A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Patience (Forbes Mates #2) by Grace R. Duncan and Chistopher Boucher (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Jamie Ryan literally runs into the man of his dreams. Jamie has shifted to his wolf form earlier than he expected, and while it’s rare, it’s dangerous in the city where humans may see. It’s also dangerous for the wolf when authorities spot him—authorities in the form of the local animal control officer. In his effort to creep away from the man with the long, looped pole, he’s gobsmacked by the scent of the human he meets.

Chad Sutton is a darn good detective—a former cop and now PI—and he reacts quickly to help the dog when his instincts tell him he needs to save the poor guy. Little did he know his wolfie-looking dog is a cute young man who happens to be a shifter. Chad doesn’t react poorly when confronted with the evidence as Jamie shifts to human. In fact, he’s quite accepting of everything Jamie tells him—including the fact that he’s Jamie’s mate.

The two get along very well immediately and Chad is totally accepting of the concept of a mate and the fact that it’s a man. The main thrust of the story is whether or not a mate bite will harm or kill Chad. Together, they research whatever they can find out from pack leaders, past and present, and ultimately the headquarters in Rome. Though Chad immediately emotionally accepted Jamie as his mate, whether or not he can handle the physical bite is something Jamie worries about. Actually, I found it odd that he easily accepted not only Jamie’s bond with him but he adapted to man-on-man sex quite easily. There was a bit of an explanation later in the story but for a man who never considered either a mate or sex with a man, this was a bit difficult to accept. And add to that the fact that Chad’s mother was also totally accepting and even enthusiastic, that segment of the audiobook required a stretch of the imagination until the author later explained his mother’s background.

Without going into further detail, I’ll simply say that this is one of those stories without a lot of outside conflict—inner turmoil? yes—outer conflict?—no. It’s a sweet tale and a smooth ride to love for these men. Christopher Boucher did a great job with the variety of voices and gave both Jamie and Chad distinct voices so it was easy to follow on audio.

This can be read as a standalone, even though a few characters from book one return in cameo roles. Their presence is fully explained, making it easy to follow on its own.

The cover by Reese Dante features two men cuddled together with a white wolf superimposed in the foreground. It’s attractive and well represents the essence of this love story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio,Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Published July 26th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published March 7th 2016)
Original TitlePatience
ASINB07FV1CJ3K
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesForbes Mates #2

A VVivacious Audiobook Review: Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Robby Riverton is a rising star of the stage. He is on his way to something big when Robby witnesses a murder committed by a notorious gangster know to be meticulous enough to leave no witnesses alive. Robby’s life changes in a single moment leaving him to flee all he has ever known to live in obscurity.

Trace Crabtree is the Sheriff of Flat Bottom and he finds himself getting bored with his life. On a trip to Santa Fe, he comes across a woman being hassled by two men as he interferes he finds out that the woman is a mail-order bride intended for his little brother. But, as he soon finds out the mail-order bride isn’t who she says she is or more precisely isn’t who he says he is…

Firstly, I have to commend Mathew Shaw’s narration. It was so good. The narrator’s voice has a lot of influence on how you perceive an audiobook, it could make an average book good or worse depending on the narration. But, this was definitely one book in which it made a great book greater. Mathew Shaw was amazing. He did different accents for every character which made it even better. I especially loved his accent for Marcy, it was so very unique and the accent became the embodiment of how the character spoke in my mind which is something I have never given much thought to despite how unique and identifying voices can be. There is definitely something to be said about someone whispering a story in your ear though expositions can be particularly torturous in audiobooks.

On the whole, this story is very entertaining. I definitely had some laugh-out moments with this one and this story just kept me amused and feeling all the feels as the story went about its twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the story but there is something that just niggles at the back of my mind with this one which is wholly responsible for the docked half star. Robby plays a woman for the better half of this book. It is only at the very beginning and nearing the end that he is himself. A lot of the times all the characters view Robby as a woman and thus perceive and act accordingly. There is a point in this book where Robby stands up for Emmie and Marcy and points out very tactfully and decisively that they be treated better. At this point, I must confess that the point he brings out also includes the family’s manner and their shoddy attire which is actually for the benefit of everyone. But, still this particular point makes me a bit ill at ease, on the outside, Rowena standing up for the woman is something daring, brave and amazing but we as the readers know it is a man standing up for the women. This scene was one in which the image of the scene as seen by the characters held more significance than as that seen by the readers, because a woman fighting for the rights of other women when a woman’s rights weren’t always guaranteed is different than if a man already assured of his rights fights for the same. It’s just different at least from my perspective so I put it out there. This was the one thing that really made me re-assess my view on the storyline and in a way, I am really glad that Trace knew that Robby was Rowena all throughout, so such situations wouldn’t bias his POV. Also, since the author doesn’t pursue this avenue further and even manages to rectify it to some extent by the end, does help matters.

