Its Release Week for Jena Wade’s Just A Week! (excerpt and giveaway)

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Title: Just A Week
Author: Jena Wade
Release Date: July 5th 2016
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance

30818125

 

BLURB

Just a week is not enough time to fall in love, but Fate doesn’t care. Seth’s carefully crafted plan for how his life will go doesn’t include falling in love with a guy in his horrible hometown. He wants to start a new life anywhere but at home. Until Maddox storms in with his multi-colored hair and carefree attitude.

Long distance relationships don’t work and Seth isn’t into gambling with his future. But the more time he spends with Maddox, the more he’s willing to throw caution to the wind. Now his plan for the rest of his life has been turned upside down and seems to include things Seth never thought possible, including a lifetime of happiness in his hometown.

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30818125-just-a-week?ac=1&from_search=true

 

Buy Links: Amazon | Loose ID | All Romance

 

EXCERPT

I found my usual bench unoccupied. Thank goodness. It sat underneath a giant oak tree that provided a good amount of shade. About a hundred feet away was a set of playground equipment for kids. Since it was Sunday evening, there weren’t many kids around.

The screech and clicks of skateboards on metal had me looking around like I’d just entered a parallel universe. What the hell?

Where there used to be old basketball hoops with raggedy nets, there now stood a half-pipe and other random obstacles used for skateboarding tricks. A half dozen teenagers and young adults whizzed around each other. Some on boards, others on rollerblades. All of them moving at high speed.

There was a lot of laughing, and every so often someone shouted, “Check this out,” before trying some stunt on the rail, usually resulting in a fall or stumble.

Squealing kids on a swing set I could drown out. But this, I wasn’t so sure about. It was new. And distracting.

One young man in particular stood out. Mostly because he had bright orange hair that spiked in every direction, possibly looking like it could impale a person if they were to touch it. Like a cactus. He also looked a bit older than the teenagers that surrounded him, which might explain why they all seemed to look up to him like he was a god.

He wore a black zip-up sweatshirt, though it was warm enough to go without, and jeans that were skintight.

Once I started watching him, I noticed that the other skaters watched him too. He had talent. He kept his balance well, and his moves seemed effortless. While the other skaters floundered and wobbled as they zoomed around, he kept calm and collected.

I didn’t understand the appeal of skateboarding, especially on a half-pipe. What was the purpose of putting yourself in harm’s way like that? Might as well throw myself down a flight of stairs if I wanted to break a bone.

Orange-haired Guy stood on the deck of the half-pipe. He stared down the slope below, his face unreadable. He didn’t call the others to gather around and watch, though I had a feeling they would anyway.

He took a deep breath and hopped on his board.

I held my breath, like I was the one up there. I watched in wonder as he gained momentum, back and forth, up and down the half-pipe. Once he had enough speed he began his flips. It looked amazing to me. Him flipping in the air, his feet staying on the board as he spun, then landing perfectly to do it all over again. I guess I had never bothered to watch any skateboarding before. Maybe I would have if they had looked like this skateboarder.

My nose pressed against the chain-link fence that surrounded the skate park before I even realized I had walked closer. At least I started breathing again.

He stopped just as quickly as he started. Landing back on the deck of the half-pipe, like he hadn’t just done something incredible. And maybe it wasn’t to him; maybe that was just another day in the life. To me it was pretty cool.

The other skaters around cheered and gave him high fives as he made his way through the park. Just like that, he left. He hit the sidewalk and hopped back onto his board, flying down the street like it was made for him.

 

GIVEAWAY: Win a copy of Just a Week

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/391d73bd41/?

 

About the Author

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Jena began writing in January of 2013 as a New Year’s Resolution–and so far she has stuck to it!
She lives in Michigan. By day she works as a web developer, and at night she writes. Born and raised on a farm, she spends most of her free time outdoors, playing in the garden, or riding her horses. She also helps run the family dairy farm.

