S. M. Sawyer takes you on an amazing journey in his debut novel Justin’s Season. Be prepared to witness a miracle and journey of discovery, hope, and love.
I would recommend this book to readers 15 years and older.
Click here to see my Five Star blog review: http://wp.me/p69RB3-ke
Love Plus One is a 181 page male romance releasing today, January 9, 2017. It is recommended for adult readers 18 years and older. A Synopsis and Excerpt are below and be sure to check out the Giveaway just a little further down.
Laurie and James are a monogamous couple with an occasional lover in James’s best friend, Al. It is a casual, friend-with-benefits situation which suits them all, especially given Al’s promiscuous lifestyle.
When Al is assaulted, however, Laurie and James are forced to confront the fact that their feelings for Al might be stronger than mere liking. But would free spirit Al ever want more than what they already have?
P.A. Friday © 2017
All Rights Reserved
Anyhow, Laurie hung around outside, a little distance from the shop. He was grateful that it was a decent evening, even despite the cold. Finally, he heard the door begin to open and walked towards it.
“Don’t stay, Al. I can manage from here,” Fen called.
“Yeah, okay.” Al’s voice sounded a little strained, and Laurie moved more swiftly towards him, unwilling to let him hang around alone on the doorstep.
“Hey,” he said, tapping Al gently on the shoulder as he came up to him.
“Laurie!” Al let go of the shop door and clutched his chest in an age-old gesture of shock. “God, you scared the bejesus out of me.”
“Hell. Sorry,” Laurie apologized. Appearing out of the darkness at someone who got attacked a couple of days earlier by a group of people appearing out of the darkness. Nice one, Laurie, he castigated himself mentally. “I didn’t want to hang around in the shop looking like some sinister spectre at the feast in case your boss didn’t appreciate it,” he explained guiltily. “But I should’ve thought. Sorry.”
Al gave a weak grin. “No, you’re right. Fen would probably not have wanted you standing about watching her cash up. I’m just a bit twitchy. Sorry, yourself.”
“I feel like an idiot,” Laurie apologized.
“Nothing new there, then,” Al said, his grin widening. Then he sobered up, touching Laurie’s arm. “Seriously, though, thanks for this. Meeting me, I mean. Didn’t realise how much of a fucking wuss I was until it came to going out, and it was dark, and…”
Laurie bit his lip. Bastards. He felt the now-familiar wave of anger wash over him. So much for being a peaceable sort of chap. Laurie would quite happily have committed murder at the moment, given the right targets. He pulled Al into a one-armed hug.
“Not a problem. You’d do the same for me.”
Al looked at him, his strange green eyes lit by the street light above them. “Yes, I would,” he said quietly. “I’m glad you know that.”
Laurie felt his cheeks flush, despite the cold. He hadn’t known, not really. If he’d thought about it, he’d have presumed that Al liked him well enough—but probably more as James’s boyfriend, not for himself particularly. His own feelings for Al were one thing (and he was slightly embarrassed about his level of protectiveness, not to mention love, towards the younger man), but he had no thought that they were reciprocated, and he hadn’t been unduly bothered by that. They didn’t have that sort of relationship. But there was something simple and genuine in Al’s response that was touching. It wasn’t the normal, teasing young man who Laurie usually knew. Laurie mumbled something incoherent and left his arm around Al’s shoulders as they walked towards home. James was too tall to hold like this; Laurie’s hand always fell across his back and rounded his waist on the far side. But Al was five or six inches shorter than Laurie, and Laurie’s arm slipped around his shoulders quite comfortably.
“What did Fen say—about your face?” Laurie asked.
Al shrugged. “Told her I got in a fight.
Laurie raised an eyebrow. Of all the people to get in a fight, Al was one of the least likely. Al stared at his and Laurie’s feet.
“Told her she should’ve seen the other guy,” he mumbled. “Wasn’t true. They were fine.”
“They were a ‘they’,” Laurie said, trying not to sound as angry as he felt. “With a knife.”
Al shrugged. It was such a familiar gesture, but this time Laurie’s arm was around Al, so he could feel it go through him. It seemed as if he could also feel the self-hatred Al was experiencing, too. It burnt, and Laurie felt helpless to do anything about it.
“Yeah,” Al said, at last. There was a silence. Then, “Laurie,” he said.
“Uh-huh?”
“I think I’m ready to tell the police now.”