Also, it’s sometimes weird when you want a 2018 happy ending to a 1860s storyline. So, I had to swallow that down because the author stays true to the era. Not that there isn’t a happy ending, there is, it’s just different to what I would have wanted. This story really has me conflicted at times for some reason I am thrusting my own version of a happy ending on Robby’s happy ending. The author does justice to both her characters but for some stupid reason, I feel disappointed because that is not the ending I personally wanted for me… as these two. It’s complicated. God, this book really messed me up. It’s almost like I was Robby living with the Crabtrees and I just wanted him to continue on like that forever irrespective of the dis-service it would be to his own character. I feel like I put myself in Robby’s place a little too much.

Anyhow those idiosyncrasies aside (that probably anyone who isn’t me wouldn’t have even noticed), this book is truly amazing, hilarious and all around entertaining. I loved how Robby faces so many hurdles as best as he can adapting and trying to make the World a better place. It’s amazing what he is able to do for the Crabtrees and Clovis. That conversation that Rowena has with Clovis about manners is like a warm ray of sunshine, I wanted to snuggle in it. I loved Rowena’s interactions with Pa-pa and especially with Marcy and Emmie. I kind of loved the trio these three made.

I really loved the real Miss Rowena Fairchild, Robby as Rowena, Emmie and Marcy. Emmie, Marcy and Clovis were such amazing people and I whole-heartedly feel in love with these characters.

Trace was someone who I didn’t like when the book began but somehow slowly but steadily without me even realising it I had been won over, as at the end of the book I was shocked to realise that I had started out pretty cold towards Trace.

Trace and Robby were so good. There was so much to overcome when it came to Trace’s view on relationships, particularly those between two men an I liked how the author stayed true to the 19^th century in that regard. But, I loved how well Robby and Trace were together and how inevitable.

All things considered, this book is an amazing read. It was so much fun listening to and I really really, enjoyed this one.

Cover Art by Dar Albert / Wicked Smart Designs. I loved the cover especially when I came across the author’s note on the same.

Sales Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Published August 2nd 2018 by Pinkerton Road (first published April 24th 2018)

Original Title Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride

Edition Language English

setting New Mexico (United States)

Audio Review Tour and Giveaway for Eli Easton’s Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 7hrs 34 mins

Narrated by: Matthew Shaw

Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Design

Blurb

Being a fugitive in the Old West shouldn’t be this much fun. The year is 1860. Robby Riverton is a rising star on the New York stage. But he witnesses a murder by a famous crime boss and is forced to go on the run – all the way to Santa Fe.

When he still can’t seem to ditch his pursuers, he disguises himself as a mail-order bride he meets on the wagon train. Caught between gangsters who want to kill him and the crazy, uncouth family of his “intended”, Robby’s only ally is a lazy sheriff who sees exactly who Robby is – and can’t resist him.

Trace Crabtree took the job as sheriff of Flat Bottom because there was never a thing going on. And then Robby Riverton showed up disguised as a woman and betrothed to Trace’s brother. If that wasn’t complicated enough, Trace finds the man as appealing as blueberry pie. He urges Robby to stay undercover until the danger has passed.

But a few weeks of having Robby-Rowena at the ranch and the Crabtree family will never be the same again.

About Eli

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.

Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.

In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.

In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse.

Her website is www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

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Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here! We highly recommend it, both in eBook and the wonderful audio format!.

A Lila Audiobook Review: Stand by Your Manny (The Mannies #3) by Amy Lane and Peter B. Brooke (narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Learning to trust and falling in love.Sammy Lowell has his hands full juggling his music, college, some pesky health problems, and making the uncles who raised him proud. He needs help fulfilling his after-school duties with his siblings. Nobody can be in two places at once—not even Sammy!

An injury puts Cooper Hoskins in a tough spot—if he can’t work, the foster sister he’s raising can’t eat. But years in the foster system have left Cooper short on trust, and opening up to accept help isn’t easy.

Luckily, family intervenes—Cooper needs a job so he can care for Felicity, and Sammy needs someone who can see past his illness to the wonderful things he has planned for his life. Each heals the damaged places in the other’s heart. But falling in love is a big responsibility for young men deep in family already. Can the two of them get past their fear of the immediate future to see forever with each other?

Stand by Your Manny brings another chapter to a series that stands aside from others due to the timespan between installments. It is necessary to read, at least, book one in this series to have a better understanding of the characters. It’s refreshing to see a young character turn into an intelligent young man between stories.

This is a story of discovering, not only of love but of what a family constitutes. Due to Cooper’s and Sammy’s age, it’s easy to think about this book as a YA story. We get to see how hard they worked to accept help without losing their independence. They become a team without realizing it, and shortly after, start a relationship based on honesty and innocence.

I enjoyed the UST in the story. It turns into part of the characters and their slow discoveries. The enjoyment of their new found relationship and their love for their families it’s an integral part of their path. We get to experience a range of emotions that felt real, not only for the characters but for the readers.

Getting to see the previous couples is an added bonus. They played a special part on Sammy’s and Cooper’s relationship and it’s exciting to see how much they have grown and learned about each other. I really love how Channing and Tino dealt with a growing Sammy. It was adorkable.

It was disappointing that John Solo was not the narrator of this story. He did an excellent job bringing the previous two books together. In this volume, we get Peter B. Brooke as the narrator. He adds that young tone to Sammy and Cooper without jeopardizing the previous characters we love.

