Category: 5 star Rating

A Paul B Review: The Homecoming by J. Scott Coatsworth

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars   ★★★★★

The Homecoming - cover2Aldiss Harrison’s exploration voyage back to Earth became a mission of survival even before it began.  With no hope of returning back to the planet he calls home, will Aldiss and his crew survive the planet their ancestors left over 500 years ago?

The people of Antana had abandoned Earth over 500 years ago.  The ravages of mankind on its home planet had taken their toll.  They have settled on Antara building a new society.  Aldiss Harrison is scheduled on a mission to explore what has happened to earth since their departure.  Aldiss hopes he is more successful than his grandfather, who disappeared without a word on a similar mission.

However, their mission of exploration quickly becomes one of survival as a massive solar flare takes aim at Antara.  The crew of six becomes a crew of four as two of the crewmembers had not arrived in time to launch.  Left behind was Aldiss’ ex Lorin the team archaeologist.  As the team crash-lands into Earth, they realize that their team might be even smaller as one is having trouble coming out of stasis.

Hari is a member of the Blackthorn clan of wolves.  These wolves have two forms.   Their winter form is that of wolves.  Their summer form resembles the two-legged creatures of yore.  Hari is one of the few members of his clan to shift between forms at will.  When Hari sees a streak of light across the sky followed by a loud noise, he sets out to investigate.  When he arrives, he sees an object obviously made by the two legs and a pair of eyes coming from it.  Hari alerts the pack.  Most back off but one, Neru,  goes off alone.  Hari’s mother sends him to keep track of the troublemaker.  When Hari stops the attack on the two leg (Aldiss), Hari finds that he has found his errah, his chosen mate.  Aldiss and Hari must fight dissention among the clan of wolves and make sure the remaining crew members adapt to their new home world in order for them to enjoy their new relationship.

This book clicks on just about every level.  The heartbreak Aldiss feels at the loss of not only his home planet but his ex (even though he states there is nothing romantic between them anymore) is palpable.  The hope of a new home world is quickly set back first by the crash landing and the dangers that caused but also with the troubles of Cat’s illness coming out of stasis.  Add in the inter clan squabbles about what to do with their now returned ancestors and it spells trouble.  Hari is guided not only by his mother but the keh, the spirits of his ancestors.  The two “Law & Order” type twists near the end of the book complete the upheaval.  But the feeling of hope at the end of the book makes the ride worth taking.  This author is new to me and I look forward to reading more from him.

London Burden has come up with one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen this year.  It is drawing of a winter scape, with Hari in his white wolf form, standing on a hill overlooking the crash site that Aldiss’ ship landed.  This cover should make the list of top ten for the year.

Sales Links:   Less Than Three Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details

Ebook, 71 pages
Edition:  English
Published:  July 29, 2015 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN:   9781620045831

Bluewater Bay is Back with When to Hold Them (A Bluewater Bay Novel) by G. B. Gordon (contest)

When to Hold Them cover

When to Hold Them (A Bluewater Bay Novel) by G. B. Gordon
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: L. C. Chase

Sale Link: Riptide Publishing

BWBlogo_WebThe Bluewater Bay  series from Riptide Publishing is consistently one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 star reads,  When to Hold Them (A Bluewater Bay Novel) by G. B. Gordon is another.  You can catch Barb, our Zany Old Lady’s review of this novel also today.  Trust me, its not to be missed!  Love your contemporary M/M romance?  Love a whole series of outstanding stories?  Its Bluewater Bay and When to Hold Them by G. B. Gordon!

 

WhenToHoldThem_TourBanner

Blurb

Doran Callaghan doesn’t know when to fold ’em. His gambling has landed him in debt and in jail, and now it’s got him stuck in the sticks in a reintegration program. He wants to turn his life around, but old habits come knocking, and some creditors are harder to shake than others.

