REVIEW: Unhinge the Universe by Alekandr Voinov and L.A. Witt!!

"Give me one fixed point and a long enough lever, and I'll unhinge the universe. — Archimedes

December 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge

SS Lieutenant Hagen Friedrichs is the sole survivor of a party sent to retrieve his brother—and the highly sensitive information he’s carrying—from behind enemy lines. But his daring rescue attempt fails, and Hagen becomes the prisoner.

Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW. His secrets could turn the tide of the war, but are they real? John is determined to find out . . . and to shatter the prisoner who killed his lover during the attack on their tiny base. The deeper he digs, though, the more he realizes that the soldier under the SS uniform is just like him: a scared, exhausted young man who’s lost loved ones and just wants to go home.

As captor and captive form an unexpected bond, the lines quickly blur between enemy, friend, and lover. And as horrifying rumors spread from the front lines and American soldiers turn their sights on the SS for vengeance, John may be Hagen’s only hope for survival."

Unhinge the Universe is a realistic WWII drama that hits the marks successfully and splendidly, with its drama, angst, danger, and romance!

I really enjoyed it!

Hagen and John were interesting and complex characters with flaws and strengths and I really liked that about them; they weren't fighting on their sides because it was war and they were drafted, they were fighting because they believed in what they were fighting for which made their struggles and their eventual love for one another much more authentic.

Hagen was fighting for the side he believed was right, Nazis Germany.. He, like the other German soldiers were told that the Americans were evil and sadistic and loved torturing people so he had a hatred for the Allies and wanted to do everything he could to take them down, especially for his brother.. Hagen was sweet and def the more resistant of the two lovers and reading his interactions with John were very nice, as one moment he believed in them and the next, doubted them completely.

John was the more experienced of the two men, specifically sexually, as in he was fully accepting of orientation and in fact had a male lover, that well ... you will have to read to see. I did not know how the authors were going to pull that bit off, but they did it organically and nicely. John cared for Hagen a great deal and put his life and career in jeopardy in order to ensure Hagen's survival, which I really admired about him.

Watching the love build between the two men was very wonderful, especially under the highly extreme and deadly circumstances. The whole will they die, will one die, will they end up together created a great and angst riddled read!

Thoroughly enjoyed & Highly recommend!

-Atlas

REVIEW: As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann!!

"In the seventeenth century, the English Revolution is under way. The nation, seething with religious and political discontent, has erupted into violence and terror. Jacob Cullen and his fellow soldiers dream of rebuilding their lives when the fighting is over. But the shattering events of war will overtake them.

A darkly erotic tale of passion and obsession, As Meat Loves Salt is a gripping portrait of England beset by war. It is also a moving portrait of a man on the brink of madness.

Hailed as a masterpiece, this is a first novel by a most original new voice in fiction."

(Old Read)

One of the most thrilling, mesmerizing and beautiful stories I have read. The build up to Ferris & Jacob's affair was captivating and addictive and the pain, love and wickedness these two partake in was deepily saddening.

 It is not a story about love torn apart by society, but rather one about love beaten dead into the ground by one's own madness and inner demons. I wanted them to have love despite EVERYTHING and in the end, I was fullfilled as a reader, but not in the way I wanted... the lush writing is the guilty party on that front. If you are thinking about reading this book, then you must, you really must. You will not regret it. When its beautiful, its heartwarming, when its loving, you fall in love and when its scary & sad, you just might shed more then a tear - you will scream at the characters and find yourself of the same mind.

Easily, one of my favorite books of all time.

This book is phenomenal.

BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT Now!!

--Atlas

JAY BELL's SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER Book Sale!!

"It’s Tim Wyman’s birthday! Almost! To celebrate, in the week leading up to the big day, Something Like Summer will be on sale for a mere ninty-nine cents. Ninty-nine cents!!! “But Jay,” you are probably saying. “Why put Summer on sale when Winter is Tim’s book?” Well, my sexy little friend, the idea is to get more people reading this series, and we all know that Summer is a gateway drug to the other seasons. This is the perfect time to get your more stingy and skeptical friends to read one of the greatest gay love stories ever told. Tell them about the impending movie! Tell them about the sex scenes! The angst! The love! The arrrrgh! Ideally, by the time Something Like Spring is here, there will be so many Ben and Tim fans that Amazon’s servers crash on the day of release. So please please please spread the word about this sale. I’m not really going to make any money off it, but I would love for new folks to discover this story.

