A Chance to Win a Copy of BEHIND THE TEARS

I'm doing a number of promotions leading up to the release of Behind the Lens, which is the third book in the Behind the Lives series (due out in June). Here, I'm giving away a paperback copy of Behind the Tears (book 2). To enter for a chance to win, click on the link below and follow the instructions on the Goodreads' website. If you have any queries leave me a message and I'll be happy to help.

Good luck, Marita.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY THROUGH THIS LINK

To trust is to get hurt, to be loved could end in death.

Everyone sees Ash as the toughest of the Rata brothers, the tall, tattooed man who is untouchable. But not many know of his past, of a tormented youth, which almost saw him take his own life. For ten years he's lived with the nightmares of his stepfather raping him, and how it destroyed his family. Further tormented by his first love leaving him, he tries to move forward with his new partner Beth, but is unable to open up to her, his past continuing to eat away at his soul.

Beth knows Ash is keeping her in the dark, and every word he doesn't say, every secret he keeps, pushes her further into his brother's arms, someone who doesn't understand boundaries, a trait that has given Dante a wild reputation: the man every woman wants to bed. Hedonistic and uncontrollable, Dante desires Beth to the point of madness, his bipolar condition worsening with the stress of his hidden desires. He wants to control her, to take her, but he is deeply reliant on Ash, and like his brother, he hides his true nature. On the outside he shows a confident swagger that gets him the attention of both sexes, but on the inside all he wants is one woman who sees him as more than a sexual object.

Sledge, the youngest of the three Rata brothers, finds himself in a different situation, dealing with the affections of his best friend: Beth's brother Corey. Diagnosed with cancer, Corey wants Sledge more than life itself, even though he believes Sledge is homophobic and would find him disgusting if he confessed his love. But when another man shows interest in Corey, Sledge's jealousy eats away at him, and makes him reassess his sexuality, and whether he could be more than a friend to Corey - whether he could be his lover.

As the Rata family's love life is thrown into tangles, the brothers' stepfather escapes from prison with one thing on his mind: To get Ash once again. Someone he will kill for - and has killed for.

(R18)

A Chance to Win a Signed Copy of BEHIND THE HOOD

If you live in New Zealand, click on the link below to enter into the competition to win a signed copy of BEHIND THE HOOD. It's a fast-paced drama set in South Auckland, and the first in the Behind the Lives series.

The BEHIND THE HOOD Goodreads' competition link

Meet my characters by being in one of my books!

Have you ever wanted your name in writing, or have a book boyfriend you want to come into contact with, maybe Ash, Dante or Sledge Rata or possibly Corey or Nike? Or do you want to have a line with one of the female characters? Leave your name and a short description of yourself below, as well mention which character you would like to come across ... and if you say Tama, you can't bash him up, lol, I get to decide what happens. Also, ladies, no touching of Dante is allowed, he might bite :)

I'll let you know if I happen to put you in a book. It'll be like an extra (such as in TV programmes).

http://www.amazon.com/Marita-A.-Hansen

A Review of Nicole Williams' CRASH

GENRE: New Adult / YA

STAR RATING: 3.8

Jude:

I found this a frustrating read, because there were aspects I liked while there were definitely parts that I found annoying. When I bought the book I thought I was getting a dance story, which is THE reason I got it, but partway through I went oh o, not a dance story but one of the run of the mill bad boy meets good girl stories, where he laments that he's not good enough, she makes him go through the ringer, and so forth. And it was pretty much like that - a milder version of Beautiful Disaster, although I did like this book better, because Lucy wasn't horrible like Abby (I HATE ABBY).

What I liked about CRASH:

It was an okay read, the chemistry between the two main characters fairly good, and the beginning chapters were interesting, plus a certain twist in the book made me up the marks from a 3 to a 3.8 stars, although I still don't understand how Jude couldn't know that Lucy was the sister of a certain someone that a certain someone did something to (Sorry, I can't elaborate, because it's a spoiler, but people who have read the book will know what I mean).

Lucy/Luce:

What I didn't like about CRASH:
The repetitiveness of Jude saying he wasn't good enough for Lucy, that it would be better for Lucy to stay away from him. I really got tired of that part, plus Lucy could be infuriating at times, although I didn't dislike her. The miscommunications were also frustrating, plus I thought the bit where Jude saved Lucy from a certain someone at the party was rather contrived, and I could see it coming.


Conclusion: An okay read. I might get the second story, I might not, but I'm not bothered either way.

