Month: July 2016

An Alisa Review: Awakening the Alpha by Carolina Valdez

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

Awakening the AlphaBlaze Canis is doing what he loves best. As a shooting range instructor just outside Yellowstone National Park, the former Navy SEAL sniper is still handling firearms. When Shoshone Native Logan Swift Rider walks into his target shooting class one morning, the attraction each man feels for the other is swift and magical. Since Blaze’s SEAL teammates never knew he was gay, let alone a werewolf, he’s confident his new lover need never know of his two natures.

 

Logan opens his heart and body to loving Blaze in the most intimate ways possible. When he learns what Blaze has hidden of himself, Logan is shattered. Although raised in both the white and Native worlds, it’s Logan’s Indian heritage that tells him he may have fallen for a witch, a skinwalker.

 

Can Blake convince Logan there’s no evil involved in what he is or will Logan remain convinced he’s been making love to a monster?

 

Logan and Blaze come from very different backgrounds.  Logan’s Native American heritage and teachings give him a different view of the world from many while Blaze has always really hidden who he was from the world.  They both feel a deep connection to the other very quickly.

 

When Logan finds out Blaze is a werewolf, he begins to rethink everything he knew about Blaze because of teachings from his youth.  It takes some deep soul searching for him to be willing to talk about his concerns and see Blaze again.

 

It took a bit for me to connect with the characters, not quite sure why.  Chapter 1 is more of a preface to me and I kept trying to connect it to the MCs to it, but that doesn’t come until a bit later.  Once I really got into the story I could see how open Blaze and Logan were with each other while still holding a bit back.  I’m not sure they ever really resolve the problem, it’ more of both of them just saying okay we’re good.  I also didn’t like that there was never a real ending to the “relationship” that Logan had back in California and no mention of it to Blaze either.

 

Cover art by Syneca Featherstone is wonderful and perfect for this story.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon | ARe

 

Book Details:

ebook, 110 pages

Published: June 7, 2016 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682521519

Edition Language: English

A BJ Review: Assumed Dead by Becky Black

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Assumed DeadThe zombie apocalypse left twelve people trapped, but safe, at a scientific research base on an Arctic island. Three years later, with supplies critically low, they know they can’t survive another harsh winter. But all of them fear what awaits them on the mainland.

Former grad student, Matt Warner, has retrained as a nurse under the group’s doctor, Peter Lane. Training is not the only thing Matt wants to be under Peter for, but Peter has always resisted responding to Matt’s interest in him. Before all this started Peter had a husband, Harrison, back home. A husband he desperately hopes is still alive.

Despair finally weakens Peter’s resolve and he and Matt begin sharing a bed. It’s Matt’s dream come true, even if he knows Peter’s feelings for him aren’t as strong as his for Peter. But everything changes, when the group learns of the existence of a vaccine against the zombie virus and they escape the island to search for the people distributing the vaccine. Matt fears their relationship won’t survive, because Peter wants to search for his husband—even if only to confirm his death. And Peter knows if he goes looking for Harrison, he’ll lose Matt forever.

This is a sequel to Patient Z which I read a few for the first time a few months ago, so when I saw that this one was coming out, I wanted to read it right away. I rated the first book four stars and was eager to follow on with the story, especially when I noticed that this story also had a bi-racial couple. Unfortunately, as is often the case, while I enjoyed it, this second book didn’t quite live up to the first one for me.

This story doesn’t follow along with the first couple, Mitch and Cal’s and their group, but I actually enjoyed that aspect. It gave a chance to see what happened to others, and how everyone’s experience of the apocalypse would vary. However, it does pick up several months after the events of the first book, so we do get to see the continuation of the original storyline as the vaccine begins to be shared with others.

The world that this group lived in was so much less threatening than that from book one, which played a large part in why I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as book one. There was very little action up until right near the very end, and even at that point, it didn’t involve zombies. It almost felt like the zombies were more of a window dressing—gross in appearance on the few times when one or two showed up, but they never felt like a real threat at any point. For the vast majority of the book, we are told about things that might be a threat and danger for this group, but we don’t see them in action, and thus are not on the edge of the seat or tense with worry. Even when they meet up with the second group, its pretty much the same thing. In fact, except for one mild scene early on that was very easily handled with no casualties or drama, the whole thing felt very tame. When the big fight scene near the end came, there hadn’t really been anything leading up to it, so it felt like it came out of left field.

