Month: March 2015

In The Spotlight: 2 Books – 1 Series/Ed & Marchant (Frankie’s #2) by Sue Brown

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 Ed & Marchant  (Frankie’s #2) by Sue Brown

and

Anthony & Leo ( Frankie’s #3) by Sue Brown

Published by Dreamspinner Press

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Sue Brown has 2 new releases!  It’s Ed & Marchant, the second in Frankie’s Series and Anthony & Leo ( Frankie’s #3).

STRW Author BookSynopsis

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Ed & Marchant (Frankie’s #2) – A Novella in Frankie’s Series

Ed Winters despises his job and hates everyone he works with—especially out and proud, happily in love Frankie Mason. He spends his days wishing he could dance, rather than work.

Late to go shopping one day, Ed ends up soaked in Marchant Belarus’s spilled Coke. Ed’s humiliation increases when Marchant, the owner of a BDSM club, realizes Ed is a sub, albeit a very closeted one. Marchant’s attempts to draw Ed out of his shell release years of pent-up anger and hurt over the abuse Ed’s mother and grandmother heaped on him.

Marchant is patient, but nothing he does seems to help until he discovers Ed’s secret love of dancing—a forbidden passion that might be the key to unlocking the confident, secure man Ed could be.

Length: 120 Pages
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Release Date: November 12, 2014

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press – Amazon – Amazon UK – All Romance(ARe) –

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Anthony & Leo ( Frankie’s #3) by Sue Brown

Watching Marchant train his new sub leaves Tony unhappy at not having found a Dom of his own. Running Marchant’s BDSM club, Tony sees who the Doms prefer and it isn’t him—too big, too old, and too hairy. When his friend Jordan suggests he look outside the club, Tony’s mind turns to Leo, a man he met in a traffic jam. Tony manages to arrange a date and happily learns Leo is funny, very toppy, and not averse to Tony’s lifestyle. As a bonus, Leo sells sex toys.

When tragedy strikes the club, Tony fears he can’t help the mourning club members, but Leo offers his unwavering support. After such a tough start, Tony believes Leo is the Dom he’s been looking for… until he catches him kissing another man.

Title: Anthony & Leo ( Frankie’s #3) by Sue Brown
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 30000 words approx.
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Releases Date: March 25, 2015

Sales Link: Dreamspinner Press –

 

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

 

Excerpt from Ed & Marchant….

FROM THE isolation of his cubicle, Ed Winters watched over the top of his rimless glasses as two members of his staff twirled around the office, and his lip curled. “One day soon, Mr. Mason, you will get what you deserve.”

It was wishful thinking on Ed’s part. Frankie Mason was Teflon-coated. He could waltz in late, flirt with all the women, and screw up, but nothing touched him, and everyone worshipped the ground he walked on. Even the bitches in management thought Mason had golden balls. The bollocking Ed had received for snitching on Frankie still rankled bitterly.

Ed hated his job… and his staff, including Frankie Mason. Especially Frankie Mason.

Of course the feeling was returned in spades. Ed knew exactly what his staff at the insurance company thought of him. He had once heard Frankie describe him as a 1950s Tory poster boy who disliked “women, black people, anyone from the Indian subcontinent, curry, the French, the Irish, dogs—” and after that damning (and stunningly accurate) indictment, Frankie had minced across the room with a limp wrist, enunciating “—hom-o-sex-uals.”

Frankie was a screaming queer (his words) and didn’t give a flying fart what Ed Winters thought about him (also his words).
Ed despised him.

It’s not as if anything Frankie said was incorrect. Ed hated all those things and more. If anyone had asked him what he did like… well, no one asked him. No one talked to him at work unless they had to, which was exactly the way he preferred it, and he didn’t have any friends or family.

In Ed’s pristine ivory home, nothing and no one disturbed his peace. He could shut the door behind him, place his shoes neatly in the shoe rack, hang up his jacket, and forget about the idiots and lowlifes that infested his existence.

No one knocked at Ed’s door or called his phone. His flat was his castle, and there he found peace. His sanctuary soothed his soul. It kept him going through the eight-and-a-half hours of the miserable drudgery of work.

