Category: Book Reviews

In Our Book Spotlight: Theory Unproven by Lilian Francis

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Theory Unproven by Lilian Francis

Love Lane Books

 

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About Theory Unproven…

Working with elephants in their natural habitat has always been Eric Phillips dream. Getting what he’s always desired introduces him to Tyaan Bouwer, the bush pilot that flies in his supplies, and Eric discovers the allure of South Africa goes beyond the wildlife and the scenery.

But in an area where bushveld prejudices and hatred bleed across the borders, realising their love will be a hard fought battle. Keeping hold of it might just kill them.

Theory Unproven by Lilian Francis
Love Lane Books
Cover Artist :  Meredith Russell
Sales Links can be found here at Love Lane Books

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About Lillian Francis

An avid reader, Lillian Francis was always determined she wanted to write, but a ‘proper’ job and raising a family distracted her for over a decade. Over the years and thanks to the charms of the Internet, Lillian realized she’d been writing at least one of her characters in the wrong gender. Ever since, she’s been happily letting her ‘boys’ run her writing life.

Lillian now divides her time between family, a job and the numerous men in her head all clamouring for ‘their’ story to be told.

Lillian lives in an imposing castle on a wind-swept desolate moor or in an elaborate ‘shack’ on the edge of a beach somewhere depending on her mood, with the heroes of her stories either chained up in the dungeon or wandering the shack serving drinks in nothing but skimpy barista aprons.

In reality, she would love to own a camper van and to live by the sea.

You can read more about Lillian here:
Blog:  http://lillianfrancis.blogspot.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lillian.francis.100
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LillianFrancis_

Theory Unproven Excerpt

Preparing to ask the stranger his name, Eric opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted by a doleful bleat. Startled, he glanced over his shoulder, scanning the airfield expecting to find signs of a wayward sheep. The forlorn stuttering cry came again, and Eric whipped back round, suspiciously eyeing a crate that was securely strapped to the internal wall of the plane.

“Goat,” said the pilot—Eric had decided that’s what he was—as he came back down the ramp.

The deep timbre of that one word surprised Eric. It was rough and low, with an unfamiliar accent Eric’s subconscious demanded to hear more of. That wasn’t likely to happen, though, because the pilot was already surveying his cargo with his back to Eric. He bent to hoist a crate into his arms, leaving Eric to stare dry-mouthed at the enticing pull of khaki for several seconds. Then the pilot straightened and carried the crate into the plane.

Eric wondered if he should offer to help, but despite the ease with which the crate had been hefted into the air, Eric thought they would probably be too heavy and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Not in front of this man.

The blond wore the almost obligatory light khaki bush clothes similar to his own uniform The Foundation had provided. Eric hadn’t noticed a logo on his shirt, but he could hope. If this man worked for The Foundation, Eric could at least enjoy the view, since it was unlikely he was gay. He hadn’t even looked twice at Eric. Not that Eric considered himself drop-dead gorgeous or anything, but he was used to getting his fair share of interest back home in England.

Eric caught a glimpse of Akibo gesticulating wildly at the cab driver. His holdalls were piled at Akibo’s feet, Eric noticed thankfully. At least if the altercation didn’t go well and the cab driver took off, he wouldn’t abscond with Eric’s luggage.

The hollow echo of footfalls on the ramp drew Eric’s attention back to the pilot. Tiredness was pulling on Eric’s nerves, leaving him out of sorts, and the lack of conversation was doing nothing to ease his irritability.

Taking the bull by the horns, Eric graced the pilot with the brightest smile he could muster. “So, do you work for The Foundation too?”

“No.” The man’s stride didn’t even falter as he continued toward the next crate.

Not chatty, then. Downright rude, in fact.

The firm slap of a hand on his back caught him just off centre, almost pitching him forward, and Akibo’s fingers curled over his shoulder and squeezed.

“I see you’ve met Tyaan. Tyaan Bouwer. He’s the local freight pilot. He’ll run your supplies into the research station every week.”

It was almost as if the pilot finally saw Eric as anything other than an annoyance for the first time. Tyaan stepped toward him, straightening to his full height, and Eric resisted the urge to check out the breadth of his chest, instead raising his gaze the few inches’ difference in their height to meet Tyaan’s eyes head-on.

“Tyaan, this is Eric. Eric Philips. He’s the new researcher out at olifant velde.” Akibo turned back to Eric. “That’s the local name for your part of the reserve. It means elephant fields.”

“Howzit.” Tyaan stuck out his hand. Eric extended his own automatically, and Tyaan pressed their palms together, enveloping Eric’s fingers in warmth. He gave Eric’s hand a short, sharp shake before releasing him from the firm grip. “The elephant man, hey?”

Eric smiled. “I know I’m no oil painting, but I hope I’m not that bad.”