AMAZON LINK: AMAZON US     AMAZON UK

LOVER AT LAST by J.R. Ward

Marita Hansen's review

Apr 02, 13  ·  edit

4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: damaged-men, dark-romance, emotional-angsty,fighter, friendship, m-f, m-m, jealousy, romance, series, vampires,favourite-author

Read from March 29 to April 01, 2013



I've renamed this book, it is now called:

Lover Continuously Interrupted

This is going to be a long review, because I have things I liked about the book as well many parts I was disappointed in, so scroll down to see under the pictures of the two guys this book is about...

Qhuinn:

Blay:

...which gets to me to the point that this book WAS SUPPOSED to be Qhuinn and Blay's book, but every Hetro couple and their dog came out of the woodwork to try to divert the fact that this book was about a gay couple. Which comes to my most major complaint:

THE STRUCTURE

It was totally up the wop, which is a New Zealand saying that means: it was uncontrollable, out of whack, all over the place, stuffed up.

I was so looking forward to finally reading about Qhuinn and Blay, and like many other fans of J.R. Ward, was particularly chomping at the bit to get my hands on these guys' story, because of the continual tease about their relationship and feelings weaved through the previous books. But while eagerly reading about them in Lover at Last I would come to an end of a chapter and instead of getting a continuation of their story, things would jump to either Xcor, Trez or Assail (as well as his love interest Sola) and a hoard of other characters. It's not like I didn't find those characters interesting (with the exception of the fore lesser), but hey, they can bloody get in line and wait their turn for their own books without interrupting Blay and Qhuinn, because those guys have been waiting ages to get it on, and so has the reader.

And that comes to another issue I had with this book:

THE SEX

In all the other books the sex scenes were vivid, where the guy's cock was described as freaking enormous, how it went in and blah de blah blah, but here the sex scenes were so vague that I had to fill in the missing spots. I realise that the publisher/editor or possibly J.R. was toning down the description of the sex due to it being male on male, with its taboo explanation, but it still made me go WTF? I don’t give a flying f if it’s male on male or male on female, it should be done in a similar manner, no blocking out areas just because it’s supposed to be taboo. I don’t like bias. But also, there were some technical problems in the description, some aspects which were just plain unrealistic, even in the vamp world, because the males don’t have pussies down there where a whang can just slip into without preparation. Okay, vampires may heal rapidly, but if Qhuinn is as big as the other brothers down below, which I believe he is, and even if he wasn't, Blay would've hurt like a mothef&^%er because he was never prepared, not even a finger mentioned in the equation of XY + XY, which was also what happened with Qhuinn when he lost his anal virginity to Blay. Now, J.R could've put in a simple line that mentioned some sort of preparation, it only had to be a few words.

So, the sex and the structure were my major complaints. However, I did give the book a 4 because, although I was continually frustrated and let down in areas, I still love J.R.'s writing (she's my favourite writer) and I read this book so fast, because I was so stoked to finally get to be in Blay and Qhuinn's heads, especially Blay's, who I haven't really gotten much of prior to this book.

Another added bonus, is I love the world of the black dagger brotherhood. I love all the characters, except for the lessers (please stop writing from their points of view, J.R., because they are so freaking BORING! Lash was the only one I wanted to read about on their side of the fence).

Also, although I was complaining about Assail, Trez and Xcor having points of views and their own side stories, I do actually like them, just, I want to read their points of views and storylines in their own books. In particular, I loved Assail and found Sola a strong and interesting love interest for him, I also found Trez a fascinating character and I’m very keen on learning more about him, and I do like reading about Xcor, although I found the way he treated his sword - slashing thing, whatever - as a woman just plain weird and creepy.

And that leads me to Layla, Xcor’s living, breathing love interest. She really stepped it up in this book. I loved her bite, that she grew some balls, because she didn't let people railroad her. And I thought it was fine to have here point of view because she was integral to Qhuinn's life, so in fact I didn't mind Xcor having points of view, because he was linked to her, just not Trez and Assail, because they had completely separate storylines.

In conclusion, although I read this book fervently, I was let down because of the issues J.R. obviously had in concentrating on the main couple, which I do believe was due to them being both males. This may be a reflection on her being with a mainstream publisher, but nonetheless it did kind of ruin major aspects of the story. I may go back and read this book again, just only Qhuinn and Blay’s parts so I’m not continually interrupted, and fill in the blanks for the sex scenes.

P.S. WTF was with that last line of the book? Talk about being incredibly corny and eye rolling. Yes, I loved the last scene, just not that last stupid clichéd line that made me think of Cinderella and all those happily ever after fairytales. It better not be a reflection of the reader getting no more of Qhuay or I’ll be having a tantrum.

