Rolling Thunder, Memorial Weekend and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Thoughts on Memorial Day…

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep – Mary Frye (1932)

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow;
I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain;
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush;
I am in the graceful rush.

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.

I am the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

The month of May has always been a month of celebrations, from Mother’s Day to birthdays to important anniversaries. For me and mine, May is a time for family, either by choice or blood, and of any configuration.  For me, it is a time to celebrate those that I love, whether it is their birth, or mine and my sister’s (for my Mother), and anniversaries which helped bring all of us together.  And if the weather cooperates, than even my gardens appear to be celebrating as the azaleas, dogwoods, and all the flowers burst into pastel hues in anticipation of the intense colors of summer.

With all of these emotions and thoughts directed towards celebrating those we love for most of the month, it  seems more than fitting to end May with Memorial Day, a day dedicated to remembrance of those who lost their lives keeping us safe and making it possible to celebrate all those birthdays, and anniversaries of people and  families we hold so dear.  My grandfather is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and this year, we buried my uncle close to him in a ceremony so moving that people were stopped all over the vast landscape as the sounds of the gun salute rang out over the hills and the trumpet played Taps.

Rolling Thunder passes by my parents farm every year on their way into the District and my father, a veteran of the Korean war, goes outside and salutes them as they pass by.  Our media here in the metropolitan area is full of pictures and videos marking the solemn day of remembrance as flags are put at every grave at Arlington and the crowds swell at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as well as that of the World War II one nearby.  If you have never visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, then you have not experienced the power and overwhelming sense of loss that pervades that site. The  Wall itself a marker of the high cost of valor and service to our country in the names of the men and women lost reflected back to us.  In that black stone reflection, we see the list of names in chronological order and our own reflections, the recipients of their sacrifice.  For me, never has a memorial to our dead felt so alive, awash in grief, and sorrow and gratitude.Vietnam Vet Memorial

This Memorial Weekend also marks the end to the Rolling Thunder procession, something that started in 1987 when the roar and rumble of hundreds of motorcycles from all over the country entered the capital on Memorial Day wanting accountability for the MIA’s …their name was Rolling Thunder.  Every year since then their number grew as did their chapters from state to state.  No longer just Vietnam veterans,  but  veterans from the Gulf Wars, Iraq, any places where our soldiers served. Rolling Thunder advocates for accountability for the missing in action and prisoners of war from all wars and military engagements.

For me, the roar of the motorcycles passing by is as much a part of Memorial Day as the flags flying.  They say it’s due to the high cost of the parade and security which has been billed to Rolling Thunder the past couple of years and as a non profit organization, something they can no long afford.  Somehow, that seems terribly wrong. So I will enjoy the rumble and roars one last time and try not to think about the quiet times ahead without the flashing and loud cloud of remembrance and patriotism that use to sound the arrival of Memorial Weekend .

Enjoy your Memorial weekend for those of you who live in the US or Americans abroad.  Spare some thoughts and prayers for those now gone and for those they left behind.

Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking.

-Sir Walter Scott

Arlington Cemetary overview

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, May 26:

  • Rolling Thunder and Memorial Weekend
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • Release Blitz – A.E. Via – Prophesy Book #2: The Bringer of Wrath
  • A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams Tour
  • A MelanieM Review: A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams

Monday, May 27:

  • Review Tour – Sean Azinsalt – It’s In My Blood (Criminal Delights)
  • RELEASE BLITZ Keeping Cade by SE Jakes
  • PROMO Amy Lane on String Boys
  • An Ashlez Review : It’s In My Blood (Criminal Delights) by Sean Azinsalt
  • A VVivacious Review:It’s in My Blood – Criminal Delights: Obsession  by Sean Azinsaltt
  • A MelanieM Review Uncommon Ground (Aliens in New York #1) by Kelly Jensen
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Release Day Review: Hitting the Mark by Aidan Wayne

Tuesday, May 28:

  • Cover Reveal – Come Play: An MM Erotica Charity Anthology
  • PROMO M.D. Grimm
  • Release Blitz – Anna Martin – The Color Of Summer
  • An Ali Release Day Review: String Boys by Amy Lane
  • A Melanie Review Purple Haze (Aliens in New York #2) by Kelly Jensen
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: The Color of Summer by Anna Martin
  • An Ashlez Review:  Match Grade (Criminal Delights) by GB Gordon