Tyaan’s top-to-toe appraisal was so fleeting that Eric thought he’d imagined it. An expression skittered across the pilot’s face. Interest, curiosity—Eric wasn’t sure. It manifested itself as a bright spark in his eyes and the faint quirk of his lips, as if he were biting the inside of his cheek. The look vanished before Eric could really work out what it meant, but the amber-coloured eyes still seemed to hold a welcome within them.

“Tyaan’s a man of few words, but you won’t find a finer bush pilot. He’s reliable too. He’ll never leave you wanting.”

Wanting. Despite the pilot’s brusque manner, Eric wasn’t surprised he already wanted to press Tyaan up against the shiny metal body of his plane.

“I’m going up front,” Akibo said, blissfully unaware of the thoughts rampaging through Eric’s head. At least Eric hoped that was the case, since he followed that statement with “Coming, Eric?”

In his dreams, maybe.

Journey Into the Darkness with Louise Lyons “in Darkest Peru” (author guest post and contest)

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Synopsis

Shy and geeky Rhys White, has recently been ditched by his boyfriend of five years. On top of that heís been made redundant from his job as a computer programmer.

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Tired of being boring and unadventurous, he throws caution to the winds and buys a plane ticket to Peru.

Rhysí adventure in Peru starts out well, but then disaster strikes. All of his belongings are stolen. Everything is goneópassport, wallet, phone, clothing, the lot.

Stranded in Cuzco, not too far from the famous Machu Picchu, Rhys tries to find someone to help him. He’s about to give up, when a sexy Brazilian named Rafael, comes to his rescueÖ

Buy links

Giveaway

Prizes:  $20 WIP Gift Card,$5 Amazon Gift Card,1 x eBook copy of In Darkest Peru and1 x eBook copy of Conflicted or†Second Bite of the Cherry (winnerís choice)

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Cherished childhood memories and my early writing attempts by Louisa Lyons

One of my best memories of being a small child, was something that I believe had a bearing on me becoming a writer. My grandmother (known as Nana) on my mother’s side lived about 5 miles from where I lived with my parents, and every weekend we went to spend the day with her. But at Christmas, my dad would fetch Nana and she’d stay with us for a few days, sleeping on the sofa.

As most children do, I’d get up early in the morning and creep into the lounge where Nana was sleeping, and she let me sit under the blanket near her feet while she told me fantasy stories. Usually they were about me, but with magical powers. Imagine a little girl who could grow wings when she wanted, and fly off with the birds, looking down at everything below and going to visit anyone she wanted?

Stories like this inspired me to make up some of my own, and by the time I reached 8 years old, I learned to use my mum’s old manual typewriter so I could put the stories on paper rather than keep them in my head.

From 5 years old onward, I had horse-riding lessons and every Sunday without fail, my dad would drive me to the riding school a few miles away from our house. I remember one bad winter where we had so much snow, Dad couldn’t get the car out of the drive, so rather than let me miss my riding lesson, he went to the local farm and borrowed their 4 wheel drive vehicle so he could get me to the riding school. No one else’s parents did that, so I had one-to-one riding fun that day, and I was able to choose which horse I wanted to ride. I learn to groom it, tack up and then got to ride as well that day. I think the session was way longer than the usual hour!

My horse-riding featured in my writing in the early stages, and the first stories I churned out on that old typewriter, were about little girls and ponies, and eventually teenage girls with horses.

I had a great love for animals, and still do, and I seem to remember writing not only about horses, but other creatures too. Aged about 12, I entered a writing competition in my English class and my story about a fox cub and her adventures in the wild, imaginatively titled “A Nature Hole of Survival” won the competition. I didn’t handle my 15 minutes of fame too well at the time, however. My English teacher called me up on stage in the drama hall to receive my prize, and I was so embarrassed I stood there laughing hysterically and was unable to say anything! Hopefully things have improved since then.

About the author

Louise Lyons comes from a family of writers. Her mother has a number of poems published in poetry anthologies, her aunt wrote poems for the Church, and her grandmother sparked her inspiration with tales of fantasy. Louise first ventured into writing short stories at the grand old age of eight, mostly about little girls and ponies. She branched into romance in her teens, and MM romance a few years later, but none of her work saw the light of day until she discovered Fan Fiction in her late twenties.

Posting stories based on some of her favorite movies, provoked a surprisingly positive response from readers. This gave Louise the confidence to submit some of her work to publishers, and made her take her writing ìhobbyî more seriously.

Louise lives in the UK, about an hour north of London, with a mad Dobermann, and a collection of tropical fish and tarantulas. She works in the insurance industry by day, and spends every spare minute writing. She is a keen horse-rider, and loves to run long distance. Some of her best writing inspiration comes to her, when her feet are pounding the open road. She often races into the house afterward, and grabs pen and paper to make notes.

