Category: Contemporary fiction

New Release Book Tour for We Have A Decision: Mrs. Shaw’s Club Book Two by Steph Marie

We Have A Decision: Mrs. Shaw’s Club Book Two

Sales Link:  Amazon

 

Blurb:

High school freshman, Danny Burns, loves life, art, and boys. From the outside, he looks like a happy-go-lucky guy with no concerns. He blows off the bullies and he’s an amazing friend. What people don’t know is that he’s had a boyfriend since the summer, and when Danny decides being a secret isn’t enough for him and tries to end it, it’s not as easy as he expects.

High school freshman, Noah Glass, thinks he knows exactly who he is, what he wants, and where he’s going. Unfortunately, when the strict religious rules he’s grown-up with don’t line up with him being able to have friendships with people he cares about, he begins to question his own beliefs.

Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Shaw, formed a special club forty years ago. Each year, she handpicks twelve students to participate, but no one knows what they talk about, and former students never tell.

Danny and Noah are two of the chosen this year. When Mrs. Shaw partners them up, their lives begin to alter in ways that they couldn’t have imagined. While Danny is confronted with a stalking ex, Noah begins to question his values. As their friendship grows within the nurturing circle of Club Shaw, will that foundation be enough to get them through the troubles ahead? Will Noah be strong enough to set aside his preconceived notions and be there for Danny? Will Danny trust in Noah’s friendship and strength to help him move on from his ex to give the new guy Noah introduces him to a chance?

This is book two in the Mrs. Shaw’s Club series. We’ll continue to get glimpses into the lives of the students, and with each book, we’ll see a romance bloom. This is a standalone, but more fun if you watch them all grow together through the year.

 

Excerpt

Noah looks back and forth between the two of us, his face more agitated than ever, before sighing and shaking his head. He looks up and smiles fondly at Josh, an expression that seems to be reserved exclusively for him, but then he turns it on me. On me! O.M.G. He’s smiling at me fondly. His next words almost make me pass out. “Who knew it was gonna be such a pain in the ass to have two best friends? Geesh.”

Pushing past me gently, he grabs the cart himself and says, “Well, come on,” over his shoulder as he walks down the aisle deeper into the store.

“Um, did he seriously call me one of his best friends? Like, did I really hear that? Do you think he was serious? Tell me the truth, Josh, did that just happen?”

Laughing at me—no I don’t think he’s laughing at me exactly, but more like happily with me—he wraps his arm around my neck, pulls me closer to him, and tugs me along next to him to follow Noah down the aisle. He whispers into my ear, “He’s the best friend a guy can have, Danny. If he’s saying it, he means it. And he’s as loyal as they come, which means you now have a friend for life, and there’s nothing he won’t do for you.”

He squeezes his arm a little harder around me for a second before letting me go and winking at me, again. Again. O.M.G. Noah’s calling me his best friend, Josh is winking at me ~ Sigh… and the angels sing ~ and touching me. What next?

 

A Stella Review: Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Patrick Mahoney has one goal in mind: get out of his native Fresno and find freedom in the rainbow and glitter-painted streets of San Francisco. As a college freshman, he’s sure he’ll finally have the chance to be himself, away from the judgmental eyes of his conservative hometown.

Josh Dirda’s never wanted to be tied down before, preferring the emotional ease of the one night stand. But when Patrick moves into the apartment that Josh shares with three friends, Josh is pulled in by Patrick’s sly wit and quietly creative spirit. As Patrick’s self-appointed tour guide, Josh can be Patrick’s introduction to the city he loves. But after a drunken Halloween hook-up crosses lines, Patrick and Josh must reckon with their true feelings—and decide whether they can let go of the ghosts from their pasts that haunt them.

I adore discovering new authors, especially when they deliver lovely stories like Natasha did with Calling Calling Calling Me. It was a surprise how much Patrick and Josh relationship engaged me. Although lately I had little free time to devote to my reading and it took me a long time to finish the novel, I found myself sucked into the MCs’ lives. And one more reason why I was surprised by how much I liked it, I am not a great fan of new adult love, I prefer my men to be more mature and I tend to avoid characters under 25. That said when a blurb is interesting I can’t say no.