The cover by Bree Archer follows the pattern of the series as well as the collection, giving us a peak of Sammy and his music room.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Peter B. Brooke
Length: 6 hours 01 minutes
Published: July 17, 2018 (Audio Edition) by Dreamspinner Press
ASIN: B07FMF4BG4
Edition Language: English

Series: The Mannies
Book #1: The Virgin Manny
Book #2: Manny Get Your Guy
Book #3: Stand by your Manny

What Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth? The Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Another End of the Month Approaches!

What Possibilities Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth

I see the end of August approaching and the first of September arriving on Saturday and usually it heralds the start of the change over. The beach season is ending in a last huge Labor Day weekend bonanza flood of cars across the bridge here. I’ve heard the geese flocks honking at night as they start to group together in enormous masses in the marshes near the Bay prior to migration. And the Virginia Creeper is just starting to show a tinge of color on the turn.

For children and teachers? It’s the beginning of the school year for many with all that entails. New possibilities, new starts, new friends, and unfortunately, far too often if you are a LGBTQIA youth, uncertainty, rejection, and fear. Sometimes, it’s all about the community, the school, the support, and even the family the children find that surrounds them.

I just read a story in the news yesterday about a young child and their family out west moving for yet another time because the trans elementary school child’s experience became a nightmare. Not only from the kids but especially from the other school parents who called that child a monster and worse. Who does that to a child? Who cuts that deep? Lucky for this one they had the incredible support of a family willing to pick up and keep moving to find the right environment for their family and kid. How many don’t? The odds are not in their favor.

I think of all the books that I’ve read where the characters have been maimed by their backgrounds, their childhoods, and then I think about these news stories and how much they mesh. Those novels cut to the heart but these media stories? Especially the ones that end so very horrifically? Well, those are the wounds that somehow never really heal once you’ve read or heard about them. As they shouldn’t. That’s why we have an Ali Forney Shelter , A Matthew Shepard Foundation,

and of course The Trevor Project for suicide prevention.

How it makes me want to cry knowing how badly the last is still needed. All of them are so in need in this political climate. So going into the start of school, here are some other links LGBTQIA school kids and their families might need…just in case you know anyone who would benefit or wish to donate…or anything….

**National Organizations*:**

Family Acceptance Project

PLFAG

Family Equality Council

Lyric.org

Covenant House

True Colors Fund

No H8 Campaign

Stand Up for Kids

National Safe Place

Organizations by State:

Lost-n-Found Youth – Atlanta, GA

Free2Be – Alabama

Stand Up For Kids –Atlanta, GA

Chris Kids –Atlanta, GA

Just Us – Atlanta, GA

Safe Schools Coalition – GA

Triad House – NJ

Essex County RAIN Foundation – NJ

Life Ties – Ewing, NJ

The Q Spot – Ocean Grove, NJ

Time Out Youth Center – Charlotte NC

The Ali Forney Center – NYC

Reciprocity Foundation – NYC

Hetrick Martin Institute – NYC

New Alternatives – NYC

Peter Cicchino Youth Project – NYC

Gay & Lesbian Youth Services of Western NY – Buffalo, NY

Pride for Youth – Long Island, NY

ALSO Out Youth Sarasota, FL

Zebra Youth, Orlando, FL

JASMYN, Jacksonville, FL

Pridelines – South Florida

Rainbows End – Spectrum San Anselmo, CA

Hillcrest Youth Center – San
Diego, CA

Hatch Youth – Houston, TX

Out Youth – Dallas, TX

Youth First Texas – Dallas, TX

Fiesta Youth – San Antonio, TX

Thrive – San Antonio, TX

Out Youth – Austin, TX

Ruth Ellis Center – Detroit, MI

Ozone House – Ann Arbor, MI

Pathfinders – Milwaukee, WI

SMYAL – Washington DC

Safe Spaces – Washington DC

The DC Center – Washington, DC

Time OUT Youth – Charlotte, NC

Home O’ Hope – Denver, CO

BAGLY– Boston, MA

The Waltham House – Boston, MA

Camp Lightbulb – Provincetown, MA

WAGLY – Wellesley Hills, MA

Lifeworks – Los Angeles, CA

Joshua House – Inland Empire, CA

Youth Care – Seattle, WA

The Q Center – Bremerton, WA

The YEAH! program – Berkley, CA

Castro Youth Housing Initiative, San Francisco, CA

The Billy DeFrank Center, San Jose, CA

Avenues for Youth – Minneapolis, MN

Attic Youth Center – Philadelphia, PA

LGBT Homeless – Chicago, IL

Project Fierce – Chicago, IL

Center on Halsted – Chicago, IL

Lucie’s PLace – Little Rock, AR

So no, this wasn’t where I thought this Sunday’s post was heading, but one, than two, than three news threads on my iPhone this week combined with the backgrounds of some main characters of some of the stories I was reading and the sights of school buses practicing their runs…and a post was born.