The two main characters, Matt from New Zealand and Peter the doctor from the US, didn’t grab me and make me care for them as much as Cal and Mitch had in book. In fact, they didn’t intrigue me as much as some of the secondary characters, like R.J. and Jay and even Barrett did. The romance relationship between Matt and Peter moved slow at first, which was okay for a while, but Peter’s hemming and hawing started to get to me and when something did finally take off between them, I just didn’t feel the passion or urgency any more. There were quite a few sexy bits, but because of Peter’s lack of commitment one way or the other, I wasn’t quite able to feel invested in them as a couple and so the romance part fell flat for me.

Overall, this book has a lower key, calmer, less intense feel that book one. Not what I’d expected for a zombie apocalypse story. If you prefer a milder post-apocalyptic story full of hope and lots of interesting details, then this should fit the bill. I enjoyed the story itself more than the main couple, and would be willing to read more in this world especially if it included more about the mysterious R.J.

The cover does a good job of conveying the story, but much like the story itself, it doesn’t quite pack the punch of the first.

Sales Links:  Loose id LLC | ARe | Amazon

Book Details: 

ebook, 294 pages
Published June 14th 2016 by Loose Id
Original TitleAssumed Dead
ISBN139781682521489
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

GaysOfOurLives_600x900 (1)Emerson Robinette has MS.  He also has a huge case of chip-on-shoulder and another of social anxiety. Ever since his diagnosis, he’s limited himself to being only in safe situations, or situations he perceives as safe and follows his rules—only pick up guys on days his legs don’t tingle; don’t let his dominant side out for fear of failure; don’t make friends so they won’t be disappointed in him; and so on. 

He teaches ESL and GED prep classes at a community center and loves his job. Though he never intended to be a teacher, he pretty much just fell into it. He happens to meet a hipster named Obie on a bus ride home one day.  Obie is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, dresses the way he feels, and seems to be attracted to Emerson.  The only problem?  When Emerson gets off the bus, he has to use his cane and he notices that Obie notices so he figures that’s the end of that hope. 

One thing about Emerson that we come to see as we read the story is that he just can’t muster up the courage to be positive about anything.  He so afraid of losing hope that he refuses to have it in the first place.  He’s isolated himself without even realizing it, and he refuses to let in the people who genuinely care about him: his GED class members, his boss, and most definitely, Obie.  But Obie doesn’t allow Emerson to wallow in his own depression.  Little by little, he chips away at that façade until he exposes the real Emerson, the young man who has hopes and dreams and the one Obie is falling for. 

Obie also introduces Emerson to Dred, his best friend. Dred is biracial, very pregnant, and a single parent, having been deserted by the baby’s father as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Dred is another person who slowly chips away at Emerson’s isolation.  If any character ever needed to change, it’s Emerson.  At first, I found him to be so abrasive that I wasn’t sure I could enjoy the story.  However, by about the 25% mark, I was intrigued. 

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and liked the parenthetical, often self-deprecating or snarky, comments that punctuated much of Emerson’s thoughts. The parallels drawn between Dred’s pregnancy and Emerson’s MS were spot-on, and Obie was not just the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—he was the rainbow. 

I recommend this story to those who love an MM romance with and anti-hero—someone you may hate at the beginning and love by the end—and those who love stories of overcoming disabilities, friends as family, and those who simply want to read something different and interesting.

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The cover art by L.C. Chase shows a close-up of a bearded, good-looking young man against a bright purple background.  The use of color makes this an attractive cover.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published July 11th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published July 10th 2016)
Original TitleGays of Our Lives
ISBN 1626494258 (ISBN13: 9781626494251)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesQueers of La Vista #1

Kris Ripper Talks The Big Picture and the ‘Gays of Our Lives’ (Blog Tour and Giveaway)

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Gays of Our Lives (Queers of La Vista #1)by Kris Ripper
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Kris Ripper here today to talk about zir release, Gays of Our Lives and The Big Picture.  Welcome, Kris.

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The Big Picture

I’m not a writer who focuses a great deal on theme and motifs while I’m writing. If you do your job right—if you write a book that’s formed well, and has a coherent story to it—then all that exists whether you know it or not.

I was the kid in the literature class who sat there daydreaming about my own books while the teacher went on and on about the Biblical resonances in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Start talking High Lit and my eyes glaze over.

However.

There comes a point as a writer when you realize that this stuff exists in stories. All kinds of stories: novels, poems, movies, television shows, video games. If you’re caught up in a character or a plot, chances are there’s something about it, thematically, that calls to you.

As a reader/viewer/consumer, you can pay attention to this stuff or not. (I always find it’s a lot more fun to decode and deconstruct stuff with a group of folks who enjoy that sort of thing.) But as a writer, I think it’s pretty important to have at least a passing knowledge of the stuff you’re actually trying to say with a story.

