Category: Book Reviews

Its Release Day for Rustic Memory (Rustic #2) by Nic Starr (excerpt and giveaway)

Rustic Melody Cover 200x300 (1)

Nic Starr’s second book in her RUSTIC series titled RUSTIC MEMORY is OUT today and she is here with us to tell you some more about it!
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Rustic Memory (Rustic #2) by Nic Starr
Series: Rustic – Book Two
Author: Nic Starr
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design
Length: 159 pages/48k words
Release Date: February 26, 2016
Genre: M/M Romance, Gay Romance, Contemporary, Australian

Blurb:

Tyler Samuels had his reasons for leaving the country town where he grew up. He moved to the city, established a home and a career, and found love. Now Ty is in his early thirties, and as his life takes another tragic turn, he finds himself returning to the place he first ran from.

Mac McGrath has lived in Armidale all his life. He loves his family and his job as an electrician, running the family business. The only thing missing in his life is a relationship. When Ty, his teenage crush, arrives back in town, maybe he has found someone to love at last.

What starts as friends with benefits quickly turns to more for Mac, but Ty will need to let go of his memories if he is to learn to love again. But can Mac wait that long?

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EXCERPT

“Hey.” Ty looked up from his desk and removed his glasses. “All finished?”
Mac nodded. “I got everything done I wanted to do today. I’ll be here early tomorrow to connect the transformers to the new lights while the electricity’s off. Here.” He opened his notebook, took a sheet of paper from between its covers, and held it out across the cluttered desk to Ty. “This is the extra information on the lighting behind the bar.”
Ty reached for the sheet of paper, his fingers grazing Mac’s. It took every ounce of resolve Mac possessed for him not to flinch at the contact. He wasn’t going to let Ty see the effect one simple touch had on him.
“That was quick.” Surprise flashed in Ty’s brown eyes.
“Uh-huh. I took care of it at lunch. I called Dave and he’s given some indicative figures. Of course, it’ll need to be verified with actual measurements and final quotes from suppliers.”
“That’s okay. We agreed back of the envelope would be fine. This is more than I expected, especially in such a short time frame.” Ty put his glasses back on and studied the paper for a moment. He stuck his pen in the corner of his mouth and chewed gently on the end.
Mac was mesmerised by the sight of those soft lips and the movements they were making. Fuck! Why did he have to be so attracted to the man? Ty took the pen from his mouth and made a couple of notes in the margin of the paper before looking up. “This looks great. If the numbers are accurate, then it certainly seems achievable.”
Ty smiled broadly and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the strands back from his face. Mac followed his movements, taking in the planes of Ty’s cheekbones, the line of his throat, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
Mac blinked to refocus and reminded himself he was here for business. “Well, if that’s all you need, I’ll be off then.” He tucked the notebook under his arm and turned towards the door.
“Wait!”
He swivelled to see Ty rising from his chair. The chair hit the wall with a thud and Ty rounded the desk. He stood in front of Mac within four paces, looking up at him with those big brown eyes.
“I…ah…” Ty’s gaze flicked to the door and back to Mac. “Don’t go. Not yet.”
“You want to talk about the job?”
Ty scraped a hand through his hair again, causing the strands to fall across his face. Mac’s fingers itched to move, but he resisted the temptation to tuck in the errant lock. Ty closed his eyes briefly, his lashes fluttering against his alabaster skin.
He really is beautiful.
“I was hoping I could convince you to stay for a while,” Ty finally said.
Mac studied him a moment, trying to understand exactly what it was Ty wanted. Ty left him with no question when he stepped closer and brought their bodies together. Ty slipped his slim arms up to grasp around Mac’s shoulders, and he tilted his face up. Mac held his breath as Ty’s eyes glazed over and his tongue darted out to lick his lower lip. Mac was rooted to the spot, mesmerised by Ty. Heat flooded his groin and he tingled with the need to touch this man, his man. Ty.
“I don’t have long,” Ty whispered and pressed his erection into Mac’s thigh.
“Long?”
“Yeah,” Ty stood on tiptoe and murmured into Mac’s ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down Mac’s spine. “Got to head out soon, but before I go….” His words faded out as he nuzzled Mac’s neck.
Mac stiffened.
What the fuck? This is a booty call?
Mac’s head wanted him to shove Ty away, but as his hands came up and grasped Ty’s upper arms, he found himself pulling instead of pushing. Ty’s breath hitched and he trembled. “This what you want?”
Mac brought his mouth down on Ty’s, the kiss hot and wet as he forced his way into the depths of Ty’s mouth. Ty’s response was a mumbled groan, but the way his fingers dug into Mac’s shoulders and his hips flexed up to rub along Mac’s thigh gave him the answer without words.
They grappled with each other, Ty shoving Mac against the wall and Mac turning the tables and pushing Ty until he forced him to take a few steps back. The desk stopped Ty’s movement, and Mac used the surprise to tear his mouth from Ty’s and spin him around. A hand between the shoulder blades had Ty folded over the desk, barely missing the computer monitor and sending a cascade of paperwork to the floor. Ty groaned but didn’t try to stand up.
Mac grasped a handful of Ty’s hair and bent over his back. “You want this?” He panted against Ty’s cheek. He felt Ty’s answering nod.
BUY IT ON
:: Amazon US :: Amazon UK :: Amazon AU :: All Romance eBooks :: Goodreads

