Backdoor Politics by C.L. Mustafic Blog Tour

Kamal is a by-the-book mercenary and hitman who keeps to himself, dealing with the brutal politics of the Bosnian underworld. He has very few ties to the world around him since the war that left him broken and betrayed by his lover. An encounter with a fellow mercenary, whose job it is to kidnap the son of the only man Kamal ever loved, leads Kamal to do something irrational. In an isolated cabin in the mountains of Bosnia with his hostage, Kamal follows the well laid-out plan of his predecessor, but somewhere along the way things get personal. The boy in his care becomes more than just a stand-in for his father, but a job is a job and Kamal is a professional. When questions and tensions begin to mount, Kamal begins to put the pieces together for himself, and doesn't like what he finds. Can Kamal get his revenge and the boy or will he have to settle for one or the other?

May contain disturbing content for some readers.
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Interview with a Hitman by C.L. Mustafic

It took some doing, but I managed to convince Kamal to sit down with me for a quick chat. I didn’t realize he’d bring Zijad along and make him kneel at his feet, but I’m going to try to ignore that he’s there while Kamal glowers at me.

Me: Thanks for agreeing to sit down with me.

Kamal: Not like you gave me much choice.

Me: True, but I think deep down you really wanted to do this interview.

Kamal: Rolls his eyes while lighting a cigarette.

Me: Waves smoke out away. Okay, shall we get to it then?

Kamal: The sooner you do the sooner I can get out of here.

Me: How have things been going?

Kamal: What things?

Me: Um… Your job? Had any interesting jobs lately?

Kamal: No comment.

Me: That’s not how this works. You have to answer the questions.

Kamal: I can’t answer that one, and you know why. Though I will say I have something big coming up but I can’t discuss it.

Me: So you’re just going to leave us wondering what it might be?

Kamal: Nods and, after looking for and not finding an ashtray, ashes his cigarette into Zijad’s cupped hands.

Me: Prays that Kamal won’t put the cigarette out in Zijad’s hands before taking a deep breath. Okay, so then what subjects are not out of bounds?

Kamal: I don’t know until you ask.

Me: Fine, how are things going at home?

Kamal: Things are what they are.

Me: And is that good, or…

Kamal: Looks at the young man kneeling beside him, and then at the stub of cigarette in his hand before pinching it to put it out and laying it among the ashes.

Zijad: Looks around the room, and then at me but says nothing.

Me: Trash can’s in the corner.

Zijad: Inclines his head as a silent thank you and crawls on his knees to the corner where the trash can sits.

Me: Watches Kamal, who watches Zijad. A small smile touches Kamal’s lips before he schools his expression once more.

Kamal: Things are going well.

Me: Finally an answer! What do you guys do for fun?

Kamal: I don’t think you really want the answer to that.

Zijad: Returns to his spot and blushes bright red.

Me: Coughs and starts babbling. Okay, maybe you’re right about that. What about vacations? Have you gone anywhere, or is there somewhere you’d like to go? Do you ski? I’ve heard there are some good skiing places. I don’t ski myself because I’d probably break a leg but…

Kamal: I don’t ski. I don’t do fun outdoor activities, and I hate traveling. Sits back as if contemplating his answer before a nasty grin appears. On second thought, there is this quaint little cabin in the mountains I was thinking about revisiting…

Zijad: Pales and whimpers before Kamal gives him a look that silences him.

Me: Are you serious right now?

Kamal: Of course. I’m always serious. Looks satisfied with himself.

Me: Have I ever told you how much I dislike you?

Kamal: Too many times to count.

Me: Good. I just wanted you to know that’s still the case.

Kamal: Are we done here?

Me: Are you going to answer any of my questions without the aim of making either me or Zijad uncomfortable?

Kamal: No.

Me: Fine, we’re done here then.

Kamal: Stands up and walks to the door. Zijad follows, still on his knees and almost runs into Kamal when he suddenly stops and turns to look at me. I’ll be in touch. Soon.

Me: I know. I heard you were up to something again. Sends a pitying look at Zijad who hangs his head and hides his face behind his hair.

Kamal: I think deep down, you love me.

Me: Snorts. Yeah, no.

Kamal: Chuckles as he turns and leads Zijad out the door.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/M Dark BDSM
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Do Not ignore the triggers. This book is VERY dark and not for someone who might occasionally like a dark romance. I didn't think this was a romance at all, despite the premise.