And let me stress again, that this stuff is accessible to everyone, even those of us who weren’t good in school, even those of us who were trying so hard to understand Tristram Shandy that we missed the sex bits.

In Gays of Our Lives it’s virtually impossible to miss the sex scenes. (Whew. Nothing like reading a whole novel and facing your professor’s “So, let’s talk about the sex in this book” with a blank stare.)

Gays of Our Lives is a sort of adult coming of age story. It doesn’t document the transition many people experience when they leave their family of origin—raw, and edged with fear, excitement, expectation. Emerson’s thirty-one years old; he broke away his family a long time ago, but he’s still saddled with an young adult’s mental baggage about who he should be, and how he relates to other people.

Sometimes the hardest battles we ever fight aren’t the ones against authority, or bullies, or even our own bodies (though Emerson’s had skirmishes in all of those areas). Sometimes it’s the persistent voice in the back of your head telling you you don’t deserve to be happy, that you don’t deserve to find a good partner.

One of the coolest things about books—and storytelling in general—is that you can find yourself in characters who are very little like you. Emerson’s a white, cisgender, gay dude with multiple sclerosis; of those things the only thing we share is that we’re both white. But I had a great time living inside his head, and taking his journey with him, and I learned a little bit about myself along the way.

What about you? Across mediums, who’s the character you’ve most related to, and do they superficially resemble you at all, or are they vastly different?

About Gays of Our Lives

Emerson Robinette only leaves his apartment to get laid and go to work. Having MS—and trying to pretend he doesn’t—makes everything more complicated, especially his fantasies of coming on strong and holding a guy down. Finding a partner who’ll explore that with him isn’t Emerson’s idea of a realistic goal.

Until a chance meeting with a hipster on a bus makes him reconsider. Obie is happy, open-hearted, and warm; what’s more, he gets his kicks being physically dominated, spanked, and teased until he’s begging. It would be perfect, except for one thing: Emerson isn’t made for happiness, and he doesn’t see how a guy like Obie would settle for a cynic like him.

But as far as Obie’s concerned, the only thing keeping them apart is Emerson. Can Emerson handle a boyfriend who’s more invested in his future than he is? Emerson’s barely convinced he has a future. But when Obie’s smiling at him, anything seems possible.

About Kris Ripper

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Connect with Kris:

GaysofOurLives_TourBanner
Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Gays of Our Lives, Kris is giving away your choice of ebook from zir backlist. (Any release from Kris Ripper prior to Gays of Our Lives.) Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 16, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

This title is part of the Queers of La Vista universe

New Cover Reveal for Mating Tomeo by A.J. Llewellyn ( giveaway)

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A.J. Llewellyn reveals the beautiful cover art of her next book titled MATING TOMEO coming out from Ai Press.

It releases on July 12, 2016.

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BLURB

In 1946 Hawaii, Tomeo Yamaguchi harbors a secret that would be considered shameful by his traditional Japanese family—he aches for the caress of other men.

Which makes it particularly devastating when Tomeo’s father hires a tanomoshi—a matchmaker—to find a bride for his son.

Tomeo spends time with the tanomoshi, Shin Yamada, and as the men come to know one another, deep feelings emerge, the transition from friends to lovers inevitable. They fall into a clandestine affair, their hushed and hidden lovemaking as beautiful and breathless in their eyes as it is torrid in the eyes of others.

More time spent worshipping Tomeo’s body means less time finding him a suitable bride. Shin’s forsaking his duty and risking everything…but mating Tomeo is worth every stolen second. No matter the cost…

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PRESENTING

Cover Art by Sid Love

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PRE-ORDER LINK

All Romance eBooks

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J’s passion for the islands led to writing a play about the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani as well as a non-erotic novel about the overthrow of her kingdom written in diary form from her maid’s point of view.

A.J. never lacks inspiritation for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasion this happens, pursues other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

||  Website & Blog  ||  Facebook  ||  Twitter  ||  Goodreads  ||

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Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Until September by Chris Scully ~ Audiobook narrated by Michael Pauley

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

UntilSeptember_Audiobook (1)Archie Noblesse, a Cree native from a remote area in Canada, knew nothing but pain and heartache when he was a child. Emotionally and sexually abused, he found himself responsible for the care of his younger sister, Marguerite, when his drug-addicted mother abandoned them. He managed to claw out an existence by working the streets and through shoplifting and other minor crimes. Thankfully he never got caught.

Now an adult, Archer Noble is a well-known and respected author, though he’s not loved by all. He manages to offend the gay community with every word he writes, being outspoken against gay marriage and long-term commitment. He accuses gay men of trying to fit into the mold set by heterosexuals and goes out of his way to disprove the possibility of gay men having loving, committed relationships. So when his sister, Margie, dies and he’s informed that he’s been named temporary guardian of her two children, he freaks out before eventually showing up to help settle her estate.

