More of STRW Best of 2017! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

More of STRW Best of 2017!

This week we have more lists from our reviewers and some from our readers. We have best books and best covers from Stella and Barb the Zany Old Lady. Check out their recommendations. See where they fall on your lists, if they made your lists or if you have read them at all and perhaps need to put them on your TBR lists!

That last always happens to me.

Then I started to include more lists from our readers as well. The Best of Giveaway is still going on. Look for it at the bottom of this post before our schedule of the week! And now for Stella’s Best Books for 2017:

Stella’s BEST BOOKS of 2017

Be My Best Man by Con Riley

Permanent Ink by Piper Vaughn and Avon Gale

Spun! by JL Merrow

Haven’s War by Parker Williams

Back to You by Chris Scully

Gone by the Board by August Li

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

Wake Up Call by JL Merrow

Renaissance by Lillian francis

Beneath The Stars by Lynn Charles

Second Chances by TA Webb

Ringo and The Sunshine Police by Nick Wilgus

Love Rising by Piper Vaughn

Lunch with the DoNothings at the Tammy Dinette by Killian B Brewer

BEST COVERS

The World in His Eyes by AJ Thomas

How to Save a Life by Eli Easton

The Half Wolf by Jay Northcote

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

From Barb the Zany Old Lady

My top 10 for 2017, in any order (I can’t decide which is the best of all):

Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Tender With a Twist by Annabeth Albert

Outside the Lines by Anna Zabo

Shelter the Sea by Heidi Cullinan

Controlled Burn by Erin McLellan

On Point by Annabeth Albert

Tender Mercies by Eli Easton

Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Trust with a Chaser by Annabeth Albert

Risky Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.

And from one of our Readers!

From Didi:

Sorting out the best list is what I never did – or at least announced – before. I’m not that organized, lol. Since I consider this year is one of the good reading year for me though, I have a few best-of-2017 list based on my reading. Here are a couple in a random order..

Best Suspense Romance
– Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge
– Risky Behavior by LA Witt & Cari Z
– Trustworthy by Astrid Amara
– Single Malt by Layla Reyne
– Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer

Best Covers
– Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge
– The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish
– Off the Ice by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn
– Ghostwriter of Christmas Past by TA Moore
– The Castaway Prince by Isabelle Adler

Best of 2017 Giveaway

Who has made an impact on you this year? Start thinking about it. This week starts our Best of 2017 Giveaways. We need your Best of in whatever Categories you would like to submit. Have a Best of Covers? Great! How about a Bests of Supernatural Romance? Perfect! Best Historical Romance? Love it! Getting the idea? So what’s your Best of 2017? I will be gathering mine for the next 2 weeks and will trot them out at the end of the month. Prizes will be offered up! Gift certificates, more than one, for participations and more.

Ends on Saturday, December 30th. So get those lists in and let’s starting comparing! Happy compiling! Must be 18 years old to enter.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, December 17;

A MelanieM Advent Release Day Review: Welcome Home Soldier by Deanna Wadsworth
An Alisa Release Day Review:Table for One by Connie Bailey
More of STRW Best of 2017! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, December 18:

Release Blitz – Nell Iris’ Unexpected Christmas
Review Tour – Ruby Moone’s The Mistletoe Kiss
Riptide Publishing’s Tour and Giveaway: Outside the Lines by Anna Zabo
A Caryn Review: The Mistletoe Kiss by Ruby Moone
A Lila Advent Release Day Review: Trading Tridents by C. M. Taylor
A Stella Review: Yours For The Holiday by DJ Jamison
An Alisa Review: The Christmas Eve Craigslist Killer by Jill Wexler

Tuesday. December 19:

Blog Promotion Tour – Why I Left You by Colette Davison
DSP Promo BA Tortuga on Slip
Riptide Publishing Bluewater Bay Tour and Giveaway: New Hand by LA Witt.
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: New Hand (Bluewater Bay #23) by L.A. Witt
A Jeri Review: New Hand by LA Witt
A Kai Advent Release Day Review: All Creatures Great and Small by Kasper Quill
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Beloved Son (Aisling Trilogy#3) by Carole Cummings
A MelanieM Review: Why I Left You by Colette Davison

Wednesday, December 20:

Book Blitz – Jamie Fessenden – A Viking For Yule
Book Tour – Short Order by Pat Henshaw
DSP Promo SJD Peterson on Roger
A Kai Review: Only with You (Only Colorado #1) by J.D. Chambers
A Lila Advent Release Day Review: Wreck the Halls (2017 Advent Calendar Daily – Stocking Stuffers) by Jessica Payseur
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The King’s Courage (North Pole City Tales #6) by Charlie Cochet
A Lila Release Day Review: Roger by SJD Peterson

Thursday, December 21:

Jenn Burke on Fantasy and her story The Gryphon’s King’s Consort
A Holiday to Remember Tour (J. Scott Coatsworth)
DSP Promo Sean Michael
A MelanieM Review: Old Christmas Magic by Kassandra Lea
A Kai Advent Release Day Review: The Last Gift by Chrissy Munder
A MelanieM Review: Old Christmas Magic by Kassandra Lea
A VVivacious Review: Tournament of Champions by Tamryn Eradani
An Alisa Review: I Brake for Christmas by Michael P. Thomas