We will talk more about what a literary month September is next week. Until then, have a great week, read many books, and see if you can catch a rainbow or two. And maybe push a wish of hope and good wishes to all those LGBTQIA youth heading back to school this coming week.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 26:

Another End of the Month Approaches!
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Release Blitz G.R. Lyons’ Heavens Aground
Promo Post – Drifting Sands (The Warfield Mysteries #1) – CJ Baty
An Alisa Review: Down to Earth (Directions #2) by Jena Wade

Monday, August 27:

Release Blitz Ruby Moone – Promises
Release Blitz – EJ Smyth – Burning Fall
Series Review Tour Shadow Unit Series – Jamie Lynn Miller
An Alisa Review: Hybrid Reset (A Darker Hollow #3) by Shannon West and TS McKinney
A Free Dreamer Review: Incubus Honeymoon by August Li
A VVivacious Review: For a Glance (The Serpent’s Throne Trilogy, #1) by Dan Ackerman
A Lila Audiobook Review: Stand by Your Manny (The Mannies #3) by Amy Lane and Peter B. Brooke (narrator)

Tuesday, August 28:

DSP Promo Wells/Williams
Release Blitz – Spark by Posy Roberts
The Pearl by Geoffrey Knight – Book Blast
An Ali Release Day Review: The Englor Affair (The Sci-Regency Series #2) by J.L. Langley
A Stella Release Day Review: No Way Out by Julie Lynn Hayes
A Lucy Release Day Review: Q*pid by Xavier Mayne
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: A Few Good Fish (Fish Out of Water #3) by Amy Lane

Wednesday, August 29:

Release Blitz – For You I Fall (Angels and Misfits #1) by T.N. Nova and Colette Davison
Release Blitz Out in the Deep by Lane Hayes
Release Blitz – Top & Tails – Clare London
DSP Promo JL Merrow
A MelanieM Review: Irresistible by Andrew J Peters
An Ali Review: Gray’s Shadow (Kings of Hell MC #4) by K.A. Merikan
An Alisa Review: Back to You (Directions #3) by Jena Wade

Thursday, August 30:

Promo Amy Lane
DSP Publications Promo Don Travis on The Lovely Pines
Release Blitz – RJ Scott – Second Chance Ranch
An Alisa Review: Meik & Sebastian – Obsessed 2 by Quin Perin
A Lucy Review: Boyfriend Or Bust by Claire Castle
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:Something About Us (Saint and Lucky #2) by Riley Hart
A VVivacious Audiobook Review: Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Friday, August 31:

Blog Tour (Interview) He is Mine by Mel Gough
Book Blitz – Indra Vaughn – Patchwork Paradise
DSP Promo Julie Lynn Hayes on No Way
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Denying Fate (A Series of Fates) by C.C. Dado
A Free Dreamer Review: Dawn (Expedition 63 #3) by T.A. Creech
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Patience (Forbes Mates #2) by Grace R. Duncan and Chistopher Boucher (Narrator)

Saturday, September 1:

Release Blitz – Summit by Louise Lyons
Release Blitz – Safe Place – Jay Northcote
A Stella Review: Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Out in the Deep (Out in College #1) by Lane Hayes

*Thank you, author Brandon Shire for providing this terrific list. Find more information on the link provided.

A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Sun and Shadow (Day and Knight #2) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin ( Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Dayton “Day” Ingram is recovering from an injury suffered in Mexico—and from his failed relationship with fellow Scorpion agent, Knight. While researching an old government document, Day realizes he might be holding the key to finding an artistic masterpiece lost since WWII.

But the Russians are looking for it too, and have a team in place in Eastern Europe hunting it down. Day and Knight are brought back together when they are charged with getting to the painting first.

Knight wants to leave Mexico and everything that happened there behind, and return to the life he had—except it wasn’t much of a life. When he’s partnered up with Day, keeping his distance proves to be challenging. But Day is as stubborn as Knight and isn’t willing to let him walk away.

Their assignment leads them through Germany and Austria with agents hot on their tail—agents willing to do whatever it takes to get to the masterpiece first. If Day and Knight can live long enough to find the painting, they might also discover something even more precious—each other.

As once again exquisitely narrated by Andrew McFerrin, Sun and Shadow by Dirk Greyson picks up the story of the partnership of Scorpion agents Dayton “Day” Ingram and Knighton “Knight” after their first meeting and mission in Mexico. For me, it’s here that the series and chemistry really starts to gell between Day and Knight (the name of the series as well).

I enjoyed the framework of a case that Grayson employs here far more than I did the one in the first story. It’s a sort of Monuments Men caper of stolen/missing artwork from WWII and it leads our couple on a merry chase through Europe that’s both taut with suspense and full of excitement. It also allows Day and Knight plenty of time to address their increasing attraction to each other and Knight’s inability to let go of his guilt over the deaths of his wife and child. Plus Day has a few issues of his own to work out. All while chasing an artwork that may or maynot exist and eluding the bad guys hot on their trail. It all works together just as you hope a hot action thriller would.

I was happy to see some forward movement here with Knight on his guilt issues. That mobius loop of his is a refrain that gets tiresome as even Day admits after a while. Even the verbiage coming out of his mouth is almost exactly the same. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to empathize with Knight here but somehow the author has almost made Knight’s guilt ridden rants so predictable that instead of feeling sorry for him you start to turn it off. Just the opposite I know of what Greyson what going for. It was even trying Day’s patience there…a wonder, as he could only suggest the same things to move the man on over and over.

