Category: Book Reviews

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Draakenwood (Whyborne & Griffin #9) by Jordan L. Hawk

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

It’s difficult to imagine that a person can have such a fertile imagination that she can create characters and situations, not only set historically in the turn of the twentieth century, but also consisting of unfailingly original paranormal beings and activity, but Jordan Hawk pulls it off every single time. This is no exception. To top it off, running through these stories is a love that grows stronger with each installment—Griffin Flaherty and Percival Whyborne—two men who hold a very special place in my heart.

In this installment, someone is killing off members of the founding families of Widdershins, sucking the blood from their bodies until only the husk is left, and it looks like Whyborne is the murderer. Now, he’s going to have to get involved in finding the culprit before the monster gets to his father. Griffin, of course, is by his side and they’re joined in the adventure by two new members of the Endicott family—Whyborne’s distant, and estranged, relatives.

Whyborne’s twin sister, Persiphone, and their mother, Heliabel, both of whom are now ketoids who live in the sea also join in. And one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud moments of the story occurs when Percival comes upon Persiphone and her lover—his secretary, Miss Parkhurst—engaged in a sexual act on his desk in his office. The scene is priceless and I’m laughing even now as I write this review. Poor, unsuspecting, naïve Whyborne had no idea up to the moment he opened his office door. Hilarious!

In the usual way the author builds these stories, there’s plenty of background information and the suspense continues to build as the story unfolds—to the point where I was madly and avidly reading every word as quickly as I could devour them. This was quite an adventure as the maelstrom fought to take care of those whom it had collected for Widdershins, including Griffin, whose life is in deadly peril when he’s taken by the monster into the Draakenwood. The only available person to lead the battle to save his family and friends is Percival and he rises to the task, most ably assisted by both the police force and the gang of librarians who’d helped him in the past.

Honestly, there are barely words to describe how ably the author weaves the tale and instills it with both humor and terror alike. There are definitely more adventures awaiting our guys in the future, however, as the setup toward the end of this one indicates. Have no fear—Whyborne and Griffin are together again at the end of this book—along with a new piece of office furniture for Whyborne. (That original desk had to go!)

I highly recommend this book and this whole series to all lovers of MM romance and paranormal adventure. It’s simply wonderful.

~~~~

This cover by Lou Harper, though done in a similar style to the others in the series, is much more colorfully attractive than the ones previously done and features two characters from the story. To be honest, though I know one is Whyborne, I’m not sure who the other is since the features don’t look the same as past covers featuring Griffin. So overall, it’s attractive, but leaves me wondering who it represents.

Sales Links

Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook | iBooks

Book Details:

ebook, 246 pages
Published June 2nd 2017 by Widdershins Press
ISBN139781941230251
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWhyborne & Griffin #9

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Road To The Sun by Keira Andrews

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I couldn’t catch my breath when I read the blurb and learned this was available for review! Keira Andrews is one of my favorite authors and May-December MM romance pushes all my buttons. And, oh my gosh, to get into it and find out the younger MC is a father and has never acknowledged his attraction to men so—virgin!—what’s not to love here?

Jason Kellerman loves his daughter, Maggie, above all else, and from the time of her birth when he was only a young teen, she’s been the driving force in his life. Maggie, 8 years old and very enjoyably precocious, was the result of one night when he and his BFF decided to experiment. Unfortunately, Maggie’s mom died in an auto accident with her parents when Maggie was only six months old. Though Jason’s wealthy parents tried to obtain custody, thinking they could do a better job of providing for her needs, the judge awarded custody to Jason who had just turned eighteen. He left everything he knew behind in his bid for independence and his struggle to show everyone that he could raise her on his own and so far he’s done an amazing job.

Maggie is quite the character throughout this story and though I often don’t care for kids who seem too far beyond their years, in this case, Maggie is perfect. Jason has brought her to a national park in Montana where she can pursue her love of animals, birds, geological formations and the great outdoors. She’s smart and sweet and he’s worked his tail off to give her the vacation she’s asked for—even if it means her daddy has to work twice as hard to pay the bills when they return, and in the meantime, might get eaten by a bear!

When they meet forty-one-year-old park ranger, Ben Hettler, Jason is struck by how much he likes the man, going so far as to think he’s attractive as well. Though uncomfortable about this, he realizes he can just enjoy his time in Montana and not worry about finding another guy attractive.