If he lived close enough, he would escape back home at lunchtime, but it was just too far away to make it feasible. Instead Ed ate his spinach salad and sparkling water at his desk every day, looking out the window to the park beyond and wishing he was there. Not in the park. The park was fine, but the other occupants—the screaming kids, filthy dogs leaving their shit over the paths, and shrill mothers—were the bane of his existence. But the park was on his route. A place of joy at five thirty in the evening and doom and despair at eight thirty in the morning as he approached the office.

Ed looked down at the files on his desk, and his lip curled. “How on earth did I end up here? I had plans.”

He’d planned to set the world on fire with his dancing. Instead he’d ended up in a dead-end job that drained his soul. Not just his job. His life. Ed refused to admit, even to himself, the soul-sucking loneliness of his existence.

Ed looked over at Frankie now engaging in an obscene tango with that slut, Charlotte, also a member of his team.

“You think you can dance?” he muttered. “I can dance. I could make you cry with my paso doble.”

But the world was never going to weep tears over his paso doble, and Ed was going to shuffle papers, hating his life until he died, bitter and alone.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Author pic

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot and has gotten expert at ignoring the orders.

Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.

Contact/Follow Sue Brown at:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SueBrownsStories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/suebrownstories
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+SueBrownstories/
Blog: http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk/
Website: http://www.suebrownstories.com/
Email ID: suebrown.stories@gmail.com

 

 

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Contest:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Prizes and Rafflecopter link provided by Creative Minds Promotion.
Winner’s Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card
2 Runners Up get: An e-copy set of – Frankie & Al (Book 1); Ed & Marchant (Book 2)

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RAFFLECOPTER LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0f7bf72016/?

Creative Minds

A Mika Review: Released by A.J. Ridges

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Some laws are made to be broken…

Released coverOn the small, male-dominated planet of Noval gay sex is forbidden. Unfortunately for Krial, his size and strength make him a prime candidate for Noval’s breeding selection training. Krial is angry and resentful when he’s forced to spend three months on the backward, archaic planet. However, he never anticipates falling hard for his gruff and demanding trainer – Dax. 

Dax is a professional. He won’t break the law, but he’s not above blurring a few lines for the benefit of his trainee. 

Sometimes when the planets align the impossible becomes possible…

When the unthinkable happens and Krial is selected as the next breeder, he lashes out at the only one who can handle him – Dax. During the physical battle that follows, Krial expects to be put in his place by his massive and controlled trainer. Never in his wildest dreams does Krial imagine that Dax will touch him, kiss him or invite him back to his bed. 

Released is a complete, smutty, erotic m/m romance featuring two futuristic, gay, alpha-males who’ll leave you breathless. This story contains explicit m/m sexual situations, content and language and is intended for adult readers.

This was my first read by A.J. Ridges. I found myself liking it a lot in the beginning and then it slowly became okay. Reading this, I was confused by the blurb a little because of the whole male dominant planet thing. I didn’t see at all during the book, but what we had was okay. Krial was a likable character. I loved his monologues in the beginning to everything that was happening. Right off the bat we are introduced to Krial during “The Release” and it’s as invasive as it seems. I was laughing again at Krial he had funny moments, automatically we are introduced to the source of all of Krial’s fantasies Dax his Trainer, mentor and all around alpha male. I found that entire scene erotic and funny especially considering what was happening. For a novella I found it entertaining. I didn’t like how Krial was seen as an Alpha male from the beginning and then almost at the turn of the next page he was a submissive as a trained sub. It wasn’t that I disliked it, I just wish he could have stayed as dominant as he was in the beginning. I liked this book, looking forward to a full length novel from this author.

Cover Art by ? I liked the cover a lot. It was simple and picture perfect to what I thought Krial looked like.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe)     Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

eBook, 78 pages.
February 20th, 2015 by Smashwords

In the Book Spotlight: Blood of Salar (Masters and Mages #2) by Alexis Duran

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Blood of Salar (Masters and Mages #2) by Alexis Duran
Release Date: March 3, 2015

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Author Alexis Duran Bio:
Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She’s worked in museums, fashion, finance and film production. Her favorite job so far was cataloguing the collection in a haunted Victorian Mansion. She’s had several short stories published in the mystery, horror and literary genres and is the author of the Masters and Mages erotic fantasy series.

Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She lives with one dog and four and half cats. She is currently working on the next Masters and Mages novel and several other erotic novellas.

Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/alexisduran1177/
Other: My blog at http://alexisduranblog.com
Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8332457.Alexis_Duran

Publisher: Loose ID

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe)   Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

About Blood of Salar (Masters and Mages #2)

M’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.SmBloodOfSalar

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.

Categories: Erotica, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt
M’lan knelt beside the assassin’s bronzed body. He placed his palm on Jamil’s chest and silently beseeched Salar to remove the deadly impulses instilled in Jamil ever since he began his training as an assassin. Jamil closed his eyes and seemed to relax, but as the warm energy of the god seeped through M’lan’s fingers, Jamil jerked suddenly to full alertness. Like a cobra striking he seized M’lan’s wrist and gave it a painful twist, eyes flashing. M’lan sat back, startled.

Jamil did not let him go. He let out a slow breath and lifted M’lan’s fingers to his mouth. He kissed the knuckles of a clenched fist. “The last thing I need is more spells to confuse this simple warrior’s mind.”

“A prayer is not a spell!” M’lan tried to pull free but couldn’t. He gritted his teeth, fighting back a rising anger. Jamil’s strength both entranced and infuriated him.

“Stop trying to weaken me.” Jamil said in a wretchedly calm voice. “You must stay here and do your duty, I must go away and do mine. Nothing has changed.”
M’lan inhaled slowly, breath catching. “Let me go.”
Pages or Words: 60,000 words

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Tour Dates: March 10, 2015

 Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook, Molly Lolly, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Multitasking Mommas, Divine Magazine, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake

 

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: A copy of Touch of Salar, Book 1 in the Masters and Mages series and a $10 Loose Id GC, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided by Pride Promotions. All prizes and winner notifications will come from them.

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Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – Tempest (Playing the Fool #3) by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Tempest coverShakespeare buffs should love this series. As in the other two stories, quotes from “The Bard” abound and, in fact, the title of the story is an adaptation of The Tempest.

Henry Page, aka Sebastian Hanes, aka a hundred other aliases, is a Shakespeare buff. He and his twin sister Viola were raised by an alcoholic mother who was an actress and instilled a love of William Shakespeare in her children from a very early age. As this third story in the series opens, Henry is on the run and so is his boyfriend, FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness Mac is being framed for murder and with nowhere else to go, they head for Altona, Indiana, where the series began. Altona, not the most well-known city in the world has a population consisting of Mac’s family, some goats, a few chickens, and maybe a handful of other people. Henry’s not happy about lying low at the McGuinness family farm (hence, his singing of Old MacDonald’s Farm on the way there), but they’ve got nowhere else to go, and he believes Viola will be safe there, a fact which makes him most cooperative.

Viola suffered a brain injury while trying to pull one of their mother’s boyfriends off of Henry as he was being raped when they were teens. In this book we learn something more about this man, JJ. <spoiler> The way the authors wove Mac’s and Henry’s stories together was both complex and compelling. Interesting to me as a reviewer and as someone who has read the past books, I felt like I was slowly unwrapping a gift and each layer brought a new surprise. In hindsight, it’s obvious that the authors plotted this series out before starting the first book, yet each story is a complete story in itself. Together, they make an incredibly interesting action adventure saga. As Henry jokes, the two of them together, aka “Mac and Cheese”, had enough going on in their lives to create a TV series about them, and now they seem to have enough material to make an epic motion picture.

Watching their relationship develop, and most especially, watching Henry come to the realization that he can indeed rely on Mac, that he loves him, and that he might have finally found a home with Mac, is incredibly fulfilling and I just literally couldn’t put the story down. If this had been a movie, I certainly would have watched between my fingers, like a little kid who can’t bear to see what’s going on, yet can’t leave the room either. The last chapters were a hair-raising adventure, super scary for more than just Mac and Henry, and highly riveting. A definite nail-biter, for sure.

The authors continue to relate to the world of William Shakespeare throughout the story, and I particularly enjoyed Mac’s realization that “everyone had their assigned part, and played it. All the world was a stage, after all, and it was just bursting at the seams with eager understudies.” He went on to speculate on the people who loved you and those you loved—those are the only people who mattered. It was clearly evident that he loved Henry, and when Henry finally admitted that he loved Mac, though it was mumbled, it was just perfect for them. And speaking of perfect, the ending of the story was exactly what will allow our guys to continue on in future stories if the authors want to take them further, but would be a fine place to end if they decide to do so.