Anyway.

Aside from that. I thoroughly enjoyed this action packed, swift moving tale. The relationship between Knight and Day is progressing nicely. The sex is hot, the emotional quotient heating up as each is starting to acknowledge what they mean to each other. Ah, those slow burn romances! It helps with your partner being shot at, the stimuli of danger, death, and intensity is a great combination.

f course, Day remains a favorite with his high intelligence, snark, sexiness, and general overall appeal. He pulled Knight right into it for me because Knight has really grown into a wonderful character that I’m rooting for as he works through his many issues and starts to realize what his present may hold for his future.

Making this story really jump to life is that marvel of a narrator Andrew McFerrin whose talents I can’t go on about enough. McFerrin inhabits each character so thoroughly that you believe that there is more than one narrator, and slides the story along with his enthusiasm and excitement. I hope he narrates the entire series. And now I’m on the lookout for more stories that he has voiced. Honestly, it’s a joy listening in and you can’t believe how fast the pace when under the thrall of an excellent narration.

So, onto Dusk and Dawn which unfortunately isn’t out in audio yet so I’ll be picking it up in eBook and yes, audio as well once its out. I will be interested in comparing the two formats. I will let you know what I find. Until then?

Grab up Sun and Shadow (Day and Knight #2) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin ( Narrator). It’s an excellent action packed hot action thriller with a slow burn romance that’s heating up beautifully. Really, this series is getting better and better with each story. I’m definitely recommending it.

Cover Art: L.C. Chase works perfectly to brand the series, the couple and the story. Love it.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 7 hours and 4 minutes

Audible Audio, Audiobook
Published July 7th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published November 9th 2015)
ASINB07FMCHLLS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDay and Knight #2

Day and Knight

Sun and Shadow

Dawn and Dusk

A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Day and Knight (Day and Knight #1) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin (Narrator)

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

As former NSA, Dayton “Day” Ingram has national security chops and now works as a technical analyst for Scorpion. He longs for fieldwork and scuttling an attack gives him his chance. He’s smart, multilingual, and a technological wizard. But his opportunity comes with a hitch. His partner, Knighton, “Knight”, is a real mystery. Despite countless hours of research, Day can find nothing on the agent including his first name.

A former Marine, Knight crawled into a bottle after losing his family. After drying out, he’s offered one last chance: along with Day, to stop a terrorist threat from the Yucatan. To get there without drawing suspicion, Day and Knight board a gay cruise, where the deeply closeted Day and equally closeted Knight must pose as a couple. Tensions run high as Knight communicates very little, and Day bristles at Knight’s heavy-handed need for control.

But after drinking too much, Day and Knight wake up in bed together. As they near their destination, they must infiltrate the terrorist camp and neutralize a plot aimed at America’s technological infrastructure. If they hope to have a life after the mission, one that might include each other, they must learn to trust and rely on each other.

Day and Knight by Dirk Greyson was an enjoyable action adventure story, the first in a new series by this author. As I write this review, I am well into the third story, so I can happily report that the series and stories gets better with each novel. I jumped into the series with the audiobook and I’m delighted that I did. It’s an excellent version because Andrew McFerrin does such an incredible job with the narration that he became an automatic buy based on his superb voicing of the story and characters here.

This is the start of a partnership both on and perhaps off the job for two wounded men,Dayton “Day” Ingram and Knighton “Knight:”. At some point we will learn his full name but for most of the stories he is referred to as Knighton or Knight. It’s a cute concept and works well, except that nobody ever makes a crack about their names. Which seems exceedingly odd to me. I think the puns and wise remarks would be flying all over the place but nope, not at all.

Knight has just climbed out of the bottle after losing his wife and child to an assassin, the result of a job he did for the Agency. Day lost his parents when he was young and was raised by his older brother, a fact that left deep marks on him. Both men are marred by loss and grief, neither has moved on completely from their pasts when they are paired together, Day for his first time as a field agent for Scorpion.

Day is here and remains throughout the stories my favorite character. Knight feels the most “hidebound”, least disciplined, and so bogged down that I found it hard to believe that he was the Marine the author said he was. It took a while for the whole Day/Knight combination to win me over. The strength was in the working together on board to piece together the case that helped cement their partnership for me (and them).

The use of a gay cruise both highlighted the strong and weak points of this story. I thought the idea of traveling undercover using a gay cruise great. It was done perfectly by Ty and Zane on Fish & Chips (Cut & Run #3)
by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban. Day and Knight don’t quite live up to that here. For one, Knight is on a loop of guilt about his wife and son. And for every step forward he makes, he takes 20 back, which gets extremely tiresome here. We are supposed to empathize with him but after a while it just gets old.

Day is a delight of enthusiasm, smarts, and sexiness. He’s loving being in the field and eventually wins over his partner in multiple ways.

While the cruise works for many reasons (constant proximity to each other, launching pad to romance, gay identity), the idea of side trips to the ruins and the rest has a great deal of holes. I hate to say more because of spoilers but all that action taking place so close to the ship and within Mexican heritage sites? Well, I think more of the story went towards fast paced action thriller there towards the end and perhaps less on the well pulled together geographical, researched side. On the high side again? Lots of fast paced high action adventure! And another mystery to solve at the end.

