Tag Archives: secrets

What a fantastic ending to this urban fantasy duology

The Elemental RuinsThe Elemental Ruins by Sam Burns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just like book one this is an epic tale of magic, mayhem, dodgy deeds, dangerous foes and an overwhelming sense of the rightness of a relationship which seems to come from nowhere.

River’s ended up on the wrong side of the barrier where he faces danger from every corner. His long lost father is the bad guy at the heart of the trouble but maybe the hot elven General Lasya could be the clue to how to stop the rot.

Sam delivers another brilliant urban fantasy with a twist as we see what’s going on in Halana and discover that not all is as it seems.

River’s snark is fabulous, he’s definitely unhinged, he’s willing to do what it takes to end the threat, try and reunite with his twin, while simultaneously enjoying as much sexy time as possible with the ferocious (marshmallow centred!) General.

I just love when Sam puts her imagination to work as the worlds she delivers are always fascinating, well constructed and filled with characters I fall head over heels for.

This duology is no exception, I don’t think I could pick a favourite, I loved every bit of the narrative as it played out across two worlds, with magic and trickery, villains and heroes all combined.

I really hope she comes back to this series in the future!

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review

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Twins, secrets and HEAs all come together in this urban fantasy

The Elemental KeyesThe Elemental Keyes by Sam Burns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love it when Sam Burns mixes sub-genres together to create an utterly compelling narrative set in a vividly imagined world.

With the Circle the Square duet (I’ve also read book two but it’s not showing up on Goodreads yet) she’s crafted an amazing story of twins, of brothers, of magic and treachery which links two worlds together across vast distances and twists multiple threads together.

It’s fast-paced, it’s funny, it’s heart-warming, it’s seriously steamy and emotionally powerful, plus it causes the pulse to race and it keeps you reading until the early hours of the morning.

I can’t chose a favourite, I absolutely adored all of them, from snarky River and his beautifully soft-hearted twin Blaze, to Elethen, the Robin Hood style criminal known as The Crow and to The General, Lasya, a man who was willing to sacrifice all to save his people.

The young King is a delight, the other secondary cast of characters bring so much added depth and we have a villain well worthy of the hatred and distrust.

I loved both books so much I read them in a day. I know this is a duology but I would be so, so happy to see Sam returning to this world, there’s so many other people I’d love to also see with a Happy Ever After!

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review

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Release Blitz: Rental by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey

Rental | RJ Scott & V.L. Locey

Boston Rebels #6

Rental-RB

Release Date: March 17th, 2023

Publisher: Love Lane Books

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Length: 55,000 words

Kindle Unlimited: March 31st, 2023

Universal Link: https://rjscott.co.uk/read-rental

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62029361-rental

READ MY REVIEW

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Blurb

A steamy romance between a player and a referee breaks all the rules but will it destroy their careers?

Five different cities in eight years — Logan’s never had the chance to settle in one place. He’s the guy who fills in gaps on teams as a temporary fix and is traded at year’s end because no one wants to keep a thirty-year-old rental after he’s outlived his usefulness.

When he’s called up to the Rebels, he knows it’s his last run in the NHL. Now, he must decide if it’s worth carrying on with the weight of his secrets around his neck for one more year. He’s never had a love that mattered, his career is nearly done, his ex-wife is remarrying, his sex life is drier than a desert, and abruptly, Logan’s had enough.

He craves one night to ease the frustration, and hooks up with someone tall, dark, and dangerous in the bathroom of a club. The sex is off the charts, but it’s one and done, until Logan realizes exactly who he slept with and understands how dangerous it is to play games with secrets.

Being a referee is in Webber’s blood, and it’s a job he loves. Sure, sometimes he’s called dirty names—by fans, coaches, and players—or must insert himself between two massive men trying to pummel each other. Some nights, he’s knocked on his ass. Other times, he might take a puck to a tender spot.

But despite all the hazards and name calling, there is no place he wants to be than on the ice. If only his love life was as settled. It’s hard to find someone willing to put up with his travel schedule, and even if he found Mr. Right, how would he juggle a romance when he’s never home?

A chance hook-up while officiating a game in Boston should be a simple matter of scratching that itch, but he couldn’t be more wrong. Unfortunately, that one-night stand—while memorable—turns his sedate life upside down in ways he could’ve never foreseen. When the penalty for love is losing everything he’s worked hard for, is it a price he’s willing to pay?

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Excerpt

“Samuel Adams, please, draft, and a menu?” I asked. He nodded, moved off to pull me a beer and grab a menu. Raking my fingers through my short, damp brown hair I settled in, looked to the left, and saw one of the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen before, staring at me as if I were a bacon cheeseburger and he was just coming out of a meat-free Lent drought. Gorgeous lower half of his face, anyway. He wet his lips. My pecker perked up instantly. I barely noticed the beer and menu that appeared in front of me. The bartender, who was probably used to seeing men drooling on his bar, moved off to tend to his other customers. “Evening,” I said because I was smooth and suave that way.

“Hey,” he replied, his voice deep as the ocean depths. He was dirty blond, big, and inked. Also, a little younger than me. Not by eons or anything, but maybe early thirties. He had a rugged face, a nose that was wider and perhaps a wee bit crooked. Incredibly lush lips and one hell of a strong jaw. Dark blue eyes. That nose/jaw combo was a real standout. His face was rough and masculine, but he’d not be appearing on the cover of any high-fashion magazine. The man was not a fashionable waif. He was a bruiser. And just my type. His mask was purple with sequins. Very flashy for a man who didn’t strike me as the flashy type, but then again, what did I know about him other than my dick was into his vibe. “You here for food or something else?”

My dick was standing at attention. Okay then, the straightforward type. “I’m here for whatever the night brings me.”

He gave me a smile that could have jarred Satan. Talk about sinful. “Yeah, same.” With that announcement, he slid from his stool, adjusted his cock, which looked like a thick hunk of meat pressing against the zipper of his jeans, and then sauntered off. I sat there overwhelmed, not only at the quickness of finding a willing fuck, but at the potential sheer size of that man’s cock. His ass was a work of perfection. Meaty as hell. Damn this bar was a treasure trove! Why had I not googled gay bars in Boston when I was here before?! He paused at the end of a dark hallway, bathroom signs lit above his head, and gave me that look. That look that scorched all my nerve receptors aside from the ones that led to my crotch. He walked off into the dimly lit corridor.

The bartender cleared his throat. I glanced at him, waiting with a pencil and pad in his hand.

“I have to go wash up first,” I lied like a motherfucking rug.

“Uh-huh.” He placed the pad back into his front pocket and went to make cocktails.

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Check out the rest of the series

Top Shelf (Boston Rebels 1) – https://rjscott.co.uk/read-topshelf

Back Check (Boston Rebels 2) – https://rjscott.co.uk/read-backcheck

Snowed (Boston Rebels 3) – https://rjscott.co.uk/read-snowed

Royal Lines (Boston Rebels 4) – https://rjscott.co.uk/read-royal

Blade (Boston Rebels 5) – https://rjscott.co.uk/read-blade

About The Authors

RJ Scott logo

RJ Scott, author of M/M romance.

Writing love stories with a happy ever after – cowboys, heroes, family, hockey, single dads, bodyguards

USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.

She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.

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V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee.

(Not necessarily in that order.)

She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.

Social Media

Website |  Email  | BookBub | Amazon | Pinterest   | Goodreads   | Instagram | Twitter |  Facebook | Facebook Reader Group | Facebook MM Hockey Romance Group

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