Wednesday, May 29:

  • REVIEW TOUR Torn by Rick R Reed
  • Review Tour – Benoit (Owatonna U #3) – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
  • TOUR Zale by Michelle Frost
  • PROMO Dem Had+Giveaway for Barricades
  • A Vvivacious Review:Eight Lives: (Match Made in Hell #1) by Autumn Breeze
  • A MelanieM Review: Benoit (Owatonna U #3) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
  • A Lila Review: Torn by Rick R Reed

Thursday, May 30:

  • Release Blitz – Roe Horvat – Adam Only
  • HARMONY INK PRESS PROMO Jeff Adams
  • Blog Tour – Third Time’s The Charm by K. Evan Coles
  • A VVivacious Review Want Me by Neve Wilder
  • A Lucy Review Third Time’s The Charm by K. Evan Coles
  • A MelanieM Review On the Subject of Griffons by Lindsey Byrd

Friday, May 31:

  • TOUR ON THE SUBJECT OF GRIFFONS by Lindsey Byrd
  • Matchmaking Beyond the Veil by Mara Townsend
  • PROMO Michael Gouda
  • Blog and Review Tour OUT OF THE SHADE by S.A. McAuley
  • A Ali Review: Out of the Shade by S.A. McAuley
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: To the Ends of the Earth by Michael Gouda
  • A Lucy Pre release Review The Reluctant Husband (Goddess-Blessed #2) by Eliot Grayson

Saturday, June 1:

  • Book Blast – Between Bloody Lips by Sai Fox
  • BLOG TOUR Strike a Chord by KM Neuhold
  • A MelanieM Review:  Always With Me by Kris Jacen

A MelanieM Review: A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

WELCOME TO THE LAST OF THE GREAT FLYING CITIES

It’s 9172, YE (Year of the Empire), and the future has forgotten its past.

Soaring miles over the Earth, Autumn, the sole surviving flying city, is filled to the brim with the manifold forms of humankind: from Human Plus “floor models” to the oppressed and disfranchised underclasses doing their dirty work and every imaginable variation between.

Valerius Bakhoum is a washed-up private eye and street hustler scraping by in Autumn. Late on his rent, fetishized and reviled for his imperfect genetics, stuck in the quicksand of his own heritage, Valerius is trying desperately to wrap up his too-short life when a mythical relic of humanity’s fog-shrouded past walks in and hires him to do one last job. What starts out as Valerius just taking a stranger’s money quickly turns into the biggest and most dangerous mystery he’s ever tried to crack – and Valerius is running out of time to solve it.

Now Autumn’s abandoned history – and the monsters and heroes that adorn it – are emerging from the shadows to threaten the few remaining things Valerius holds dear. Can the burned-out detective navigate the labyrinth of lies and maze of blind faith around him to save the City of Autumn from its greatest myth and deadliest threat?

A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams! What a novel!  I spent hours swearing about writing this review before I even sat down to the computer.  Back and forth over  my conflicted feelings about the main character and an ending that I can’t decide is or isn’t in keeping with the personality of Valerius Bakhoum, one of the most complex, least likable, most stumbling and genuine characters in the recent science fiction that I’ve read.    Most of the time, I kept thinking while reading, “what a complete and utter bumbling dickwad”.  Yep, not usually the thoughts I entertain about my main characters, especially when they are the narrator of their own stories.  Even now, I don’t know if I like him or not.  I understand him, but like him?  Not that he would have cared.  Still I don’t know.

But from an almost too loose start, lacking a framework or even remotely a narrative foundation upon which the reader can stand on, this amazing story builds, twists, turns, convulses, and keeps spitting out enough wild details and world building that you gather all the information you need and suddenly Boom!  You know this place, the religions, well, as much as you can, because even the residents of the last Great Floating City, they don’t know much about their own history.  They know, and some believe it and some don’t, what various churches and religions, governments tell them.  Those facts, such as they are, are given to the reader as appropriate places in the narrative too.

I think the plot is brilliant.  Right up until the end i was thinking the author had left holes in the exposition and threads dangling.  Nope, in a stunning twist, all was tied up and I never saw it coming.  More swearing.  Damn, not so fumbling after all.  Never saw that either.