Ben is equally attracted to Jason, and though concerned about the age gap, Ben sees how Jason looks at him so is hoping for a chance at a vacation romance. But when he realizes Jason has never been attracted to men and is actually sexually inexperienced with men or women, he’s shocked, yet still intrigued.

It’s not until disaster strikes, however, that things heat up between the two and their reliance on one another and their closeness steps up the attraction. But first, they need to work together in a race against time to save Jason’s daughter. And then, maybe, there will be time for them. Or maybe not.

This is a wonderful story, very fast-paced, nail-biting, and scary, and yet the author manages to incorporate a beautiful May-December romance with engaging characters, both of whom I want to meet and befriend forever.

Jason may be young, but he’s not immature. The author takes the time to build his character and to show the beautiful interactions he has with his daughter, and Maggie is blessed to have such a strong, yet loving man as her role model. Ben is everything I would hope for in an older man who’s looking to have a loving relationship with someone he can eventually partner with for life. He’s always wanted children but his former partner put it off until it was too late for them, but with Jason, he sees a possible future. He’s a bit self-sacrificing, however, and allows Jason to leave without telling him his true feelings. Will he eventually get up the nerve to act in their best interests? One needs to read the book to find out. 

Honestly, this book is worth every penny and worth every minute of your time. It’s not just a romance—it’s an adventure. Highly recommended.

Cover is sweet and eye catching and was unavailable at review time.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 314 pages
Published May 22nd 2017 by KA Books (first published May 19th 2017)
ASINB0711YJ1BT
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alessandro Audiobook Review: As You Wish (Shatterproof Bond #1) by Isobel Starling and narrated by Gary Furlong

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Narration Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

 

One wedding, two best men, one hell of a love story!

Declan Ramsay’s brother Oliver was marrying Annabelle Aiken at a fairytale castle on the banks of Loch Ness in Scotland. The bride and groom decided that Annabelle’s gay younger brother would share the best man duties with Declan. Declan had never met the kid who was to be his joint best man. Sam Aiken was abroad, working as an interpreter and finishing his studies. He wouldn’t meet Declan until a few days before the wedding, so the best men communicated and planned their speech by email for more than a year.

But on meeting Sam Aiken, Declan is surprised to realize the kid isn’t a kid at all, but a tall, blond, and athletic young man. Declan is sure he’s straight, so he’s alarmed by the ferocious attraction he feels for Sam. And as the attraction is reciprocated, the events at Dunloch Castle change everything Declan has ever believed about himself.

But, is Samuel Aiken all that he appears to be?

 

The story is about Samuel Aiken and Declan Ramsay, they have been in contact for almost a year now planning the wedding of Sams sister. They got along really nicely, up until the point where they meet in person. Declan doesn’t really like Samuel, or does he? During the course of the wedding, they get to know each other better. And there is an undeniable attraction between those two, but there are still some parts missing and things don’t really add up.

 

Oh well, my first thoughts after reading this book is that I’ve got mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it wasn’t something new or exciting… The whole theme with the wedding is quite a popular plot for M/M books, so its quite difficult to make it interesting and fresh. Usually when reading a book/listening to a book I finish it quite quickly, but this time it was not the case. It took me like 2 weeks to finish this book. I got through the first 3 hours rather quickly, but I couldn’t see anything happening.. so I just didn’t finish it quickly. Not necessarily because this book was bad or anything. It just didn’t catch me.. if you know what I mean.

 

The story of this book was okay, I guess. As I said above, the plot wasn’t something new, so I knew what to expect when I started this book.

I really liked the setting of the book, I love to read about some Scotsman.(Hehe) But I feel like this story had something missing.. I think there was quite a big elephant in the room, but it wasn’t really discussed until the end. There were some things that didn’t really add up and I think the author could’ve used the potential of this book better. I think there was something going on behind the scenes, that we didn’t get to know, maybe we will get to know it in the next one.

What I enjoyed about this book were the characters. The development of the relationship between the two main characters, went quite fast, but the MCs alone were lovely. I really liked the grumpy feeling I got from Declan.(he is this manly, grumpy guy who is generally not really satisfied with his life.) He shows that with his behaviour towards people. I think this could’ve been explored more thoroughly. On the other hand, I didn’t enjoy Sam that much… I think there was a huge portion of his character missing and I always got the feeling that he is holding something back. I don’t think that the side-characters are worth mentioning, they were nice, but not memorable.

