Aussie Book Reviewer – G.S. Bailey

“Bittersweet” alright!

BOOK REVIEW: What a thrill ride! This picks up at the height of tension we were left with in the first part of the story. It picks up there and never backs off. Right to the final confrontation we are on the edge of the seat – heart in mouth. The style of storytelling here is sharp, gripping, take-no-prisoners. The action, including the love making, is graphic and powerful, but in that it is just keeping up with the mood of the story. The characters portrayed here are gritty and real. The bad guys are total scum and not easily defeated – more tension! The hero and heroine earn every bit of the ending…. Awesome, powerhouse read!

Available on Amazon

Full-on Wit and Intrigue

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Just as retired G-man John Hixon recovers from wounds incurred from a security detail in which he saved the life of billionaire investor Julian F. Thibaut, Thibaut calls him again. This time, his talents, intuition, and experience are put to the test as he attempts to protect seven of Thibaut’s friends while investigating a murder. In this, his second novel, FCEtier brings eight new characters into play along with several from his previous novel, The Tourist Killer.

Hixon and company, along with his loyal K-9 corps, must defend their home turf as they seek the truth behind international conspiracies and encounter the seat of ultimate power — the puppeteers who control the world’s finances. Hixon and company discover that those same powerful forces who control the world’s money also control the destinies of those who oppose them. FCEtier takes readers on a breathless and perilous trek through the jungles of politics and the palaces of power.

Standouts in this novel are the realistic characters and their dialogue, and an intelligent plot. The club of old men at the centre of things seem ordinary and innocuous. You are fascinated by their interactions and their minds, but you wonder where it’s all leading. You are actually pulled quite unsuspectingly into the intrigue – or perhaps it’s a case of the characters being so interesting and well written that you are distracted from the plot and freshly surprised by the way it steadily builds and escalates into a powerful political thriller. Yes, the strength of both the plot and the characters are quite impressive. I’d highly recommend this novel to readers who like an intellectual challenge to go with their serving of wit, humour and suspense.

Frigging Hell

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The Deadly Caress is a fast-paced story set in California. Suspenseful and thrilling, it is holds a mystery that Amanda Blake, a freelance photographer, must unravel.

Amanda tracks down her birth mother, the multi millionaire Jean Campbell. Hours after her arrival, Jean is murdered.

Amanda sets out to discover her mother’s killer. Her quest takes to Australia to find the man she thinks holds the answer to the killer’s identity. While visiting this man, she has to run for her life under a hail of bullets. Someone will stop at nothing until she is dead. If she thought things were bad enough, they are about to get much worse…

BOOK REVIEW: This doesn’t let up. Heart pounding, nail biting… if you’re looking for a relaxing read – this ain’t it! This is masterly suspense and a great thriller. You want to climb into the book and help out the goodies – save them from the relentless bad guys, whoever they are. It’s not clear exactly who to fear until the end. The who-done-it is brilliant. Get comfy because you won’t be putting this book down, although you’re likely going to be pacing the room while you read rather than relaxing in a chair…

Over the Edge

This group sex tale is about a married couple from Boston who shares fantasies in bed one night and carries out those fantasies with a couple from Arkansas they meet on vacation six months later.

Featuring group sex, bisexual/lesbian sex, outdoor & public sex, hand jobs, exhibitionism and voyeurism, blowjobs, cunnilingus, anal sex, double penetration, and more, this story is wicked hot.

Amy and Kevin go to a PTA meeting to stop a strip club from moving into their community. During the meeting, they exchange dirty texts, getting them all horned up for their night at home without the kids. Kevin presses Amy to tell him her fantasy, and she reluctantly admits that she thinks about having sex with a woman. In turn, he tells her that he’d like to watch Amy with another man.

During a summer camping trip, Amy and Kevin meet Tina and Deacon who convince them to act on those wicked hot fantasies with them.