There is absolutely nothing I can say here that won’t give things away so I won’t.  The characterizations are fierce, and complete and in many ways brave on the part of the author.  You could make everyone likable, make them beings or people that the readers can easily connect with.  Or instead make them so damn fascinating, irritating, or if it pertains human, and flawed, along with a storyline that’s brilliant and gripping that this reader was up until 3am reading until it was over. And then cussing and waking the dogs.

It really deserves a 5 but like Valerius Bakhoum Im just too ornery to go back and change it.  It’s something he would appreciate and probably expect.  It’s that ending. ….damn it.

If you love science fiction, this is a story you won’t want to miss.  No romance, yes, there’s some sex, lots of mystery and suspense.  Enough twists and turns for a series.  Now I need to see what else this author wrote.  Are they all going to be like this?  I guess I need to find out ….

I highly recommend you read this and see for yourself what all my cussing is all about!

Cover art:  Im as ambivalent about that cove as i am about the character.  Because the floating city is loud, noisy, densely populated, and colorful.  It’s everything that cover is not.  So is the main character.  Still it draws you in.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 246 pages
Published January 1st 2019 by Falstaff Books
ASIN
B07MDXTT1W
Edition Language
English

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Prophesy Book #2: The Bringer of Wrath by A.E. Via

 

 
Length: 87,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Jay Aheer @ Simply Defined Art
 
The King And Alpha Series
 
Prophesy 1 – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link (Currently only 99c/99p)
 
Blurb
 

Shifter and Vampire True Mates story.


Alek’s older brother, Justice—the Alpha Zenith—was the first shifter to mate with a vampire in many generations, and it was believed the rare, fated pairing would stop at him. But, it hadn’t. Aleksei ‘Alek’ Volkov was second beta, next in succession to the most powerful shifter in the world. He was proud of his title and he took his duties seriously. It was all he had. Until his true mate literally showed up on his doorstep.


While his brother—the overachiever—excelled at having a vampire as a mate, Alek wasn’t that optimistic he would. He wasn’t averse to love, and he’d often thought of how different his life could’ve turned out if he’d ever experienced the emotion. His life was a mess and he’d worn a mask of stability for a majority of that time, only showing his siblings and pack what they needed to see—a strong Volkov alpha. Not the damaged man he was, with a tortured soul and a rogue wolf.


Alek dropped his heavy head in his hands. Now, for some reason, I’ve been granted a true vampire mate. And not just any vampire. The intimidating Belleron Liatos. Lord High to the King and the leader of his army.


Belleron ‘Bell’ Liatos had come to the states for one reason—his best friend and Vampire King, Chadwick Bentley. He certainly didn’t come to be pounced on by a wolf that could act independently of its master. Not only was his destined cherished a complicated and confused man; but he was also unaware of the powerful presence that lurked in the shadows of his soul. Bell didn’t know he’d be the key to unlocking an exceptional triad that would play a critical role in fulfilling the prophesy.


This story DOES NOT contain or even mention MPREG.
No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a very HFN.


Warning: This book is M/M paranormal: If you DO NOT like alpha men shifting into large wolves, or vampires feeding from their destined beloveds, than this may not be the novel for you.

A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for five years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over fifteen years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great new up and coming MM authors.


A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her. Writing.


A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.


Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her hardcore, play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes, but she won’t push herself into a whole other genre. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.


Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

 

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Release Blitz and Giveaway for audio for Nothing Special (Nothing Special #1) by A.E. Via and Aiden Snow (Narrator)

 

 
Narrated By: Aiden Snow
 
Length: 9hrs 47mins
 
Blurb
 

Detective Cashel “Cash” Godfrey is big, tattooed, and angry so people typically keep their distance. He’s fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six-foot-four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn’t expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis “Leo” Day.


Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic and the only one that can make Cash smile. He’s proud, out, and one bad-ass detective.


Together, Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta’s ever seen. Able to communicate and understand each other, without even having to voice it, they quickly climb up the promotional ranks.


When Cash saves Leo’s life in a raid that turns deadly, Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does…something special. But Leo fears he’ll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash’s heart.


Contains mature themes.