I think there were a lot of plotholes in this story and questions unanswered.

 

Oh well, the writing.. this was something I felt was kind of lacking? Or confusing rather. This book is written in the third person point of view. We follow the characters as a spectator. The thing was that sometimes it was hard to tell which characters I was following. Maybe it would’ve been different if I had read this instead of listening to it, but sometimes I was just like “What’s going on?”. Also I find that the writing had a weird pace to it. Like the first half of the book was quite good in pace, but the end was so rushed. Not just the end, but like 40% of the book was just.. sex and little plot. Some things could’ve been explored more. I wished this book had a little bit more detail to it.

 

Oh my lord, the narration? It was soooo good, I really really loved it. Every character had his own voice. The narration speed was okay. I loved that Gary Furlong even added accents to the Scotsman. It just sounded very sexy. Even though I sometimes really needed to concentrate on what he was saying, because he even made the accent thicker, when it was described that way. Loved it!

I recommend this story to all people who are looking for a light, sweet read with not too much depth in the story and don’t expect a masterpiece.

 

The cover art is by the author herself – Isobel Starling. I think the cover is quite fitting, because it pictures something that really happens in the book.

 

Sales Links:  Audible | Amazon

 

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook
Published May 9th 2017 by Audible (first published October 5th 2015)
Original TitleAs You Wish
SeriesShatterproof Bond #1
CharactersDeclan Ramsay, Sir James Aiken, Annabelle Aiken, Oliver Ramsay, Sam Aiken settingLoch Ness, Scotland, 2015 (United Kingdom)
London, England, 2015 (United Kingdom)

In the Spotlight: Grrrls on the Side by Carrie Pack (excerpt and giveaway)

Grrrls on the Side by Carrie Pack
Interlude Press
Publication: June 8, 2017

 

Purchase Links:

Interlude Press |  Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Apple |  Target 

Kobo |   Smashwords |Book Depository |   Indiebound 

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Carrie Pack on her Grrls on the Side tour. Welcome, Carrie.

GRRRLS ON THE SIDE by Carrie Pack

Summary

The year is 1994 and alternative is in. But not for alternative girl Tabitha Denton; she hates her life. She is uninterested in boys, lonely, and sidelined by former friends at her suburban high school. When she picks up a zine at a punk concert, she finds an escape—an advertisement for a Riot Grrrl meet-up.

At the meeting, Tabitha finds girls who are more like her and a place to belong. But just as Tabitha is settling in with her new friends and beginning to think she understands herself, eighteen-year-old Jackie Hardwick walks into a meeting and changes her world forever. The out-and-proud Jackie is unlike anyone Tabitha has ever known. As her feelings for Jackie grow, Tabitha begins to learn more about herself and the racial injustices of the punk scene, but to be with Jackie, she must also come to grips with her own privilege and stand up for what’s right.

Excerpt

The club is dirty and small, and I have to stand on my tiptoes to see the stage, but I don’t care because these are my people: the hardscrabble freaks and losers who are angry at the world for their lot in life. Dramatic? Sure. But no one here looks at me like I’m some sort of zoo animal. An elephant with too much hair. A rhinoceros missing her horn. Here I am just a girl with cool boots, who maybe looks like she could kick your ass.

Mike seems in his element, too, and taller somehow, protective almost. When a guy with a safety pin through his left eyebrow bumps into me during the opening act, Mike shoves him back. At first I think we’ve won, but Eyebrow Piercing continues to thrash. I step to the side and let him go crazy. Who cares? This band is shit anyway. Mike lifts his brow as if to say, “Want me to kick his ass?” But I shake my head. No point in getting kicked out before the good bands start. We make our way to the other side of the venue where I can see the stage a little better.