Louise has always been a bit of a tomboy, and one of her other great loves is cars and motorcycles. Her car and bike are her pride and joy, and she loves to exhibit the car at shows, and take off for long days out on the bike, with no one for company but herself.

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A MelanieM Review: Jens & Elliot (Storming Love: Blizzard #1) by Sara York

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Jens and Elliot Storming Love CoverA sudden blizzard shuts down the airport in Boston leaving two men stranded.  Writer Jens Arnesen in town for a now cancelled workshop is only looking for a taste of the city, a place to experience Boston. When a friend offers a room in a house he owns for the night, Jens thinks he’s in for a lonely if uneventful night.  Then a naked man steps out of the bathroom in what Jens thought was an empty room.

Elliot Matthews flight home to Atlanta is cancelled due to snow and needs a place to stay until the storm is over.  A friend of his co-owns rentals in the area and offers Elliot one of the rooms for the night.  What could possibly go wrong?  Stepping out of the bathroom and finding a gorgeous and shocked man staring at your naked body.

But what started out as an awkward, embarrassing introduction turns into something more as the storm rages on.  When the storm throws them together, can Jens and Elliot make the most of the situation?

Jens and Elliot (Storming Love: Blizzard #1) by Sara York is a very sweet short story with a few surprising quirks that elevated it above other cute stories of the same trope.  I have to admit I do love a strangers thrown together by adversity theme.  And given current weather conditions here in the eastern  part of the US, this story and series feels very current. Poor Boston indeed.

Two men in town for meetings/conferences are stranded by a blizzard when the Boston airport shuts down.  Each knows someone who rents out rooms in houses they own and each makes arrangements for the night…for the exact same room as each had talked to a difference half of the partnership who owns the houses.  All reasonable, all believable plot elements which I liked.  Sometimes these types of stories can get far fetched in the plot mechanisms that throw people together, but this absolutely works.

But the interesting bits start as Elliot walks out of the shower (naked of course) and finds Jens staring away, shocked to find someone else in the apartment.  Turns out that Elliot is “grower”, not a “show-er” to use the vernacular.  Elliot is embarrassed over the small size of his penis when flaccid.  When was the last time you saw that little character development in a romance story? Hmmm?  Not often, I’m betting.  With this unexpected dimension to Elliot’s character and physical makeup, Sara York gives this situation and subject  a delicate and compassionate treatment. And with a slight (no pun intended) bit of humor. I thought this was the nicest element here and it helps add depth and realism to the intimacy and developing relationship between Jens and Elliot.

Can a storm and close contact develop into something lasting?  Perhaps.  Sara York makes a very good argument for the continued feelings that Jens and Elliot have and the burgeoning relationship born out of a blizzard.

Need a short, lovely little story?  Perfect for your winter time (or any time) reading?  Then pick up Jens and Elliot, the first of the Storming Love: Blizzard collection. It’s a recommended read!

 

Cover art by Kris Jacen:  Same cover throughout the series, just the names of the couple switched out. Does well to brand the series. Brrr.

Sales Links:   MLR Press LLC      All Romance (ARe)         Amazon          Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published January 2015 by MLR Press
ISBN13MLR1020140365
edition languageEnglish
seriesStorming Love: Blizzard #1

Books in the Storming Love: Blizzard series are:

Jens & Elliot (Storming Love: Blizzard #1)
Kimo & Mike (Storming Love: Blizzard #2)
Seth and Casey (Storming Love, Blizzard #3)
Layne, River & Damion (Storming Love: Blizzard #4) by Vicktor Alexander (release date: 2/13/15)
Gavin & Morgan (Storming Love: Blizzard #5) by Nicole Dennis (release date: 2/20/15)
Stokes & Ford (Storming Love: Blizzard #6) by Jackie Nacht (release date: 2/27/15)

A Sammy Review: Chance of the Heart by Kade Boehme

Rating 4 stars out of 5

And this was why he couldn’t stop himself. He felt like he was anchored, protected against the battering winds of the uncertainty of his mapped-out life. He didn’t have to provide or take care of. Someone was taking care of him and his needs and letting him surrender. And he had no clue that it was something he’d want, much less that it’d be such a relief.

Chance of the Heart coverChance Becket has never really questioned the path laid out before him. He knows what he’s supposed to do – run the ranch, marry Caitlin, have kids and live happily ever after. That’s always been the way it is, except for when Caitlin throws a wrench in those plans and decides that a break will do them both some good.

He’s not sure why he ends up at Bar None, but maybe it’s some twisted game fate plays. There he comes across Bradley Heart, a man he grew up with. The chemistry they have is sizzling, but being gay doesn’t exactly fit in the plans anywhere. But neither of them can deny they’re drawn together, it’s just a matter of if Chance is willing to divert from the path and go his own way, and if that way includes Bradley.