I highly recommend this series. It got better with each book, and both characters are now on my list of favorite M/M characters and definitely on my most memorable couples list.
~~~
Cover Art by L.C. Chase depicts an open black umbrella on a red background, giving the same overall feel as the covers of the other books. In this case, use of an umbrella symbolizes both Henry’s fear of storms and the use of an umbrella to thwart one of the “bad guys” in the story. Nicely done.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing       All Romance (ARe)      Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 205 pages
Expected publication: March 9th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492233
edition languageEnglish
seriesPlaying the Fool #3

Playing the Fool Series in the order they were written and should be read:

A Stella Review: How to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

How to Howl at the moon coverSheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of ‘quickened’—dogs who have the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come.

Tim Weston is looking for a safe haven. After learning that his boss patented all of Tim’s work on vegetable hybrids in his own name, Tim quit his old job. A client offers him use of her cabin in Mad Creek, and Tim sees a chance for a new start. But the shy gardener has a way of fumbling and sounding like a liar around strangers, particularly gorgeous alpha men like Sheriff Beaufort.

Lance’s hackles are definitely raised by the lanky young stranger. He’s concerned about marijuana growers moving into Mad Creek, and he’s not satisfied with the guy’s story.

Lance decides a bit of undercover work is called for. When Tim hits a beautiful black collie with his car and adopts the dog, its love at first sight for both Tim and Lance’s inner dog. Pretending to be a pet is about to get Sheriff Beaufort in very hot water.

I simply love this author, everything she writes is perfect. This book is no exception. How to howl at the moon is the first book in a new shifters series, but not the usual shifters I’m used to. It was definitely something new to me and so interesting I can’t wait for the next one. If you are familiar with Eli’s writing you already know you’re going to read something special, well written, fun and entertaining.

How to howl at the Moon is the story of Lance, the Sheriff of Mad Creek, a city full of secrets to hide from the world. He’s a quickened dog, a border collie that has never bounded with a human. Quickened dogs are dogs that don’t born with the ability to take the human form but the love of their human owners gave them the ability to shift. Lance is investigating in a drug growers setting up in the neighboring counties, which are causing lot of violence. So when at the diner he meets a stranger who smell of pot and with no money, he soon becomes suspicious about the newcomer. He will do everything he can to expose him, even using his dog form.

Tim is a young man who just moved to Mad Creek after leaving Santa Barbara in hurry. He owned a gardening service since he was twelve. The man who though was his business partner deceived him. He stole all Tim’s hard work, the copyright of all the wonderful and rare varieties of roses, and confined him as an employee. He’s in this new town living in a friend’s cabin for free for six months and hoping to use this time to set up a new business. After a bad childhood and the betrayal of his old boss, Tim is ready for a new beginning. One night while coming home from a trip to buy more gardening supplies he hit a black dog with his car. It’s love at first sight.

Tim leaned down to look into Lance’s eyes with warm concern and stroked his head. “I’ll be right back, buddy. Okay?”

Lance narrowed his eyes. Well, duh.

“He seems really… I dunno… intelligent for a dog,” Tim said with admiration.

“You think so?” Bill(the vet) said dryly. “I’d have thought it was unaccountably stupid to run out in front of a truck, and way out here of all places.”

Eli Easton is a great writer, she explained the quickened world really well and the relationship between MCs and second one are magnificent. I especially enjoyed Lila, Lance’s mom. She’s hilarious but most of all  truly a troublemaker. I loved the dialogue, I found myself laughing so much and was never bored. Tim was so cute when his nervousness around Lance brings him to some funny attacks of verbal diarrhea.

I’m waiting for the next one in this new amazing series, hoping the wary Roman will get his HEA. I can totally recommend How to Howl at the Moon to all of you, you wouldn’t regret it. Really well done!

Cover art by AngstyG. Considering border collie is my fave dog breed I couldn’t be not in love with this cover as soon as I saw it. I didn’t even read the blurb, once I knew it was a eli easton’s book ans saw the cover, I was so ready to read it. This artist never disappoint me.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe)      Amazon     Buy It Here

Book Details:
Published February 28th 2015 by Pinkerton Road
ebook, 200 pages
ISBN B00T12QQOW
Edition language English

SALE LINKS

ARE https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-howtohowlatthemoon-1748258-145.html

AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/How-Howl-Moon-Eli-Easton-ebook/dp/B00T12QQOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424726365&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+howl+moon+eli

In the Book Spotlight: Black and Blue Love: A Lesbian Novel by Judy Folger (author interview and contest)

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Black and Blue Love: A Lesbian Novel by Judy Folger
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Cover of Black and Blue Love

 Today we have author Judy Folger in our Interview chair!  Check out the interview below and all the book details and contest about Black and Blue Love: A Lesbian Novel.

Q and A with Author Judy Folger

Question: What inspired you to write this story?

A friend and I were talking about my romance books and in particular about women in our society today. She happened to mention that she once had volunteered at a domestic violence hotline center. She said she’d received a call from a woman in a violent lesbian relationship seeking help. That conversation led to my doing some research on the subject. My friend and I neither one remembered ever seeing or hearing anything about lesbian domestic violence. Thus was born my NEED to write a book about a lesbian relationship involving domestic violence.

Question: What books or authors inspired you as a writer?

I find this a difficult question to answer. I have always been a voracious reader. I read fiction and nonfiction on just about any subject. To choose one or a few books or authors who inspired me to write, well that’s difficult to say. Just reading books has been an inspiration…I wanted to write them, too.

Question: What romance novels did you read growing up?

Actually, I didn’t read romance novels while I was growing up. There weren’t any books for lesbian teens back then, and I found heterosexual romances boring. I was more interested in non-fiction.

Question: Did the lack of LGBTQ fiction, romance in particular, prompt you to write your own?

Actually what prompted me to write my own lesbian romance books was the fact that my longtime partner and I had separated. I turned to my writing, which I had suppressed for many years. Since then, writing lesbian romance books has simply been a natural thing for me. My first book, The Unfinished Letter was wonderful for me to write as I included many personal experiences and emotions. The Unfinished Letter was my best seller each month until I wrote and published Black and Blue Love. Now Black and Blue Love is my best seller each month with The Unfinished Letter coming in second.

Question: What qualities do you look for in a story?

I ask that the stories I read be real and believable. All my books are about strong, independent women who find themselves in difficult situations and who also find their way out. My characters and the plots are all realistic. I believe any woman can relate to my books.

Question: Characters or Plot? Which comes first?

I start with an idea for a story. I do not work with an outline. I sit down to write, and the characters start to come to life…they show me the way. It is great fun to write every day and to see how the story grows and develops and then finally ends…I don’t like the end…I hate to say goodbye to my characters.

Question: What are the most important elements for you to include in a story? Is humor one of them?

To me the most important element to include in my stories is believability and relatability. That’s what makes a good book a good book. As for humor, I always have humor in my stories. I personally have quite a good sense of humor. If we don’t have humor in our lives, then what’s left? Humor, I believe, helps us all to survive.

Question: What’s next for Judy Folger?

What’s next for me? To write and write and write. I love writing and creating. That’s who I am. Thanks for asking.
By the way, readers might be interested in knowing that the sequel to Black and Blue Love, entitled Meara’s Moms, is due out next month.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Author Judy Folger

A proud member of the lesbian community, Judy wrote her first book after she retired and hasn’t looked back since. Her books tell the stories of women in love who fight to overcome real-life problems. Judy was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Wichita but now lives in Merriam, Kansas. She has a son who also writes and a daughter-in-law who does paranormal investigations.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judy.folger.7?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Judy_Folger

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Publisher: Judy Folger
Cover Artist: Judy Folger

Sales Links:   Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

 

After Kallie Moran’s husband, Aaron, is killed in Iraq, Kallie asks her law firm to transfer her back to her home town so she can be close to her mother.

When her request is granted, she realizes that closeness to her mother also means closeness to her mother’s dreadful sister, Bessie Benson.

Bessie is loud and crass, and her sons make a lifestyle of rotating in and out of the county jail. The only Benson that Kallie has ever been able to tolerate is her cousin, Andi. Andi, too, once dreamed of getting out of Brookville, but unlike Kallie, she never quite made it.