He loved Margie more than anything else in the world and even knowing she has no other relatives to care for her children doesn’t make him want to be there for them. When he learns that her friend, her son’s teacher Ryan Eriksson, was named backup in case Archer couldn’t, or wouldn’t, assume responsibility, he breathes a sigh of relief. Now he only has to convince Ryan that he would be the best caretaker. But Ryan, knowing exactly who the despicable Archer Noble is, refuses to take responsibility for the kids. The two compromise and decide to give it until September before a final decision is made. And, of course, both men are determined to show the other just how much the children need them.

But what they don’t realize is that they are also going to learn just how much they need each other.

I loved, loved, loved this audiobook! It’s the first I’ve read from this author, and I was attracted to it by the narrator, Michael Pauley, whom I’ve heard previously and enjoyed. But what a double whammy I got! An extremely enjoyable story told by an extremely talented narrator. It’s been well over twenty-four hours, and I can’t get these characters out of my mind.

The story was an emotional, poignant family drama and dealt with the grief of losing a mother, sister, and friend. The author took the time to fully develop the characters—all of them, including the children—and to weave a very believable story. I am so invested in this family now that I am going to have to listen to this one again in the near future. Watching Archie heal and watching Ryan’s awareness of his own needs unfold was beautiful. The voices the narrator gave to the characters were varied and interesting, and the children’s voices were amazing. I especially loved eight-year-old Dillon. Oh my gosh, this story was so good, I highly recommend it to all lovers of MM romance, particularly to those who enjoy family drama or stories about men with children. And I most definitely recommend the audiobook. As I said before—Chris Scully and Michael Pauley are a winning combo and pack a lot of punch!

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Cover art by Lou Harper depicts the back view of two men, each with an arm around a child, sitting peacefully on a grassy area with autumn leaves gently falling at the top of the page. It captures the essence of the hard-won cohesiveness of this family.

Sales Links:  Riptide Audiobook | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audio release: June 13, 2016
Original TitleUntil September
ISBN 1626493553 (ISBN13: 9781626493551)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Review: Delivered to Hope (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #3) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Delivered To HopeMorris is a rent boy for the Critters on Call escort service.  He has been working for the past six years after running away from home.  His one regret is leaving behind his brother Jeremy, who was put into a catatonic state after a beating from their father.   He has been saving money for the past few years in order to get his brother away from his controlling uncle, who is currently responsible for his brother’s well-being.  After finishing a job in Paris, a limo carrying his Uncle Ben pulls up.  His uncle informs him that is to be a mate to a shifter in the state of Washington in the United States.  The uncle threatens to move his brother to a lesser care facility where Morris knows his brother will die.  Morris agrees to the mating if he is given control of his brother’s affairs.  The uncle agrees on the condition that the mating lasts at least a month.

Harrison is an elk shifter that has been around the block a few times.  He’s had a series of one night stands at the bars but has been saving his “virginity” for his mate.  Though he knows that this loose definition is really a lie, he hopes that his future mate will accept him as he is.  He meets his mate at what is to be their future home.  He follows the blond haired young man to a pond on the property and they introduce themselves in a carnal way before the official meeting.  Relieved that his mate will not hold his not being a virgin against him, he tries to make things work with Morris.  However, Morris’s past catches up with him when they go out to the club one night.  He yells at Morris and raises a hand to him.  Morris flees and is not home when Harrison arrives.  Will he make things right with his new mate?  Did Morris just doom Jeremy in the process?

The characters in this third book in the Signed Sealed Delivered series started out kind of flat but by the end of the book seemed to round out a bit.  In the beginning it is mentioned that Morris left his brother behind.  It is not until later in the book we learn that he has been going to see his brother on the sly whenever he can.  Morris schemes to get out of his mating after the mandatory thirty days his uncle demanded.  He realizes that even after a short time he cares about Harrison.  Morris does what he can for his brother and that is his primary motivation for everything he does.  The ending of the book is a bit contrived and makes Uncle Ben even more of a villain.  The characters from the previous book provide a good support system for Harrison.   

Latrisha Water’s cover is reflective of the others in the series.  It has a picture of Morris in both his human and elephant forms on a yellow background.  It is a decent cover for the book.

Sales Links:   eXtasy Books | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 84 pages
Published May 15th 2016 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487407049
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSigned, Sealed, Delivered #3

Series:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered

  • Sealed with Honor (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #1)
  • Signed with a Heart (Signed, Sealed Delivered #2)
  • Delivered to Hope (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #3)