Links: Website | Loose ID | Twitter | Goodreads

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In The Spotlight – The Olive Conspiracy by Shira Glassman (Book Excerpt and Giveaway)

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Title: The Olive Conspiracy

Author: Shira Glassman

Series Title and Number: Mangoverse 4

Publisher:  Prizm Books

Cover Artist: BS Clay

Release Date: 7/20/16

Heat Level: 2

Pairing : Female/Female, with significant Female/Male supporting characters

Length: 61K

Genre: Fantasy, Lesbian Romance, Multi-Cultural, Espionage, Political, Chick Lit

Add to Goodreads

The Olive Conspiracy Cover

Synopsis

When Ezra tries to blackmail Chef Yael about being trans, she throws him out of her restaurant and immediately reports him to the queen. But when police find Ezra stabbed to death, Queen Shulamit realizes he may have also tried to extort someone more dangerous than a feisty old lady.

Shulamit’s royal investigation leads her to an international terrorist plot to destroy her country’s economy—and worse, her first love, Crown Princess Carolina of Imbrio, may be involved. This is a love story between wives, between queen and country, and between farmers and the crops they grow.

Excerpt

“What’s that one? It looks like a map.”

Shulamit shifted papers around. “Mmm,” she agreed, turning the paper slightly and studying it more closely. “It’s a map of Perach. But I don’t know what all this mess is.” She squinted and shook her head. “I don’t know; it looks familiar, somehow.”

“Well, you do run the country.”

“This line… these patterns…”

With one arm folded across her midsection and the other arm upright so that her fist rested against her nose, Shulamit raked her memories. Those swirly bits. That pair of streaks. Why did they look so familiar? Why did she feel like she’d seen it before, what seemed like ages ago before the emotional upheaval of visiting Imbrio again and seeing Carolina?

“Oh, my God!” Heat flared in Shulamit’s cheeks. “Rivka, this makes no sense, but—Guard! Who’s out there?”

One of the guards appeared at the doorway. “Majesty?”

Shulamit held out one pointing finger. “Can you please bring me my latest notes on our agricultural pests?”

“Absolutely, Majesty.” He disappeared into the sunlight.

Rivka squinted at her. “I don’t get it.”

“You think I do?” Shulamit skin tingled as she waited for the papers to show up and either prove her wrong or show that she was absolutely right, thus opening up nothing but a cartload of further questions. Both hands fidgeted with the ends of her filmy yellow scarf.

Shulamit felt like every second was bloated and lazy until the guard reappeared. Where was he? Finally, the requested papers arrived, and she tore into them with such ferocity that several fell onto the floor and had to be retrieved.

“There!” she finally exclaimed triumphantly.

“What?” Rivka leaned over her shoulder eagerly, and Shulamit heard a soft thud as Isaac leapt off Riv’s shoulder onto the back of her throne to get a better view.

“The olive blight,” said Shulamit, her lips barely moving as she tried to make sense of the completely unexpected connection. “Ezra drew a map of the olive blight, and put it in the middle of his blackmail notes.”

“Is there anything else on the paper?” said Isaac in his normal voice.

Shulamit turned it over. “Oh, I’m so nervous, I’m not thinking straight. This is the map I already had.”

She flipped over the correct parchment. In Ezra’s lazy scrawl, it said,

Imbrian man (Name: Rui?) *possibly leader

Imbrian man with missing tooth. Drinks like a fish.

Perachi woman (from Lovely Valley?) Money-minded.

Unknown man (Light skinned. Imbrian?)

Unknown woman (Perachi?)

Who is “André?”

“There is no way this means anything good.” Thoughts whirled through Shulamit’s mind, thoughts that she was afraid to put to words. What did Imbrio have to do with agricultural pests? What about—what about Carolina?

“Malkeleh,” said Isaac, interrupting her mental maelstrom. “Let me see Ezra’s map again.”

Shulamit flipped the paper back over.

“Look,” said Isaac. “His map—the infestation goes down the river straight into the Lovely Valley.”

Shulamit shook her head slowly and groped around for Rivka’s hand. She clung to her friend’s arm with both hands like it was a bellpull, then hugged it tightly to her chest. “Whatever this is, we have to stop it. We have to stop them.”