Maybe this is one of the rare times I actually loved both MCs, I don’t have a preference like always happens. Both Patrick and Josh were great, the author made an amazing job at defining them. I saw them with their friends, with their families, and I learnt how good they were. Their mums, Josh’s brother, so full of love and supportive. I liked all the interactions between them, I like the banters, the quarrels. These people made the story more complete and real, I truly felt them act like my own family does.

And then there was the love story. Sure, Patrick and Josh found each other attractive from the first time they met, but this is not the usual lust/love at first time. They took their time to know what they want, from their futures and from this relationship, new not just to Patrick but to the experienced Josh too, finally ready to fall in love and stop jumping in bed with everyone. I loved how everything in their lives was different, nonethless Patrick and Josh were so tuned in together. I followed them through the first months of their love, and it was beautiful.

At last, I want to add the book was really well done, well written and engaging, the reading flew easily and I will definetely keep my eyes open for more releases from this new author. I won’t miss them.

The cover caught my attention from the start, it’s clean and fitting and I like all that blue of the sky.

SALE LINKS  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 307 pages

Published September 4th 2018

ASIN B07FYNX84Z

Edition Language English

Release Blitz and Giveaway – His Heart Or Mine (The Individualists Series #1) by C S Joyce

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 60,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: German Creative Design
 
The Individualists Series
 
Book #2 – The Heart Dealer – Amazon US | Amazon UK (Out September 20)
 
Blurb
 

“There’s something about the way he’s looking at me now, determined. Like he might ruin me if given half the chance.”


Adam:
Success can mean a lot of things. To me it meant living a lie and getting away with it.
But pretending is exhausting. My sister’s wedding in Italy was exactly what I needed. A week on the Amalfi coast with sunshine, wine, and zero complications.
Too bad the universe saw an opportunity to ruin that plan. Because what could be more complicated than the arrival of an attractive man who sees right through my act? One that is determined to remind me that you can’t hide who you really are.
What if he tells people my secret? Or, worse still, what if I can’t control these feelings. Because right now I’m feeling all sorts of things – fear, anger, lust…
No, I need to keep this thing under control. I can’t give in.
But what if, just once, I didn’t fight it?


Jacob:
After a series of bad decisions, running away to Italy seemed like the perfect escape. A fresh start in a new country. Nothing, and no one would bring me back to Ireland.
When I meet Adam at my friend’s wedding, I’m captivated. There’s something about this rugged stranger that makes me forget that I keep messing up every part of my life.
I know it’s a bad idea and I know I’m playing with fire. But when anger turns to passion I know I can’t stay away.
He can pretend all he wants but that man belongs in my bed. He might only be here for one week, but I intend to make the most of it.
After all, I can’t ask him for more when I’m not sure I’ll stick around.
But what if, this time, I didn’t run?

 

Author Bio



Author C S Joyce is infatuated with love, romance and the complexities of relationships. In her novels she tries to capture that elusive spark of love and add a little magic of her own.


She writes contemporary MM romance with a dash of humor thrown in, because love and laughter go great together.


You can stay up-to-date with new releases by signing up to Carrie’s newsletter on her website: www.csjoyce.com


Or you can find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csjoycebooks/

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Blog Tour for That Feeling When by S. M. James (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: That Feeling When

Author: S. M. James

Publisher: May Books

Cover Artist: Story Styling

Genre/s: YA, LGBT, contemporary romance

Length: 77,000 Words/343 pages

Release Date: September 16, 2018 (Available now in paperback)

Add on Goodreads

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue  Words is happy to host S. M. James today. Thank you for stopping by! Tell us a little about yourself and your writing goals.

Congratulations on your new release. Please tell us a little bit about it. What’s your favorite aspect or part of the story? Do you have a favorite character? Who/Why?

Yikes, yeah. It’s nerve-wracking stuff, especially as this book kicks off a 6-book series of stand alones PLUS their short stories. So we’ll see how that goes.

That Feeling When is a dual POV YA, which alternates chapters between Landon and Archie as they figure out who they are, and how far they’ll go for love. As for a favourite character, I don’t think there’s any way to pick. I finished writing this book and actually missed these guys, which is one of the totally weird and wonderful things about being a writer. And now I’ve finished writing To Be Honest, I feel the same way about those guys.