“You don’t have to follow the mapped out path. I know it’s easier for everyone else but maybe you want more than easy. Some people just want more.” Sometimes we just need more.

There are a few things I love in stories. I love a good cowboy, and this story provided me with that. I love a nice dash of kink and a whole lot of heat, and this book also provided that. I also love a good love story, and I do believe that you can mark that as checked here.

To get the negative out of the way though, I will make a point of saying right away that I think this book needs another round or two of edits. It wasn’t just commas that were missing here and there, but also some misspelled words, sentences worded awkwardly, and even a point where there was an obvious and distracting POV switch. I understand that self publishing can be difficult, and finding a good editor even more so, but I was really sad to see the number of mistakes in this book. I can say that sometimes as an editor you can get caught up in the story and miss a lot when that happens, I just feel that the amount missed here was far too much.

But back to the positives, because this book had a lot. I enjoyed the premise, but I wonder if maybe the preacher son idea was originally made to be a more prominent theme. Still, it worked out well. This wasn’t a story where everything ended perfectly, but it also wasn’t a story where the angst consumed the happier moments.

Boehme managed to balance the drama very well with all the other aspects, which I greatly appreciated. To top it off, this isn’t a hard read by any means. It’s the kind of story that when if you have a lazy Saturday afternoon, you could read in one sitting and be content.

The cover art by Allison Cassatta is nice and simple. It’s fitting for the story, and while I sometimes have an issue with just slapping a person on a cover, I feel it works here. I also really enjoy the color combination. It’s warming, which only serves to support the story inside the cover.

Overall, a good book, and just a reminder for me to keep an eye out for Boehme’s future stories, as I’m sure they’ll be wonderful.

Sales Links:          Amazon   Buy It Here  No ARe link found.

Book Details:

ebook, 254 pages
Published January 26th 2015 (first published January 22nd 2015)
edition languageEnglish

In Our Book Spotlight: Jeanne Marcella’s The Phoenix Embryo (Seasons of the Phoenix #1) (contest)

spotlight on booksThe Phoenix Embryo (Seasons of the Phoenix #1)
Author Jeanne Marcella
Release Date: January 2015
Goodreads Link

PhoenixEmbryo-800 Cover reveal and Promotional

 

Author Bio:

Jeanne Marcella was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Granted unlimited access to books at a very early age via the library, she quickly acquired a fondness for creating her own stories through word and drawing.

Going against the grain of mainstream top ten fantasy, she writes eccentric, GLBTQ dark fantasy dramas not for the faint of heart.

Currently, she reworks her first novel about half-breed centaurs into a 2nd edition.

Our Author Mini Q and A!

Q. Three things on your bucket list?

I only have two: Write my books, and get back into drawing.

Q. You meet a time traveler who will take you ‘anywhen’. Do you go to the past or the future?

That’s a tough one. Would I go back in time and be Da Vinci’s apprentice, or finally learn the truth of all those Bigfoot and ancient astronaut conspiracy theories? Decisions decisions.

Q. Cake or pie? Cake

Q. Dog or cat? I’m a cat person now.

Where to find the author:
Blog: https://aforgeofphoenix.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.JeanneMarcella.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanne.marcella.98
(I unpublished my FB fan page)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AForgeOfPhoenix
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GoddessTriad/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110464796341873472652/posts
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/AForgeOfPhoenix

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Publisher: Jeanne Marcella
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics

Sales Links: 

The Phoenix Embryo Synopsis:

Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Acanthus Breese and his yellow-robed peers have survived without an adult presence for seven years. They’ve scavenged. Endured madness, starvation, and murder after the adults imprisoned and abandoned them without a backward glance. They’ve clawed their way to civilization and questionable sanity at the guidance of one of their own.

Thirteen-year-old Edward Dasheel is a direct descendant of the goddess Staritti and the red phoenix god, Dasheel. Because of Edward’s love and leadership, Acanthus and the other boys know that despite their regretful crime of harming Staritti and driving her away, hope for redemption remains. 

Acanthus knows Edward better than anyone; he knows Edward hides dark secrets about their exile, the adults, and specifically about him. So it is terrifying when suddenly the adults return, pushing themselves back into their lives. What do they want after all these years? And why?

Categories: Bisexual, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Drama, M/M Romance, Steampunk, For Mature Readers

Excerpt from The Phoenix Embryo…


 Acanthus danced around in a chaotic circle, waving his arms and pointing out the window. “Dee! He took Minos. He had wings! He flew! Priests! By Staritti, there were adults in Regrets!”

“Shh. Shhh. It’s all right.”