We stand there for a while, taking in the scene. The opening band continues to suck. I’m not even sure the bass player’s amp is on. Their sound is top-heavy, like a car stereo with the speakers blown out. Mike nods in the direction of the merch tables. Looks like all the bands are selling CDs and a couple of girls are handing out flyers. We sidestep the thrashing masses to get a better look. I pass up the CDs; I don’t get my allowance until Monday, and I already blew my savings on the boots. A girl about my age catches my eye and smiles. Her brown hair is barely past shoulder length and much shinier than mine. Bright pink barrettes frame her pale face near her forehead. It should make her look childish, but instead she looks cool. I smile back.

“Hey, you interested in doing some shit?” she asks. Her pale green eyes sparkle with determination.

“Like what?”

“About all the bullshit in the world that girls have to put up with.”

Thinking she’s joking, I laugh. “That’s ambitious.”

“Just because we’re girls doesn’t mean we can’t change things. Here.” She hands me the flyer I’d noticed her passing out. “We meet on Tuesdays.”

About the Author

Never one for following the “rules,” Carrie Pack is a published author of books in multiple genres, including Designs on You, In the Present Tense and the forthcoming Grrrls on the Side (2017). Her novels focus on characters finding themselves in their own time—something she experienced for herself when she came out as bisexual recently. She’s passionate about positive representation in her writing and has been a feminist before she knew what the word meant, thanks to a progressive and civic-minded grandmother. Coincidentally that’s also where she got her love of red lipstick and desserts. Carrie lives in Florida, or as she likes to call it, “America’s Wang.”

* * *

Connect with Carrie Pack at carriepack.com, on Twitter @carriepack, and on Facebook at facebook.com/mscarriepack.

Giveaway

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Grand Prize $25 IP Gift Card + Multi-format eBook of Hold // Five winners receive Grrrls on the Side eBook

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Release Blitz for Spring Break by Elle Keaton (giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Accidental Roots Series
 
Storm Season (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK
No Pressure (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Blurb

 

Sometimes a guy needs a break. Carroll Weir got one–but it wasn’t what he expected.

All he dreams of is escaping dreary, damp Skagit, WA, for a warmer climate. Instead, Federal Investigator Carroll Weir is assigned to a cross-agency case involving geoduck smugglers and a very dead Fish and Wildlife Detective.

Sterling Bailey, the regular bartender at the Loft, likes to think of his customers and employees as family since he doesn’t have one of his own. Exhausted and tense, Carroll Weir wanders in one night and one thing leads to another. All in a night’s work, right?

Who murdered Fish and Wildlife Detective Peter Krystad? Does the killer have Weir in his sights? Things begin to heat up between them but Sterling and Weir will have to move past their personal history in order to change the course of their future.

The spark burning between them is hot enough to scald unless they’re careful somebody’s going to get burned.

Though part of the Accidental Roots Series this book can be read as a standalone. 

Author Bio

Author, photographer, rare Pacific Northwest Native, Elle grew up in Seattle, WA., with the Cascade Mountain range to the east and Olympics to the west. Less than two hours northwest lie the majestic San Juan Islands. To the northeast is the Methow Valley and the scrub deserts of Eastern Washington. Geography ripe with material.

A graduate of Western Washington University, Elle has a BS in biology which taught her to be tenacious. The closest she has come to biology since then is having two kids. Like an experiment or something. She’s lived in four states (none of which were gaseous), London England, and Hong Kong; always knows what time it is, and has no problem finding parking even in the most difficult places. Cannot balance a checking account.

Elle’s series Accidental Roots, mostly set in the Skagit Valley of Western Washington, will make its debut spring of 2017. Storm Season is tender, sometimes irreverent, full of nosy neighbors and help when the hero didn’t think he needed it. Writing has always been a passion but not something she was able to take seriously until recently. Now her head is full of ideas and not enough time in each day.

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A MelanieM Recent Release Review: The Wounded Warrior (Rocking W #1) by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 

When Luke’s lost everything, the only thing to do is head back home to the ranch and pray that he finds his way again.

When Navy SEAL Luke Blanchard comes back to Northeast Texas after a devastating injury, he feels like the whole world has gone dark. In a wheelchair and feeling worthless, Luke has no idea what to do, even as his twin brother Matt is determined to lift him up and help him heal.

Rory McConnell is a local prodigy, a real estate lawyer with a plan to buy up land before his bitter rival can collect it. When the Blanchard ranch goes into the red, he offers to buy out the debt. Luke backs his brother instead, but he doesn’t believe for a minute that Rory is a bad guy. No one that sexy and fun can be, right?