Purchase

Torquere Press

Olive Conspiracy SquareMeet the Author

Shira Glassman is a bisexual Jewish violinist living in North Central Florida. She is best known for her Mangoverse books, four fluffy queer fantasy novels (and accompanying short stories) set in a tropical Jewish fairytale kingdom ruled over by a young lesbian and her “family of choice”, including a dragon. These books have reached the finals list of multiple years of the Bi Book Awards and Golden Crown Literary Society Awards. She writes other short contemporary and fantasy fiction as well, including two contemporary romance novelettes about professional musicians. Shira’s greatest inspirations are French and German opera and Agatha Christie novels, as well as her own family life and closest friends.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7234426.Shira_Glassman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShiraGlassman
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/shiraglassman
Blog: http://shiraglassman.wordpress.com

Giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: One winner will be selected to win an eBook copy of The Olive Conspiracy.

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A MelanieM Review: Kissing Alex (Bodyguards Inc. #6) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Kissing AlexMartial arts expert Lewis is the kind of bodyguard who slips under most people’s radar. Quiet, reserved, but constantly on alert, he’ll do his job, keep his charges safe, then relax by reading Shakespeare in his spare time.

When he’s given a case involving a spoiled celebrity singer, Lewis isn’t all that impressed. The job is nothing but babysitting a pretty boy, and he’s used to diplomatic postings with depth and challenge. What could he possibly have in common with the man he’s being forced to look after?

Alex became the envy of many when he and his fellow bandmates won second place in a huge TV talent show. He has more money than he knows what to do with, no life goals, an ex-boyfriend selling a sex tape and now, someone who wants him dead, or at the very least maimed.

Can Lewis keep Alex safe, even when things usually in his control go to hell? Is running to a remote Scottish island the only way for them to stay alive?

I’ve missed several stories in R.J. Scott’s Bodyguards, Inc. series but if Kissing Alex is any indication of this series, I’m going to have to rectify that asap.  I loved this story.  Its everything I look for in a romance and more.  It has two wonderful MCs with a combustible connection to each other, a location that called to me, and a storyline that had outstanding secondary characters that I wanted to know more about.  It also had several other threads running through it to keep it interesting and moving along at a fast clip.

Although this is part of a series, you can read it as a standalone and come at the characters blind as I did.  Scott gives us a complete portrait of each, filling in bits and pieces of each character’s history along the way until each man is fully alive, breathing before you on the page.  I had no favorites here.  Both Lewis and Alex each won my heart equally.  But the real piece of perfection here was putting the two men down on the island of  Stoirmeil, isolated away from  most things we take for granted like wifi but on home ground for Lewis.  R.J. Scott made me see that island, from the magic of the stone circle to the daily lives of its small group of its inhabitants.  She  also made me feel their fierce, heart deep love for their land and history.  I got to watch Alex fall for the island as much as he did for Lewis, it was the perfect backdrop for their love to grow and for the story to take place.

Quite frankly, I forgot about the rest of the story, the bodyguard aspect so drawn in by the magic of the location and their romance.  It was wrapped up nicely and I loved the ending.  But was I ready for this to end?  Never.  I wanted more of their lives.  I want them married, I want more of this island, and that family.  R.J. Scott created something special here.  And it was difficult to let it go even as happy as I was with the ending.

So, RJ, if you are listening, a side story please?  Let’s return to Stoirmeil….on a bonny summer day, for a wedding on the beach, maybe two.  In the meantime, I highly recommend this story.  Its romantic, it has men in kilts, its sexy and it will make you want to book a plane ticket to Scotland and then a ferry ride to the next island out.  Trust me on this.

Cover art by Meredith Russell. The model is the perfect representation of Alex. But a huge opportunity was missed by not showing us something of the beauty of the Scottish island of Stoirmeil.  That makes this cover way too bland and not tied into a main theme of the storyline.

Sales Links:  RJ Scott  | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published April 25th 2016 by Love Lane Books
ISBN139781785640414
SeriesBodyguards Inc. #6

A Jeri Review: Dinner for One by Meg Harding

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Dinner for OneBastien is head chef and part owner of a VERY French restaurant that has gotten nothing but rave reviews, has lines out the door and a reservation list months in advance. James is a food critic for a well known newspaper and gives Bastien his first not so rave review. No big deal right? Until James buys a pastry from Bastien at his nephews base sale and is shocked to find out that the pastry chef and the restaurant chef are on in the same. Even worse, he is incredibly attracted to him.