As for my favourite part, there’s a certain scene involving a camera, an audition, and a whole lot of trust, that really builds Archie and Landon’s relationship up to another level and was a lot of fun to write. It was great to see Archie finally let go of his insecurities.

  • What is your favorite underappreciated novel?

Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green. Holy moly that book was hilarious and I seriously rec it everywhere I go. I can’t remember a book actually making me laugh out loud before—the situations Noah kept getting himself into just got more and more ridiculous. And the sequel lived up to it, which is always a great surprise. I need to reread this one soon.

  • Does your research lead to bizarre internet searches? If so, tell us about some of your wackier searches, or ones that would make you nervous if your computer were ever confiscated by law enforcement.

Heh, umm. You could say that. There have been bombs, automatic weapons, and disposing of bodies, because what else do characters in a fantasy novel need to know? For one of my genre novels I had to look up how long it took for a dead body to decompose, and there was this post about ‘Coffin births’ and DON’T LOOK IT UP because gross! So gross! (And if you did look it up, sorry to scar you for life but you were warned.) As you can tell, I’m still not past it.

The most interesting thing I’ve researched for contemporary is anterograde amnesia. Some of the stories from people living with it were almost beyond comprehension. For my next novel, I’m continuing my research into Cystic Fibrosis and the impact it has on day to day life.

  • Who would play the main characters in a movie about your book?

Haha there’s a reason I don’t cast movies.

I feel like I should have a Pinterest board for this kind of question but it is appallingly hard to find Aboriginal actors. I did watch an interview with Mark Coles Smith once, who may not look exactly like Landon, but had the same kind of boyish charm.

For Archie, man, take your pick. Brenton Thwaites, Billy Unger, Nick Robertson. If they can manage surly and vulnerable, we’re good.

  • What is your favorite quote?

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry. But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

(Five guesses what this is from).

 

 

Blurb

Dance Academy reject, Archie Corrigan, resents the stereotype guy ballet dancers are gay. Because he isn’t. At all. Forced to reassess his life goal at Camp Crystal Cove, it’s by sheer dumb luck he meets Landon Summers, who turns everything Archie was sure of into chaos.

Poor boy turned teen heartthrob, Landon Summers, is the name on everyone’s lips. With his unexpected leap to fame, his agent advises him to keep his bi status on the down low. Not a problem! Until Landon meets Archie.

Their unexpected friendship leads to an inevitable kiss, but their moment is caught in high definition and used as fuel for blackmail. If the truth gets out, Landon’s career could be over, and Archie will be forced to acknowledge the one thing he’s fought to deny.

But how do you go back to your average life once you’ve experienced That Feeling When … you’re finally happy?

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited 

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Excerpt

Landon Summers is into guys. I think he likes you.

And while Meredith didn’t say anything about me, there was something way too

knowing in her look. Everyone else seems too into their own lives to be paying us any

attention, and even when we’re announced winners of the trivia, my celebration doesn’t

crack the surface chill that’s taken over me.

Meredith’s wrapped her arm through mine, and she’s cheering with the others, one hand

in the air.

I’m a week in the past. Watching Landon pull on that stupid costume in the dark. The

spark in his eyes as he thanked me. The brush of his skin on mine.

How was that only a week ago?

Why can’t I go back and enjoy that moment more? Savor my time with him?

Really take it all in, before he went and messed it all up.

About the Author

SM James in an Australian author who writes books for teens about squishy sweet characters. While not writing, SM is a readaholic and netflix addict who regularly lives on a sustainable diet of chocolate and coffee. Member of SCBWI. Unapologetically dishing out HEAs for LGBT+ characters.

Social Media Links

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Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

1 x Paperback copy of That Feeling When (US only)

2 x $15 Amazon gift card (international)

3 x eBook copy of That Feeling When (international)

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

OMG! Get ready for an exciting roller coaster ride, right from the beginning!  Every page held drama. Every. Single. Page. I am so excited by this series—it’s incredible.  I want everyone to read it so I can chat with them about all the emotional twists and turns, ups and downs, and the heartwarming and gut-wrenching action that takes place between these pages.  It’s incredible that the author can continually best the previous book in the series and hold my attention for the length of the book.  I never, repeat NEVER, sit still to read an entire book, but here, except for a few hours of sleep, I did not put this one down.