“How can it be all right?” Acanthus yelled. He paced. He prowled. He was helpless. Edward made no move to restrain him. “They throw us away, ignore us, and then pick us off! How much more can we endure? You know we’ll never see Minos again, Dee! We’ll never see him again! Just like all the others!”

“I know,” Edward answered in a helpless, grating whisper.

“Minos didn’t have anyone,” Acanthus said to himself. “No one, for the last seven years. I feel so bad; I could’ve done something. I could’ve been his friend.”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

Horror washed through him. “Yes, I can. This is my fault. I wanted to break something today. I broke Minos.”

Edward put a calming hand to his shoulder. “Dearest, it’s not your fault.”

“We don’t know that for certain. We all should know better by now. All of us. We have to stick together, make sure everyone’s okay.”

Pages or Words: 128,000 words

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Tour Dates: February 19, 2015

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Velvet Panic, Inked Rainbow Reads, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Molly Lolly, Fallen Angel Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Bending The Bookshelf, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Nephylim

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: PDF Copy of ‘The Phoenix Embryo’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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A MelanieM Review: Right Here Waiting by K. E. Belledonne

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Right Here Waiting cover

Author’s synopsis: 

In 1942, Ben Williams had it all – a fulfilling job, adoring friends and the love of his life, Pete Montgomery.

But World War II looms over them. When Pete follows his conscience and joins the Army Air Force as a bomber pilot, Ben must find the strength to stay behind without the love of his life, the dedication to stay true and the courage he never knew he’d need to discover his own place in the war effort.

Good friends help keep him afloat, until a chance meeting on the home front brings him an unexpected ally—one who will accompany him from the stages of New York City to the hell of the European warfront in search of his love.

Written in the style of a 1940s film, Right Here Waiting is an homage to classic wartime romances from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

 

Right Here Waiting by K. E. Belledonne is a first novel (as far as I can tell) by this author.  I have used their blurb and note to highlight one of my issues with this novel.  Supposedly written in the overly dramatic style of a 1940’s screenplay, this story suffers from some of the same excess that those movies and screenplays exhibited, to the occasional detriment of what was an otherwise terrific story.

That’s not to say that I didn’t love parts of this book, because I did.  Some sections and elements had me in tears they were so well done.  But I had to wade through some not so fabulous scenes, elements,  and dialog to get there.  Let’s take a closer look.

First of all, I admire Belledonne’s taking up the challenge of not only writing a historical romance but one written in a particular style.  Double the challenge, double the courage, double the way a story could fall short.  Historical fiction is one of the hardest things in the world to get right, doubly so (again) to do it in your first novel.  The author must be able to fold those historic elements from the era they have chosen into their story in such a way that its not an information dump.  Instead those pieces of history must be subtly fitted into the plot in such a way that the reader absorbs the information as a natural part of the narrative..  What the author shouldn’t do is make a reader feel as though they have been whapped over the head by historical “things”  throughout the story.  Pointing out that Ben’s large wooden radio with its glass tubes warming up is a little too explanatory.  Ben would have simply turned on the radio, not been aware of the cabinetry or other elements, rickety table included.  For me, it felt that everything had one or two or three more adjectives than was necessary (here and throughout the story) in hopes to make everything seem more authentic.  This included, unfortunately, people talking about doodlebugs, robot bombs and buzzing when all around are screaming and dying.  Falling bombs are killing people and destroying everything around them.  What type of bomb is probably the last thing anyone would care about. Sigh. The author goes overboard in trying to make the reader see every historical detail she has researched and included.  And that bogs down the emotional flow of the story.  And yes, this is a pet peeve of mine, if you couldn’t already tell.

And then there is the dialog, at least the dialog from the “civilian” scenes.  At one point Ben reminds Peter to “stay hydrated”, something I’m not sure they would have said in the 40’s.  Plus there’s an awful lot of weeping going on (not that men can’t cry, far from it), no, more that its done in the overly dramatic manner you might expect from a 40’s drama and damsel in distress. The situation was poignant enough and didn’t need that embellishment (that’s what it felt like) for the reader to find it powerful.

Now on to what I loved.  The war scenes.  Once Belledonne whisks her characters away from New York City and into the various locations of WWII, then this  story starts to come alive.  Pete’s squadron and their camaraderie is wonderful.  I felt like I became intimately acquainted with these men, their aircraft and their stories.  I cared about them and their questionable survival up in the air against the enemy.   Ben too solidified into someone I truly liked and committed to once he became a part of a sort of USO traveling show.  His relationship with the effervescent and fabulous Gwen Andrews (how I loved this character) vibrated with life and energy!  They were fun, snarky, real, and you felt in the moment with them and the rest of the show troopers.  The same goes for Ginger, a good friend of Pete and Ben’s back home, who went to war with Pete as a nurse.  Their relationship felt as though they were truly old, close friends and their dialog and scenes not only reflected that but made us believe in it as well.