 
Author Bio
 

A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for five years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over fifteen years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great new up and coming MM authors.


A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her. Writing.


A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.


Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her hardcore, play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes, but she won’t push herself into a whole other genre. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.


Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

 

Giveaway

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Release Blitz for Always with Me (With Me #6) by Kris Jacen

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Publisher: MLR Press
 
With Me Series



Book #1 – Wait For Me – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Explore With Me – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Learn With Me – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Challenge Me – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #5 – Step Up With Me – Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Blurb
 

Calvin and Camden Luna — why yes, their dad is a big baseball fan— have moved around the world with their parents. Their father has been in the military since before they were born. Proud of their father and all he has done, neither of them is sure the military is for them. Haven’t they given up enough already? Cam is a fantastic baseball player and Cal loves the science of everything.


Tristan Nolan and Maddy Holt both grew up as military kids too, but neither of them moved around as much as the twins. Tris has always wanted to follow in the footsteps of those before him and make a career in the military; Maddy wants to save the planet and capture the heart of Calvin Luna… if he’d only open his eyes. Can Tris be himself — out and proud — and serve and protect his country? Can he end up with the one he’s loved for as long as he can remember?


What can happen when you grow up a military brat with the close ties from your fathers’ close friends and their families? Find the love of your life almost from the start? Or find out that maybe you’re all too close to have anything else.

 

About the Author



Kris Jacen grew up just north of Boston, Massachusetts, met her soldier in high school but didn’t marry him until almost ten years later. She moved around with him and their daughters (born in two different states thanks to the Army) for the first 19 years of their marriage (they celebrated their silver anniversary in 2018) before settling in western New York.


She has been the Editor in Chief and Formatting Director for ManLoveRomance Press and its imprints since January of 2008 and has never looked back. Working with the amazing authors at MLR has allowed her to both hone her editorial skills and indulge her inner fangirl. She also acts as editor, mentor and sounding-board for newcomers which lets her “pay-it-forward” and help authors realize their dreams.


You can find out more about Kris on her website www.krisjacen.com.
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A MelanieM Release Day Review: Barricades by Dem Had

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

They were raised to hate each other, but love has other plans.

When introverted bookworm Orestis escapes his homophobic parents and abusive home for a night out with friends, he meets artist Emir, and the passion between them is instant and explosive. But Orestis is a Greek Cypriot and Emir is Turkish, and neither society nor their families will accept their love. If they want a romance that lasts beyond one fiery, forbidden night, they’ll have to face the backlash.

Let me say immediately that Dem Had has a wonderful story here, with a location, situation, and main couple I really hadn’t seen before.  If the full promise indicated by the blurb isn’t fulfilled, mark that up to the shortness of the story.  Given the writing, the gritty details, the research, and many of the facts and emotional layers to Barricades, had it just been extended further, this would have been a remarkable novel.

As released, Barricades by Dem Had is a contemporary romance that takes us to the divided island of Cyprus, a tiny paradise that’s currently in the middle of a economic boom …on the Greek side.  Yes, its divided by religion and countries, Turkey and Greece, Islam and Christianity. And in between lies a border and years of hatred.  All on one small exquisite island.

Had uses Cyprus’ division and pasts which will always extend into its present as a foundation for Barricades and it’s main couple, one a Greek Cypriot and the other a Turkish Cypriot.  Four words that are almost swear words depending on which side of the border you live on.

While Had brings the fanatical animosity between the two factions alive, she never really accounts for the depth of feeling for being a Cypriot which I know from being friends with someone there.  Their love for Cyprus, in this case they never say Cyprus , no its always, always, “Im a Greek Cypriot”, is on a cellular level.  Away, the word pining for his town and land is entirely accurate . His pride in returning after getting his degrees abroad?  Beyond words.  In the story, you get the anguish and the bitterness of both mens’ situation.  The cultural divide that brings the bullying and endless harassment feels real, especially as they live so close to the border (which my friend never mentions, it’s as though that part of the island does not exist).

It’s as though we are only getting part of their story and you feel the hole because of the richness of what remains. These are terrific characters.