Now an out lesbian, Andi drags her intimidated partner, Della, to local bars and out-of-control family affairs. Della seems so miserable that Kallie finds herself reaching out to this beautiful, fragile-looking woman who just doesn’t seem to belong among the Bensons.

As Kallie and Della become friends, Kallie witnesses the verbal and emotional abuse Andi heaps on Della. Then comes the terrible night when Andi is no longer able to confine herself to words and slams Della to the ground, permanently scarring her face.

Della flees to Kallie for protection. In relative safety, she struggles to face the fact that she is a victim of lesbian domestic violence. She is also falling hard for Kallie, her rescuer.

Kallie, meanwhile, is keeping some secrets of her own. She wants to be with Della as much as Della wants to be with her, but she is afraid to embark on her first lesbian relationship.

Their love blossoms when Kallie risks her life to save Della from another of Andi’s vicious attacks. But it doesn’t take Andi long to realize she’s been betrayed. Furious, drunk, and carrying her father’s hand gun, she vows that this time she will REALLY make Della and Kallie pay.

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Domestic Violence, Lesbian Abuse

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt:

Della leaned into Kallie so that their bodies were pressed close together. Kallie finally did what she had been wanting to do since the day she met Della. She reached up and tangled her fingers in that glorious, unruly hair. She had expected Della’s hair to be coarse, but it was soft and warm in her hands.

Then Della’s hands found her breases, and Kallie remembered where they were and what they were doing. It took every ounce of willpower that she’d ever possessed, but she withdrew from Della, backing into the wall at the end of the step. “We shouldn’t do this,” she said in a voice so hoarse with passion she scarcely recognized it.

Della’s green eyes reflected hurt and confusion. “Why not?”

“Because you’re my cousin’s partner.”

Della nodded sadly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

Kallie tried to think of something to say that would ease things between the two of them, but no words came to her mind. All she could do was watch as Della walked out the door.
Pages or Words: 40,000

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Black and Blue Love. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter link and prizes provided by Pride Promotions.

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Tour Dates & Stops:

9-Mar

Amanda C. Stone

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

10-Mar

Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

Cathy Brockman Romances

11-Mar

Hearts on Fire

Love Bytes

12-Mar

Kimi-Chan

Elin Gregory

13-Mar

Prism Book Alliance

Inked Rainbow Reads

16-Mar

Molly Lolly

17-Mar

Book Reviews and More by Kathy

18-Mar

Velvet Panic

Divine Magazine

19-Mar

Nephylim

Emotion in Motion

Bayou Book Junkie

20-Mar

My Fiction Nook

Cate Ashwood

 

Henry And Mac Are Back in Action in Tempest (Playing the Fool #3) by Lisa Henry & J. A. Rock (Excerpt and Contest)

Tempest cover

 

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Lisa Henry and J. A. Rock’s series Playing the Fool is a Must Read, highly recommended series of stories here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.   Happily, we now have another book to add to this series.  It’s Tempest (Playing the Fool #3) !  The authors are here today with a special excerpt and a contest for all to enter.  Check it all out below and don’t forget to leave your email address in the body of your comment when entering the contest!  Let’s get started!

Welcome, Lisa Henry and J. A. Rock!

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Hi! We’re Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, the authors of TEMPEST. We’re touring the web taking about our influences, our processes, anything we can think about actually, and even giving you guys a sneak peak or two! And what would a blog tour be without a contest? Check out the details at the bottom of the post to see what you can win!

Today we’re sharing an excerpt from TEMPEST.  Here, Henry and Mac are on their way back to the city to get to the bottom of who’s framing Mac. Henry is as distracted, and distracting as always. Contains a bonus Skittles reference.

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

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The next morning, Mac looked Henry up and down as he approached the truck. Refrained from shaking his head as Henry settled into the passenger seat. “I thought you’d be wearing a disguise.”

“Seriously?” Henry smoothed down his tie. “I am wearing a disguise. Look at me. I could be selling magazine subscriptions. Or Jesus. Or subscriptions to magazines that are exclusively about Jesus. White Jesus. Or maybe I’m on my way to a job interview at an accounting firm.” He flashed Mac a smile. “Yeah, I’ll bet that’s what I’m doing.”

Mac frowned at the pants. There was something both weirdly familiar and aesthetically disturbing about the houndstooth pattern.

“Are those my dad’s pants?”

“Circa 1974. Your dad wore ’em tight. This is his tie too.” “You’re really wearing a tie?”