Available on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: This is a super hot slide into sexual fantasy land. A real-life couple with perfectly normal/typical fantasies about doing things they just don’t do. Taboo ideas to imagine while getting off. Ideas we probably all have but aren’t about to confess to… There’s a clever set up here with the contrasting opposition to development of a local strip club. Then we have the rest of the real-life picture with getting the kids off to their vacation. All good build-up for our everyday married couple… The slide into fantasy comes on fast – the wife’s trepidation excellent. This whole story is hot and sexy – the climax with the 4some is just that… a climax!

True to life

Strong-willed ginger Bella Grant is a take-charge television journalist with an appetite for adventure. Handsome and sexy Luke McGillicutty is a world-weary photographer coaxed out of premature retirement with the promise of traveling the world with a smart, spunky redhead. They’ve been paired up to create a new brand of television travel program.

Traveling to romantic destinations, staying in first-class hotels, finding adventure at every turn, it’s not surprising that the two fall in love. Luke is stunned to realize that Bella is the woman he’s looked for his whole life. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and courageous.

The only thing is, Luke hasn’t been completely up front with her. He hasn’t told her that he’s into BDSM. He could play it safe, keep the relationship going exactly the way it is. But Luke wants more. As a Dominant, he craves the intimacy that a Dom/sub relationship provides. And he knows without a doubt that Bella is the perfect submissive. How will she react if he approaches her about submitting to him as a Dominant? Maybe she’d be intrigued by the idea. On the other hand, he could lose her forever.

Life on the road working with Bella is great. Nights spent in Bella’s arms are amazing. Should Luke just be satisfied with the way things are? Or should he risk everything on the chance that they could have it all?

Available on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: A captivating, easy-to-read contemporary romance. This story is as cool as it is hot. It’s cool in that it’s smart, witty and not over-stated. An absolute must for any romance is to like and care about the characters. We certainly want to do that here, but more than that, we can easily believe who the hero and heroine are because they’re just like real people. Very cool…. As for hot – well it gets kind of steamy (smile). Actually I’d probably describe this one as sexy more so than steamy. It doesn’t always venture so far into the erotic action but it certainly teases the imagination, and this is a very sexy couple…. The fun adventure setting works too!

Full-on wit and intrigue

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Erotica with classic storytelling

BOOK REVIEW: I’m just going to lead in with a word or two about Chapter 5: Lord Of Devil’s Night. Let’s make it two words: frigging awesome… Overall this is a varied line-up of creepy and erotic stories with a sometimes conversational tone that adds clever subtlety. Ratz in the Machine tells us to beware the nerdy nice guy, and has a surprising and quite brilliant shift from erotic to horrifying. The Hangin’ Tree, almost poetic, takes you down deep and has you wondering. The Bag Snatchers is freaky, imaginative, and nails the spirit of All Hallows Eve. Voices is the creepy, atmospheric one of the bunch, and A Grim Tribute is grim alright. It’s a seriously twisted tribute to a fairy tale that was little-kid-scary already. But getting back to Lord Of Devil’s Night… You know how it’s so great when you are right inside the characters head? Well perhaps you won’t want to be inside this particular guy’s head but you don’t have any choice. You’re pulled in and forced to experience a blend of eroticism and pain that is thematic metaphor on overload. And… well… good luck with that.

BOOK REVIEW: This story has a lot going for it in a number of ways. Awesome detail and imaginative ideas create a tangible and believable fantasy world – believable enough to pull you out of the real world that is. The heroine and hero both rock. You’re on their side from the start (although they’re on opposite sides) and you’re right there with them when all seems lost at the end. The emotional journey here is expertly crafted. It’s simple and true – a wonderful exposé of the power of love, including the flavours of lust and physical pleasure. The overall idea is tantalising with a touch of humour – life in the Men’s Tent looks pretty good to me… way to be imprisoned:) This is a captivating tale with an ending that tops everything I’ve mentioned so far.