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~ SERIES NOTES ~
Rustic Melody
Book #1 
Released 26th January 2016
Rustic Memory
Book #2
Release date 26th February 2016
Rustic Moment
Book #3
Expected March/April
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!
When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family-an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters, and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.
You can find Nic on Facebook, Twitter and her blog. She’d love it if you stopped by to say hi.

:: Website & Blog :: Amazon Author Page :: Facebook :: Facebook Page ::
:: Facebook Group :: Twitter :: Pinterest :: Goodreads ::
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Winner’s Prize: $20 All Romance eBooks Gift Card
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A Lila Review: Convincing the Secretary (London Legal #3) by Ava March

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Convincing the SecretaryBusiness and pleasure is a mix no gentleman should consider.

Lord Grayson Holloway goes after what he wants—be it in the law office on his clients’ behalf or in the bedchamber. His new position as partner puts him closer to achieving his goal of becoming the most successful solicitor in London. There’s just one problem—his new secretary. Broad of shoulder yet mild of manner, Edward tempts Gray like no other. Yet the young man barely notices him.

Edward Fenton tries to be a good secretary, but being in Lord Grayson’s hard, commanding presence rouses Edward’s most forbidden desires. Wicked, naughty desires no gentleman should consider giving in to, let alone with his new employer.

Gray is more than willing to mix business with pleasure. But convincing Edward to take a chance on a future with him? That might be the most challenging case Gray has ever taken on.

Our introduction to Mr. Fenton is through Lord Grayson’s eyes, and it would play an important role later in the story. We get an account of Mr. Fenton’s whereabouts, the other man with him, his physical description and the type of man Lord Grayson thinks Mr. Fenton is looking for as a partner.

 We get to see then, Mr. Fenton’s competency and his physical response to Lord Grayson’s proximity. Gray is trying to measure Edward’s attraction to have a better idea of his secretary’s wants. And from there, he devised a plan to gain Edward’s attention.

 As we learned more from Edward, we get to see a very different man than the one described by Lord Grayson. As well as eroneous assumptions by Edward about the Lord. After a subtle test by Gray, their relationship turns physical, and Edward’s wicked desires are fulfilled.

 They have about four days together before everything goes wrong due to lack of communication. Both men believe they are justified in their actions and made decisions that affect the new relationship blossoming between them.

 Thanks to a first step taken by Lord Grayson, they are able to understand each other better and what they need from each other. The story ends with an epilogue and the exchange of I love yous.

 Convincing the Secretary is the third book in the London Legal Series. I hadn’t read the first two books in the series, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this particular installment. Unless, you want additional background information about some of the characters mentioned in the story– including Edward.

 The first part of the story reflects the musings of both MC about each other. We get to know the basics, as well as the insecurities they had. Certainly, they don’t believe to be good enough for the other. And we see all this during their interactions at work.

 The physical chemistry between the characters is palpable since the beginning of the story. I just had trouble believing in how openly Lord Grayson asked Edward about his inclinations. Even if they were both being bold, the question felt out of place with the story and the soft spoken man Gray seems to think of Edward to be.

 The novella was easy to follow and entertaining. The sex and kink scenes up to par, without excessive wording and endless orgasms. The two characters acted according to their stations even when most of the story kept them isolated from other most of the time.

 Overall, a good read. Just not enough to make me want to read the previous books.

Designed by Kim Killion, the cover follows the previous two books– a bare torso over the night skyline of London. Perhaps more contemporary than historical, but goes with the rest of the series.