Where to start?  Well, if you read the previous books you know the strain Dominic and Levi are under—not just from the Seven of Spades who continues to F up their lives, but also with each other. Have no fear though—just because they aren’t together, they manage to find their way to bed a few times and survive the morning-after guilt. 

There’s two concurrent plots going in this one: a kidnapping/extortion ring who murder one of their victims and the Seven of Spades exacting revenge, on behalf of Levi, on the four men who beat him senseless in a gay-bashing when he was in college. They were never IDed, never caught, but Seven finds them and offers them to Levi one by one as a birthday gift.  Oh, joy. 

Those kidnappers, meanwhile, are continuing to kidnap and when payment isn’t made quickly, they gouge out the eye of their victim and send it to the family. The author isn’t satisfied with getting Levi’s and Dominic’s paths to cross multiple times during this investigation, she adds to the drama by having someone close to them kidnapped.  Not saying who, ’cause spoilers…  And then, of course, Dom’s losing his possessions left and right to pay his outstanding gambling debts and to have seed money for more.  Levi’s losing too. He’s losing his temper, losing his appetite, and ultimately losing his job.  There’s so much packed into these pages that’s it’s impossible to even highlight all of it. It just doesn’t stop. Not for a minute. Skip a page and you’ve missed another plot twist.  I love this story, did I mention that?  Love it! 

Don’t despair, however. If you love these guys, hang in for the ending. It’s a pip and thankfully not as much of a cliffhanger as the last one. But, let’s face it, with one more book to go, there’s no way I’d miss a chance to read it, no matter how this one ended. 

Honestly, if you are looking for high quality action adventure, a mystery that spans a five book series—who is the Seven of Spades?—romance, hot sex, addiction and recovery, anger management, murder, mayhem and more, this is the book—and series—to pick up.

The cover by Garrett Leigh, like others in the series, features playing cards, in this case, the cards are set against a dark background and blood is dripping from them onto the floor. 

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 366 pages
Published September 10th 2018 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626496392
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Seven of Spades :

Kill Game

Trick Roller

Cash Plays

One-Eyed Royals

A Chip and a Chair – coming soon the last book in the series.

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Sentinel (Until You #2) by Karrie Roman

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This is my first book by this author and book two in the series called Until You, but can be read as a standalone. However, I think reading the first book would be best for maximum enjoyment. At the beginning Lucas and Ryan, who are famous from being on a TV show, are giving a press conference to ask for privacy as they take a break from whatever traumatic thing happen to them in the first book. Ethan, their personal bodyguard, is the focus of this book.

Ethan had been living under the radar, but was brought back into the spotlight due to guarding the two stars. There was something about losing his whole family eight years ago due to his brother. Slowly, we get a recap interspersed throughout the book about some sort of trial against his brother who was a serial killer of young girls. None of Ethan’s guilt made sense to me until chapter nine, when we find out Stewart was a cop also. I’m not sure if I would have known that if I read the first book or not. Anyway, the only reasons it matters is that the topic is part of a pivotal scene where Ethan opens up to Ben, and his reluctance to go to the police is more believable. Ben is our other main character. He has been Ethan’s colleague and friend for the last two years, and we know Ben is in love with him. Ben is also friends with Ryan. Lucas and Ryan obviously consider Ethan family.

Ethan has feelings for Ben, who somehow got shot and has been in the hospital. Because he is afraid Ben will be mad that he never trusted him with the truth about his past, Ethan basically quits his job with the agency they work for, takes a new private job as a personal bodyguard to Ryan and Lucas, and disappeared, refusing to visit Ben in the hospital. Ethan knows there is something there between them, but the horrible rejection he faced from family, friends, and colleagues in the past makes him wary of being vulnerable.

Cameron is Ben’s brother, a rescue pilot for the sheriff’s department in the town called Cody, where Ethan’s sister Maggie lives. She finally finds and calls him after eight years because she has cancer and her ex, Peter, took their twin girls Maya and Riley away. She was afraid to go to the police since Peter was raised in a religious cult run by Arnold Piper, who has enough control over the group that a Jonestown scenario is likely. Once the set-up is done, this book is an action adventure with a rescue mission. Things never have a chance to get dull–there is always something happening. While Ethan’s background is in law enforcement, Ben was an army sniper and they lean heavily on his experience to plan the rescue. This gives Ben his chance to show Ethan how good they can be together and Ethan his chance to have the real intimacy he has been craving. The men work out their relationship throughout the mission.