Xavier Wagner cares more about the National Park he works in than the people around it, until a stranger awakens desires he didn’t know he had. Doran’s natural submissiveness turns Xavier’s ideas of how to treat a lover upside WolfsLanding_transparentdown. But Doran doesn’t seem to know about boundaries—or even to have any—and Xavier’s not sure that Doran will say no if he needs to. Which means someone’s going to get hurt.

While Xavier struggles with his principles, Doran’s past comes calling. Trusting each other is suddenly a matter of life or death, but Doran has to decide whether counting on Xavier—or himself—is a gamble he’s willing to take.

Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $15 Riptide store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 22. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Prizes provided by Riptide Publishing.

About Author G. B. Gordon

G.B.Gordon  is Riptide’s Featured Author for August!

G.B. Gordon worked as a packer, landscaper, waiter, and coach before going back to school to major in linguistics and, at 35, switch to less backbreaking monetary pursuits like translating, editing, and writing.

Having lived in various parts of the world, Gordon is now happily ensconced in suburban Ontario with the best of all husbands. Santuario is G.B. Gordon’s first published work, but many more stories are just waiting to hit the keyboard.

Connect with Gordon:

Website and blog: gordon.kontext.ca
Twitter: @gb_gordon
Goodreads: goodreads.com/gbgordon

Bluewater Bay Series

BWB_SeriesCover
Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Aleksandr Voinov, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, and Jaime Samms. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

– See more at Riptide Publishing’s Bluewater Bay page.

 

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review :Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan ~ Audiobook narrated by Iggy Toma

Rating: 5 stars out of 5   ★★★★★audiobook clipart bw

NowhereRanch-AudioCover smallerMonroe “Roe” Davis narrates this story of how he found his home— Nowhere Ranch in Nebraska. Representing Roe, and the balance of the cast of characters, narrator Iggy Toma did an outstanding job with this story.

Hired to tend the sheep on the farm of gentleman rancher Travis Loving, Roe works hard from sunrise to sundown. He learned sheep ranching during his childhood on his family farm in Iowa, a farm he hasn’t been back to in five years, not since his father made his opinion on Roe’s sexuality known. Wandering from place to place and never staying in any one location too long, he finds his way to Nowhere Ranch.

Roe never mixes business with pleasure though, and never cruises for men in his own back yard, so he travels several hours to hook up at a gay bar to satisfy his need to be dominated. Shocked when he runs into Travis there, he tries to wait him out so that he can find a hookup and get going. Forced into conversation, they find that their needs match. Dominant Travis would like nothing better than to hook up with a boy who will ask no questions and tell no tales. They determine that they can spend one night together, no strings attached, and Travis swears it will not affect how he treats Roe when they get back to the ranch.

The problem is, of course, that they are indeed suited to each other and neither can leave the other alone once they hook up again afterhours one night at the ranch. Slowly, Travis works his way through Roe’s defenses, using BDSM techniques to help Roe feel a measure of control over his life as he surrenders control to Travis.

One of my favorite quotes summarizes the plan they have to remain unaffected. As Travis tells Roe— “I don’t want a partner. I don’t want a husband. I want a boy. I want a little slut I can order what to do. I want you in boots and spurs and chaps and nothing else, sucking on my cock with a tail hanging out of your ass.”

And that plan suits both of them for a while, until their relationship begins to grow and both men realize they are developing feelings for each other. Eventually, Roe lets his best friend, Holly, in on his secrets, including the biggest secret of all— his family wants him back but they want him back so they can cure him of being a gay, perverted sinner. Not long after that, Roe realizes that his family of origin isn’t as important to him as the family he’s made at Nowhere Ranch with Travis and Holly.

Where the guys go, how Holly’s issues meld with theirs, how Roe’s family issues are resolved, or at least temporarily shelved, and what finally seals their relationship, all make for a highly complex, yet very enlightening, entertaining, and enriching reading experience.

