White House setting | Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Tag Archives: White House setting

This political thriller is an absolute edge of the seat triumph

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Mirrigold

The-Night-Of-Kindle The Night Of: M|M Romantic Suspense by Tal Bauer

OMG!

Repeat about a million times, throw in a half dozen WTF moments and then mix up with a sprinkle of “I don’t believe it” and you come vaguely close to trying to describe the complete head rush of The Night Of.

I can’t actually write a review about the book itself because – like all of Tal’s novels – they have to be experienced blind.

If you’ve ever read anything from him, then I’ll summarise by saying this book has all the feels of Enemies Of the State, the absolute mind twisting of Hush and Whisper, and the thrilling edge of The Murder Between Us.

It’s romantic suspense perfection and the subtle nods to that other White House couple were the best kind of Easter Eggs.

I don’t know exactly what Tal did in his previous political/legal-y Government-y career, but the intricate detail in the narrative felt wholly believable to me!

The actual deep plot, while it feels and sounds like it should be implausible, actually has precedents, although not to this level, and reminded me of all the best political Cold War thrillers.

This works as a standalone, but there’s definitely wriggle room to get another peek into Jonathan and Sean’s lives and a couple of the other Government spooks intrigue me too!

Do yourselves a favour and read this one as soon as it’s out, you really don’t want to have it spoiled.

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

View all my reviews

Reviews: LGBTQ+

This West Wing homage goes all out with an agents romance I’m totally here for!

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Mirrigold

400xFriends Friends by Nora Phoenix

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even better than book one!

I love me a good slow burn and I love me a good friends to lovers, but most of all, I love The West Wing, so this series from Nora really is the icing on the cake atm.

This book is like if The West Wing’s Secret Service Agent Simon Donovan got together with FBI Agent Mike Casper and I’m so here for it!

Nora’s own Agent Casper is divorced and badly in need of affection. Seth, who he’s partnered up with to investigate events from book one, is openly gay and recovering from a training injury. They hit it off straight away as colleagues.

The way their romance then unfolds, while they’re dealing with potential moles inside the Secret Service, terrorists, uncovered assassination plots and loads more security threats, is so beautifully done.

Like I said, it’s slow burn, not only because the reader soon realises that Coulson is actually demisexual way before he does, but also because Seth doesn’t even twig they’re falling in love until his well-meaning but interfering family point it out.

The friendship between these two men is a solid bedrock on which they slowly slide into a relationship without them consciously acknowledging their changing affections.

Seth’s attracted to Coulson from the off, but as a straight man he’s off limits. Coulson begins to notice he has feelings for Seth that aren’t just friends when he gets jealous at the thought of him having a hookup with a fellow agent.

Once he gets over the shock of accepting not only his demisexuality, but also that he’s not straight but pansexual, Coulson is all in and oh boy does he go for it without any qualms or shame.

They are not only emotionally tied together, but their sexual encounters are dynamite. Seth is a self-proclaimed size queen and Coulson delivers him all the inches 😉

This book has light kink references to fisting, but no scenes on page. Seth’s desire to be wrecked by rough sex with a guy who has the necessary equipment to do so, is fully explored and satisfied put it that way!

I was also really happy with the way the investigation is going into not only an incident of terrorism five years earlier – which we again see at the start of this book from both agents’ perspectives – but also the later events of book two.

From the off, I was hoping Nora wasn’t going what looked to be the obvious route and now things are starting to show that’s the case and I can’t wait to see where else the overall plotline goes.

This is another fabulous entry to this lovechild of The West Wing and The American President and I am so here for it!

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

View all my reviews

Reviews: LGBTQ+

Release Blitz: Friends by Nora Phoenix

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Mirrigold

Friends | Nora Phoenix

White House Men #2

Release Date: October 26th, 2020

Cover Design: Vicki Brostenianc

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08LKFQNRL

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LKFQNRL

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55761541-friends

400xFriends

Blurb

Seth is so confused. If Coulson is straight, why is he checking Seth out?

Seth is an out and proud Secret Service agent. When he’s asked to assist the FBI on an investigation, he meets FBI agent Coulson.

Coulson is straight. Or so he says. Seth has no reason to doubt that, not even when they become close friends. Really close friends. But that’s all they are: friends.

Until Seth finds himself checking Coulson out a little too closely—especially certain over-sized body parts—and notices Coulson doing the same to him. For someone who’s straight, Coulson shows a lot of interest in Seth’s dating life, his preferences, and his hook ups. Could it be that he’s not so straight after all?

Meanwhile, every discovery they make in their investigation leads to even more questions. Who’s really behind the assassination? How did they pull it off? And most importantly: what are they planning next?

Friends is a friends-to-lovers romance that begins with a slow burn friendship but ends in high steam. The White House Men series is a romantic suspense set in the White House. Like what would happen if The West Wing and The American President had a gay lovechild.

Each book has a new love story with a happily ever after, but the suspense plot ends on a cliffhanger and will be continued in the rest of the series, so the series needs to be read in order. Strong TW for detailed description of terrorist attack.

Press

White House Men #1

Press Cover 375x600

Universal Link: http://readerlinks.com/l/1424243

About The Author

Would you like the long or the short version of my bio?

The short? You got it.

I write steamy gay romance books and I love it. I also love reading books. Books are everything.

How was that?

A little more detail? Gotcha.

I started writing my first stories when I was a teen…on a freaking typewriter. I still have these, and they’re adorably romantic. And bad, haha. Fear of failing kept me from following my dream to become a romance author, so you can imagine how proud and ecstatic I am that I finally overcame my fears and self doubt and did it. I adore my genre because I love writing and reading about flawed, strong men who are just a tad broken..but find their happy ever after anyway.

My favorite books to read are pretty much all MM/gay romances as long as they have a happy end. Kink is a plus… Aside from that, I also read a lot of nonfiction and not just books on writing. Popular psychology is a favorite topic of mine and so are self help and sociology.

Hobbies? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Just kidding. I love traveling, spending time near the ocean, and hiking. But I love books more.

nora