I love that Ben and Ethan do those cute, stupid things that couples do and talk about the stupid things couple talk about. Once Ethan knows Ben loves him, knows Ben won’t leave him, he falls into this relationship. The mission makes Ben have to open up to Ethan about his past in the military and with the government. The ethics here are murky, so if you like your white hats super shiny, this may not be the book for you.

We get a lot of information about the cult and I found one of the lines very apropos of our current political climate: “it was hard to convince people they were living in a shared delusion when they were still essentially living in it.”

A major player is Alec Banner, an FBI agent that served with Ben in the military. No one wants a Waco either, so the author was good at building the tension with the cult, but it was a bit of a letdown that all the actual action here with the compound happens off page. This makes sense though because we stay with Ben and Ethan’s perspective during the faceoff with authorities. Another major player is the cult leader’s son, Zach who helps them to save the children. I would expect a future book with both of these characters. Zach has been raised without any idea about different types of sexuality and seeing Ben and Ethan together is eye opening. I will say the author made me care about the victims of the cult and then we have no idea what happens to them; being rescued and thrown into a world they know nothing about off page.

Yes, Maggie living in the same town as Ben’s brother is a huge coincidence. Yes, the plot is a little over the top. Yes, it was lucky that they had help from former cultists just when they needed it. Yes, they are making out in the woods in the middle of a mission. So what? This is entertaining, cute, hot, and romantic, rather than realistic. Since I didn’t read the first book, Ryan and Lucas are two dimensional to me right now and I don’t know anything about the Krispins (they own the company Ben and Ethan worked for as bodyguards), who it seems will still be involved as the series moves forward. I liked this book, so I will likely go back and read the first book before continuing on in this series.

The cover art is by Natasha Snow. I believe it shows Ben with the wilderness they had to hike through in the background. It seems a little placid for an action adventure.

Book Details:
ebook
Published September 10th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949340693
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://ninestarpress.com/product/sentinel/
Series Until You :

Cover Reveal – Love’s Trials (Revolutionary Heart #2) by Janice Jarrell (excerpt)

COVER REVEAL

Book Title: Love’s Trials (Revolutionary Heart, Book 2)

Author:  Janice Jarrell

Publisher: Janice Jarrell

Cover Artist: Robin E. Vuchnich  

Release Date: October 12, 2018

Genre/s: Contemporary Gay Romance

Blurb

After half a lifetime spent in short-term liaisons that allowed no intimacy, charismatic Irish police officer, Colin Campbell, found the love of his life. Dark-eyed, steady Joshua Abrams burned through Colin’s emotional barriers and taught him to look at life through new eyes, eyes that made room for the love and closeness he had always denied himself. Deeply in love and completely happy, their life together remains idyllic and their fiery passion for each other seems limitless.

They survive the Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ riots, though not without scars. But later that month Colin’s position with the campus police force places him in charge of an informant program designed to crack a dangerous drug ring. Fully aware of the risks, he swears to Joshua that he will oversee the program without becoming directly involved. But Colin’s promise begins to crumble when he becomes the only one who can save a young Nigerian exchange student from a deadly drug lord.

Excerpt

The morning of the ‘Unite the Right’ riots in Charlottesville.

Joshua poured a cup of coffee and took the seat next to Colin. “I damn joined the counter-protesters last night.”

Colin wheeled to face him, his eyes narrowed to dark slits. “Do not do that!” He grasped Joshua’s arm in a tight grip. “I mean it, Josh. Do not come down there!”

“It was a fleeting impulse which David immediately quashed. He told me he’d stop me if he had to tie me to a chair.”

“Thank god,” Colin said, still gripping Joshua’s arm tightly. “Josh, I mean it. Please stay home. I understand why you want to join the counter-protestors and fight these Nazi bastards and I love you for it. But it’s going to get ugly down there today, Josh. Very ugly. Especially for someone with your ethnic heritage. Knowing you’re safe at home is the only way I’ll be able to do my job.”