And speaking of Something Like Spring, on Tim’s actual birthday, I’ll be posting a blog entry revealing who the new main character is. I’ll also tell you what to expect from the latest, and perhaps final, installment in the series. So please come back on August 24th, Tim’s birthday, to help celebrate the hottest fictional guy in the universe. At least I think he is. *blush* Oh, and if you haven’t heard, we’ve got Something Like Summer shirts available and a slew of art for any sad barren walls. Check it all out here!

And here are some handy links to the Summer eBooks on sale:

Amazon Kindle US – UK – FR - IT - ES - DE
Barnes & Noble Nook
Apple iTunes (iPhone and iPad)
Epub, Mobi, Palm, eReader, PDF, and more at Smashwords

Get the audiobook for free:

 If you’re not yet a member of Audible, you can get your first audiobook for free, and that includes Something Like Summer. Learn more here. Or buy from: Amazon, Audible, or iTunes."

One of my favorite authors hands down. His Something Like Summer series is wow. Wow.

--Atlas

"WWE Superstar Darren Young Comes Out As Gay During TMZ Interview"!!

"World Wrestling Entertainment Superstar Darren Young surprised a TMZ cameraman when he came out as gay during an impromptu interview at Los Angeles International Airport.

A videographer stopped Young while he was getting his bags at LAX Wednesday and asked the 33-year-old if he thinks a gay wrestler could be successful within the WWE organization.

"Absolutely," Young said, laughing. "Look at me. I'm a WWE Superstar and, to be honest with you, I'll tell you right now, I'm gay, and I'm happy. Very happy."

The cameraman was stunned and told Young he had no idea, to which the wrestler said he doesn't think his sexuality should matter.

"I guess if you want to call it 'coming out,' I really don't know what to say it is," he said. "I'm just letting you know that I'm happy [with] who I am, I'm comfortable with myself, and I'm happy to be living the dream ... Some people might not like it. Some people will like it. I'm here to please myself. I'm here to be happy ... I'm hoping to make....READ THE REST NOW" Courtesy of Huffington Post.

Awesome!

Just awesome.

Feels...!

--Atlas

REVIEW: The Adorned by John Tristan!!

"My name is Etan, and I am Adorned.

A living piece of art, I exist to please the divine rulers of Kered. With nowhere to turn after my father died, I tried my luck in the capital city. Little did I know how quickly I would be robbed, beaten and forced to sell myself into servitude. But I was lucky enough to gain the attention of Roberd Tallisk, an irascible but intriguing tattoo artist who offered to mark me with enchanted ink for the enjoyment of the nobles. I was given a chance to better my station in life, and I could not refuse.

But the divine rulers want not only the art but the body that bears it. In their company I can rise above the dregs of society and experience a life most only dream of, at the cost of suffering their every desire as a pawn in games of lavish intrigue. Their attention is flattering, but I find I'd rather have Tallisk's.

Caught between factions, I learn that a revolution is brewing, one that could ruin Kered—and Roberd and myself along with it…"

What a wonderful surprise!

The Adorned by John Tristan was a completely thought out and realized novel with a rich and lush world, with brilliant writing and characters.

The world that John Tristan has created is realistic and is rich in characters and by the skill of the authors writing. The imagery of the tattoos and the creation process is precise but not too detailed as to make it clinical. There is an "awe" aspect to the whole thing, to how the Adorned are well, adorned, in their beautiful tats to become literal moving artwork. The world has gods but even though the fanatical exist nothing ever felt forced or out of place, it made sense and was frankly just plain awesome.

I really enjoyed what Tristan was able to do in regards to making the Adorned revered objects but sexual ones as well. There was a nice balance to it, tho at times the sexual expectations were a little off putting - not story or writing wise but because of the fact that there were characters who thought they could have whatever they wanted just because they could afford it in one way or another. Etan was a pretty great narrator; he was naive/inexperienced (though often way too submissive, he said "thank you" waaaay too often for my taste, in moments that made him seem like a little lost doe...)enough that so as he learned stuff about his world, it was a great mechanism for the reader to learn as well.