As Luke claws his way out of depression with a crazy idea to run a therapy ranch, he and Rory start to explore the need growing between them. Will Rory’s need for revenge against a man who damaged him forever come between them, or will it be the force which brings these two wounded men together for good?

Ya’ll know I love me some B.A. Tortuga (hoping to sound all B.A. Tortuga like and probably not succeeding very well) and The Wounded Warrior (Rocking W #1) is just another prime example why.  The first in a new series from Pride Publishing, the author delivers up another great story with two wounded men, each damaged in different but very deep ways, living in a hot, small Texas town she knows inside and out.

There’s been a lot of twins in B.A.’s stories recently, not sure why other than maybe she’s as intrigued by the twin dynamics just as we are.  In The Wounded Warrior, we have another twin set in Luke and Matt Blanchard.  Luke, the Navy SEAL, is The Wounded Warrior, returning home from a tour in a wheelchair, his world blown apart.  Matt is the brother trying to find the Luke he knows and loves buried under the PTSD, depression, and darkness Luke is existing in.  A horse trainer, Matt also rescues horses and other animals, and its to these injured, almost broken animals that Luke is drawn to.  Something Matt notices as well, as watches as horses and man start to heal each other.

The beauty of B.A. Tortuga’s writing is her ability to make us empathize so completely with her characters because she pulls us into their mindset and their emotions.  Told from multiple points of view, we completely get these men and we hurt for them.  For Matt in his inability at times to help his brother, his twin and for Luke, caught up in survivor’s guilt, his wheelchair and his feelings of inadequacy after being a SEAL.  Those two alone are superb but then there’s another damaged soul here and that’s Rory McConnell.

Rory McConnell is a local real estate lawyer with a past that’s haunting him to the point that his present is consumed with plans of revenge against those that hurt him.  The author will only slowly reveal Rory’s past to  Luke and the readers after a time, but we get hints enough to know that what’s coming will be horrific. The Rory we meet is determined, charming and driven to the point he makes the wrong impression on both Blanchard brothers, something he soon corrects.  Its important we understand Rory the man, damaged and a warrior in his own right, avenging a wrong against a criminal or criminals still at large. Watching these men connect, learn to trust, and love is such an out and out pleasure.  Its sweet, sexy and enough to make you reach for those boxes of tissues!

Along with all that?  You get B.A. Tortuga’s cast of characters, from the Blanchard “Momma and dad “Preacher”, both people to be reckoned with, to Lori, Luke’s amazing assistance, Avery the therapist, and so many more including the town’s people themselves.  Here’s a small sample of Rory taking Luke out to the local restaurant where everyone in town eats for lunch.  The flow of the chatter has the easy, down home feel I’ve heard in town’s across Georgia and Alabama too.  It’s as recognizable as it is authentic.  I love it and it’s another reason I read a Tortuga story:

“Something smells amazing,” Luke said.

“It”s meatloaf day.”

“You like meatloaf?” Luke was undecided. His mom’s had not been great, but after the army he wasn’t picky.

“I hate it. I am going to have a patty melt. Hey, Sue Ann, how goes it?”

Sue Ann Landers’ who had been one of Mark’s conquests back in the day, was obviously a rockabilly fanatic, the bright crimson beehive matching her cat-eye glasses exactly. “Faboo. The new girl is pregnant, cries at the drop of a hat and spilled an entire tray of drinks on Miss Hattie’s church group.”

“Wow. If I let her wait on us and don’t make her cry, do I get our pie for free?” Luke reckoned Rory couldn’t not make a deal. It must be in the man’s bones.

“You’re on.”

They ended up at a table in the back, out of the way. Bless her red head, Sue Ann didn’t want his chair messing up the flow, but that worked for Luke. Less gawking.

I could see that so clearly, right down to Miss Hattie’s church group and the fact that Sue Ann called her Miss Hattie.  Truth rolling out in every word.  Combine that with characters you hurt for and grow to love, a story that makes you cry and woop for joy? And then sets you up for other stories?  Yep, I’m not only all in but I’m anxiously waiting for the next in the series.  Can’t wait to see which Blanchard boys gets the next one, if indeed it’s one of them.  Plus there’s all the veterans coming to The Rocking W.  Well, I’ll leave that part of the story to the readers.  I highly recommend this to all of you.  Grab it up and start reading before the next one comes out.