Joshua frowned, but nodded. “I understand.” He leaned forward to kiss Colin’s cheek. “If you promise to hang onto your phone and to call me when you can.”

“I will,” Colin told him. “But don’t worry too much if you don’t hear from me. I suspect I’m going to have my hands full.”

“How bad could it get today, Colin?” Joshua asked.

Colin’s brow furrowed. “You know what we’re dealing with. I’m afraid it could get very bad today.”

A rustling at their back door startled both of them, and they turned to see David and Nate walking through their utility room carrying bags obviously filled with food.

“We brought breakfast!” Nate told them, setting the bags on the table. “Get some plates.”

Colin rose. “I can’t stay, I’m due at the station.” He bent over the table and sniffed the contents. “Smells good though!”

David took Colin’s hand in both of his. “Please be safe.”

Colin nodded but did not speak then turned to accept Nate’s hug. “Thanks,” he whispered.

“Don’t worry about Josh. We’ll be with him.”

Colin nodded then turned to Joshua who stood watching, teeth clenched against the dread that filled his mind and heart.

“Gotta go, babe,” Colin said.

Joshua walked to his side, wrenching his mind away from his fears, resolved that Colin’s last view of him today would reflect his faith in the man he loved and the courage to face whatever this day might bring.

They embraced tightly but neither man spoke. Then Colin drew in a deep breath and kissed Joshua lightly… briefly. “Chin up, bud,” he said. “Be home later.”

“Please be safe,” Joshua said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

“Always my intention,” Colin replied with a quick grin, then his expression grew grim. “Remember what I said, Joshua. No matter what you see… stay home!”

Joshua hissed out a breath, his mind burned with reservations. But he couldn’t bring himself to add to the stresses already weighing on his lover and gave a tight nod. “Got it.”

Colin bent toward him, his lips brushing Joshua’s ear. “Ta`mo chori istigh ionat,” he whispered, Gaelic for ‘my heart is within you’, a phrase Joshua knew well.

“Ani Ohev Otcha,” Joshua choked out, responding with the same words in Hebrew.

Without another word, Colin wheeled and strode out the back door. He didn’t see Joshua sink into a kitchen chair and collapse forward, the heels of both hands pressed to his forehead.

About the Author

My name is Janice Jarrell. I am a retired grandmother who lives in Seattle, WA. I have two children and three grandsons. I’ve been writing gay romance since I was twelve years old, only back then it wasn’t called ‘gay romance’. In fact, it had no name at all. It was the fifties, and it was worth your life to admit to being gay, let alone confess to being a girl who constantly fantasized about relationships between gay men. Hell, I didn’t even know what a homosexual was. I lived on a farm out in the sticks in a tiny Michigan village and I’d never, to my knowledge, even heard the word. I just knew I loved the thought of boy on boy romance. I just knew that there was something hot going on between Tom Corbett and his Space Cadets and all those guys on ‘Combat’.

I wrote slash fanfiction for 30 years, writing over 337 stories, some as short as 100 words (a drabble) some as long as a series which was over 119,012 words. I enjoy writing my stories. I enjoyed the feedback I received from my readers. It was a creative release I’d been searching for my entire life and I blessed the Internet for leading me to this artistic oasis for my spirit.

Love’s Magic was my very first step into writing my own characters. I will always be grateful the slash fanfiction community for nurturing the budding author until she was ready to blossom into a fully realized novelist. It’s been an amazing thing to watch the gay community’s growth over these past twenty years. My own journey has echoed theirs in many ways, and I’m grateful to all those gay activists who fought to give the gay community the rights and privileges they always deserved.

I’m also grateful to the gay romance community, readers, authors, publishers and promoters, who are making these, my retirement years, the most creative ones of my life. When I’m not writing, I’m traveling, walking, hiking, knitting, crocheting, and weaving.

I’m very excited about the upcoming release of my second contemporary gay romance novel, Love’s Trials. Those of you who fell in love with Joshua and Colin in Love’s Magic are in for a treat because they are the STARS of Love’s Trials, though they may not thank me for it given the very difficult ‘trials’ they are about to face.

me purple hair

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In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Riptide Publishing
Cover By: Garrett Leigh

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Cordelia Kingsbridge here today on tour for One-Eyed Royals, her latest release in the Seven of Spades series.  Welcome, Cordelia!

