Category: 5 star Rating

A MelanieM Review: Beta Test (#gaymers #2) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Beta TestPlayer vs. Player. Fight!

Brilliant graphic designer Ravi Tandel is ahead of the game—he’s just been asked to present a top secret project at a huge conference in Seattle. All systems are go…until he learns his buttoned-up office nemesis is coming along for the ride.

Tristan Jones isn’t really the gamer type, but he knows the back end of the video game business inside out. Together, he and Ravi will give an awesome presentation. If they survive the cross-country trip first.

Tossed together in close quarters, Ravi’s shocked to see Tristan’s sexy, softer side emerge from such a conservative shell. He’s less shocked to learn his handsome colleague’s prominent family would never support an out-and-proud son. But Ravi didn’t struggle through his own coming out to hide who he is now. To be together, Tristan will have to push past his fear and ultimately decide: Does he want a future with Ravi? Or is it game over before they’ve even begun?

A rock solid fan of Annabeth Albert, the first story in this series, Status Update. also made me one of the series.  It couldn’t be helped really.  The series theme was a hook.  Gaymers?  You bet.  Plus Albert then went on to delight/frustrate me by creating a game that was both real enough that I could believe in it yet couldn’t download it and play the heck out of it.  That would be the popular videogame, Space Villager.  So I couldn’t wait to see where the author was going to take this series, and potentially, the game next.  My answer was Beta Test, a story I loved almost as much as the 5 star story that preceded it.  It was only a tiny smidge less, barely noticeable.

Geoarchaeologist Noah Walters and video game designer Adrian Gottlieb of Status Update are a hard act to follow-they had dogs (and we run into them again here) but once again Albert creates two layered, flawed and absolutely interesting men to connect with.   We meet both of them on their first day in the employee conference room at Space Villager.  And two more difference men upon appearance you couldn’t ask for.  Ravi is gorgeous, outgoing, graphic designer…so vibrant he leaps from the page.  Tristan is all tightness, awkwardness personified, and walled in.  The buttons on his shirt should probably go over his head he’s so buttoned up.  Yet, he’s also so appealing in his need to be there and his fears are understandable even if they don’t show to his colleagues.  The fact that we know these two will find each other starts the anticipation building.  Which brings up a plus for me.

I’m a huge fan of the slow ride to romance and love which Annabeth Albert does so well.  No slam bam thank you sir…which is fine too btw.  But I love the long path to relationships, the figuring things out, the slip-ups, the two steps (or more) back for every one going forward.  And yes, there’s plenty of that here, with both mens backgrounds and families. In the first book, and again here, its a road trip that serves to cement the men together.  Albert has either been to these places (most likely), done her research or both and its shows.  Wait ’til you visit Weed with Ravi and Tristan!  But its so much more. Its the game, its the pulling together for the show, and other employees…who also feel as real as everything else in this outstanding story.

My only complaint?  Annabeth Albert is making me wait for the next story in the series!  I want more.  More of these couples.  More of Space Villager.  More most certainly of this terrific writer whose stories flow so effortlessly from page 1 to the end, keeping me captivated, hooked on the couple and game right up until the last period.

Love contemporary romance?  Annabeth Albert?  Any combination of those?  Pick this and the story that starts the series up.  I love them and highly recommend them both.

Cover is terrific and perfect for the story.

Sales Links:   | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 178 pages
Published May 30th 2016 by Carina Press
Original TitleBeta Test
ASINB014PG5A0Y
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series #gaymers 

A BJ Review: Staged (Belonging #3) by Kim Fielding

Rating:    5 stars out of 5

Staged_600x900Once the second-prize winner on My Slave’s Got Talent, Sky Blue has spent the past few years singing at a failing New York nightclub. While Sky has never had control over his fate, his life seems to take a turn for the worse when he’s torn from the familiar comfort of performing and sold to a rich and enigmatic man.

Morgan Wallace takes his newly purchased slave to San Francisco, his intentions unclear. On the one hand, he treats Sky with more kindness than Sky has ever known—treats him like a real person. On the other hand, he shares Sky at parties hosted by his sadistic new friends.

A confused slave is an endangered slave, and Sky isn’t even sure of his master’s real name. Is he Morgan Wallace, wealthy and cruel, or Mackenzie Webster, caring and compassionate? Caught between hope, fear, and an undeniably growing attachment, Sky struggles to untangle which parts are real and which are merely a performance. His future, his heart, and even his life may depend on it.

First off, I’ve not read any of the previous books in this series, but I was told it was merely in the same universe and cold be read as a standalone. After reading it, I can assure anyone considering doing the same that I never felt like I didn’t understand anything during reading this story.

I’ve been interested in the series and had already purchased but not yet read the first book, but when I was offered the ARC of this one, I couldn’t turn it down since I’ve enjoyed every single book I’ve read by this author. And a few of them I’ve even loved. Might as well say right off the bat that Staged falls firmly into the loved category. This story sucked me in from page one and was one of those rare books that I hated to put down and was almost sorry to see end.

This isn’t the first book in which this author has ventured to the dark side, but readers should be aware that there is non-con, violence, and some pretty horrific  torture scenes. Which for me, made the sweet and tender scenes amidst it stand out all the more. Sky and Morgan/Mac are two of the most enthralling main characters I’ve read in a while. Sky is a slave in a world where folks say that slaves aren’t like others, don’t feel emotions the same, aren’t fit to care for themselves. And yet Sky is, as Morgan/Mac says, just the most amazing person. He enthralled me from the beginning. The entire story is written from Sky’s POV. Very often in single POV stories, at some point I find myself wanting to get into the head of the other character for more depth and insight, but that was never at all the case here. It was perfect the way it was written.