A cold blooded killer with an occasional lover, a horrible betrayal in his past, and a new job that will bring everything together. Kamal doesn't really have a heart. He has skills and uses those skills to obtain wealth or favor.

There is a lot going on in this story, but the majority of it is Kamal and Zijad (Mali) and the psychological torture that Kamal puts Zijad through. At first, I wasn't sure if it was to get back at the person who betrayed him – Zijad's father. But I think in the end, it was the only way that Kamal knew how to love – brutally and with a lot of rules.

Zijad is subjected to torture, rape, beatings, and ultimately, a release back to his family. However, you also were given a glimpse at how he viewed himself – he knew that his father hated him and that he was a disappointment to him.

Overall, this was a story about love, but a very non-traditional kind of love. It was almost a Stockholm Syndrome situation, but both captor and victim came under each other’s powers.

CL Mustafic is a born and bred American mid-westerner who mysteriously ended up living in one of those countries nobody can ever find on the map in Europe. Left with too much time on her hands – let’s be honest here it was the lack of television channels in her native language – and too many voices in her head trying to fill the silence, she decided to give her life-long dream of writing a novel a shot. After finishing the first one she figured she may as well do it again because as she flipped through the channels in the vain hope there would be something interesting on she came to the realization that there are only so many 90’s sitcom reruns one can stomach before they are compelled to throw themselves in front of a bus. So now between shuttling kids back and forth from various activities, risking her life on the insanely narrow, busy streets of her new home town, she loses herself in her own made-up world where sometimes things get a little freaky.

Connect with CL

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Backdoor Politics

by C.L. Mustafic

Giveaway ends November 11, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Backdoor Politics by C.L. Mustafic to read and review for this tour.

Falling for Him by CL Mustafic

Doctor Gavin Addison’s marriage didn’t end on the friendliest of terms, and his estranged wife’s continual harassment has the local police visiting his home so often they’ve started calling him “the doc.” One of those cops, Officer Lex Turner, has a crush on the handsome doc, even though he knows there’s no chance the doc would ever consider dating a man.

A chance encounter on a crowded dance floor ends with both men in the same bed with the same woman—but with questionable results. When the doc wants to try that again, Lex becomes more involved than he’d dreamed possible as he helps his new friend navigate the kinkier side of sex. Knowing it’s just sex for Gavin, Lex finds it hard to keep his feelings hidden. But when Gavin finally figures out he has feelings for Lex that go beyond what a guy should feel for his buddy, will he let Lex convince him to take a chance with him—even if it turns both their lives upside down?

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NineStar Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
4 1/2 stars

I really enjoyed this story. It started out kind of rocky for me, but once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. I loved Lex and Doc/Gavin. I thought Lex was so patient and understanding with Doc when most people would have given up. Doc, in some ways, was very childlike, his parents didn't seem like they were parents of the year and his ex-wife was a total nut case. The things Doc's ex-wife did would have landed me in jail because I would have killed her. The sex scenes were good, some hotter than others, there was M/F/M in this book, so if you don't like that you are forewarned. I loved Lex's mother and then Riley and Sheila, they are super great friends. The chemistry with Lex and Doc was good and their relationship progression was believable. I laughed and I cried while reading this book and I will be putting it in my "read again" pile.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is quite a quirky read – with some really off the wall elements. At its heart is a really rather lovely romance, which develops in a nonlinear fashion and makes you think about the choices that life gives you and the ones that you unconsciously avoid.

Most of the scenes with Gavin and Lex, I enjoyed. Their relationship starts in a pretty unconventional manner – certainly not one I have read before in an MM storyline, and seemingly used more to indicate mental state than physical choice. But the guys are cute together, even if they fail to tell each other some of the basics – part of this I allowed to pass, as they are new friends, but sometimes I wanted to remind them how to communicate.

When everyone else got involved, it got confusing. I think Riley was the oddest to place – if I had not been told he was a doctor, I would have never, ever guessed. He was seriously immature, and only toned down by his wife. That said, they were supportive during the mad incidents caused by his ex-wife – who surely needed to be declared mentally unstable at the first act, let alone the fifth, tenth, etc. And let's not get started on Gavin's mother...

I have a weird feeling that this would work better on the screen than the page – with some dialogue issues resolved. It think it had a very visual sense of humour, and nuance could have been gained by seeing what they were doing, rather than just reading about it (and I am thinking of the non-sexual content!).