Sale Links: Samhain | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

 ebook, 138 pages
Published: March 8, 2016, by Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1619222523 (ISBN13: 9781619222526)
Edition Language: English

 

Series: London Legal
Book #1: Convincing Arthur
Book #2: Convincing Leopold
Book #3: Convincing the Secretary

A Paul B Review: Nuts About You (Nutty Romances #1) by Kate Lowell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nuts to YouNathan works at the bulk store.  He particularly enjoys when one of the regular customers, Vince, comes to buy birdseed for his feeders.  He also feels a bit guilty.  The reason?  Nathan is responsible for Vince buying a lot of that birdseed.  He is a squirrel shifter.  Nathan’s favorite pastime and obsession is shifting into his squirrel form and watching Vince from on top of the bird feeders.  How can he deny his squirrel self some of the birdseed and nuts that happen to be in the bird feeder?  It is just an added benefit of watching this hot man walking around in his house half dressed.

One day, Vince catches the squirrel sitting on top of one of the feeders.  Tired of having the furry creature stealing the seed from the birds.  Vince throws a shoe at the squirrel, knocking him down to the ground.  Thinking that the little guy is seriously injured, Vince feels guilty and takes the squirrel inside.  Getting nowhere after calling a vet, Vince decides to nurse the squirrel back to health.  After the squirrel fails to escape through a window, Vince is surprised when Nathan emerges from his squirrel form.  Nathan wonders what Vince will think of him now that his secret has been revealed.

This was a cute short story.  The author brings us a different form of shifter and uses his nature well.  There is a focus on nuts in all shapes and sizes.  Nathan is as timid as his animal nature.  The scenes once Vince discovers Nathan’s secret are steamy and flavorful.  Vince’s occupation is put to good use.  The one thing that I did not like about this book is that neither character seems to have a last name revealed.  For me personally, I like characters to have full names.  It  seems to make them more real to me.

The cover art by Ana J. Phoenix is quite appropriate.  It shows a squirrel clinging to a trunk of a tree.  It is a very cute cover for the book.

Sales Links:   ARe | Amazon

Book Details

ebook
Published January 7th 2016
ISBN139780994857019
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesNutty Romances #1

Series:  Nutty Romances

  • Nuts About You (Nutty Romances #1)
  • Rise of the Alpha Squirrel (Nutty Romances #2)

Go Nutty Over Love with Rise of the Alpha Squirrel by Kate Lowell (guest post, excerpt and giveaway)

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Rise of the Alpha Squirrel (Nutty Romances #2) by Kate Lowell
 Release Date: February 25, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Kate Lowell
Cover Artist: Ana J. Phoenix

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Kate Lowell here today. Kate is the author of Rise of the Alpha Squirrel and has brought some lively excerpts for us. Welcome, Kate!

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The following excerpts are taken from the best-selling series ‘A Were’s Guide to Living in the Human World’ by Finnley Lakewood, Ph.D, and Gardenner Monk, Ph.D. Please don’t tell anyone where you got these excerpts—I had to take ridiculous risks to get my hands on these books and if they found me, they’d probably eat me.

Appendix B: marking your territory–long-standing tradition or unsightly behavior?

In the were community, scent marking is a common and generally understood occurrence. The differences in styles are generally overlooked, and scent-marking itself is generally encouraged in mixed population areas.  However, the human’s weak scenting capabilities often result in misunderstandings with particularly uncomfortable consequences.

For example, the typical carnivore uses specific pheromones found in urine to mark the perimeter of their established territory. In situations where many weres are living in close proximity, this is an essential step to preventing inter-were violence. However, humans and their essentially inoperative noses will inevitably fail to notice scent markers. Not only does this cause them to invade territories on a regular basis, but the necessary actions required to establish scent boundaries (peeing on fences, doors, walls, furniture, etc) often take on an entirely different appearance and, within their relatively uneducated culture, occasions various, but generally unpleasant, reactions.

In cases where your roommate or another human has caught you in the process of leaving scent pheromones in place, and in the situation where it causes an undesired reaction on the part of the human, your first line of defense should be…

Now more about Rise of the Alpha Squirrel….

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Blurb

Nathan’s met Vince’s family, but Vince hasn’t met Nathan’s, and Nathan would like to keep it that way. Holy smoked almonds, what else do you do when you know how completely nuts your relatives are?

Why, you ease your man into it, by introducing him to normal shifters. Assuming you can find any.

But with a gossipy werehummingbird spreading the news, and a pair of young red pandas wreaking havoc with their fainting goat friends, Nathan’s about ready to climb into a pine cone and pull it in after him.

Then the local playboy weremoose hears about Vince, and Nathan has to find his inner alpha or the consequences will be worse than moldy hazelnuts.

 

Pages or Words: Approximately 24,000 words
Series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment
 Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Excerpt

“Breakfast,” Vince said and waved a hand toward the table.

It was a squirrel’s wet dream. Or it would have been, if good-enough-to-lick-all-over-then-eat Vince hadn’t been sitting on the other side of the table. Maybe he could say it was any other squirrel’s wet dream—whatever, it was the breakfast of Roman squirrel emperors.