Orestis with his physically abusive father, comes in for twice the hatred, he’s gay and his boyfriend is Turkish.  His pain and fear on the page is visceral. His father treatment of Orestis includes the way the father feels the family is now seen by everyone around them, that the son has “failed” them. A real situation there.Emir is the one that needs more layers.  You never see the full artist in him, yet supposedly he’s successful commercially.  But that part of his character never feels real or part of the story.  He’s clearly a conflicted person emotionally over his sexuality, driving him to cheat and have anonymous sexual encounters behind Orestis,’s back.  That part of their relationship or should I say Emir’s conflict within himself is never resolved satisfactorily.  It can’t be within this short a story.

Yes, readers who have problems with a mc that cheats is going to have issues here.

Had is dealing with so many legitimate issues here.  She could have filled a 500 page novel with this couple and their relationship alone with dealing with their backgrounds, the issues of their differences in religion which never arises, the culture of hypermasculinity that exists in Greece and Cyprus, the idealization of Greek sons within the family and the family’s high expectations, domestic and child abuse, along with LGBT rights which are admittedly shaky there.

All of which made the ending extremely puzzling because there was no foundation set for it.  Had the author built the groundwork, ie shown the readers that the men truly loved  their island and why (the places, their homes) we would have understood the choice better.

But perhaps this is just me seeing so much promise in this story and characters and wishing for more.  As written, I do recommend it,  It’s different, terrific, and will make you think while enjoying a romance with its feet on an island both torn and exquisite.

Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht.  Dramatic and eye catching.  Great job.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, World of Love #27, 85 pages
Expected publication: May 24th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781644052266
Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: How to Heal by Susan Hawke

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Take one former bully, unable to forgive himself for the sins of his past…

Clark Danvers is a wild twenty-one year old who’s trying to prove he’s an adult. With a two-year degree in hand, he manages the family car dealership and seemingly parties by night. Given the amount of times he’s been pulled over for speeding by Deputy Rick Matthews, public opinion seems to be right. But what people don’t see are the scars he carries both inside and out. Scars from a past he can’t run away from and will never be able to atone for, no matter how many times he beats himself over it.

Add one no-nonsense cop who longs to be a Daddy for the right boy…

Jericho “Rick” Matthews never expects the bratty kid who gets on his last nerve to pull at his heartstrings. When he finds Clark battered and fighting for his life in a motel room, Rick’s Daddy mode is instantly engaged. Before he can think of anything else, he must first comfort this hurting boy.

To equal a pair of men who might just be what the other needs.

The two men who thought they couldn’t stand each other are drawn together after a date gone wrong. While Rick tenderly cares for Clark, he decides what this brat needs is a Daddy… someone to help him break free from the past and embrace the promise of many happy tomorrows.

Note: Possible trigger warning for mentions of self-harm and a scene involving a man who’s consented to having himself tied up. What he didn’t agree to was being left that way for an entire weekend. This highly emotional scene is the catalyst to evoke “Daddy’s” protective mode in a tale filled with themes of hurt and comfort and the struggle of overcoming a difficult past.

This was a good story and I was so glad for Clark to find something good.  When I saw what he was going through as a teen that cause his actions when he was younger I felt for him but to see that years later he is punishing himself and even others are still holding it against him broke my heart.  I liked Rick previously, even if he was a little overbearing but I was glad he was able to admit he had been wrong in his initial assessment of Clark.

Though Clark gets support from his mother it really take the support and friendship of Rick and his family to help Clark feel like he is worthy and should have some happiness.

I could feel these character’s emotions and while things pretty much went right once they started a relationship I enjoyed it.  Most of the book showed how Rick was able to read Clark and support him to become the man he should be and not be hiding from the world anymore.

The cover art is nice, following the style of the series and gives a great visual of Clark.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 277 pages

Publication: April 14, 2019

Edition Language: English

Series: Lovestrong #5

An Alisa Review: Undisclosed Desires by Carly Marie

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

Caleb Masterson is, by all accounts, a successful adult. He graduated college, found a job he loves, and has a place to call home. Unfortunately, he knows what he desires in a relationship is considered too “high-maintenance” for most men and he has decided to not even bother looking. He’s happy with his decision until a sexy man with salt-and-pepper hair limps into his physical therapy office and turns his world upside down.