The Flesh Cartel #3 Review

Warning: An R18 read.

Bookshelves as seen on Goodreads: abuse, bondage, fighter, gay, kidnapped, horror, m-m, serial, to-professionally-review, victimisation, netgalley

Read on March 25, 2013

Rating: 4.2 stars.

This is a continuation of the serial "The Flesh Cartel," the story of two brothers who have been kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. This installment is longer than the first two, and covers from the point where they have now been sold and are being taken to their trainer, Nikolai, a man who needs to get them prepared for his client/clients, and the brothers' new master and/or masters.

The story is broken up into two sections, the part prior to arriving at Nikolai's place, and afterwards, when he starts his individual breaking down and training of the brothers.

And it IS individual training, because the brothers right from when they leave the auction house are treated differently, Dougie left alone and to go slowly crazy in the dark, imagining he's been abandoned and left to die, while Mat is brutualised and continually raped.

Once they are driven to and arrive at Nikolai's place, the brothers, who haven't see each other since the stage, are taken to different parts of the house, not knowing whether the other is really there. Mat is taken downstairs into a dungeon or cellar type place and continued to be tortured, but in a different way, Nikolai wanting to break him to a point, to control him, but not to completely take the fire out of his eyes, while Dougie is doted on, Nikolai making out he is his saviour, helping him, giving him water, treating him in a loving fashion (to a point). He wants to mold him into something quite different from his brother. But, although he never wanted to bring Dougie along, you can see he's falling for his prisoner's wide-eyed innocence, just a little, maybe the start of trouble and a downfall for Nikolai? We all hope.

Anyway, in conclusion, I didn't like the crap heaped on Mat, it makes me uncomfortable to talk about, but Dougie sections weren't as difficult. Again, the writing is good, fast paced, the thoughts of the brothers very well articulated, and there wasn't any boring sections, which meant I read it so fast, I finished it within a few hours of starting it. Installment #4 next.

 

AMAZON 

Riptide Publishing 

Kobo 

barnesandnoble.com


 Please note: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, regardless of the outcome, whether good or bad.

THE FLESH CARTEL

WARNING: Not for anyone under 18.

 

SPECIAL NOTE: I received this installment of The Flesh Cartel, a  serial about sexual slavery, from Netgalley. I always do reviews honestly, not holding back on my likes and dislikes of a book, so you won't get a watered down review - at all, all my thoughts laid out bare. If you would like to discuss my views, whether it is to agree or disagree with me, you can leave comments attached to the review. Thank you, Marita.

So, here's what I think...

The Flesh Cartel #1 Review - 3.9 stars out of 5.

(Please note, as seen further down, I have given the 2nd installment a 4.9 star rating out of 5).

I thought this was a very, very, very... dark story, the topic alone telling me I was in for an eyeful. But, I still wasn't fully prepared, the story pretty much running a fine line between pulling a reader in or switching them off. I must admit at one point I was on the side of switching off, the scene where the woman ordered Mat to clean Dougie really disgusting me. But, I did the "blah, blah, blah" thing in my head, trying blank it out and to get past it, because I did promise to review the book. And thankfully, the "cleaning" scene was stopped by that nasty b of a woman kidnapper, because I really didn't want to read that. Hence, I did continue on, which wasn't JUST because I owed a review, it was also due to the writers knowing how to create main characters who are interesting and likable.

So here are the things I liked AND disliked about The Flesh Cartel #1.

I'll start off with the UPSIDE of the story:

Writing style: Very captivating, yes, that's an intended pun, but it's true. The two writers of this story obviously know how to draw readers in, and to even pull them through the very disturbing scenes, yet retain their interest. Why?

1) The characters of Dougie and Mat, two brothers, one a soft, sweet scholar (Dougie) who is studying for a PHD in psyche, the other (Mat) a rough and tough, gritty cage fighter trying to pay for his younger brother's education. The authors are smart here, definitely knowing their trade in erotic characters, because they have created two archetypes of attractive M/M characters: the weak and beautiful man and the hard and gritty man. But, although Dougie and Mat have stereotypical aspects about them, I don't think they are cardboard cut-outs, because their thoughts are portrayed very well, making you think of them as real people, thus making this story harder to stomach in the way the brothers are treated.

The authors have also made the brothers likable characters, because Mat is a noble man, concerned with looking after his younger brother, and helping him to the point where he is willing to get hurt badly, while Dougie, who is a lot softer, loves his brother considerably as well and does things to also help Mat. Dougie is also the type of person one wants to protect, as Mat tries to do. Hence, the reader will want to stay with them through their capture to make sure they're alright.