Cover art by Posh Gosh works great for the storyline and characters.

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 217 pages
Published June 6th 2017 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786515551
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesRocking W #1

A Free Dreamer Review: Seidman by James Erich

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

In Viking Age Iceland, where boys are expected to grow into strong farmers and skilled warriors, there is little place for a sickly twelve-year-old boy like Kol until he catches the eye of a seið-woman—a sorceress—and becomes her apprentice. Kol travels to the sorceress’s home, where her grandson, Thorbrand, takes Kol under his wing. Before long Kol discovers something else about himself that is different—something else that sets him apart as unmanly: Kol has fallen in love with another boy.

But the world is changing in ways that threaten those who practice the ancient arts. As Kol’s new life takes him across the Norse lands, he finds that a new religion is sweeping through them, and King Olaf Tryggvason is hunting down and executing sorcerers. When a decades-old feud forces Thorbrand to choose between Kol and his duty to his kinsman, Kol finds himself cast adrift with only the cryptic messages of an ancient goddess to guide him to his destiny—and possibly to his death.

I’ve always been fascinated by ancient mythology, and when I discovered this book about Iceland Viking mythology, I just couldn’t resist. And I’m glad I didn’t, because “Seidman” was utterly brilliant.

There are plenty of books out there that feature ancient mythology in some way or another. But most of the time, it’s Greece or Roman mythology. Other myths are much rarer and I don’t think I’ve come across a book with a similar setting to “Seidman” before. I’m not overly familiar with Viking mythology, I just know the bare basics, but that was enough to understand what was going on here. Unfamiliar terms were explained and the glossary at the beginning was a huge help as well. I loved that the author actually included a bit about how to pronounce the language. I’m a bit obsessed with foreign languages and it always bothers me immensely when I have absolutely no clue how to pronounce words. So the bonus points started adding up before the actual story even began.

James Erich created a very intricate world, that felt extremely realistic, seemingly without any effort. The world building was brilliantly done. It all just fell into place, without any need for lengthy explanations or boing info dumps.

I liked Kol from the beginning. He’s really sweet and charming at the beginning and it was interesting to watch him grow up and change. The love story between him and Thorbrand was low key and yet obvious from the very beginning. It felt inevitable, really. But in a good way. The two of them were just meant to be. When they had to seperate, it broke my heart.

I liked that the author didn’t just skip over any homophobia. It’s just the way it was, back then. Glossing over uncomfortable topics makes a story unrealistic. I’m glad the author chose to address all the issues Kol and especially Thorbrand would have had to face. I loved the book all the more for how realistic it was.

The ending was perfect for the story. It was in tone with the rest of it. A bit sad, but ultimately it left me happy.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Seidman”. I think it’s a wonderful Young Adult story, also suitable for a bit younger readers. I’d recommend it for ages 13 and up. If you have a thing for Vikings and mythology and don’t need it to be overly bloody, then go for this book. It was brilliant and probably won’t be my last by the author. I wish there were more books about this topic!

Cover: The cover is simple but fits the story. I like it.

Sales Links:  Harmony Ink Press | Amazon

Book details:

Kindle Edition, 210 pages

Published May 31st 2012 by Harmony Ink

Honorable Mention: Best Gay Debut Novel/Book

Honorable Mention: Best LGBT Young Adult / Coming of Age

An Alisa Review: My Highland Cowboy by Alexa Milne

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Duncan McLeish owns a ranch. Unlike most ranches, this one is in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited a failing farm from his grandfather, he turns it into a successful business. He has friends and he loves his home, but he’s lonely, and not even infrequent trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh slake that thirst to find someone. Then Drew Sinclair walks into his life.

 

Drew Sinclair is tantalizingly close to getting his clothing brand noticed in the industry. He and his business partner, Joy, create individual dresses, while, on the side, Drew produces a line of men’s lingerie. He visits Scotland to design a bridal gown for his sister, Jenna, who is marrying Duncan’s best friend at Christmas.

 

Duncan and Drew have nothing except their Highland upbringing in common, but they say opposites attract, and the attraction is immediate. Is this simply a summer fling, or can two men who live such opposite lives miles away from each other find a way to love?

