D. J. Manly (–2022)

What a great chapter! Everything I was afraid would happen – did. The danger to Stride and Zero increased, there were even a few new threats, Stride’s son continues to develop at an alarming rate and the ‘bad guys’ withdraw – only to develop new nefarious plans, I am sure. But the one big relief was that Stride and Zero start facing things together. Didn’t mean things got easier, they are still a long way from safe, but there was the first glimmer of hope for a solution to show more Stride’s dilemma. Hopeless romantic that I am, the fact they are working together made me happy. Now all we need is a happy ending – God knows how AJ and DJ will pull it off, but I sure hope they do.

Zero becomes a lot more assertive in this chapter, and I think that may be part of the solution. Zero will certainly need to be strong if he wants to become a true supporter and partner for Stride. I like that Stride’s son trusts Zero; with a kid’s sure instincts he shows his father who is really important. And it certainly isn’t the stupid sex shifter demon wife Stride was forced to take. I loved how Zero triumphs over her; the verbal sparring is a delight.

Stride is still self-confident, but he is beginning to show signs of being able to bend and accept that Zero is a lot more important to him than he has previously been willing to admit – even to himself. The fact that he now has a son to take care of, and that he discovers Zero is pretty much the only other person he can trust to keep Akakios safe, may have something to do with it. Once Stride has made the decision of how to proceed so he can get out of the deal with the underworld he has made (a solution which made me laugh out loud, by the way!), he goes after it full tilt.

If you like epic stories with nothing less than the fight of good against evil at stake, if you like that story to come with a paranormal flair and some humorous side comments, and if growing love and very hot sex between two vampires is your thing, I am sure you will like this installment of Stride and Zero’s story as much as I did.




NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review on Queer Magazine Online. show less

All About Jenny is a wonderful, romantic story with a clear message of hope for those who no longer believe love is in the cards for them. The book’s charm sort of sneaked up on me, in the best sense of the word. After a fairly leisurely start, the first punch comes as a bit of a shock, after which it didn’t let me go. DJ, by his own admission, doesn’t do ‘sweet’ very often. But when he does – oh, boy! The combination of great writing, his understanding of people and keeping a show more certain tension going made this book a total joy to read.

Mark is a wonderful uncle, totally devoted to his niece. Even before tragedy strikes and his sister dies, his life really is ‘all about Jenny’. Putting his own needs and desires on the back burner is something he gladly does for the reward of giving her a stable home. No parent could do any better, and in fact, a lot of them don’t. I was as shocked as he was when he found out Jenny’s biological father (never even known until then) had been contacted after her mother’s death. His fear of losing her was so real to me. It was a testament to his strength of character and determination to do the right thing that he never once thought about refusing Cole access. As painful as it was at first, Mark as determined to do the right thing, even here. I really loved that about him.

Cole was a great surprise and a true match for Mark in the “we’ll do whatever is right for Jenny” department. As skeptical as I was about him at first, his willingness to let Mark lead, while not relenting on finding a role to play, was admirable. The developing romance between him and Mark helped, of course, but I think he would have been just as honorable if there had been no love interest.

Jenny was also a delight to read about, I have several nieces myself, one of them twelve at the moment, and she is a lot like Jenny in some respects. It made me laugh out loud with recognition of certain behaviors, and added to the realism of the story for me.

If you like stories with wonderful characters, a growing family connection and a message of hope, I am sure you will love this book as much as I did. Personally, knowing that this is not one of DJ’s ‘horror’ stories, even though I have learned to love those as well, made the reading even better for me. As far as I am concerned, you can do ‘sweet’ any time, DJ! show less

Before I go into any details, I have to say that this third book of the Gladiator series almost did me in. And I mean this in the best possible sense. If you read my reviews for the first two books you’ll see that volume one really pulled me into this historical world, binding me to the characters and their heartrending desperation. The second volume was emotionally draining because of the depravity of some of the secondary characters. This third one? The words “you ain’t seen show more nothin’ yet” come to mind. I can’t believe the emotional torment DJ put me through. The tension made me sit straight in my seat, if not on the edge of it, until the very last page. Relaxed reading? Forget it! Making me work for my money? You betcha!