Authentic historical settings…

BOOK REVIEW: I made it as far as about the second page before I was cheering for Rosa. Or falling for her, to be more precise. But her vulnerability makes for difficult reading. It’s so hard to see how she will ever find happiness under the influence of her sister and the weight of societal tradition. I was really worried for her as I read. I wanted to be her hero and save her from the horrible choices she had. I was so into this story – completely captivated…. In a broader sense, I’d say this is an interesting study of how a calculated marital arrangement might take time to get going, but may well develop into something rich and powerful…. The resolution for sweet Rosa worked very well for me. This is a poignant little regency romance with plenty beneath the surface.

Preview In Want of a Wife on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: I like the villain…. No, I don’t mean I’m on his side or anything – just that I like the way this kind of character contributes to the angst of the period and makes for interesting reading. He makes it so difficult for the heroine and hero to get together – for romance to flourish (and I agree with other reviewers that this is a good romance). The villainous uncle is portrayed, I think, quite realistically. He has so much power and brings this to bear against what we are hoping for as we read, and just when it looks like he’s being defeated, he goes and does something to rip the heart out of our triumph. What he does is an excellent bet-you-weren’t-expecting-that moment, which sets off an exciting and wonderfully written journey and pursuit that we have to live through before we can have any kind of happily-ever-after…. Yes, this is a terrific love and adventure story. It’s heart wrenching, touching, enlightening and steamy. And it also has a classic Victorian era villain, whose portrayal is particularly powerful and interesting in my opinion.

Preview Devin’s Dilemma on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: The heroine is a handful. Way too intelligent and strong willed for the conventions of her time. The way she fights, deceives and manipulates to get what she wants out of life makes for a bit of a romp, but the fact that this tale is based on a true story is quite sobering. It’s also very romantic and interesting because of that. For word of this lady to be around 300 years later, she must have made quite an impression at the time… I felt well enough immersed in the early 18th century setting, with minimal detail allowing the plot to move along quickly, making for a fast and exciting read. There’s a cute supernatural twist that offers another dimension to the tale. This quite cleverly heightened the intensity of the climax and ending with a parallel timeline. It also brought our protagonists to the intersection of storytelling and true-to-life… Well done!

Preview The Berkshire Lady on Amazon

Try this one

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Victor Emmanuel Rossi is The Pusher, the Florence frightener.

Victor’s problems began when his father dropped him on his head as a baby. Things didn’t get much better for Victor throughout his thirty years on this planet. He became a menace, the scourge of his street, a local celebrity and a fine artist, in his own right.

Next door to the Hotel Paris on Via dei Banchi in Florence, Italy, Victor Emmanuel Rossi lived. Local residents nicknamed him the pusher, but it wasn’t drugs he was pushing.

A black comedy fable – 5000 word.

I liked this. What a weird story. It’s very cleverly constructed and intriguing from start to finish. There’s something so simple and true about The Pusher. I’m wondering why I can so easily relate to him, lol… It’s a short read – definitely worth your time.

Big action adventure with well-placed humour

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FirstWorld is at the centre of the multiverse and it is under threat. If the Balance tips entirely to Chaos then time will end. A Hero is needed and the Hero needs a powerful Sword, perhaps the most powerful weapon in the multiverse. An inexperienced young man, Simon Redhead, is saved from nuclear annihilation in Melbourne 2043 and reluctantly pressed into service. Will he accept the fate that his genes dictate, retrieve his sword and adopt the role of killing machine to aid his new friends? Or, will he find sanctuary and peace in the past with a Palaeolithic tribe? Who is the evil wizard Weylyn the Wolf working for and why does his master want time to end? Will Simon Redhead embrace the role of Everlasting Hero and become the saviour of not only his friends but the entire multiverse? And if he does, what will it cost him?

A flawed hero with no idea who/what he is. The future of the universe at stake. The scene is set for action and adventure, which is delivered with just enough detail to evoke the imagery you need in an alternate world, without drowning you in description. The breadth and depth of this fantasy world is impressive – the depiction of multi-dimensions is smooth. This is a fast paced story that leads you on a fascinating quest while keeping you grounded and often amused through the thoughts and impressions of our hero Simon Redhead. The scene is set for an awful lot more to come.