Careful attention to detail and a need to be in control have helped Travis Barton become the owner of a successful construction company. But that same desire for control is what has pushed his past boyfriends away… Travis knows what he’s looking for in a relationship isn’t easy to find, and the last place he expects to find the man with the potential to be everything he’s ever hoped for is in his physical therapist’s office. But when Travis overhears an intriguing conversation between his cute physical therapist and a co-worker, he’s suddenly not so anxious to be back at work.

Is it possible for two men, both content in their lives, to find what they’ve both needed in a partner in the most unexpected of places? Or will their desires be too much for the other to handle?

This was a wonderful story and I was able to get my Daddy kink fix at the same time which makes it even better.  When we first meet Travis he is a bit grumpy about doing therapy but is immediately intrigued by Caleb.  Caleb has always known he was a Little but other than his best friend, Dex, he has never let another seen that side of him.

Travis hasn’t had a boy in a long time and can’t help but feel drawn to Caleb and I loved watching him break down all of Caleb’s walls as their relationship grew.  I was heartbroken for Caleb when he was so sure that he would never find someone who would accept his Little side let alone embrace it the way Travis did and I was glad that Travis was determined (as a good Daddy is) and wasn’t going to walk away from Caleb no matter how scared he could be.

These two were perfect for each other.  It was even better that Caleb’s relationship with Travis brought more people into his life, Dex is great and only wants what is best for Caleb but it’s always good to have others to lean on and accept you.  I loved Caleb and Dex’s relationship and how open they were with each other and that Caleb could relax and indulge his Little side a bit when they were together.  I look forward to other books that would focus on the friends in the book as they look like they may have stories to tell too.

The cover art by Soxational Cover Art is nice and I love the picture of Caleb.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 232 pages

Publication: May 16, 2019

Edition Language: English

Love a LIttle Urban Fantasy? Check out the Blog Tour for Eight Lives: (Match Made in Hell #1) by Autumn Breeze & Ashley Chamblee (excerpt and giveaway)

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Eight Lives: Match Made in Hell #1

Author: Autumn Breeze & Ashley Chamblee

Cover Artist: Raven Brooks

Release Date: May 20, 2019

Genre/s:  Urban Fantasy, M/M Romance

Trope/s:  Friends to Lovers, Roommates to Lovers

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Add on Goodreads 

 

Buy Links

Universal Link

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

Blurb

Two Hearts. One Curse. Zero Time.

A century ago, a spiteful witch cursed Edmund.

Ever since then, he has lived as an immortal house cat—short one life.

Anselm is a mildly depressed vampire with a soft spot for the feline he calls friend.

They live together as equals, companions for eternity—or so they hope.

But their lives take a dark turn when the witch who cursed Edmund long ago dies.

And suddenly, he is human again.

In a race against time’s cruel hand, Anselm and Edmund must make a decision.

Do they find a dark witch and re-enact the curse that plagued Edmund so they can be together for an eternity? Or . . . does Edmund give up forever as a cat to be with Anselm for now as a man?

 

Excerpt

I clenched my jaw. If this stranger had hurt Edmund, there would be hell to pay.

My immortal cat, as irritating as he could be sometimes, was my best friend. We’d been a pair since the beginning of the twentieth century and . . . in reality, he was all I had.

Everything changed but not Edmund. Nor me.

He was a cursed cat, once a young man in the prime of his life. I was the vampire he called friend.

“Edmund,” I called, dropping the bags I held. The fresh fish and blood I’d bought cascaded to the floor. Some of the packets burst open, but I didn’t care about the mess the blood would make or the smell that would linger for days; I cared about my best friend. “Edmund?!”

The stranger turned; his sharp gaze followed me though he was rooted to the spot.

I rushed through the living room, heading deeper into my home, knowing that if my heart still beat, it would be pounding against my chest like a sledgehammer.

Where was Edmund? Why wasn’t he answering?

Hunting through the rooms, I checked in all of Edmund’s favorite hiding spots—on top of the bookshelf, on my side of the bed, behind my pillow, in the perfect patch of moonlight that streamed through the bay windows in my office—but Edmund was nowhere to be found.

He was missing, gone, disappeared.

