Category Archives: MLR Press

December 23, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Wait for Me by Kris Jacen

Title: Wait for Me by Kris Jacen
With Me Series Book One
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 202 pages/Word Count: 43,000
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

The hardest job is waiting.

Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamara has been waiting for THE ONE for years. First it wasn’t too safe to find a partner and now his schedule is a nightmare with training soldiers and deployments.

Scott Ash has found where he always was meant to be after a brief bout of idealistic do-gooder after college. He loves his job as a child care director, if he could just find someone to love — perfect might cover it.

A chance meeting when Scott is doing a favor for a friend starts them on a journey that could take them to forever, it’s just a matter of waiting.

Review:

The first novel in debut author Kris Jacen’s With Me series, Wait for Me is a sexy yet heartwarming military romance.

Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamera is about to deploy again when he meets Scott Ash. The two men immediately hit it off and despite their impending separation, they decide to give their fledgling romance the chance to grow. Jeff has been hoping to find “the one” for quite some time, but is Scott equipped to deal with the realities of dating a soldier?

Jeff and Scott are mature men who are comfortable in their own skin. Jeff is preparing for not only a deployment, but the next step in his career. Scott is the director of a child care center so not much fazes him.  Since their time together is limited before Jeff leaves, their relationship moves quickly but there is never a doubt their growing feelings for each other are real.

As a former military wife for 26 years (my husband is now retired), I have experienced firsthand the hardships of deployments many, many times.  So for me, I think the strongest aspect of the storyline is how Scott takes the time to learn what it mean to be involved with a military member. He asks intelligent questions so at least he has a good idea of what to expect.  But he also discovers that nothing can adequately prepare him for the reality of a deployment until he is actually living through it. Jeff’s experiences as the deployed partner are also realistically portrayed which provides a well-rounded glimpse of military relationships.

Jeff has a close circle of friends who support each other through thick and thin. They eagerly accept Scott into the fold so he has plenty of people to rely on through Jeff’s deployment.  The secondary characters are well-rounded but the vast number of people makes it impossible to tell them apart.

Wait for Me is a wonderful drama-free, engaging romance between two self-confident men. Jeff and Scott’s romance is believable and when conflict arises, they are quick to work through their problems.  A refreshing debut by Kris Jacen that I highly recommend to fans of military gay romances. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the With Me series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Gay, Kris Jacen, MLR Press, Rated B, Review, Romance, Wait for Me, With Me Series

· 11:57 pm

Review: Explore with Me by Kris Jacen

Title: Explore with Me by Kris Jacen
With Me Series Book Two
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 127 pages/Word Count: 43,000
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

The Army is the only thing that First Sergeant Danny Glenn has known in his adult life. From the age of nineteen on, he’s worn a uniform every day. He’s seen so much in his twenty years but the last deployment did something to him. Danny’s begun to wonder if he can’t do more good helping people in the US instead of other countries but to do that he’d have to get out.

Doctor Liam MacNamara is finishing up the last of his residency in Emergency Medicine. Now’s the tough part, which offer to accept. He could stay in New Orleans where shifts are never dull or choose to uproot and experience somewhere different. College followed by medical school and then residency are the only things he’s known since he was eighteen. There’s got to be more out there, right?

Can a retired first sergeant and a brand-new doctor balance each other enough to explore their options together?

Review:

Explore with Me by Kris Jacen is a wonderful novel of new beginnings and love. This newest release in the With Me can be read as a standalone, but it is helpful to read Wait for Me due to the character crossover.

Near the end of his residency, Dr. Liam MacNamara is trying to decide which job offer to accept.  Help arrives in an unusual way when his brother Jeff’s long time friend First Sergeant Danny Glenn ends up in Liam’s ER. Since Danny needs someone with him after his release, Liam takes him home with him. They two men hit it off and Danny provides useful information that helps Liam narrow down his selection. Liam and Danny also fall into an easy friendship that is underscored by a mutual attraction.

Danny is also in the midst of making a big decision about his future.  A career soldier with over twenty years of service, Danny has grown weary of deployments and a lack of roots. Uncertain whether his rock solid friendship with his group of friends will survive retirement, Danny is conflicted about what he should do next.

