a standalone story.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Erotic, Heidi Cullinan, M/M, Marie Sexton, Rated A, Riptide Publishing, Romance, Second Hand, Tucker Springs