Erica – ☆☆☆
CL Mustafic is a new-to-me author. I was completely captured by the blurb, curiosity getting the better of me, and I couldn't wait to read Falling for Him.

Gavin is struggling during a bitter divorce battle, but it's not the battle itself that's the problem. His cheating wife of 10 years is stalking him, vandalizing property, and defaming his character. The doctor is doing all he can, calling the police and noting what has occurred and when, to create a timeline. But it's not enough. The police can't seem to have enough evidence to arrest the wife.

***Still confused at the start how a person couldn't be arrested for stalking/vandalism/received half the value of a home they didn't own after cheating on their spouse. There were security cameras in the hospital, but the detectives were too defective to check them to tie the ex to the slander, which is a civil case but would have influenced the divorce... just saying none of this added up. While it propelled the plot, it was unrealistic, illogical, and over the top. SMH. An educated doctor was too dim to change the locks on his own home to protect it after months of harassment? The maturity levels and behavior didn't match the age/profession/speech patterns. Gavin's actions/reactions didn't fit the character trait profile.

In walks in Lex – Officer Turner is a bisexual man, who's both intrigued by the good doctor and feeling empathetic to his plight. He's trying to pin the crimes on the guy's ex, all the while trying to get into his pants. Maybe if he tried harder at his job, above wouldn't make them all look inept.

For those who don't wish to read girly bits in their MM romance, be forewarned. There are ménage scenes featuring MFM. That's my thing, but it might not be something you enjoy.

The guys were fun together, the romance light, but the frustration of the too many plots was too much for me. I was frustrated most of the time I was reading as it pinged all of my major pet peeves.

The premise of Falling for Him was great. However, the execution wasn't to my tastes. The flow of the writing was wooden, too proper and polite to flow fluidly or sound realistic. Maybe it was the perspective it was written in, or how the dialogue would either be too proper or too juvenile (Riley, A DOCTOR, spoke like a middle school boy), which had a whiplash effect on me, because in a sea of proper and polite, the locker-room-esque talk glared from the pages. This made it very difficult for me to fall into Falling for Him, because it pulled me from the story.

I will not apologize for my following commentary. As a feminist, a pet peeve of mine was on the pages – the way all women were portrayed. A mentally unstable, clingy mother. Homophobic mother. Even the best friend's wife was overbearing. A crazy, cheating, abusive, criminal ex-wife who gets away with it. A threesome partner, who after-the-fact acted like a total nutjob (he had to buy her flowers and apologize? WHAT?) when during the scene itself, no one seemed to be uncomfortable, not into it, or acting insulted. This also was jarring for me to read. As a female, I don't wish to be insulted on most pages of a novel. Yes, there are women who behave like that – BUT it shouldn't be every negative stereotype displayed by ALL the women in the novel, to hit home how we are inferior as a gender and explain away why two bi characters fall for each other. Gavin and Lex can lust/love each other because they do, as it has no bearing with who they do/don't lust/love, so I don't see why it always has to be at the expense and disrespect to females. Women are so crazy and clingy, I'm going to date men – no, you date men because you date men.

Thankfully, this storyline just dissolved into the background, so it was no longer a focal point to rub me raw, leaving room for the guys to come together.

Moving forward into their relationship, another pet peeve of mine hit: MISCOMMUNICATION. A cop and a doctor, both professionals who rely on communication to do their jobs, both older, one married for 10+ years, I find it incomprehensible why they didn't just communicate. This was not a suitable plot device for these characters.

There was just too much going on, and it was at the expense of the entertainment factor for me – seemed unfocused and chaotic. To be honest, I was rubbed wrong and frustrated for the entirety of the read. I was obviously not the intended audience. MM romance readers, who don't mind lady bits in their MM, will probably enjoy the story, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

CL Mustafic is a born and bred American Midwesterner who mysteriously ended up living in one of those countries nobody can ever find on the map of Europe. Left with too much time on her hands—let’s be honest here—it was the lack of television channels in her native language and too many voices in her head trying to fill the silence that led her to decide to give her lifelong dream of writing a novel a shot. So now, between shuttling kids back and forth from various activities and risking her life on the insanely narrow, busy streets of her new hometown, she loses herself in her own made-up world where love always wins.

Connect with CL

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Falling for Him by CL Mustafic to read and review.