“Where is he?!” I demanded as I raged into the living room and caught the stranger by the throat. My fingers tightened as my anger—my fear—tainted the air, sending the thick stench of decay curling around us. The strange young man’s lips parted, opening and closing like a fish out of water as he grasped my wrist and fought for breath. “If you hurt him—” I couldn’t even finish the thought, much less the sentence.

The very idea of not having Edmund, of being without him . . .

I shook the man impatiently. “Where is he?!” I bellowed, shaking the boy.

He appeared desperate as he clutched my wrist and tugged on my arm, attempting to remove my hold, but my grasp was absolute as my fingers tightened around his neck.

Panic danced across his face. His wide eyes shined, a familiar neon blue that I knew.

My lips parted. “Edmund?”

I loosened my hold. It wasn’t possible. Edmund was . . .

The man I held by the neck trembled in my grasp, one minute a man, and in the next, thick black fur sprouted out of his transformed body.

“Y . . . You choked me,” he gasped as I gathered him close.

“You turned into a-a-a man!” I pulled him away from my chest, inspecting him as I did so.

How was this possible? He was cursed by a witch to live the rest of his life, or at least nine lives—eight now that he’d died once—as a cat. Right now, the fluffy black thing I peered down at looked like my housecat, but seconds ago . . .

 

 

About the Authors

Autumn Breeze

Autumn Breeze is a bestselling LGBT+ author, and current Radish Content Provider. She is also the winner of a 2015 Watty Award, a former Wattpad Star, with more than 70K followers on Wattpad who was featured in Cosmo in 2017 “My Lessons with the Sexy Dance Instructor.” In 2017 she worked as a Freelance Writer for 20th Century Fox on, “A Cure for Wellness: Seeking A Cure.”

 

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Wattpad

Wattpad

 

Ashley Chamblee

Ashley Chamblee is a bestselling author with 10+ years of experience who specializes in writing horror, fantasy, paranormal, and romance with LGBT themes. Currently, she has 35K+ followers on her combined Wattpad accounts EzraWinn and HonestDying. When Ashley isn’t writing she is either working with special needs adults, playing video games, reading or spending time with friends and family. 

Blood Prize, her bestselling novel is available on Amazon. 

Twitter 

Instagram 

 

 

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DJ Jamison on Five wedding traditions that Appear in Surprise Groom (Marital Bliss #1) (guest blog and giveaway)

Five wedding traditions that make an appearance in Surprise Groom

When I first came up with the idea for my release, Surprise Groom — Book 1 of a new series called Marital Bliss — I didn’t realize just how much “wedding planning” I’d be taking on! But where there are weddings, there are wedding traditions. Here are five that make an appearance in the book. Keep in mind, Surprise Groom takes place on a wedding resort, so there are plenty of weddings to go around!

The bouquet toss!

Watch out. Those flowers don’t always end up where intended! Or maybe they do? You’ll have to read Surprise Groom to find out.

Toasts, so many toasts!

Don’t ask me why, but even when writing the toasts myself, I get all misty-eyed. I think they’re even better in fiction than real life. There’s just something so moving about someone sharing what’s in their heart with a room of full of people. Maybe I should start a tradition of holding toasts at my own family dinners!

Something borrowed…

And sometimes something lost. Caleb has mastered the skill of soothing panicky brides and grooms, though, so don’t worry.

Wedding favors!

And sometimes a whole lot of ribbons to tie around them. But hey, if you do it with the right partner, it can be fun. Maybe? Sometimes? Caleb and Julien thought so. Or maybe they just enjoyed what they did before tying those knots 😉

Wedding photos!

Gazebos bedecked with flower petals, burbling fountains, beaches with ocean views, horse stables, courtyards with gardens designed to bloom year-round. There’s no shortage of photo opportunities on Bliss Island.

I have at least three more books to write in this series, and many more wedding traditions to tackle! What’s your favorite tradition in a wedding/reception?


Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal LinkExclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited
 
Length: 89,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
 
Blurb
 

Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?


Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan …


Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.


Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.


Love isn’t part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien’s father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.

Author Bio
 

DJ Jamison is the author of more than a dozen m/m romances, including the Ashe Sentinel series and the Hearts and Health series. She writes a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual to asexual, with a focus on telling love stories that are more about common ground than lust at first sight. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems: money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that, and continues to avidly devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, two fish and, regrettably, one snake.

 

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