4.5 stars. Loved, loved, loved Black Dog and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!! It is a wonderful beginning to Cat Grant’s newest series, Bannon’s Gym. This engaging story is a quick read starring über sexy men who share a very complicated past. Please click HERE to read my review in its entirety. ( )

Review by Lily, posted at ScuttlebuttReviews.com

I love the way this story is written. It is as if I was reading Eddie’s mind most of the time, with occasional glimpses into Danny and Tom’s thoughts. Cat Grant brings their interactions to life with a style that had me almost mesmerized to the point I kept reading and reading until the last page.

I also love that this story has 3 main characters. In the beginning, I had to guess, in the best possible way, about whose love story I was reading, whose internal pain I was feeling, and whose grief I was crying for.

Despite the heartache, Black Dog does not leave the reader wallowing in misery, thanks in part to the detailed information and events about Martial Arts. I now find myself wanting to watch Martial Arts competitions! This part of the story is really entertaining; to the point I was visualizing the action that took my breath away.

The story is also written tactfully; it’s very mindful of those who suffer, or have suffered, from domestic violence. It has a heart felt message as well as an empathetic description of Tom’s healing process following a tragic event. This tragedy caught me so unaware that I felt a total shock. It left me shaken, but my compliments to the writer: this part did not turn into a melodrama.

I am doing my very best not to give away any spoilers about this story so you get to experience this amazing roller coaster of emotions and events just like I did. To do otherwise, I think, would be unfair to the reader and the writer.

The flow of Black Dog is just so smooth. Honestly, I was left in awe of the writer’s skills until the very end. The ending was not clear enough for my liking, so I was left wondering whether this is a standalone story or not. Until I figured out Black Dog is the first book in a series, I was a little frustrated. I am aware that some readers like this feeling of frustration and intrigue, and will wait patiently until the next book is published…me? I am not really fond of spending a sleepless night to read a book, only to find the end did not feel like an ending and I have to wait for the next in the series for resolution.

But still, this story is beautifully written and even though I am not into series’, I shall wait for the second part because I really loved Danny, Eddie, Tom, and the wise old mother Gloria. So…I want to know what happens in the next story!

I highly recommend this book to those who like wounded alpha males who need some loving. ( )

Considering that I'm not really a sport fan, I find odd to always like so much stories with a sport theme. Moreover this novella was interesting cause the love story wasn't center stage, but the spotlight was equally shared with the story of Tom, a runaway gay kid who finds shelter at Eddie's place, a old-fashioned diner, and soon after starts training at Bannon's Gym, owned by Eddie's former lover, Danny.

Danny and Eddie didn't really split, but a tragic even parted them. Plus, Eddie had a strictly catholic upbringing, arriving even to study in seminary to become a Catholic priest, and that isn't helping with the sense of guilt that haunts both of them. But Eddie and Danny will find a way to collaborate to help Tom, and in helping Tom they will find a way also to patch their hearts, not healing them completely, but enough to be able to admit there is still something between them.

The story didn't really have a closure, actually it was more like an appetizer, but it was a really good appetizer enticing the reader to go for the full meal.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I41ZA66/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

4.5 stars. My #1 kink when it comes to m/m fiction is good writing, and this has got that, along with compelling characters I'd happily read more about and a couple good storylines going on. A few punches were a little too telegraphed, and the POV switches could have been a little smoother, but it's still one of the best m/m reads I've had this year. Looking forward to book 2! ( )