The relationship between Danny and Liam is slow growing and simmers in the background as they make decisions about their respective futures. Their scenes together are delightful and their growing feelings for one another ring true. Due to the fact they live in difference places, a lack of communication sometimes becomes an issue.

Danny’s group of military buddies and their spouses also make guest appearances. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with them but new readers might feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters. As always, the group is incredibly supportive of each other and they do not mince words once Danny finally admits he is considering retiring. But how will Jeff and the rest of their friends deal with the news that Danny is dating Liam?

Explore with Me is a fast-paced and engaging gay romance. Liam and Danny are well-developed characters who are facing true to life issues that will resonate with readers. Despite the distance separating them, Liam and Danny work hard to build a lasting relationship. The conflict that arises late in the novel is realistic and quickly resolved.  An enjoyable addition to Kris Jacen’s  With Me series that will delight old and new fans.

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Filed under Contemporary, Explore with Me, Gay, Kris Jacen, MLR Press, Rated B, Review, Romance

March 4, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Perfect for Me by D.H. Starr

Title: Perfect for Me by D.H. Starr
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, Romance
Length: 81,000 words
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

Sean Sullivan is a principal and a happy person, but he has one major complication.HIV. Frustrated with constant rejection, Sean decides to stop dating negative men. When a student experiences a crisis and Sean meets Emery Benton, the case worker assigned from Child Protective Services, his decision is challenged.

Sparks fly the moment they meet, but Emery is negative and Sean doesn’t want the pain of another disappointment. As he struggles with his feelings for Emery, a war between the fear in his head and the fire in his heart force him to answer one simple question. Is this the perfect man for me?

The Review:

Have you ever read a book that you keep saying, “One more chapter, and I’ll cook dinner?” or “One more chapter, and I’ll go to bed.”? And dinner is late and you stay up way past your bedtime because one more chapter turns into finishing the book? Well, D.H. Starr’s Perfect for Me is that type of book. A compelling and unique plot coupled with wonderful characters who capture your heart make this book impossible to put down and leave you wanting just a little more time with our lead protagonists.

In spite of the seriousness of the topics in Perfect for Me, this story is not at all depressing. It is quite hopeful as Mr. Starr dispels some of the myths surrounding an HIV positive diagnosis. With proper medication, safe sex and living a healthy lifestyle, HIV is not a death sentence. For Sean Sullivan, the biggest impact his diagnosis has is on his love life. Always upfront with his potential lovers, his HIV status has ended many relationships before they have had the chance to begun. Sean then decides it would be simpler to date only other HIV positive men, but that decision is immediately challenged when he meets social worker Emery Benton.

Despite the many undeniable reasons why Sean and Emery should not date, their sizzling sexual attraction is too strong to ignore. Sean has the most to lose if their relationship does not work out and he quickly puts the brakes on their romance. But Emery has an endless supply of patience and understanding, and they continue to date and get to know one another. But when Sean encounters an unexpected setback, he ends their relationship. But the situation with Lamar keeps pulling the men together and Emery refuses to give up on Sean.

The other story arc in Perfect for Me dealing with Lamar and his dysfunctional and abusive family life is heartbreakingly realistic. Lamar’s love for and loyalty to his mother leads him to make the wrong decision again and again. Yet neither Sean nor Emery is willing to give up on providing him the opportunity for a better future.

If we lived in a perfect world, the children who need the intervention of Child Protective Services would have champions like the characters in Perfect for Me. Emery works tirelessly in his role as a case worker and he remains refreshingly unjaded by the harsh realities of his job. Sean is the type of principal every student should be lucky enough to have. One who sees the promise in a young man’s future despite the fact that Lamar’s home life is less than ideal. And every child who ends up in foster care should have someone as caring and devoted as Sonya Johnson.

I was emotionally invested in all of the characters and storylines in Perfect for Me. None of the various story arcs overpower the novel. Instead each provides depth to the characters and enriches the overall plot. D.H. Starr deftly handles the difficult topic of HIV with sensitivity and he gently educates the reader in a matter of fact manner.

A captivating story that should be on everyone’s reading list.

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Filed under Contemporary, DH Starr, Erotic, M/M, MLR Press, Perfect for Me, Rated B+, Review, Romance

July 5, 2012 · 3:57 am

Second Time Lucky by Ethan Day

Title: Second Time Lucky by Ethan Day
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: 274 pages/Word Length: 80,000+
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

Second chances aren’t easy to come by but for Luke Landon and Owen West, sometimes the best things really do come back to you.