This is going to be one of those slow, slow, slow burn romances. Sex is not equating with love here because of tons of guilt and lost family. Remember I said all those steps back, right? And both men are firmly in the closet with their families and at work and intend to stay that way. So Knight and Day aren’t so different after all. It will be a long haul for them both.

Which brings me to….

An element I want to address that bothers me. Not just in this story but appears in the second one as well (yes, I’ve listened to that one too). That’s the consistent use of outdated phrases that are, for the lack of any other term, sexist and demeaning to the women/the female gender. I know that they are/were overused stereotyping phrases heard growing up but to hear them here? Its disappointing and a little shocking. Listening to them come out of the mouth of an excellent narrator made it all the worse because I haven’t heard them in a while. All those “scream like a teenage girl, run like a girl, act like a….” Today if actually said in a crowd would get you stares and maybe an actual “asshole” or two. So what are they doing here in an LGBT series? Is the writer so out of step culturally or so insensitive that he can’t understand why such phrases should not only be left out but decried? Maybe I’m being overly sensitive here but I don’t think so. If you can’t go up to a little girl or teenage girl and say something like this to their face (and I don’t think you can), then it doesn’t belong here. In this book, spoken by LGBT characters who know what its like to be mocked. Maybe in a book, I could have glossed over it, but the narration highlighted it. Here Andrew McFerrin did too great a job.

And yes, that brought my total enjoyment of the story down each time a phrase popped up and I cringed in disbelief.

I don’t remember such glaring sexism in Dirk Greyson’s/Andrew Grey’s other works so I’m at a loss as to why they appear here. It turns out that Dirk Greyson is another name that Andrew Grey writes under, something that was recently brought to my attention. It did surprise me because I know he does research his stories and travels extensively, both of which aren’t really reflected here.

So without those elements, this story would have gotten a much higher rating. I really was into it and then kicked right out again. I liked it enough to head over to the next in the series and the one after that. It gets better. Enough to recommend the first in the series. I definitely recommend you seek out Andrew McFerrin’s other audio narrations. What an outstanding job. I will be doing the same.

Cover art: L.C. Chase. The models work well for the two characters and sets the tone and branding for the story and series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 7 hours and 22 minutes

Audible Audio, 8 pages
Published April 12th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 4th 2015)
Original TitleDay and Knight
ASINB07C3CCLCR
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Day and Knight :

Day and Knight

Sun and Shadow

Dawn and Dusk

Audio Review Tour and Giveaway – Changing Lines (Harrisburg Railers #1) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey/Sean Crisden (Narrator)

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK

Length: 5hrs 10mins

Narrated By: Sean Crisden

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Blurb

Can Tennant show Jared that age is just a number and that love is all that matters?

The Rowe brothers are famous hockey hotshots, but as the youngest of the trio, Tennant has always had to play against his brothers’ reputations. To get out of their shadows, and against their advice, he accepts a trade to the Harrisburg Railers, where he runs into Jared Madsen. Mads is an old family friend and his brother’s one-time teammate. Mads is Tennant’s new coach. And Mads is the sexiest thing on which he’s ever laid eyes.

Jared Madsen’s hockey career was cut short by a fault in his heart, but coaching keeps him close to the game. When Ten is traded to the team, his carefully organized world is thrown into chaos. Nine years his junior and his best friend’s brother, he knows Ten is strictly off-limits, but as soon as he sees Ten’s moves, on and off the ice, he knows his heart could get him into trouble again.

August 22 – My Timeout Book Blog, Mainely Stories, Gay Media Reviews, OMG Reads, Xtreme Delusions, BJ’s Book Blog, Urban Smoothie Read, We Three Queens, The Blogger Girls, Katie’s Book Corner, Bookaholic & Kindle, Making It Happen, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, August 24 – MM Good Book Reviews, August 27 – Min & Her Books, August 29 – Drops Of Ink, Padme’s Library, August 31 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, Valerie Ullmer, Bayou Book Junkie, Pants Off Reviews, Wicked Reads, Lillian Francis

RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.

She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below:

Email RJ (rj@rjscott.co.uk)

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, Dr. Who, Torchwood, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, two Jersey steers and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.

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A Lucy Release Day Review: Wanted Bad Boyfriend by TA Moore

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Nathan Moffatt is a 37-year-old wedding planner who loves his mother, Ally, and his best friend, Max. What he doesn’t love is how they are constantly at him about finding someone of his own. Despite his protests, they (and seems like everyone else on the island) are always trying to set him up. In desperation he decides to enlist the help of Flynn Delaney, the local bad boy who everyone gossips about and no one seems to like. If he can show off Flynn as a boyfriend, everyone will be relieved when they break up. What could go wrong?

Nate is the wedding planner at the Granshire, “… one of the top ten destination-wedding locations in the UK. Wedding parties arrived from around the world.” It’s not the easiest place to get to but people believe it’s worth it. It is Nate’s job to make sure the couples get what they want and their weddings go off smoothly. We get some wedding planning details, particularly of Katie and Bradley, a TV star who is going to be married at the Granshire if things stop happening to complicate matters.

