Eldridge's Release by Evelise Archer

Publisher: Torquere Press

Date published: August 24, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-944449-89-6
BDSM, M/M Romance
Ebook
Reviewed by Gabrielle (meingee@yahoo.com)

Weblink: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=4704

Obtained via publisher

Rating: 3

This is a sweet story about a man who longs to submit but has difficulty acting on his wants because of his past experience. I enjoyed meeting Eldridge and Dalton. The two are good together. Dalton is a good man who understands Eldridge’s needs and is more than ready to give Eldridge what he wants but is also willing to go as slow as El needs him to go. Dalton is here for the long haul. It was nice to see the two men find their way. You can see the attraction that the two share grow into something much more as they continue to spend more time together. It was nice to see Eldridge find what he was looking for and take a chance and grab for his happiness. Eldridge and Dalton are a nice couple and as we went along on their adventure I found myself cheering love on and hoping Eldridge would find what he was looking for in Dalton. Dalton teaches Eldridge that love is out there for the taking is you just let it in.

Their story is nicely paced and while I did enjoy meeting the men and watching their relationship blossom I was not lost in their story.  It is a sweet read and it does have its hot moments as it centers around a D/s relationship but it did not grab me. Eldridge and Dalton are good characters but the story lacked something for me. It is a well written story of finding love and following your heart. This book is a nice romance but I would have enjoyed a bit more angst and meat to the story.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

FRAGMENTS OF A UNICORN'S SOUL by J.R. Loveless

Publisher: Torquere Press
Date published: 4/6/15
ISBN: 978-1-944449-49-0
MM, Paranormal
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=4632
Obtained via publisher.
Rating: 3



Elek is a unicorn who lives in the forest. All unicorns must remain behind the veil so humans don’t catch and hurt them. However Elek is drawn outside the veil and saves the life of a small child. Years pass and Elek falls in love with the boy who becomes a man. But humans cannot understand unicorns and unicorns must not leave the safety of the forest.


I was attracted to this book because of such a beautiful and different premise. The plot, the world and the emotions of the characters hold enormous promise of great storytelling.

The love Elek holds for the child, then man, Jonathan, is shown dramatically and in a manner that underlies the basic enchantment of the tale. The steps toward potential resolution of the problem are elegant, believable yet not predictable. Both the characters and the story itself live up to the blurb and are good.

Unfortunately I found it almost impossible to believe that a book which has been published before and now re-edited could still hold two incredibly annoying problems, which this book does. First, there are POV changes with no warning mid-paragraph. I anticipate a line break as a minimal requirement for a POV change. Secondly there are no scene breaks or chapter headings. The book is all one long piece with no subdivisions at all. This is a long way beyond annoying. It’s completely unprofessional. We move through different scenes, years pass, the POV character changes, but the story just rolls on with no formatting to indicate anything has altered. I’m stunned that the editor and publisher permitted this to happen. There is also a complete lack of understanding of how to write a further past scene inside an already past scene. Tenses are important here.
This book didn’t live up to its potential.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE CLAWED MONET by A.M. Bostwick

Publisher: Torquere Press
Date published: 1/13/16
ISBN: 978-1-944449-24-7
Mystery/Suspense Young Adult
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4580
Obtained via publisher
Rating: 4.5



A reproduction of a priceless Monet painting is damaged during a gala event at the Rhys Art Museum and the curator’s cat, Miss Kitty, is accused of the crime. Feline detective, Ace, determines to take on the case.


Note: This is a stand-alone sequel to a previous story.
This is a wonderful, fast-moving detective story told entirely in Ace’s POV. The cast of characters ranges widely with cats Ace’s main support and allies, but dogs and various other animals also help out, or hinder, depending on the occasion. There are even some human characters, although Ace’s human, Max, a newspaper editor, is mostly too busy to give Ace the attention he deserves.
I really enjoyed this book. The story is a refreshingly different twist on a simple property damage case, with a huge cast of potential villains, some fascinating characters, some shady dealings, and a hero who simply won’t give up until the case is solved. The bad guys ensure Ace’s discoveries are a wild ride through fun, danger, and spine tingling events, but there is also plenty of laughter, fun and good humor to balance the tension.
Whether the reader is an animal lover or not, they’ll find it hard to resist the charm, humor, and sheer fun of this story and its amazing characters.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE LOVE TRIANGLE GONE WRONG by Rob Rosen

Publisher: Torquere Press
Date published: 12/16/15
ISBN: 978-1-944449-16-2
MM Contemporary
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=4561
Obtained via publisher
Rating: 3.5



Gus wanted to be a policeman but ended up as a security guard at the local theater. Steel is one of the actors in the current play. He looks forward to being a mega star one day, meanwhile he’s amusing himself with the other actors as well as the play. Until a cast member is murdered.


Rob Rosen writes a short story each week and his talent and professionalism shows. This 10k story has an entertaining cast, a light handed humor, a murder to solve, and a lot of hot sex including role playing, some light spanking, sex in public spaces, and some very forthright language. Steel doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who is interested in an HEA, but he and Gus are very much into each other right now.
The story is very clean with only a couple of nit-picky errors, the humor is great, the characters are believable, and the plot drags the reader along, with frequent breaks for Gus and Steel to have sex wherever they might happen to be at the time.
A light-hearted fun read, despite the murder and the explicit and harsher than normal language used.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

NEED FOR SALE by Sean Michael

Publisher: Torquere Press Publishers
Date published: December 16, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61040-854-7
Erotic, M/M romance, Holiday

Ebook
Reviewed by  Gabrielle  (meingee@yahoo.com)

Weblink: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_85&products_id=4339

Obtained via publisher
Rating: 4 Hearts

It has been too long for Neil he longs for some kind of contact.  When his Dom passed away his world crumbled. Neil has hidden away for what seems like forever but he needs so much more now. Life goes on and so must he. Neil puts himself up for auction and finds himself bought by his good friend Dalton. Neil does not know what to think of it all. Dalton lost his chance all those years ago and is not letting this second chance pass him by. His feelings for Neil never went away, only became deeper as the years went by.  Can the two find a way past just friendship? Is this truly Dalton’s second chance to make things right?

This is a sweet and romantic story of finding love and fighting hard to keep it. Neil and Dalton both quickly endear themselves to the reader. Their friendship is strong and soon turns into something deeper. Neil has longed for something this strong for a long time. I enjoyed seeing him go through so many emotions and try to find his happiness. Dalton is a good man and friend but he wants so much more with Neil. Watching the two work their way to a happy ending was a nice read.  Neil and Dalton make a wonderful couple. They fit together nicely and are very hot together. It was nice to see the two men finally share themselves and find a way home. This fast paced and quick read proves that  love can be found where you least expect it.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.