♠️

 

Thanks for checking out the blog tour for One-Eyed Royals, the fourth book in the Seven of Spades series!

We left Levi and Dominic broken up and broken-hearted. But there are new threats facing Las Vegas, and crossing paths on a case again is just their luck…

 

About One-Eyed Royals

Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Cash Plays, book three of Seven of Spades.

Shattered by their devastating breakup, Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo find themselves at war right when they need each other most. While Dominic is trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, Levi despairs of ever catching the Seven of Spades. The ruthless vigilante’s body count continues to climb, and it’s all Levi can do to keep up with the carnage.

When Levi’s and Dominic’s paths keep crossing in the investigation of a kidnapping ring with a taste for mutilation, it feels like history repeating itself. Thrown together by fate once again, they reluctantly join forces in their hunt for the mastermind behind the abductions.

But the Seven of Spades hates sharing the spotlight, and they have an ace in the hole: a new batch of victims with a special connection to Levi. Their murders send shockwaves through Las Vegas and change the rules of the game forever.

The Seven of Spades has upped the ante. If Levi and Dominic don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up losing everything.

 

About the Seven of Spades Series

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

 

About Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of One-Eyed Royals, Cordelia is giving away a $10 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 15, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review here.  We love the book and the series!

A Caryn Release Day Review: The Second Time Around by Rowan McAllister

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Fans of the hurt/comfort trope are going to really enjoy this book!  When I first started reading, I was prepared for it all to be fairly shallow, but I was pleasantly surprised by the end to find there was more to it than that.

Jordan Thorndike was the middle child of a wealthy, conservative family, treading the path that his father had laid down for him, ivy league law school and all.  The book opens with Jordan driving away from his home with a few suitcases the only things he has left of his previous life of privilege, after he came out to his parents and was cut off from the family.  He had never been on his own before, had no idea where to go or what to do, when a reminder popped up on his cell phone about a planned visit to the B STAR ranch – Better the Second Time Around – a shelter for abused and neglected farm animals that was one of his mother’s favorite charities, and a place Jordan remembered fondly from childhood visits.  It seemed like as good a place as any to retreat to, and his plan was to work for bed and board and try to figure out what to do next with his life.

When he arrived at the Texas ranch, he was welcomed by Phyllis, the owner, but not so much by her foreman, Russ.  To Russ, Jordan was just a spoiled rich kid who wanted to slum it for a while, a nuisance rather than a help to a busy ranch.  Jordan didn’t tell anyone why he was there, and spun a tale of “taking the summer off” and kept up a charming facade to put off any unpleasant questions.  His truth couldn’t be kept a secret forever, and when it did come out, the response was better than he could ever have hoped for:  Russ really saw him, their walls came down, and they got together even though they both expected it to be only temporary until Jordan healed enough to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

Jordan’s own healing process was nicely reflected in the work they did with the neglected animals, especially the horse that had to get worse before she could get better.  He seemed very shallow and immature in the beginning of the book, but that made sense given his sheltered background and the emotionally stunted family he grew up in.  The preoccupation with food, his looks, “good” coffee, all made sense to me eventually, and I liked that although he did mature and start seeing the real world a lot more clearly after a few weeks at the ranch, he didn’t miraculously lose all of those bad habits just because he was in a relationship.  Russ was “over 40” – his actual age was never mentioned – but the 20 year age gap wasn’t really addressed at all, which I thought was a little strange (in my mind, Russ was 34, which made more sense to me given how he acted alone, and how he behaved with Jordan).  The suddenness of the two of them getting together was a bit jarring, Russ’ change of heart being a complete about face over the period of a few hours, but after that it seemed believable.  Mostly.  I’d call the ending more of a “happy for now” rather than HEA because I still felt their relationship needed a lot more growth to be permanent.

Not a book to knock my socks off, but definitely a nice relaxing read.  I did most of it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I would recommend this as a vacation read.

Cover art by Adrian Nicholas incorporates a lot of the scenes from the book, but wasn’t particularly eye-catching.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: September 11th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640804814
Edition LanguageEnglish