2) Another good aspect about the story is that it's fast moving, and doesn't have any slow areas. It's also very detailed, with no mistakes, the sentence structure pretty much near perfect, while the flow and character points of view spot on. We start of with Nikolai's point of view at a slave auction, so we have an idea of why the brothers are taken, then from there we get the brothers' viewpoints with their capture, then the seesaw of their shared experience and emotions, going between how each of them cope while being prepared for the auction.

Now, the DOWNSIDE of the story, which saw it get 3.9 stars.

1) The detail. Yes, the detail is very well portrayed, but sometimes it was "TOO MUCH." I like to go with the saying that "less is better" sometimes, which was definitely noticeable in pockets in this story. What I mean is that the authors could have allowed the readers to imagine what is going to happen at certain points, rather than detailing everything down to the last nose screwing up, eyes watering, mind wincing in disgust, details. The prime example is very much the "cleaning" scene. I really did not want to read that bit, and would much rather have been spared the gross details. In other bits of the story, there was also a bit of an overdose of non-consent, the kidnappers like rapid bulls with absolutely no control, while I'm sure some of the things done to the brothers would've seen them either dead or pretty much inert for a good amount of time, the healing of what happened to them not something that can be fixed up in a week. I know, I know, don't tell me that erotica is like this, that it doesn't have to be total realism, just I thought that a slightly less heavier hand would've been better. BUT, that is my perspective and I do have a preference for realism, because realism doesn't make me think of the technical aspects of a story, but totally pulls me in and allows me to get lost in a story.

BUT, regardless I have to be fair and take into account that this is erotica and not realism. So, because this is erotica, I will relate it to another book on the same topic: Captive in the Dark (although that is a M/F story). There are a lot of people who absolutely loved Captive in the Dark, and unfortunately I wasn't one of them. The reasons: it was a sickly sweet, romanticised depiction of the Slave Trade (not something I liked at all, because I don't think this topic should be romanticised). Captive in the Dark also had constant repetition of thoughts to the point it drove me up the wall. Although The Flesh Cartel was a thousand times more brutal, it was much better written, nothing repeated, the main characters much more interesting and better drawn. Yes, Caleb was interesting in Captive in the Dark, but Livvy was infuriating. She was the same archetype as Dougie, the weaker, beautiful person being taken advantage of. But she was repetitive and whiny, someone who I didn't like and didn't care about, just wanting to be rid of, whereas Dougie from The Flesh Cartel was the opposite, a totally likable character, who was being treated a hell of a lot more harsher and wasn't annoying like Livvy. He also didn't romanticise his kidnappers and didn't fall in lust and love with them. I know there's Stockholm syndrome, but to romanticise what Caleb was doing to Livy, nah ah, no way. Dougie wins hands down, Livy go jump in the lake and drown.

So, let me round up my thoughts. The start to The Flesh Cartel is well-written, but not for everyone, only the people who can handle a pretty brutal story-line, because all you romantic people out there will wet yourselves reading this, so it's not for you. Instead, hardcore readers: it's for you. People who like M/M stories which more grit than usual and people who can handle reading about brutal non-consent.

Flesh Cartel #2 Review - 4.9 stars out of 5.

I liked this installment better than the first, although it was equally harsh, just not as nauseating, again with that cleaning scene from #1! Here we have Dougie and Mat again being put through the ringer, their stay in the slave holding-cells wearing both of them down as they are constantly abused by the guards as well as fretting over what is happening to each other. Then one day they are taken to be prepared for the auction - primped and prettied up for Dougie, while roughed up for Mat, both of them being marketed in a different manner, one the prize of the auction, the other the thug thrown in to be sold with his brother, an after thought that wasn't meant to be brought along. But little does the auctioneer, the nasty Madame, know that Nikolai, one of her high-paying clients, is actually after the less marketable Mat, because he wants someone who isn't easy to break, someone who has fire and is willing to fight to the end.

Like I said in the review of the first installment, these stories are not for everyone, and you shouldn't go into them thinking you'll get a romanticised version of Captive in the Dark. But if you can handle it, and gloss over areas that you may find too difficult to read, it is much better writing, with a fast-paced story-line that is pretty dramatic and all encompassing.

I am now wanting to read the third installment, curious as to what Nikolai will do in his training process, as well as seeing how Mat deals with the situation, because he is such an explosive character.

Online sellers of this serial:

Barnes & Noble
Riptidepublishing.com

Amazon