Looking back, I wish that a great editor had made one or two more passes over this manuscript, that could have solved most of the issues that I felt kept this from being a 5 star story. Belledonne can right some fantastically believable relationships, her dialog can snap with verve, and her scenes make you sob or laugh depending upon the situation.   And I appreciate the chances she took in her style of writing and era.  From looking at her website, it’s clear that the 40’s hold a special place in her heart so I hope she will continue to put her own touch on M/M historic fiction.  I look forward to seeing what new stories K. E. Belledonne will give us.

I do recommend this story, not every issue that bothered me will bother another reader.  Pick it up and decide for yourself.

 

Cover Artist Colleen, cover design by buckeyegrrl.  What a gorgeous cover.  Perfect in style and content, its definitely one of my favorites this year.

Sales Links:  Interlude Press    Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published February 10th 2015 by Interlude Press
original titleRight Here Waiting
ISBN 1941530281 (ISBN13: 9781941530283)
edition languageEnglish

In The Spotlight: A Restored Man (The Men of Halfway House #3) by Jamie Reese

Title: A Restored Man
Series: The Men of Halfway House #3
Author: Jaime Reese
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 17, 2015
Cole Renzo thinks his greatest challenge is to behave for the remainder of his term at Halfway House. Until he meets his new boss, Ty Calloway, a man who ticks off every box on Cole’s list of interests.
A sought-after restorer and customizer of exotic and collectible cars, Ty had enough confidence to command what he wanted in life, until one fateful night changed everything. Almost two years later, he’s slowly rebuilding his life with great control. He’s defied the odds and works tirelessly to be the man he once was—but he still feels broken.
Cole’s candor and unfiltered personality awaken Ty’s barely-remembered desire to greet each new day with a smile, while Ty’s unwavering acceptance of Cole’s quirks and brash humor makes Cole feel as if he fits in for the first time in far too long. When a nemesis threatens Ty’s personal restoration and the things he holds dear, Cole is determined to protect their relationship, even if that means sacrificing everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.
But Ty will have to let his guard down, surrender control, and admit he needs Cole first, even if that puts himself at risk of breaking beyond repair.

 

Available at the following:

Chapter 1 – A Restored Man © Jaime Reese 2015
The music reverberated off the walls and
filtered back through Cole’s body. The sounds of Pitbull’s “Timber”
had him gyrating in the kitchen as he reached into the refrigerator. He grabbed
the mozzarella then did exactly as the song commanded after shutting the door.
He spun his body around repeatedly, holding the bag of cheese above his head
while his hips arched up and down, completely seduced by the pounding beat of
the song.
He closed his eyes. His heart thumped in unison
with the beat, guiding his thick, compact, toned body in the fast-paced thrust
of his hips as if he were pushing into the welcoming heat of a lover.
The pace slowed and so did his body, in
complete sync with the rhythm. His hips rounded deeply, seductively, giving a
show that would always excite more than the traditional foreplay.
Cole Renzo had some moves and he knew it.
The song sped up again and he glided barefoot
across the tiled kitchen floor to reach the garlic cloves from the basket in
the corner.
“Hey, you,” Matt said, entering the
kitchen, speaking loud enough for his voice to travel above the music.
Cole looked over at Matthew Doner, owner of the
halfway house where he stayed, and smiled as his body moved to the rhythm of
the song, not faltering a single beat with the interruption. He knew Matt loved
to dance and had caught him doing his own version of a solo when he thought no
one was watching. He dropped the garlic cloves on the counter and bent his
finger in a come here motion,
swinging his hips in a fluid Salsa-like move as he walked toward Matt slowly.
Matt laughed and took two steps forward. Cole pulled him closer, spun him once
then wrapped his arm around Matt’s waist and started to dance to the faster
thump of the song.
The laughter echoed in the kitchen as they moved
in perfect time with the fast-paced rhythm nearing the end of the tune. Matt
held up his arm and Cole circled with the expert elegance of a seasoned dancer,
then pulled Matt close, stepped to the side and spun Matt in the same fashion.
“What the fuck!” Julian thundered
when he entered the kitchen.
They froze at the sound of Julian’s tone, just
as the song ended. Cole’s hand still rested on Matt’s waist as they tried to
settle their breathing, the absence of music magnifying the harsh puff of each
exhale.
“Hey!” Cole responded cheerfully. “Matt
and I were getting it on in here. Matt’s got some hip action that would make a—”
Matt’s hand came up around the back of Cole’s
head to cover his mouth, stopping him midsentence. What the hell? He was just going to compliment Matt on his
seductive dance moves.
Cole glanced at Julian. His golden skin glowed,
and he looked as if he had actually swelled an inch or two while standing there.
His nostrils flared like a bull’s. His usual intimidating green-eyed glare was
more vicious than usual.
“What. The. Fuck,” Julian said in
that controlled tone that couldn’t hide the undercurrent of his bubbling rage.
He looked like he wanted to murder someone. Correction. Based on the white-knuckled
fists he held at his sides, he was probably going to beat the shit out of some
poor soul.
Murder would show mercy.
Matt’s hand couldn’t hide the smile Cole
imagined was plastered on his face. Poor
sorry ass idiot who dared piss off Julian Capeletti. He looked up at the green-eyed guy who towered over
Cole’s five-nine stature.
“J, calm down,” Matt said to his
partner in his usual calming tone.
Yeah, good luck with that. Julian was about to
go ape shit on someone and Cole was going to have a front row seat to that
show. Cole’s stomach fluttered and he started shifting his weight from foot to
foot. He couldn’t wait to see Julian actually lose it for once.
Julian’s jaw clenched and his fists tightened.
Wait a
minute.
Cole looked back and forth between Julian and Matt. Julian’s not pissed at
Matt—he never was. They had one of those sickly sweet, always romantic I love
you lick fest relationships you secretly want but would never openly admit. Why
was Julian so mad? And who the hell was he mad at? There was no one else in the
kitchen.
Shit. Cole slowly
registered how his actions or words may have been received. He instantly
released Matt as if his fingers were singed and put his hands behind his back.
Matt removed his hand from Cole’s mouth. Cole took a few steps back and raised
his hands in a surrender-like fashion, hoping to calm the golden beast that
seemed to be growing in width with each passing second.
“We were just dancing,” Cole said
calmly. He knew better than to joke with Julian while he was in this state of
mind. Stick to the facts. “I was
making dinner…your favorite actually.” He walked over slowly toward the
stovetop like someone stepping away from a wild animal. He kept his focus
trained on Julian as he lifted the pot tops on the stove.
Matt neared Julian and placed his hands on the
stretched black T-shirt covering his broad chest. “J, I heard the music
and came in here. You know I can’t resist a dance,” he said teasingly as
he stroked Julian’s chest. He then smiled and placed a kiss on Julian’s neck.
Julian’s focus shifted quickly from Cole to
Matt and back to Cole. Within a second, his glare had changed. Matt kissed him again
and Julian’s eyes partially closed but snapped open, re-focusing on Cole as his
target.
Matt’s hand reached up Julian’s neck to the
back of his shaved head.
Julian’s eyes closed and his head lolled to the
side, seeking Matt’s kisses up his neck then along his jawline. In a flash, he
grabbed Matt by the hand and pulled him out the kitchen. Matt quickly glanced
back to Cole with a huge grin on his face.
Cole sighed with relief as his entire body
relaxed.
Crisis averted.
He always seemed to get a rise out of Julian
but it was never intentional. Not really. He wouldn’t deny he occasionally had
some fun at Julian’s expense. He just had the worst case of foot in mouth syndrome. It seemed his
mouth worked much faster than his brain. He would never say or do anything to
intentionally hurt someone, his mother had taught him better than that. But
with a thousand different thoughts racing in his mind at any given moment,
picking the right thing to say didn’t always work out in his favor.
Or as Julian said, he had no social filter
between his brain and mouth.
Cole returned his focus to the dinner he was
preparing. Food. God, he loved to cook and was thankful as hell Matt and Julian
allowed him to tinker in the kitchen. He didn’t want to stir anything up—aside
from the sauce he was preparing—but he needed to burn off the nervous energy
that thrummed through his body on a constant basis. He pressed the button on
the iPod docking station to jump to the next playlist and lowered the volume.
The smooth sounds of Maroon 5 streamed through the speakers and eased his
nerves as he continued to stir the sauce. Visions of Adam Levine singing and
dancing came to mind. Mmm. The things
he’d love to do to that man.
He was placing the garlic rolls in the oven
some time later when Julian walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator
to grab a bottled water. Cole closed the oven and stilled, hoping for some
magic superpower that would render him invisible. He couldn’t abandon dinner
and risk it getting ruined or, even worse, messing up Halfway House, the place
he had called his home for the last two months. Shit.
Cole turned, feeling as if he should say
something, but shut his mouth almost as quickly to avoid aggravating the
situation. He sucked at apologies and usually ended up shoving his other foot into
his mouth as well.
Julian glared at him just as Matt entered the
kitchen with flushed cheeks, a dreamy smile, and swollen lips. Matt hummed as
he tugged his shirt to straighten it. When he looked up and saw both Cole and
Julian looking at him, his eyes rounded and he quickly turned and exited the
kitchen.
Midday
booty call. Busted.
A slow smile began to spread across Cole’s
face. He glanced over at Julian who still had a death glare focused on him.
Julian pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you
dare go there,” he said before turning away. “And pull up your pants.
I can see your damn Spider-Man underwear.”
“Hey, don’t rag on the superheroes. Oh,
and by the way…”
Julian turned and gave Cole a pointed glare.
Cole did a chin up gesture toward the door
where Matt had been only moments ago. “You can thank me later.”
The muscles in Julian’s jaw flexed. He inhaled
sharply, shook his head, and left the kitchen without saying another word.
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ARe

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Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

 

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In Our Book Spotlight: Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo, An Interview with Gunner! (contest)

spotlight on books

In Our Book Spotlight: Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo

ChaseCapture Cover

Interview with Gunner from Hurri Cosmo’s Chase and Capture!