Laurie could feel Al tense as he said the words; it was not going to be an easy experience for him, Laurie knew.
“You’re bloody brave.”
Al huffed, a little puff of cold air escaping from his lips. “Hardly,” he said. “Think I’m being anything but.” He stopped walking, shivering a little. “Thought how I’d feel if they did it to Fen. To someone else.” He leaned his head against Laurie’s arm. “I have to, don’t I?”
“No,” Laurie said quietly. “You don’t. But you will, because you’re brave. Because you’re you. Because you’re thinking about someone else two days after you—”
“Yeah,” said Al, cutting him off quickly. He hadn’t let them say the word—not Laurie, not James, definitely not himself. “I was shit. But—”
It was Laurie’s turn to cut Al off. “No, you weren’t. And no, you aren’t.” There were moments when one-armed hugs didn’t cut it. Laurie pulled Al close in against him, holding him as tightly as possible without pressing against him too painfully. No need to remind Al of all the bits of him that hurt in quite so physical a fashion. “You’re being incredible, all right?” Laurie whispered in Al’s ear. “Don’t think otherwise.”
“Going to carry on hugging me like this?” Al asked, sounding a bit happier. “Because you’re having a decent effect on my ego.” He gave a little wriggle, pushing himself up against Laurie. “More than my ego,” he added thoughtfully.
A warm Al pushed up against him was rather too good for a public street, Laurie thought. He said as much to Al, who laughed.
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He sat up and swung his legs over as if getting out of bed, but stayed sitting there to give his head time to clear from another all-night bender and to gain a semblance of balance before stepping onto the cold cement floor. His still imposing six-foot-four-inch body, an inch taller than in his high school days, was out of shape and bloated. It served as a metaphor for everything else his life had become, contrary to the Greek god physique he’d had when he was seemingly in total charge of his life and circumstances.
His blond hair was long and greasy, and his face contorted by the miseries of daily self-flagellation through alcohol, drugs, and slovenly habits. His tongue felt thick and dry, and his eyes appeared as if seared on an iron skillet. He did his best to gather whatever strength remained to get up and to live what had become his own recurring Groundhog Day. He wanted water to quench his alcohol-induced thirst and to be bathed by a sympathetic and nonjudgmental geisha, washing away impurities and regret. But again he thought of sleep and of beckoning the dreams to reacquaint him with his previous life. He eased his head onto the pillow with hopes that sleep would allow him to wander back to his senior year in high school—to a time when he was admired by all and treated as the town’s favorite son.
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I am a very big fan of NineStar and have read several of their books. Click the link to read some of my reviews: janisf NineStar Book Reviews.
A Time to Rise is a Paranormal Male Romance. The story takes place in Rome and Vatican City. I learned a great deal about the Swiss Guard and their role in keeping the Pope safe. The story has vampires, demons, revenants and basically all the things that go bump in the night. A Time to Rise contains adult content suitable for mature readers only.
A Time to Rise releases May 2, 2016
For the past 12 years Sergeant Alain Autenberg has been in charge of Special Projects for the Guard which basically means it’s his job to protect the Vatican and Rome from all the things that go bump in the night. His partner is Father Lotario who is quite a piece of work and hard to believe he’s a father at all. I immediately loved him. They work together to eliminate any threat but things are starting to change in the dark world and they can’t seem to figure out why. As a side note: Alain lost the love of his life 12 years ago and he’s been lonely but he’s sticking to the promise he made to himself to never love again.
In walks new guard recruit, Cristoph Hasse who Alain is immediately drawn to and who becomes his new mentee. He’s never been a Mentor before and he’s not happy about it. But he can’t say no to his boss, Commandant Best.
There are sections in the book, during the hunts, where Alain and Father Lotario destroy the “bad” guys. Be prepared for it to be graphic and bloody. But within all of the blood and gore, you can see a very strong friendship between these two men.
During the mentoring process, Alain and Cris form the start of a friendship. Cris ends up finding out more then he should about Alain and what he does while he tries to find his place in the world. Their friendship grows into something more and they start to care about each other. At this point things start to get very crazy. Vampires and Demons working together, someone in the Vatican wanting to “rule the world” and Alain trying to stop it all. Let’s just say you need to hang on for this ride because it’s a rollercoaster! There is a dramatic conclusion to this but however, the end of this story was left wide open. Not a cliffhanger but there is definitely more story to be told and I look forward to book 2.