Bastien and James begin a romantic relationship. And it is rather sweet and romantic. Being that one is a chef and the other a critic- although Bastien doesn’t know that- much of their relationship revolves around food. How very French!

The deeper they get the more worried James is for Bastien to find out who he really is. The guy who panned his restaurant.

Some of the things I really liked about this book: the sex is hot hot hot! So hot that Bastien reverts to French while in the throes of passion. Whew.

Both James and Bastien are very close to their families. I love that. I love that Bastien is always there for his sister and niece and that James has a brood of siblings to go to. It was all very sweet, but very realistic.

THE FOOD! Don’t read this book while you are hungry. Seriously. It is akin to grocery shopping while hungry.

The relationship was very equal in my opinion. There was never one man trying to woo the other while the other sat back. Well, until after the big fight.

Speaking of the fight. The way James goes about trying to win Bastien back is just perfect. Seriously perfect. It was so sweet, so perfect. And Bastien’s answers to everything were wonderful. A bit vague, but you really need to read it.

My only nit picky, didn’t like a lot things: Bastien seemed to get out of work pretty early usually. For a hot restaurant in NYC, he wouldn’t be walking out the door until at least 1am in not later. Not 10. And except for a one here and there, James seemed to abandon his critic job while he was with Bastien. How else to eat elaborate meals together late at night?

For a switch, no one is a jerk, no one is in the closet, no one was abandoned by family for being gay. All around it was a new, refreshing read. And I believe there are more in the series to come. Making my reservation now.

The cover art by Reese Dante is absolutely perfect, with the two men in the background and yummy food front and center.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: July 13th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634773942 (ISBN13: 9781634773942)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Designs of Desire by Tempeste O’Reily ~ Audiobook narrated by Max Lehnan

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

designs-of-desire audioDreamspinner Press, book 1 in the Desires Entwined series

James Bryant suffers from a joint disorder and has to use crutches to get around. The crutches aren’t just because of the disorder, though—they are the result of an attack by a former lover. James is an artist, but he’s currently working for a design firm so that he’ll have a safety net income and benefits. As a junior in the firm, he’s surprised when he’s given a prestigious job to design the interior concepts for a hotel catering to LGBTQ couples. And that’s where he meets Seth Burns—the gorgeous, wealthy, CEO of Carrington Enterprises, and unfortunately, also a dominant personality. And the last thing James wants is to get involved with someone like his former lover. Too bad, too, because this one is super hot and apparently very interested in James.

Seth Burns can’t believe his luck when he’s assigned the very talented James Bryant for his project, but he’s quickly on the defensive when he learns what happened to James in the past. Willing to put his need for control on the back burner until he and James get to know one another, he finds that the sweet young man is not only more talented than he originally assumed, he’s also more emotionally fragile. And when James is confronted with his ex-Dom again and further injured, Seth helps James pursue having the man prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

After Seth and James initially become involved, Seth encourages him to pursue his career as an artist and cut back at the design firm. Not long after that Seth learns that the sister of his heart has been killed in an accident, and he’s been named guardian for her daughter, the daughter for whom Seth was the sperm donor. James immediately opens his heart and his home to both Seth and six-year-old Dani, and the journey toward the formation of their new family begins. But the journey is not without multiple bumps along the road, including yet another threat to James’s life—this time from an unexpected source. Will these men ever be able to overcome all the odds against them? It’s difficult, but with the help of the bodyguard Seth hired and James’s BFF, Chase, they manage to overcome the odds against them and find the path to their happiness.