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. I suppose 20 years in the military. I really liked the idea of fighting for my country, for freedom.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. Peace. And not necessarily world peace. I simply like the quiet.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Happy, I think. Got my man at home and home is on a quiet island.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. I have a pen light that Mitch gave to me before…well, before he died. I needed one and he gave me his to use. I told him I would return it but he said to keep it. Think of it as an early birthday gift, he said. I called him a cheapskate, he called me an ingrate. We laughed, ended up wrestling each other…then did other things. But…but then he was killed. The very next week, actually. Pen light means…well, it means a lot.

Q. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A. Oh, that is, by far, Camden. Totally crazy about the little shit.

Q. What is it that you most dislike?
A. Dishonesty. Sometimes that can be a moving target depending on who you talk to but for me honesty is rare. So that makes trust hard.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Well, that’s changed a bit. It used to be boredom. Yeah, that’s right, boredom. I used to do a lot of stupid things to keep it at bay. But now, losing Camden. No, not losing him, disappointing him. That would be my biggest fear.

Q. Which living person do you most despise?
A. There isn’t anyone. I probably could have said Ben Tarry. You probably expected me to. But I don’t hate him. Not anymore. Besides, forgiving someone doesn’t mean you condone what they did. It simply releases you from the burden of hate. And yes, it’s a burden; a self-destructive burden to hate someone.

Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. That I couldn’t have stopped the massacre of my comrades. They trusted me to keep them safe. I failed.

Q. Where would you like to live?
A. Right where I am, on Silver Wildwoods Island. I love it there. It’s beautiful.

Q. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
A. Never being able to love or never being truly loved. Never understanding love. That’s over now, thanks to Camden. He’s shown me what happiness is. I love that. I love that I am happy.

Q. What is the quality you most like in a man?
A. Like I said before, honesty.

Q. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
A. Same thing.

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A. That one day in my past. If I could change that…well, things would be different I guess. So maybe not, but on the surface, without thinking about it, yeah. That one day.

Chase and Capture Slide

More about Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo!

Publisher: Amber Allure Publishing
Release Date: February 1, 2015

About Chase and Capture…

It was only a game, right? An adult twist on “Capture the Flag”. Very adult, actually. Especially the “flag” and where it went. In fact, the only similarity between the kid version and the adult version was you still needed to capture your opponent’s flag to win. So how the hell had Camden ended up here? Oh yeah, that’s right, Tanner, Camden’s good buddy from college. He was not going to let Camden waste another birthday. In fact, he was hell-bent on getting Camden laid. So much so, the idiot set up this entire weekend gig. And that’s where Camden found himself now; on a remote island, crashing through the woods, playing a chase and capture game, trying like hell to stay ahead of his pursuer.

But why was he the one being chased? Why was Camden the prey and that big, sexy, dark haired, muscle bound, relentless god of a man, Gunner, the hunter? It should be the other way around because it was Camden’s birthday, damn it! Well, thankfully there were going to be three rounds played because it looked like Camden was going down before even reaching the first check point. Yep. Going down on all fours, flag confiscated and…well, let’s just say he would be screwed. 

So… what was the down side of losing again?

Sales Links:

Contest:  Hurri Cosmo is  like to give away a copy of How West Was Won. Here’s a link to the Goodreads page . If you would like to enter the contest, leave a comment for a chance to win.  Contest ends 2/20 midnight eastern time.

About Hurri Cosmo :

Hurri Cosmo lives in Minnesota where she holds tight to the idea that there, where it’s cold a good part of the year, she won’t age as fast. Yep, she avoids the truth as much as she avoids mirrors. But one of the reasons she loves writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, she doesn’t mind “real life” and she does try to at least keep it in mind when she writes her stories, but she truly loves creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every – single – time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason she loves reading this genre, too. Give her a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and her computer, whether she is reading or writing, and she will entertain herself for hours. The fact she actually gets paid to do it is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.

Links to my sites:

Website: http://hurricosmo.webs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialHurriCosmo
Blog: http://hurricosmo.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/?lang=en
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466687.Hurri_Cosmo