Luke Landon and Owen West already had a once upon a time. They burned hot back in college yet still managed to lose their way. It’s been fifteen years since they drifted apart and while a lot has since changed, they’ve discovered that some things still feel the same. While one calls it fate, the other dumb luck, second chances aren’t easy to come by. Putting the ignorance of youth and life’s baggage aside, they just might find that sometimes the best things really do come back to you.

The Review:

Anyone who enjoys second chance at love stories is sure to love Ethan Day’s newest novel. Second Time Lucky is a captivating novel with two incredibly scrumptious heroes who discover that love is even better the second time around.

A chance meeting in a bar sets the stage for this wickedly funny and scorching hot romance. Luke Landon is a charming character who at first glance, appears self-confident and happy with his carefree bachelor lifestyle. But, as is often the case, first impressions are deceiving. Luke’s vulnerabilities become evident when he is confronted by unresolved issues from his childhood.

Owen West is definitely more together emotionally than Luke. He is contemplating a major life and career change when he meets Luke again. The sexual chemistry that burned between fifteen years ago is hotter than ever and Owen finds he cannot walk away from Luke a second time.

The relationship between Owen and Luke is slow growing and spans several months. A long distance romance, the men meet as often as possible and slowly introduce one another to the important friends and family members in their lives. While their romance progresses with little conflict, there are definitely a few obstacles that must be overcome by both men before they find their happily ever after.

Sinfully sexy and laugh out loud funny, Second Time Lucky is a fast-moving and engrossing romance. The characters are fully fleshed and three dimensional and the issues facing them will resonate with readers. Ethan Day delivers yet another extraordinary novel that is sure to delight fans of contemporary romantic comedies.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Erotic, Ethan Day, M/M, MLR Press, Rated B+, Romance, Second Time Lucky

April 27, 2012 · 3:56 am

A Token of Time by Ethan Day

Title: A Token of Time by Ethan Day
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: M/M, Mystery, Erotic, Romance, Time Travel
Length: 428 pages, 121,000 words
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

The murder of Zachary’s lover and a mysterious connection to the recently deceased legendary matinee idol, Marc Castle challenged everything Zachary knew to be true – to believe that the impossible, was possible.

On the run from his family, Zachary Hamilton was cursed with a gift he neither wanted nor asked for. The recent murder of his lover unleashed a chain of events revealing Zachary’s connection to the recently deceased legendary matinee idol, Marc Castle. Attempting to unravel the mystery behind the movie star, Zachary encountered an ancient relic shrouded in history and folklore, leading to a discovery so shocking it altered his very existence — challenging everything Zachary knew to be true — to believe that the impossible, was possible.

The Review:

Ethan Day’s A Token of Time is a spellbinding mystery with a love so powerful it defies time. While mourning the death of his best friend and lover, Nick, Zachary Hamilton receives an unexpected inheritance from movie star Marc Castle. The ancient necklace he receives reveals a shocking revelation and an eerie sense of déjà vu plagues Zachary when he moves into Marc’s estate. Will Zachary’s journey back to the glamorous days of Hollywood change his future? Or will it set in motion a chain of events that will destroy him and those he holds closest to his heart?

Although it is very different from Mr. Day’s previous works, A Token of Time is a brilliantly conceived novel with a creative storyline that is quite compelling. The cast of characters is outstanding and well developed with realistic flaws and charming imperfections. The story flows seamlessly through the different time periods and from the various characters’ points of views. The fifties Hollywood setting is particularly appealing and it provides an aura of innocence that adds to the magical quality of the novel.

With plenty of twists and turns, A Token of Time is an ingenious mix of mystery and the supernatural. It is also a beautiful love story that is highly romantic and extremely sensuous. Ethan Day brings this intriguing novel to a flawless ending that is absolutely perfect and highly satisfying.

A magnificent story that captures the imagination with its clever plot and enchanting characters, A Token of Time is a must read for anyone who enjoys a romance with a beguiling paranormal twist.

2 Comments

Filed under A Token of Time, Erotic, Ethan Day, M/M, MLR Press, Mystery, Rated B+, Romance, Time Travel