This is the second book I’ve read by Tal Bauer. The first was Enemies of the State and you can find my five star review here.
Tal’s stories are a bit different. While both these books are male romance, the romance is not really the focus of the book. They are packed with action, adventure, some horror, some blood and gore, men saving the world and basically “stuff” that makes a novel exciting to read. Don’t get me wrong, the romance is still there and it’s written beautify. Tal’s writing flows smoothly, is very easy to read and also very entertaining. I enjoyed both of these books and look forward to reading more by Tal.
History says the Knights Templar were destroyed in 1307.
History is wrong.
Vampires haunt the sewers beneath Rome, revenants desecrate graveyards, ghouls devour helpless passersby, and incubi stalk dark alleys and seedy nightclubs in Italy’s capital. Deep in the Vatican, a brotherhood exists, sworn protectors of the earth, and they stand firm against monsters from the dark depths. Operating in secret and silence, they protect our world from the sinister, the etheric, and the evils that exist beyond the Veil.
But it’s a lonely life, and Alain Autenberg knows that more than most. His lover was ripped from him years ago, and he vowed never to get close to another soul again. Even when the loneliness presses down on him, and his empty heart cries out for something more.
Something more comes in Cristoph Hasse, a new soldier arriving in Rome to serve in the Pontifical Swiss Guard. Young, brash, and fitting in at right angles everywhere he goes, Cris struggles in the murky, deceptive labyrinth of the Vatican. Propelled forward by a past he can’t understand, Cris collides with Alain, and both men crash headfirst into the darkest secret of the Vatican…and of the world.
Find Tal Bauer Here: Internet, Facebook, NineStar Press.
Pick up A Time to Rise at Amazon – here. Pick up Enemies of the State at Amazon – here.
S. M. Sawyer takes you on an amazing journey in his debut novel Justin’s Season. Be prepared to witness a miracle and journey of discovery, hope and love.
Justin’s Season is journey of discovery, redemption and love with Justin touching the lives of everyone he encounters. As many of you already know, I will never include spoilers in my reviews so believe me when I say, this book is totally worth reading.
It’s 1977 and Justin Davis, a high school senior, has it all. He’s the class hero, most likely to succeed, he excels in every sport, and he is the top quarterback recruit in the nation. All the powerhouses in the Big Ten want him. But then one night, while Justin is trying to understand his own feelings and sexual orientation, everything changes.
Now it’s 1988 and Justin has spent the last 12 years drinking, doing drugs and hiding away from the world. He’s journey begins one morning with the sun shinning into the basement of his brother Mark’s house where Justin has been staying. Will Justin take this opportunity he’s been given and follow the path and journey his angles are leading him on?
You will not regret reading this book and following along with Justin. You will meet some interesting people along the way and see how one man’s journey and destiny can alter many others. I truly believe God has a plan for each of us and we have to be open enough and trusting enough to go where we are lead. I’m very thankful S. M. Sawyer shared Justin’s journey with me.
There is a speech Justin gives towards the end of the book and it’s my favorite scene. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
“None of us is an abomination. We’re all here in His image, no matter the color of our skin, our orientation, our infirmities, and we are loved and celebrated by Him unconditionally. And one day, as all are better able to accept His plan for us, then we, too, will love and celebrate each other as He does.”
Click on this link and listen to “Life is Beautiful” by Vega 4. It will have new meaning for you and remind you of Justin’s journey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6k1wbrPC0
“The year is 1988, and Justin Davis, a former nationally recruited football prep star, awakens from twelve years of masking his shame with drugs and alcohol to find he has been returned to his former self through what can only be described as a miracle.
Triggered by the confirmation of his closely guarded sexual orientation, his fall from grace of over a decade before sets the stage for his redemption. The fulfillment of his destiny is prompted by Providence and the serendipitous deeds of those who are a part of his new life, as their intertwined lives are likewise impacted. Though his rapid evolvement and acceptance of his homosexuality is countered by setbacks, Justin perseveres and eventually triumphs as fate, he believes, has led him back to the sports arena to recapture past glories.
In a stunning finale, however, he learns his destiny is not what he had envisioned. His calling has been thrust upon him by circumstances beyond his control. Can Justin embrace it and become the man he was always meant to be?”