There were so many feels wound into this. It touched my heart and made me say “Awww”, then turned around and horrified me. It also at parts alternately had me tears-eyed, irate, on the edge of my seat, and stupidly proud. Sky’s personality really starts to unfold and bloom as he’s allowed for the first time to experience all of the many bits and parts of life that were withheld from him which exhilarates and confuses him. He experiences TLC for the first time, but is understandably too confused and fearful to be able to trust in it. Watching him find pleasure and joy in small things and living in the moment even when he knows that more bad is coming because he has been warned to expect it. So poignant to see him learn in tiny sips what it feels like to be in control for short periods of time, to make decisions on his own, to read and search the net and learn things about the world. But it wasn’t all feeling, as there are also many bits that made me think.

Morgan/Mac, a man who’d never owned a slave but had an awful childhood of his own driving him, also grows a lot in this book as he discovers that all he’s accepted about slavery is wrong. And as he begins to lose his heart to a slave. Right from the start, he seems in awe of him. Throughout a lot of story, Morgan is left a bit of an enigma, and yet through Sky’s narrations, we see his heart come out, see what kind of man he seems to be.

I’m going to stop as I don’t want to go into the story much beyond the blurb. This his story has motivated me to make time in my busy line up of TBRs to fit in book one which I already own sooner rather than later. I definitely want to revisit this world again soon. I just wish I could also revisit these characters—I didn’t want to let them go.

The cover by Tami Santarossa was not a favorite because it wouldn’t have drawn me to look at the story if I’d seen just that, but the layout and style does fits with the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon – more links to come

Book Details:

ebook, 255 pages
Expected publication: July 18th 2016 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626494664
Edition LanguageEnglish


Dive Back Into the Belonging Verse with Staged by Kim Fielding – Blog Tour and Giveaway

Staged_600x900

Staged (Belonging #3) by Kim Fielding
Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by Tami Santarossa

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here at Riptide Publishing

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words welcomes Kim Fielding here today along with the release of her latest novel, Staged, a story in the Belonging Universe.

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Hi, I’m Kim Fielding and I’m thrilled to introduce you to Sky Blue, the hero of my newest novel, Staged. In this book, I got the chance to write in an alternate universe very similar to our own–but where slavery is legal.

About Staged

Once the second-prize winner on My Slave’s Got Talent, Sky Blue has spent the past few years singing at a failing New York nightclub. While Sky has never had control over his fate, his life seems to take a turn for the worse when he’s torn from the familiar comfort of performing and sold to a rich and enigmatic man.

Morgan Wallace takes his newly purchased slave to San Francisco, his intentions unclear. On the one hand, he treats Sky with more kindness than Sky has ever known—treats him like a real person. On the other hand, he shares Sky at parties hosted by his sadistic new friends.

A confused slave is an endangered slave, and Sky isn’t even sure of his master’s real name. Is he Morgan Wallace, wealthy and cruel, or Mackenzie Webster, caring and compassionate? Caught between hope, fear, and an undeniably growing attachment, Sky struggles to untangle which parts are real and which are merely a performance. His future, his heart, and even his life may depend on it.

About Kim Fielding

Kim Fielding picked up a pencil when she was three years old and never put it down. She always dreamed of becoming an author, but took a roundabout way of getting there, first spending an inordinate amount of time as a student and ending up with a law degree and a PhD in psychology. She wrote plenty of academic articles and even a few books, but fiction continued to call to her. One day, she finally put that pencil to its intended use again and began to write novels.

Today, Kim is the best-selling, award-winning author of numerous gay romance and fantasy novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning multiple -genres. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in fifteenth-century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, slaves, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.

Kim writes authentic voices and unexpected heroes.

After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there among the cows and almond trees with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

Contact Kim:

Staged_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Staged, one lucky person will win a $25 Riptide gift certificate and a copy of Treasure by Kim Fielding in audiobook. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 23, 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 Belonging ‘Verse universe.

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

An Ali Review: Cops and Robby by Carol Lynne

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Cops and RobbyCops, Cole and Morgan Caldwell, have always had to hide their love for each other from the outside world. They are content with each other until the night they rescued Robby. Beaten and left in an alley by a john, Robby has never known true kindness and soon falls for both men, but Robby’s got a problem. His pimp, Vince, isn’t ready to let him go.

 

Can two cops love a prostitute or will Robby’s baggage be too much for them to carry?

 

Cole found Robby in an alley in pain on his way home one night.  Morgan is wary of the stranger and doesn’t want anyone to come between him and Cole.  As they give Robby time to heal they learn some new things about each other.

 

Cole and Morgan already have a taboo relationship, but it is based on their deep love for each other.  They don’t hide their relationship from Robby and welcome him to their lives.

 

My heart broke for Robby with how bad his life has been so far and how he believes that Cole and Morgan are just too good to be true.  Cole loves having someone to take care of, while Morgan has someone else to protect.  This was a shorter story that held a lot of emotions, it was wonderful to see the three of them get their HEA.

 

The cover art is nice, but needs to be zoomed in a bit to see the details.

 

Sales Link: Wilde City Press | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 21,992 words
Published: 2nd Edition, April 13, 2016 by Wilde City Press
ISBN: 9781925313925
Edition Language: English