Samson’s torture continues. His feelings for Gold are undiminished. Seeing him suffer like he did, both mentally and physically, was almost too much. Hope was the only thing that kept me going. Often throughout the story I wasn’t sure how he managed to hang in there, much of it, as befits a gladiator, must have been sheer stubbornness. The rest was a total lack of any way out. I was impressed with how closely I was able to identify with him, a testament to DJ’s ability to ensure that the humanity of his characters is always at the center of his stories.

It may have looked like Gold would have the easier deal now, after all, he is free and head of his own house now. Right? I couldn’t have been more wrong. His story shows that the restrictions on a ‘free man’ can be just as limiting, if not worse, as for a slave. No matter what political and societal hoops he jumps, he can’t get what he needs – which continues to be Samson. And when the final, cruel twist hit, I was ready to scream with anger at Fate being so cruel to him. In fact, I believe I did.

I can’t say this often enough, and I’ll probably repeat it after reading the upcoming fourth volume: this is an amazing series. These books gave me not just an in-depth look at a fascinating period in history, but had the added benefit of more human drama and emotional upheaval than many a contemporary. DJ’s talent for bringing entire time periods to life is amazing, and his ability to make the characters (and me!) suffer before giving them a happy end will have me coming back for more every time. Bravo!





NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review at Queer Magazine Online. show less

This book frustrated me, and not in a good angst-ridden sexual tension way. There are two novellas about the same couple. I've read other works by Manley, and really enjoyed them. However, this one fell short of the mark, especially for the BDSM themed romance it was described as. It had potential, but my main issues are that the romance was not credibly built, and the BDSM element was totally implausible as depicted.

Darcy has been shouldering heavy responsibilities for himself and his show more brother since their father died and their mother killed herself. His entire life has become work. When his younger brother decides to marry, and insists Darcy must bring a date to the ceremony, he reluctantly agrees to the blind date his brother found in the personal ads. Now, the author does hint that Darcy could be gay and just hasn't come to terms with his sexuality. So, when he comes face-to-face with Ryan, and not a woman, the attraction is believable. Yet Darcy is also painfully shy, and has no social life to speak of. AT ALL. So while I bought into the attraction, it fell apart for me after that. Ryan doesn't woo Darcy with some dating and conversation. Ryan is a Dom looking for a submissive - which Darcy jumps into, albeit unwillingly. So, this man who is so shy and awkward and doesn't even want to admit the possibility he might be gay not only jumps into a gay relationship, he tests the waters of BDSM immediately too? And he spends nearly the entire first novella pushing Ryan away - cruelly and painfully in a couple instances. I'm not talking the angsty miscommunication that is often the "plot" of M/M romances. At one point, they have hot sex and then he tells Ryan not to call, he doesn't want to see him again. And then Darcy proceeds to ignore his messages/calls for WEEKS before getting drunk and being picked up at a bar by Ryan. This is the entire first novella. Why Ryan stuck around to hear a declaration of love at the very end was beyond me since Darcy never gives him reason to think this will get better.

I couldn't really enjoy the sex scenes (which were sexually explicit but more vanilla than most BDSM) because Darcy was so uncomfortable, and Ryan so...desperate. I spent so much time annoyed with Darcy I just couldn't like him. And Ryan wasn't fleshed out enough to be more than pathetic. Even when they admitted their love to one another at the end, it wasn't an HEA for me because I couldn't see how they got there. I admit that I only read about half the second novella before giving up. It begins with Ryan and Darcy now a couple, but Darcy won't move in with Ryan and Ryan's suppressed submissive nature begin to break them apart. No surprise here. Despite the fact that I really wanted to like this, overall, I can't recommend it. Not when the author has better offerings available. show less