S. M. Sawyer is a retired military officer. He has also served as a defense contractor and as President for a nationally accredited charity whose mission is to recognize exceptional maritime rescues and assist voluntary search and rescue organizations worldwide. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Natalie. They have five grown children. Justin’s Season is his debut literary effort.
Email S.M. here: justins.season@gmail.com
Read an interview with S. M. Sawyer here: http://ninestarpress.com/s-m-sawyer-interview-part-1/
Find S. M. here: Facebook
Pick up your e-copy of Justin’s Season at Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01CC9UEWU
Pick up your print copy of Justin’s Season at Amazon: https://amzn.com/1911153781
Pick up both print and e-copy at NineStarPress: http://ninestarpress.com/product/justins-season/
Excerpt from Justin’s Season:
S.M. Sawyer © 2016 All rights reserved
A sliver of light from the early morning sun came through an exposed slit of the basement window blind, creeping its way against the wall until it came to rest upon Justin’s eyes. He lay sleeping in a jumbled mass of musty blankets on an old steel-framed bed. After a few moments of the sun’s focused rays beckoning him to awaken, he flinched and turned his head away, and then rolled onto his left side toward a dark corner in a vain attempt to deny the day’s arrival.
For Justin, it had been another long night, and the reminder of a new day came with a reluctant anticipation akin to that of a prisoner serving a life sentence without a chance for parole. He lay there motionless, holding the sheets close to his chin as he gazed upon an iconic black-and-white poster of James Dean. The actor walked down a puddled street with a cigarette between his lips, hands in his coat pockets, and his collar turned up to keep the cold and drizzle at bay. Marching down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams and into immortality.
Though it had been hanging on the wall for fifteen years, Justin, enjoying a rare and lucid moment of circumspection, studied the poster in silence as if he were looking at it for the first time. You did it right, Mr. Dean, he thought. You died early…frozen in time. Leaving everyone wanting more. Never having to answer for life’s failings.
The unwelcome light from the sun continued to fill the room, exposing the remnants of Justin’s life before the troubles. Dusty citations, press clippings, photographs, scholarship offer letters, and trophies from his high school years. Collected over a decade before, they now served as the remaining threads that connected to past glories.
This is what happens, isn’t it? You peak early and get a little cocky that you’re in control, and instead of leaving on top, you live long enough to mutate into some bad apple that people use to warn their kids. “Don’t get too full of yourself or you’ll turn out like Justin Davis.” That’s right…I’m not remembered for what I was and what I should have been. It’s easier for voyeurs to whisper among themselves about the broken, washed-up, slow-motion train wreck I’ve become—how I let my charmed life slip away.
Justin sat up and swung his legs over as if getting out of bed, but stayed sitting there to give his head time to clear from another all-night bender and to gain a semblance of balance before stepping onto the cold cement floor. His still imposing six-foot-four-inch body, an inch taller than in his high school days, was out of shape and bloated. It served as a metaphor for everything else his life had become, contrary to the Greek god physique he’d had when he was seemingly in total charge of his life and circumstances.
His blond hair was long and greasy, and his face contorted by the miseries of daily self-flagellation through alcohol, drugs, and slovenly habits. His tongue felt thick and dry, and his eyes appeared as if seared on an iron skillet. He did his best to gather whatever strength remained to get up and to live what had become his own recurring Groundhog Day. He wanted water to quench his alcohol-induced thirst and to be bathed by a sympathetic and nonjudgmental geisha, washing away impurities and regret. But again he thought of sleep and of beckoning the dreams to reacquaint him with his previous life. He eased his head onto the pillow with hopes that sleep would allow him to wander back to his senior year in high school—to a time when he was admired by all and treated as the town’s favorite son.
Justin Davis was the class hero and the most likely to succeed. He had excelled at everything—sports, scholastics, popularity—and as the top quarterback recruit in the nation he received offers from scores of college football powerhouses representing the Big Ten and other major conferences. Why then, he continually asked himself, had he let his guard down—putting everything on the line and seeking confirmation from strangers?
Throughout his life he had felt that guardian angels were with him, but they’d abandoned him when he needed them most, so they could steward over someone more deserving…someone who wouldn’t risk all for a taste of what he had been brought up to consider the forbidden fruit. He couldn’t explain it, but life’s confusions made him feel that he no longer fit the role his angels had paved for him. That maybe he’d had a hand in sabotaging it before it went too far; a secret he kept hidden from himself and others with the aid of any mind-numbing substance he could get his hands on.