 

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to homophobia and references to death of a character’s parents.

 

This was a very nice story.  Duncan has resigned himself to being alone knowing that no one would want to move to the country even if he could ever find someone he wanted to live his life with.  Drew throws his lonely and well managed life out of whack and he isn’t sure what to do about it.

 

Drew has never found someone worth keeping around and will flirt shamelessly with all those around him.  They both are open while Drew is visiting but don’t even risk thinking that their lives could be intertwined and they end up hurting themselves more than they even thought possible.  It was hard to see both of them hurting and knowing their friends didn’t quite know how to help them.

 

We see both of these characters’ points of view which allows us to understand these characters better.  I could feel Duncan’s confusion about his feelings that contradicted how his grandfather raised him but knowing that he can’t leave his ranch he resigns himself to nothing more ever happening.  Drew has never felt this strongly for a lover before and can’t seem to get Duncan out of his head, not even able to move on as he planned when he got back to London.  I loved that Drew realized he couldn’t live without Duncan and was able to adjust his life to make their dreams possible.

 

Cover art is beautiful and gives a great visual of Duncan and background for the story.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages

Published: June 6, 2017 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515674

Edition Language: English

A Caryn Review: To Love a Traitor by JL Merrow

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book is a great examples of why I love historicals.  Clearly this was well-researched, with no irritating anachronisms, and I felt like I was right there in inter-war England.  The language is so very appropriate – not only the dialogue, but the somewhat formal prose as well.  The attitudes towards women who had only recently been granted the right to vote, the general feeling of the public about the aftermath of the war and how veterans were regarded, the frequent references to the Spanish flu that ended up killing over a quarter of a million people in the UK – so many authentic details!  It was easy to completely immerse myself in the era, and in the story.  I’ve read several of Ms. Merrow’s contemporaries, and I really enjoyed them, and I feel doing such an excellent job at a historical just showcases her versatility as an author

The story is told from the point of view of Roger Cottingham.  He was a conscientious objector – “conchie” – who was imprisoned for a year at the beginning of the war and then went to work as a cryptographer in the Admiralty.  While there, his brother Hugh was killed on the front lines.  Hugh’s fiancée, Mabel, started hearing rumors after the Armistice that Hugh’s death might have been the result of treason, and Roger vowed to help her find the man/men responsible, and bring them to justice.

Enlisting the help of an old friend from the intelligence section of the Admiralty, Roger finds suspicious circumstances surrounding another officer in Hugh’s regiment, Captain Matthew Connaught.  Roger’s friend can investigate no further, but he did encourage Roger to do a little spying of his own, and set him up with the perfect cover:  George Johnson, who rented a room in the same house Matthew lived in.

Matthew actually was a rather simple character.  He is a veteran who lost his right arm, but managed to maintain a cheerful and optimistic attitude in spite of that.  He just exudes friendliness and integrity, and Roger can’t help but like and admire him – but what does this mean when he is supposed to be spying on Matthew and finding out his wartime secrets?  I loved the struggle Roger/George had trying to reconcile what he instinctively knew to be true – Matthew is a decent man who would never have betrayed his fellow brother-in-arms – with his desire to find out what really happened to Hugh when Matthew was the only clue he had.  Roger’s struggle only intensified when he realized that not only was Matthew also an invert (homosexual), but that they were attracted to each other.  Roger was also fundamentally an honest, forgiving, and peace-loving man, uncomfortable with the duplicity he had to maintain to continue his undercover role, and he spent a good part of the book grappling with those feelings.

The book is primarily character driven, rather than plot driven.  When the mystery was finally revealed, it really wasn’t a surprise to anyone – the characters or the reader.  Learning the different facets of Roger and Matthew as they traveled this journey towards a relationship was my whole enjoyment of the book.  The period details just made it all even better.  The only thing I didn’t like was that Matthew was a little too one-dimensional, but Roger almost made up for that.

Just for fun, check out this really interesting little tidbit of history that was briefly referenced in the book:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_feather.  I love learning new things when reading fiction!

The expression of the model used for the cover art by Written Ink Designs was just about perfect for how I imagined Roger would feel.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 200 pages
Published May 6th 2017 by JMS Books LLC (first published September 15th 2015)
ASINB06Y646324