Flynn is the owner of the local garage, bequeathed from his dad, and is also a rescue worker. When Nate asks for the favor of being his fake boyfriend, he immediately says no. But Nate works on him a little. “He could resist anything but pettiness and pretty men. Now there they both were in one well-dressed package.” Even if Nate presents it badly, “So I thought I’d get one- a really bad one, or at least the worst one I can find at short notice on the island.” “And you immediately thought of me,” Flynn said.”

So they begin this whole fool the locals drama and the problem is that Flynn is not a bad boyfriend. There is one time he acts “badly” and I thought he had good reason to. It’s more of Nate being a bad boyfriend than anything.

Secondary characters are interesting. I absolutely loved Ally. She is recovering from cancer and doesn’t want people treating her like she is about to die. Flynn doesn’t do that, although he is embarrassed when she observes, “So you’re the one that gave my son a hickey”. She also doesn’t treat Flynn like he is the island pariah, even when Max is incredibly rude about him. That brings us to Max, the best friend who needs to get a life and grow up, facing his father. Max acts badly way more than Flynn ever does. There is also Teddy, Max’s father and Nate’s boss, who is an a**hole of the highest order.

I am a big fan of the fake boyfriend trope so I was excited for this. There are things that didn’t add up for me, or maybe I should say things that I wanted explained. Flynn is the island a**hole, most people treat him badly and they have all sorts of nasty stories about why he left the island in the first place and why he came back, but it is never really explained why they all feel that way. There is no defining event in the past that caused this thinking, other than him not returning for his father’s funeral, by which time he was already the island’s lead jerk. . Another point was, Nate just shows up at Flynn’s lighthouse (which he has been hounding Flynn to let as AirBnB for the weddings) and clumsily and insultingly puts forth his proposal for fake boyfriend. Did they know each other before? I know Flynn knew of Max but it is never mentioned that Nate and Flynn were friends. Nate had a crush on the older man (by five years) but that didn’t explain they seem to know each other now.

I liked that each chapter begins with either gossip or an attempt by someone to hook Nate up. It made me both sad at the nasty things said and smile at the obvious attempts (I think you’ll have so much in common. You’re both gay, after all).

The rumors that fly about Flynn are seriously horrible at times. “Is it true that Delany was a whore you and Max used when you are in London?” I kept thinking, why does he stay here? And when his reason came out, it made me want to hug him. Go into this knowing that the whole worst boyfriend isn’t really Flynn and it’s a fluffy, easy read.

Cover art by Reece Notley is interesting but not really relevant to the story. There is a man I assume to be Nate reading a newspaper with the wanted add circled and that isn’t what this was at all. So cute cover but misleading.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 218 pages
Expected publication: August 21st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640802605
Edition LanguageEnglish

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?? This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?

By that I mean the paragraphs or pages the author writes before you get started into the book? I’m an avid reader of these things and love them deeply. I often find that I feel that I know more about why the author felt compelled to write this story or why it’s situated in the location it’s in or even given a more in depth look at a main character because of what an author has written prior to starting their story.

But what the hell is it called?

Most, might have referred to it as The Foreward, myself included. Wrongo! That would have had to have been written by someone else, not the author themselves. For correct usage see the flash fiction anthology Impact with it’s foreward by J. Scott Coatsworth.

So it would be either Introduction or The Preface. How many of you know the difference? I needed a refresher course myself so I went looking for definitions and correct usages for all three. A lovely blog, BPS Book Blog, supplied this succinct roundup:

From the BPS Book Blog:

… here are some definitions and descriptions – supported by the dictionary and the august Chicago Manual of Styleand proven to be helpful in my work as an editor and publisher – that my authors have found of assistance.

THE FOREWORD

A foreword (one of the most often misspelled words in the language) is most often written by someone other than the author: an expert in the field, a writer of a similar book, etc. Forewords help the publisher at the level of marketing: An opening statement by an eminent and well-published author gives them added credibility in pitching the book to bookstores. Forewords help the author by putting a stamp of approval on their work.

THE PREFACE

A preface is best understood, I believe, as standing outside the book proper and being about the book. In a preface an author explains briefly why they wrote the book, or how they came to write it. They also often use the preface to establish their credibility, indicating their experience in the topic or their professional suitability to address such a topic. Sometimes they acknowledge those who inspired them or helped them (though these are often put into a separate Acknowledgments section). Using an old term from the study of rhetoric, a preface is in a sense an “apology”: an explanation or defense.

THE INTRODUCTION

If a preface is about the book as a book, the introduction is about the content of the book. Sometimes it is as simple as that: It introduces what is covered in the book. Other times it introduces by setting the overall themes of the book, or by establishing definitions and methodology that will be used throughout the book. Scholarly writers sometimes use the introduction to tell their profession how the book should be viewed academically (that is, they position the book as a particular approach within a discipline or part of a discipline). This latter material is appropriate for a preface, as well. The point is that it should appear in the preface or the introduction, not both.

What brought all this on?