This is my first book from this author and I enjoyed the story, even with all the twists and turns. I liked the characters, both MC and secondary, and I was pleased to see there’s more coming up in this series. My major disappointment was with the audiobook narration of Max Lehnan. The poor narration placed a burden on the story that I found difficult to overcome. His narration was so poor I can only give it one star. However, rather than average that with the four stars I’d give the story, I am going with 3.5 stars overall because I hate to penalize the author’s rating for something like this. I see that there’s a different narrator for the last two books in the series so I’ll definitely be moving to them next. And I recommend the e-book version to MM readers who enjoy stories with family drama, especially those who find happiness with family of the heart.

~~~~~

The cover by Reese Dante is done in a very soft, soothing, watercolor with a faded background headshot of two men about to kiss. In the forefront is a hand holding a paintbrush and with rings on each finger of the hand, signifying the ring splints worn by MC James—the perfect cover for this book.

Audiobook Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 7 pages, 6 hrs 18 mins
Published December 4th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press, LLC (first published July 28th 2013)
Original TitleDesigns of Desire
ASINB00H3945LQ
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDesires Entwined #1 settingMilwaukee, Wisconsin (United States)

An Ali Review: Wildflowers by Suki Fleet

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

WildflowersXavi doesn’t believe in love anymore. Love has never changed the outcome of anything. It has only hurt him.

Sam is sick, and he wants one last thing. He wants Xavi to be with him, to stay with him until the end. Xavi drops everything and promises Sam he will be there.

As they travel across the countryside in a stolen sea-green Cadillac, they search for something neither has the courage to admit he’s looking for. But as the days slip away, Xavi isn’t sure he can keep his promise; he isn’t sure about anything. He can’t help Sam do this. He can’t stand by and watch Sam suffer, can’t be content to let Sam give up.

Saving Sam becomes the only thing that makes any sense, the only thing Xavi wants. Loving Sam becomes the most important promise he will ever make. Now he just has to convince Sam that life—and love—are worth fighting for.

I’m not even sure I have the words to express how much I loved this book.  It’s told from Xavi’s point of view as he struggles to come to terms with, not only his relationship with Sam, but the many painful choices he’s made in his life.  The writing is haunting and melancholy throughout most of the story but it drew me in and I couldn’t put the book down once I had started it. whoI highlighted many passages that I thought were especially moving. It’s a short story (only 80 pages) but there is a lot of plot and even more emotion packed in to it.  The characters were richly done and the emotional pain Xavi is going through jumps off the pages at you.  I found myself empathizing so much with him.  Most of the story revolves around Xavi and Sam but there are a host of side characters that add to the plot and  who were also really well done.   It is an angsty story (but you knew that from the blurb) and I’m not going to lie, my eyes filled with tears more than once, but it is well worth every minute of the pain because there is beauty here too.
Cover art by Garrett Leigh. I like the cover and think it fits really well with the plot of the story.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:
ebook, 80 pages
Expected publication: July 13th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634774779 (ISBN13: 9781634774772)
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Review: Awakening the Alpha by Carolina Valdez

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

Awakening the AlphaBlaze Canis is doing what he loves best. As a shooting range instructor just outside Yellowstone National Park, the former Navy SEAL sniper is still handling firearms. When Shoshone Native Logan Swift Rider walks into his target shooting class one morning, the attraction each man feels for the other is swift and magical. Since Blaze’s SEAL teammates never knew he was gay, let alone a werewolf, he’s confident his new lover need never know of his two natures.

 

Logan opens his heart and body to loving Blaze in the most intimate ways possible. When he learns what Blaze has hidden of himself, Logan is shattered. Although raised in both the white and Native worlds, it’s Logan’s Indian heritage that tells him he may have fallen for a witch, a skinwalker.

 

Can Blake convince Logan there’s no evil involved in what he is or will Logan remain convinced he’s been making love to a monster?

 

Logan and Blaze come from very different backgrounds.  Logan’s Native American heritage and teachings give him a different view of the world from many while Blaze has always really hidden who he was from the world.  They both feel a deep connection to the other very quickly.

 

When Logan finds out Blaze is a werewolf, he begins to rethink everything he knew about Blaze because of teachings from his youth.  It takes some deep soul searching for him to be willing to talk about his concerns and see Blaze again.

 