The buildup to Etan and Roberds relationship was slow but so worth it! I really liked Roberd and loved reading about his reluctance to give Etan up to clients as he was trying deny his feelings for him. So good. The side characters are just as great and have their own reasonings and motives and personalities which is always a major bonus.

I really liked this book and cannot wait for more in the series and more from the author! What an ingenious world Tristan has created.

Purchase THE ADORNED Now!!

- Atlas

REVIEW: The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux!!

"Dr. Wyatt Case is never happier than when he’s walking the halls of his history museum. Playing wingman for his best friend at Gravedigger’s Tavern throws him way out of his comfort zone, but not as much as the eccentric man behind the bar, Ash Lucroix.

Ash is everything Wyatt doesn’t understand: exuberant, quirky, and elbow deep in a Gaslight lifestyle that weaves history into everyday life. He coordinates his suspenders with his tongue rings. Within hours, Wyatt and Ash are hooked.

But strange things are afoot at Gravedigger’s, and after a knock to the head, Ash starts seeing things that can’t be explained by old appliances or faulty wiring. Soon everyone at Gravedigger’s is wondering if they’re seeing ghosts, or just going crazy. The answer to that question could end more than just Wyatt and Ash’s fragile relationship—it might also end their lives."

The world of The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux, was rich, dark and complex! The writing was clean and very quick and moved the story foward at a very organic pace. Ash and Wyatt were very cute together and I enjoyed reading about them and how their personalities complemented one another, it was great.

Ash was very, very wicked and charming and I could compeletly understand want Wyatt saw in him. He was awesome! Wyatt was more refrained of the two and was adorable. I loved how they loved each other and worked on the problems in their relationship no matter what.

The plot, the wonderful ghost story and the romance all came together to great fantastic world that I
would love to explore again!!

 Great read!!

REVIEW: Agamemnon Frost and the House of Death by Kim Knox!

"Book one of Agamemnon Frost

Liverpool, 1891

Decorated artilleryman Edgar Mason was forced to find new work when the British Empire replaced its foot soldiers with monstrous machines. Now he waits on the Liverpool elite as a personal servant. He has just one rule: he won't work for fashion-addled dandies.
Agamemnon Frost, however, is far from the foppish man-about-town he appears to be. He's working to protect the Earth from an alien invasion being planned by a face-changing creature known as Pandarus. And on the night he plans to confront the aliens, he enlists Mason to assist him.

For a man to love a man is a serious crime in Victorian England. But when Mason meets Frost, his heart thunders and his blood catches fire. And when Pandarus drags the two men into the torture cellars beneath his house of death to brainwash them, Mason's new passion may be all that stands between him and insanity.

The trilogy continues with Agamemnon Frost and the Hollow Ships."

I loved it!

While I wanted more, the promise of the sequels made up for any and all disappointments concerning the books length and lack of romantic storyline. Don't get me wrong, there was LOTS of romance, with LOTS of shockingly great character and world development, but the book was too short for me. I like to commit to long-ish novels, so novellas really aren't my thing, but Knox is so talented that the book's length was not a problem at the end of the day.

Mason and Frost are cute and endearing and sorta perfect for each other even though they just met. It's like the instachemistry that Sherlock and Watson have in BBC's SHERLOCK with Benedict Cumberbitch--er, Cumberbatch, and where the romantic undertones are only playful jabs in SHERLOCK, in Agamemnon Frost and the House of Death, there are no playful suggestions, just full on hot chemistry and wild on the wind romance - but no the cheesy kind.

There are aliens, but it makes so much sense! It is not silly or dumb, but just the perfect amount of camp! This world is extremely real and wonderful.

While the book does have romance and sexual m/m situations, the sextimes are not story fillers, but are rather simply organic and very - - fun...

The action is intense, the aliens are crazy and complex, the characters, even the brief side characters, are 3-D and brilliant.

Buy, read and love!!

This book is a win!

Cannot wait for the sequel.

Buy It Here!

-- Atlas