I first read this story in early 2012 when I was new to M/M romance, and it may have even been one of the first BDSM stories I ever read. Though I appreciated it at the time, I have so much more respect now for the way the author introduced the men to the pleasures they would find together in BDSM, as well as for their emotional growth and the beauty of their relationship—from the stalwart, stoic Travis and the anxious, self-deprecating Roe—to the confident men who are secure in their love for each other and the family they have created together.

This story is not for those who want mild, simple romantic sex scenes. The sex is rough, with elements of BDSM including fisting, spanking, and pony play. But it’s done in a way that demonstrates the Dom’s respect for his sub, and the sub’s dependence on the solidity and safety of his Dom. I once heard this described as a classic among M/M BDSM novels, and I heartily agree.

The audio narration by Iggy Toma is outstanding and certainly added to my overall enjoyment of the story. I was able to appreciate every scene, every nuance of conversation, and stand back and enjoy the journey the men took together. Don’t hesitate to pick up the audiobook version of this one.

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The cover by Kanaxa on this 2015 version of Nowhere Ranch depicts a faded out photo of a cowboy in the foreground captured in a head-chest shot as he turns to the side, rope over his shoulder, one hand raised to the brim of his hat. This is superimposed over the silhouette of a lone cowboy standing with his back to the camera, overlooking a prairie. It’s very appealing and a nice depiction of the characters.

Audiosales Link:  Audible  |  iTunes

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published March 3rd 2015 by Heidi Cullinan (first published February 15th 2011)
original titleNowhere Ranch
ISBN139780996120302
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.com/books/nowhere-ranch
characters: Roe Davis, Travis Loving

A Mika Review: Lucky Linus by Gene Grant

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars    ★★★★★ 

Lucky Linus coverIs the possibility of fulfilling your heart’s desire worth the risk of breaking it?

Fourteen-year-old Linus Lightman is understandably reluctant to trust his newest foster family, the Nelsons, after he’s bounced through the system since being being taken from his neglectful mother. He’s certain they will reject him when they find out he’s gay, and getting to know them will only lead to hurt later. Trying to cope, he builds a friendship with Kevin Mapleton, and it quickly grows into romance, despite Linus’s fears. Then a video of Linus and Kevin having sex is posted online, and Linus knows from past experience exactly what’s going to happen. This sort of scandal will cost him his new home and Kevin’s love, snatching away his fragile hopes of belonging.

I did not know what to expect out of this book. It was hard for me to read this because I don’t deal with with abandoned children. I knew that going into the story, but I wanted to see if I could. I did, and I would again, because I really enjoyed the story from Linus perspective. Linus never gave up the fight, he was determined not to let his abandonment and neglect bring him down. We see often in real life and in this story how some kids give up after moving from place to place. They lose hope in people, and in themselves. I was angry, distraught reading this, and couldn’t stop crying. I think cried the entire story. I was pleading while reading this book that someone would love him. Linus doesn’t have it easy, but his outlook and attitude is so inspiring. You’d think that he would be surly, down, and depressed. Well he’s not; he’s taking one step at a time. I didn’t know how I was going to feel reading a story about a 14 yr old. This is the youngest age group that I’ve ventured into, and my emotions were put into the ringer. I’m happy with the outcome of the story. I really loved it. 

Goodness when I was reading this, and found out that the setting was in Mississippi. I did not expect good things, let me tell you that. Egg on my face for thinking there’s no good folks in the state of Mississippi. The entire NELSON family was amazing. I really loved them. I related so much to Linus, not just aa child of an addict. I know what it’s like to have a parent addicted to something. I was fortunate enough that my dad raised us. I was also fortunate enough to have my mom in my life. I can tell you I fell in love with Lucky Linus from the very start and  I’ll be on the lookout for more from Gene Gant.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond: I picked this book because of the cover. The cover model is really adorable, and for some reason he pulled at my heart strings. I thought it was a very fitting cover.

Sales Links:   Harmony Ink Press | All Romance |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published July 23rd 2015 by Harmony Ink Press
ISBN139781634760706
edition languageEnglish