It took a bit for me to connect with the characters, not quite sure why.  Chapter 1 is more of a preface to me and I kept trying to connect it to the MCs to it, but that doesn’t come until a bit later.  Once I really got into the story I could see how open Blaze and Logan were with each other while still holding a bit back.  I’m not sure they ever really resolve the problem, it’ more of both of them just saying okay we’re good.  I also didn’t like that there was never a real ending to the “relationship” that Logan had back in California and no mention of it to Blaze either.

 

Cover art by Syneca Featherstone is wonderful and perfect for this story.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon | ARe

 

Book Details:

ebook, 110 pages

Published: June 7, 2016 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682521519

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Code Name Jack Rabbit (The Vampire Guard #1) by Elizabeth Noble

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Code Name- Jack RabbitMeet the newest members of the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.

 

Jonas Forge, vampire. Once a spy and soldier, now a cop, Forge enjoys the life he’s built with his friends in Flint, Ohio.

 

Blair Turner, PhD. Blair, a vampire and computer hacker with exceptional skills, shares a powerful empathic bond with Forge, his soul mate.

 

Declan, vampire, ex-pirate, ex-fur trapper, thief, and con man. Declan is Forge’s former lover and soul mate to Lucas Coate.

 

Lucas Coate, MD, Flint’s medical examiner. A werewolf living among vampires, Lucas is also one of Forge’s best friends.

 

Their lives become complicated when an impending Presidential visit throws them headlong into a world of high-tech vampire spies and espionage. Recruited into the Vampire Guard by the secret society of the Akhkharu Nasaru, they uncover a werewolf terrorist organization known as the Qiguan.

 

Together they must thwart a murder attempt on the open waters of Lake Superior while tracking a previously unknown biological weapon controlled by the Qiquan—a weapon which may very well mean death for one of them.

 

This was the first book by Elizabeth Noble that I have read and it was very enjoyable.  The book had a bit of a different look at vampires than I have read before.  They weren’t affected by sunlight and they ate regular meals most of the time.

 

Jonas, Lucas and Declan have been connected to each other for years, Blair is a newer addition to their “family” but no less important than the others.  They all care deeply for each other and even with their complicated pasts will do anything for the others.  The soul mates are the perfect complement to the other but sometimes they just need one of their friends to pull them back from the edge.

 

I loved reading about them all working together to solve the mystery, each using their own strengths.  However, many times through the book there were a lot of references to things that have happened before the book and I would have loved to learn more about those experiences.  At the end of the book there is a preview for the next book in the series and I can’t wait to read it and see more of these characters.

 

Cover art is nice and gives a visual for the mysterious creature they find.

 

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | OmniLit

 

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages

Published: July 12, 2016 by DSP Publications

ISBN-13: 9781634768948

Edition Language: English

Series: The Vampire Guard #1

A BJ Review: Assumed Dead by Becky Black

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Assumed DeadThe zombie apocalypse left twelve people trapped, but safe, at a scientific research base on an Arctic island. Three years later, with supplies critically low, they know they can’t survive another harsh winter. But all of them fear what awaits them on the mainland.

Former grad student, Matt Warner, has retrained as a nurse under the group’s doctor, Peter Lane. Training is not the only thing Matt wants to be under Peter for, but Peter has always resisted responding to Matt’s interest in him. Before all this started Peter had a husband, Harrison, back home. A husband he desperately hopes is still alive.

Despair finally weakens Peter’s resolve and he and Matt begin sharing a bed. It’s Matt’s dream come true, even if he knows Peter’s feelings for him aren’t as strong as his for Peter. But everything changes, when the group learns of the existence of a vaccine against the zombie virus and they escape the island to search for the people distributing the vaccine. Matt fears their relationship won’t survive, because Peter wants to search for his husband—even if only to confirm his death. And Peter knows if he goes looking for Harrison, he’ll lose Matt forever.

This is a sequel to Patient Z which I read a few for the first time a few months ago, so when I saw that this one was coming out, I wanted to read it right away. I rated the first book four stars and was eager to follow on with the story, especially when I noticed that this story also had a bi-racial couple. Unfortunately, as is often the case, while I enjoyed it, this second book didn’t quite live up to the first one for me.

This story doesn’t follow along with the first couple, Mitch and Cal’s and their group, but I actually enjoyed that aspect. It gave a chance to see what happened to others, and how everyone’s experience of the apocalypse would vary. However, it does pick up several months after the events of the first book, so we do get to see the continuation of the original storyline as the vaccine begins to be shared with others.