With his room in the basement of his brother’s home now bathed in full light, Justin drifted back to sleep, and from his sleep he could hear the marching band and cheers from the packed stadium as he led his team, charging onto the field through the gauntlet of cheerleaders. In reliving the moment, he managed a slight smile as his dreams took him back twelve years to the fall of 1976 and the sound of the PA system announcing the starting teams for the state of Ohio’s high school football championship game.
And as the dreams continued and the light of the sun streamed through the basement’s walk-out French door and remaining windows, Justin subconsciously felt a strange and unique sensation upon his dormant soul. The feeling of his angels returning to envelop his body like fresh snow on a blemished landscape—lovingly transforming his unkempt and damaged being. They had come to caress and heal his body and spirit, and renew his faith to trust what lay ahead.
Enemies of the State is an outstanding political, military, romantic, suspense novel by Tal Bauer. It’s like The American President meets White House Down, but move over Police Officer John Cale played by Channing Tatum because Secret Service Lead Special Agent Ethan Reichenbach is in the house!
As many of you already know, I never include spoilers in my reviews and I’m going to do my best to relay to you how much I absolutely loved this story without giving too much away. So here goes:
Fifteen years ago Jack Spiers lost his wife, Army Captain Leslie Spiers in Iraq. That’s when Jack made the decision to kick start his political career in hopes of changing the world and making it a better place. Now he’s the President of the United States and he’s ready to start his first year in office. Jack is a people person and he finds out pretty quickly that his job doesn’t really leave him time to have friends or get close to the people. He has staff, cabinet members, but not anyone to bounce things off of or hang out with and it’s causing him some issues. On top of all that, he is major peace talks with the other world leaders.
Secret Service Agent Ethan Reichenbach spent 10 years in Army Special Forces and now is starting his 12th year with the Secret Service as lead security detail for POTUS. Ethan is a bit of a loner, no family, no boyfriend, but he does have a few close Secret Service friends. He’s never been one to look for love or even think he needs love in his life. Ethan is the job and he loves the job but everything changes one night at the White House. The President needs a friend and Ethan can’t help but break every Secret Service rule there is to be a friend to Jack. A couple months later and Ethan does something he never thought he would ever do. He falls in love with straight, once married man and President of the United States, Jack Spiers.
Tal’s writing in relation to the build up of these two men falling in love is outstanding. You can feel all the emotions from each character and how they each feel from their different perspectives. It is absolutely beautiful to read. Tal also gives an amazing political-military story that forced me to keep turning every page causing me to finish the novel in one day. It is really that good. I am a huge fan of military type books with strong men saving the world and falling in love, and I really don’t care who they fall in love with. It’s the heart and soul that picks who we love and sometimes we have absolutely no control over it.
By the time I reached the end of the book, I was praying there would be a book 2 and I hear we may see more of Ethan and Jack this year. I will keep you posted.
A rogue Black Ops unit with the president in their crosshairs.
A Secret Service agent who will break every rule.
A president falling for the one person he shouldn’t—a man.
Newly elected President Jack Spiers’s presidency is rocked from the very beginning, and he’s working furiously to keep the world from falling apart. Between terrorism attacks ripping apart Europe, Russia’s constant posturing and aggression, and the quagmire of the Middle East, Jack is struggling to keep his campaign promise—to work toward a better, safer world.
For Special Agent Ethan Reichenbach, Jack is just another president, the third in twelve years. With Jack’s election, he’s been promoted, and now he’s running the presidential detail, which puts him side by side with Jack daily. He’s expecting another stuffed suit and an arrogant DC politician, but Jack shocks him with his humor and humanity.
There are rules against a Secret Service agent and one of their protectees developing a friendship—big rules. Besides, Jack is straight as a ruler, and a widower, and Ethan has always avoided falling for straight men. Ethan keeps his distance, but Jack draws him in, like gas to a naked flame, and it’s a lure he isn’t strong enough to turn away from.
As the two men collide, rules are shattered and the world teeters on the verge of war, and a rogue Black Ops unit bent on destruction sets Jack in their deadly crosshairs. Ethan must put everything on the line in order to save the man he’s come to love, Jack’s presidency, and the world.
Get Enemies of the State at Amazon: Here
Add Enemies of the State to your To Be Read at Goodreads: Here
Book Reviews - janisf & leisha 