A pile of thick, deep brown pancakes waited for him in the center of his plate. Raspberries and shaved almonds sprawled seductively over the side of the stack, glistening with sweet, sticky maple syrup. Some of the less audacious ones hid decorously beneath the edges of a heavy daub of whipped cream, but Nathan knew they were there, waiting for him to discover them. He could see them peeking diffidently out, uncertain whether they wanted to attract his attention or not.

And the best part—the most gorgeous massage therapist in the world was sitting across the table from him, watching him with eyes that were dark in more than just the usual way. He looked at Nathan like Nathan was a maple walnut ice cream with a peanut dip. Like he wanted to lick him all over and suck bits of him deep inside his mouth…

Buy the book: ARe  | Amazon

 

Meet the Author

Kate Lowell lives on the east coast of Canada, in an old farm house that has way more personality than it has any right to. During the winter, she spends her time dreading snow, cursing at snow, shoveling snow, and scheming ways to shove it down the kids’ necks. During the summer, she prays not to have snow. 🙂

Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and–weirdly–romantic comedy. She’s willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with a Time Turner, or find her an agreeable Time Lord to sort out her scheduling problems.

You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.

Where to find the author:

 


BannerTemplate Tour Dates & Stops:

25-Feb: A.M. Leibowitz, Hearts on Fire, Velvet Panic, Nautical Star Books, MM Good Book Reviews

26-Feb: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Inked Rainbow Reads, KathyMac Reviews

27-Feb: Happily Ever Chapter, Molly Lolly, Love Bytes

29-Feb: Nephy Hart, Man2ManTastic, Bonkers About Books, Open Skye Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook

1-Mar: BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, V’s Reads, Boy Meets Boy Reviews

2-Mar: Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books, Alpha Book Club

Divine Magazine

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Giveaway

Enter to win a  Rafflecopter Prize: http://www.stuffedsafari.com/Plush-Ruby-throated-Hummingbird-Audubon-Bird-p/wr-83900.htm.   Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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Cover reveal for ‘6 Days to get Lucky’ by LE Franks (excerpt and giveaway)

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6 Days to Get Lucky ( A Nick Valentine Story #2) by LE Franks
Release Date: March 2, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: Wilde City Press

Blurb

Mixologist Nick Valentine never thought love was in the cards, but after a scorching Valentine’s Day kiss from bouncer Davis “FatBoy” Newman, he’s beginning to think it’s possible. After four weeks of dry spell, Nick’s losing patience—it’s time FatBoy stop acting the gentleman and just throw him over the bar or Nick may just change his mind.

All FatBoy wants is a shot at winning Nick’s heart. As long as meddling bosses, an Irish hurling team and a bar riot don’t ruin his chances forever, he might just get lucky and take the man of his dreams, home.

 

Pages or Words: 72,000 words
Series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment
 Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

Reaching across the empty bed next to me, I rode out the last waves of my dream alone. I could still feel his phantom kiss on my lips and the sensation of a hand stroking along my thigh.

The rest of it was just a blur of emotions and sticky residue on my sheets—though I could guess at it without much effort. FatBoy Newman had been a specter haunting me at work so it was no great leap to assume he’d shouldered his way into my dreams as well.

In fact, he was at the root of my problem: I’d been having a hell of a dry spell.

Four weeks of near misses had done nothing but stoke my bad mood and turn my balls a lovely shade of indigo that matched my jeans…

Four weeks of dashed hopes…

Four weeks since the most romantic kiss of my life…

Four weeks of nothing.

Fuck the South and its mythology of the Southern Gentleman—if FatBoy Newman didn’t stop treating me like a delicate flower and throw me up against a wall soon, I was going to explode.

It was six days until St. Patrick’s Day, and FatBoy had until then to make his move, or I was moving on.

Buy the book: Wilde City Press

 

BannerTemplateMeet the Author

LE Franks lives in the SF Bay area and writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated and sometimes a little bit dark. LE Franks is a best selling author and finalist for 2013 & 2014 Rainbow Awards. Her books are available through her publishers at MLR Press, Dreamspinner Press and Wilde City Press and Pride Publishing and online bookstores.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Making It Happen, Open Skye Book Reviews, , Full Moon Dreaming,

Molly Lolly, Happily Ever Chapter, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, A.M. Leibowitz, Outrageous Heroes, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Alpha Book Club, EE Montgomery, MM Good Book Reviews, Havan Fellows, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, V’s Reads, Inked Rainbow Reads

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a  Rafflecopter Prize: 6 Days to Valentine e-book & $5 amazon gift card for three total winners.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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