“You like boys in ties.” Henry ran his fingers down the silk, in a gesture that would have been a hell of a lot sexier if Mac didn’t remember buying that tie for his dad one Father’s Day. “Look at you. Even in jeans something about you just screams cop.”

“I’m not a cop.”

“I know. But ‘something about you just screams authority figure who can deprive me of my freedom’ just doesn’t roll off the tongue in the same way, does it?”

“I guess not.” He stared at his parents’ house a little longer, then turned the ignition. The truck rumbled into life. “You ready for this?”

Henry pulled a packet of Skittles out of his pocket. “I’m always ready for a road trip.”

Of course he was.

They headed for Indianapolis.

Mac let Henry fiddle with the radio and spill candy and talk bullshit at a million miles an hour, because that was Henry. It was how he dealt with stress. If he talked fast enough, if he teased, if he didn’t stop, then he didn’t have to deal. Even a week ago Mac would have been irritated by that. Would have wanted to slap him around the back of the head for being so damn irritating. Like Energizer Bunny irritating. But not today.

Henry glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “Looks like rain.”

“Storm’s not supposed to hit until this evening.”

“Great. Let me get out my umbrella and tap shoes.” Henry changed the radio station again. Then suddenly slapped the radio knob, turning it off. “Can we stop for donuts, Mac?”

“Says the guy who just put away two omelets for breakfast.”

“Which is my protein requirement for the day. Now I need my sugar and frosting requirement for the day. Oh, and my milkshake requirement. Strawberry.” He jiggled his leg. “Definitely strawberry.”

“If we see somewhere, we’ll stop.”

Henry’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? I don’t need to argue about this?”

“Nope.”

Henry slumped back down in his seat. “Well, now I know you think we’re gonna die.”

Mac glanced sideways at him. “Maybe I’m just tired of arguing with you.”

“Or maybe you want me to finish these Skittles and put something else in my mouth. Want me to taste your rainbow ?” “Not while I’m driving, I don’t.” Flirty Henry was incorrigible. He was also deflecting again. One day, Mac decided, he would surprise the fuck out of both of them and say yes to whatever crazy suggestion fell out of those candy-stained lips.

“You’re so boring, Mac.”

“Shut up, Cheese.”

STRW Author BookSynopsis

About TEMPEST:

Something wicked this way comes.

FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness and con man Henry Page are on the run again. This time they’re headed back to where it all began: Altona, Indiana. Population: some goats. Henry’s not happy about lying low at the McGuinness family farm, but they’ve got nowhere else to go.

While Mac fights to clear his name and Henry struggles with whose side he’s really on, a ghost from the past threatens to destroy everything. And those aren’t the only storms on the radar. Cut off from both sides of the law, Mac and Henry must rely on their tenuous partnership to survive.

If Henry can convince himself to let Mac see the man behind the disguises, they’ll stand a chance of beating the forces that conspire against them. The course of true love never did run smooth, but for the two of them, it might be their only hope.
You can check out TEMPEST at Riptide.

Books in the Playing the Fool Series are -linked to Barb’s 5-star reviews:

 

STRW Spotlight Contest Header

The Giveaway: Thanks for following our tour! To celebrate our release, we’re giving away an awesome prize – an ebook copy of a novel of your choice from either of our back catalogs. We’re also giving away a $20 Riptide gift voucher, and some comfy items picked especially for you by Henry: a pillow shaped like a donut, and a pair of donut-themed socks.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for us to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your facebook or goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because we won’t be able to see it otherwise! On March 20, 2015, we’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win the prize!

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Prizes provided by Riptide Publishing and the authors.

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STRW Author Bio and Contacts

 

About the Authors

Lisa Henry

Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.

Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house a log-suffering partner, too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

Connect with Lisa:

Blog:  http://www.lisahenryonline.blogspot.com/”
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaHenryOnline
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LisaHenry

J.A. Rock

J.A. Rock has worked as a dog groomer, knife seller, haunted house zombie, standardized patient, cashier, census taker, state fair quilt hanger, and, for one less-than-magical evening, a server—and would much rather be writing about those jobs than doing them. A lover of m/m BDSM romance, J.A. lives mostly in West Virginia, and always with a beloved dog, Professor Anne.

Website:  http://www.jarockauthor.com/
Blog:  http://jarockauthor.blogspot.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jarockauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ja.rock.39