As I said I always read them. To bring me knowledge, insight into the story, what the author was thinking when they were writing it…all sorts of things. They aren’t always labeled correctly but I love them dearly.

The one that launched this one was the Introduction to Ryan Field’s Pretty Man, a M/M reworking of Pretty Woman. He writes about the total lack of any happy gay literature in the 20th century and his need to “fill the bill”. Ryan Fields now writes “happy romances” as a gay man for the youth today looking for literature much as he once did. How this got me thinking on so many levels (and researching).

Thankfully, there are so many positive and happy examples to point to from books to movies* these days (not tons amounts true in the movies more much more. Look at but there are now LGBT movie channels) so progress has been made. Plus there is a veritable flood of Quiltbag fiction out there now to quench the thirst of those looking for happy endings for LGBTQIA couples. The more writers the merrier I say.

But lets return to gay fiction of the 20th Century. What books do you find or comes to mind? Are they all tear fests?

Here are some that I found and the dates they were published:

Tales of the City (Tales of the City Series #1) by Armistead Maupin 1978
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown 1973
Maurice by E.M. Forster 1913
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood 1964
Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig 1976
A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White 1982
A Queer Kind of Umbrella (Pharoah Love, book 5) by George Baxt 1995

I also found childrens books about Daddy’s Roommate (1994) and My Two Uncles (1995) so I was wondering about the author’s timeline. Some early 20th century classics are devastating certainly (Gore Vidal, James Baldwin to name just two), but a sea change had started with Stonewall and its ripples spread out and impacted everywhere and everything, media included.

Anyhow….see what a Introduction can do to me? Laughing….

How to you feel about Forewards, Introductions, and Prefaces? Do you read them? What do you learn, if anything from them?

And how do you feel about the 20th Century’s lack of feel good romantic gay fiction? True or False?

As to Pretty Man…well, that review will come up and it caused me to do some thinking as well. More on that later.

Now here is what our upcoming week is looking like. Happy Reading and Listening!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 19:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?
Release Blitz – In The Shadows – TL Travis

Monday, August 20:

Cover Reveal – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
Release Blitz – RJ Scott – Last Chance
Review Tour – Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) – Annabelle Jacobs
An Alisa Review : Love Spell by Mia Kerick
A MelanieM Review : Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) by Annabelle Jacobs
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Threepeat by KC Wells and Parker Williams

Tuesday, August 21:

Book Blast – A Thread in Time by Jess Thomas
SERIES REVIEW TOUR – Directions by Jena Wade
DSP Cover Reveal Heart of a Redneck by Jodi Payne/BA Tortuga
An Ali Release Day Review: Hex and Candy (Strange Bedfellows #1) by Ashlyn Kane
A Jeri Release Day Review: Rocking the Cowboy by Skylar M. Cates
A Lila Release Day Review: Art House (Buchanan House #6) by Charley Descoteaux
A Lucy Release Day Review: Wanted Bad Boyfriend by TA Moore

Wednesday, August 22:

Audio Review Tour – Changing Lines – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Blog Tour Circle of Trust by Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicolas Bella
Riptide Tour Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood
A Free Dreamer Review: Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves
A MelanieM Review : Dark City by Sarah Kay Moll
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood

Thursday, August 23:

DSP Cover Reveal Femme Faux Fatale by Susan Laine
Of Princes False and True” by Eric Alan Westfall
Harmony Promo Beau Schemery
An Ali Review Death Days by Lia Cooper
A VVivacious Review Of Princes False and True by Eric Alan Westfall
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Last Chance by R.J. Scott
An Alisa Audiobook Review Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Friday, August 24:

Book Blast Born to be Wild by A.L. Simpson
DSP Promo Remmy Duchene on Tempt Me
A Stella Release Day Review: Midnight in Berlin by JL Merrow
An Alisa Review: 2230: The Perfect Year by CM Corett
An Alisa Review Up to Code (Directions #1) by Jena Wade
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Sun and Shadow (Day and Knight #2) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin ( Narrator)

Saturday, August 25:

Looking Forward by Michael Bailey Release Blitz
Media Blitz – FINDING MY WAY HOME BY KENDEL DUNCAN
A MelanieM Review: Pretty Man by Ryan Field

*Gay Movies with Happy Endings!

Love, Simon
Big Eden
Jeffrey
Touch of Pink
Boys (Jongens)
Maurice
The Birdcage
The Way He Looks
Shelter
Beautiful Thing
Were The World Mine
G.B.F.
Kinky Boots
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

And wait there’s more!

1) All Over the Guy
2) Boy Culture
3) East Side Story
4) Fourth Man Out
5) Friends & Family
6) God’s Own Country
7) Long Term Relationship
8) Latter Days
9) Salt Water
10) Save Me
11) Trick
12) Yossi

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Another End of the Month Approaches!

What Possibilities Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth

National Organizations*:

Organizations by State:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 26:

Monday, August 27:

Tuesday, August 28:

Wednesday, August 29:

Thursday, August 30:

Friday, August 31:

Saturday, September 1:

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Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 19:

Monday, August 20:

Tuesday, August 21:

Wednesday, August 22:

Thursday, August 23:

Friday, August 24:

Saturday, August 25:

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**National Organizations*:**