The world that this group lived in was so much less threatening than that from book one, which played a large part in why I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as book one. There was very little action up until right near the very end, and even at that point, it didn’t involve zombies. It almost felt like the zombies were more of a window dressing—gross in appearance on the few times when one or two showed up, but they never felt like a real threat at any point. For the vast majority of the book, we are told about things that might be a threat and danger for this group, but we don’t see them in action, and thus are not on the edge of the seat or tense with worry. Even when they meet up with the second group, its pretty much the same thing. In fact, except for one mild scene early on that was very easily handled with no casualties or drama, the whole thing felt very tame. When the big fight scene near the end came, there hadn’t really been anything leading up to it, so it felt like it came out of left field.

The two main characters, Matt from New Zealand and Peter the doctor from the US, didn’t grab me and make me care for them as much as Cal and Mitch had in book. In fact, they didn’t intrigue me as much as some of the secondary characters, like R.J. and Jay and even Barrett did. The romance relationship between Matt and Peter moved slow at first, which was okay for a while, but Peter’s hemming and hawing started to get to me and when something did finally take off between them, I just didn’t feel the passion or urgency any more. There were quite a few sexy bits, but because of Peter’s lack of commitment one way or the other, I wasn’t quite able to feel invested in them as a couple and so the romance part fell flat for me.

Overall, this book has a lower key, calmer, less intense feel that book one. Not what I’d expected for a zombie apocalypse story. If you prefer a milder post-apocalyptic story full of hope and lots of interesting details, then this should fit the bill. I enjoyed the story itself more than the main couple, and would be willing to read more in this world especially if it included more about the mysterious R.J.

The cover does a good job of conveying the story, but much like the story itself, it doesn’t quite pack the punch of the first.

Sales Links:  Loose id LLC | ARe | Amazon

Book Details: 

ebook, 294 pages
Published June 14th 2016 by Loose Id
Original TitleAssumed Dead
ISBN139781682521489
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

GaysOfOurLives_600x900 (1)Emerson Robinette has MS.  He also has a huge case of chip-on-shoulder and another of social anxiety. Ever since his diagnosis, he’s limited himself to being only in safe situations, or situations he perceives as safe and follows his rules—only pick up guys on days his legs don’t tingle; don’t let his dominant side out for fear of failure; don’t make friends so they won’t be disappointed in him; and so on. 

He teaches ESL and GED prep classes at a community center and loves his job. Though he never intended to be a teacher, he pretty much just fell into it. He happens to meet a hipster named Obie on a bus ride home one day.  Obie is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, dresses the way he feels, and seems to be attracted to Emerson.  The only problem?  When Emerson gets off the bus, he has to use his cane and he notices that Obie notices so he figures that’s the end of that hope. 

One thing about Emerson that we come to see as we read the story is that he just can’t muster up the courage to be positive about anything.  He so afraid of losing hope that he refuses to have it in the first place.  He’s isolated himself without even realizing it, and he refuses to let in the people who genuinely care about him: his GED class members, his boss, and most definitely, Obie.  But Obie doesn’t allow Emerson to wallow in his own depression.  Little by little, he chips away at that façade until he exposes the real Emerson, the young man who has hopes and dreams and the one Obie is falling for. 

Obie also introduces Emerson to Dred, his best friend. Dred is biracial, very pregnant, and a single parent, having been deserted by the baby’s father as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Dred is another person who slowly chips away at Emerson’s isolation.  If any character ever needed to change, it’s Emerson.  At first, I found him to be so abrasive that I wasn’t sure I could enjoy the story.  However, by about the 25% mark, I was intrigued. 

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and liked the parenthetical, often self-deprecating or snarky, comments that punctuated much of Emerson’s thoughts. The parallels drawn between Dred’s pregnancy and Emerson’s MS were spot-on, and Obie was not just the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—he was the rainbow. 

I recommend this story to those who love an MM romance with and anti-hero—someone you may hate at the beginning and love by the end—and those who love stories of overcoming disabilities, friends as family, and those who simply want to read something different and interesting.

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The cover art by L.C. Chase shows a close-up of a bearded, good-looking young man against a bright purple background.  The use of color makes this an attractive cover.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published July 11th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published July 10th 2016)
Original TitleGays of Our Lives
ISBN 1626494258 (ISBN13: 9781626494251)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesQueers of La Vista #1