Friday, December 22:

BOOK TOUR – In Blood and Pain by Aldrea Alien
Cover Reveal – Lost In Time – A.L. Lester
DSP Dreamspun Promo B.G. Thomas
A Caryn Advent Release Day Review: The Holly Groweth Green by Amy Rae Durreson
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Slip (Recovery #2) by BA Tortuga
A MelanieM Review: Make The Yuletide Gay – Various Authors

Saturday, December 23:

DSP Promo B.G. Thomas
AN Alisa Advent Release Day Review: A Gift of Family by Tami Veldura
A MelanieM Review: King (Executioners #3) by J.M. Dabney

An Alisa Release Day Review:Table for One by Connie Bailey

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Exposing his body for work is no problem, but after his heart’s been broken, putting it out there again won’t be so easy.

Up-and-coming young executives Copeland Shore and William Donnelly have been friends and sometimes more for years. For Cope’s birthday, Will plans a very special dinner—at a nantaimori restaurant where the most enticing thing is the table. Dai—the naked man beneath their sushi—has both their mouths watering, but when it comes to Dai’s heart, there’s only room at the table for one, and Will gets there first.

Will’s everything Dai thinks he wants in a man… until he’s betrayed. The betrayal also ends the friendship between Will and Cope and leaves Dai shaken and unsure if he can put his trust in another man—not even when a second chance for love and happiness rises from the ashes of the broken relationship. Cope wants to tempt Dai to take a risk with him, but the pain of the past is hard for Dai to shake off… and Cope has obstacles of his own to overcome.

I’m not sure what I was expecting out of this story but I have to day what I read did not work for me. First off Will is a self-important asshole from the very beginning and I don’t think that he has ever been anything else in his life. Cope lets his first opportunity to woo Dai slip by and by the time he returns from his work trip he knows he has missed his chance when Dai is with Will. Dai is looking for the one, which he says but then contradicts himself with his actions and words throughout the story.

I could not connect with any of these characters or understand most of their actions as they often did the opposite of what they said. We saw almost everyone’s view point in the story which made it even harder to keep up as I would suddenly be reading another characters thoughts. I had thought more of this story would have been Dai and Cope working through their issues but most of it seemed to be when Dai and Will were together and then the time until he is with Cope. There wasn’t enough actual building of a relationship that I couldn’t feel it. This story had all characters making assumptions about the others that weren’t true and then it caused problems later.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson is wonderful and eye catching.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:
ebook, 224 pages
Published: December 18, 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-083-0
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Advent Release Day Review: Welcome Home, Soldier by Deanna Wadsworth

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Clay and Daniel fell in love as enlisted men during Desert Shield, but Don’t Ask Don’t Tell meant they had to keep it secret. After Clay’s convoy was ambushed, PTSD changed him, and their relationship ended in a horrible fight on Christmas Eve.

Twenty-five years later, they’ve reconnected on Facebook, and Clay finds out Daniel will be alone on Christmas Eve. Impulsively, he sets out for Daniel’s hometown of Gilead, Ohio—where Daniel is now the mayor—to surprise him with a visit. But a blizzard strikes and Clay wrecks his car. All hope of seeing Daniel is lost—until a mysterious old man named Nick offers Clay a ride. The weight of past wounds and the scars of war might make their reunion awkward, but Clay is willing to take the risk to win back his lost love. Despite a lifetime of disappointing holidays, Clay hopes that this soldier is finally coming home for Christmas.

I don’t know if it was the mood I was in or if I’m just such a sap for Christmas stories like these but Welcome Home, Soldier by Deanna Wadsworth just hits all my buttons for Christmas stories. It has the second chance at love after a long period of time, a blizzard and a wonderful mystical element. Yes, even a dog. I just loved it right down to that cover.

Two men love each other deeply as young men during the Army during Desert Shield. It’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell but most importantly it’s the times and their youth, and then the changes in Clay when he’s the only one to survive an ambush of his team. They can’t survive as a couple and split up. Now it’s twenty-five years later and Christmas Eve and they are about to reconnect.

Deanna Wadsworth has done a remarkable job in creating a story that manages to seem both down to earth and yet at the same time wraps both of these older, worn men in some undefinable magical glow. She gives you that awkwardness as they feel their way back towards each other as all those years apart, trying to see if there’s anything still there. It feels very real. But the author also manages to bring a Christmas magic to her story, a mystical element that makes anything possible, including the second chance at love for these two lonely men who have always loved each other.

Boy, was I sniffling away at parts, enjoying myself immensely. Yes, this story was clearly written for me. I just loved it. Including that ending! If you are just as sappy as I am, trust me Welcome Home, Soldier by Deanna Wadsworth is just the Christmas story for you.

Cover art by L.C. Chase is wonderful. The artist captures them as young men before the breakup. But has the dog from the present times. I just adore this cover.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 76 pages
Published December 1st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640803022
Edition Language English

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Reviews and Scattered Thoughts on Books in Every Form

Day: December 17, 2017

More of STRW Best of 2017! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words