Category: Contemporary fiction

An Alisa Review: Lace-Covered Compromise by Silvia Violet

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

Adam Kingston expects to inherit his father’s multinational conglomerate. When he finds out half of it went to Nate Thomas—an annoying man whose dreams for Kingston Corp.’s future clash with Adam’s need to stave off financial disaster—Adam is furious. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to wrest control of Kingston Corp. from Nate.

 

Nate may be soft-spoken, but he refuses to be swayed by Adam’s arrogant demands. When Nate accidentally drops a pair of his lacy panties in front of Adam, there’s no mistaking Adam’s interest. Nate hadn’t realized Adam was bisexual, but now that his secret is out, Nate is willing to use Adam’s lust against him if it means protecting the welfare of the company he loves.

 

For Adam and Nate, hatred and desire are closely linked. Their inability to compromise threatens the company and could expose their tightly held secrets. But as they work together to develop a plan to save Kingston Corp., they begin to realize there might be more to their relationship than anger and lust.

 

I do love a man in panties and had high hopes for this story but felt there was some depth missing from this story.  Adam is a completely spoiled brat but at least he admits it but isn’t very good on other people calling him on his crap.

 

Adam just knows that his father is just punishing him from the grave by giving half of the company to Nate.  Nate has a more open view than Adam.  Both of them need to learn to compromise and work together in order to keep the company afloat.

 

I didn’t feel any connection to Nate, there wasn’t much in the story to allow a connection.  We saw everything from Adam’s point of view and with his personality there wasn’t really the opportunity to get know others as he is quite self-absorbed and the amount of talking he does in his head is a bit disturbing.  The way Adam’s father treated him did a lot of mental damage to him and that doesn’t help him adapt or change for others.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is eye catching and gives good visuals for this story.

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 194 pages

Published: November 6, 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-62649-658-3

Edition Language: English

Riptide Publishing Tour and Giveaway: Lace-Covered Compromise by Silvia Violet

Lace-Covered Compromise by Silvia Violet
Riptide Publishing
Cover artist: L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here at Riptide Publishing

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Silvia Violet here today on her Lace-Covered Compromise tour. Welcome, Silvia.

✒︎

Hello! I’m Silvia Violet and I’m here today to share my sexy contemporary romance, Lace-Covered Compromise. I can’t wait for you to meet Adam, a sharp-minded businessman with control-issues and Nate, an easy-going environmental scientist who likes panties and lipstick. They are going to take you on a wild ride.

Follow along through the week and don’t forget to check out my giveaway of a $25 Riptide Publishing gift card.

About Lace-Covered Compromise

Adam Kingston expects to inherit his father’s multinational conglomerate. When he finds out half of it went to Nate Thomas—an annoying man whose dreams for Kingston Corp.’s future clash with Adam’s need to stave off financial disaster—Adam is furious. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to wrest control of Kingston Corp. from Nate.

Nate may be soft-spoken, but he refuses to be swayed by Adam’s arrogant demands. When Nate accidentally drops a pair of his lacy panties in front of Adam, there’s no mistaking Adam’s interest. Nate hadn’t realized Adam was bisexual, but now that his secret is out, Nate is willing to use Adam’s lust against him if it means protecting the welfare of the company he loves.

For Adam and Nate, hatred and desire are closely linked. Their inability to compromise threatens the company and could expose their tightly held secrets. But as they work together to develop a plan to save Kingston Corp., they begin to realize there might be more to their relationship than anger and lust.

Available now from Riptide Publishing. 

About Silvia Violet

Silvia Violet writes fun, sexy stories that will leave you smiling and satisfied. She has a thing for characters who are in need of comfort and enjoys helping them surrender to love even when they doubt it exists. Silvia’s stories include sizzling contemporaries, paranormals, and historicals. She can be found haunting coffee shops looking for the darkest, strongest cup of coffee she can find. Once equipped with the needed fuel, she can happily sit for hours pounding away at her laptop.

Silvia typically leaves home disguised as a suburban stay-at-home-mom, and other coffee shop patrons tend to ask her hilarious questions like, “Do you write children’s books?” She loves watching the looks on their faces when they learn what she’s actually up to. When she needs a break from listening to the voices in her head, she spends time baking, taking long walks, curling up with her favorite books, and spending time with her family.

Connect with Silvia:

● Website

● Blog

● Facebook

● Twitter: @Silvia_Violet

● Tumblr

● Instagram

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Lace-Covered Compromise, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 11, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A MelanieM Review: Berzerker (Twirled World Ink #1) by J.M. Dabney

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Welcome to Twirled World Ink where the crazies run the asylum.

The hum of a tattoo machine was Brian “Berzerker” Anderson’s favorite sound in the world. He’d won a coveted spot at Twirled World Ink with a legend in the business, Gib Phelps. Creating beauty with his large, scarred hands was his happy place—the place where he fit in the world. Although, nothing could remain perfect forever, his boyfriend of over a year decided to move on and up without him in tow. He had two choices, return to living with his friends and co-workers or take an offer too tempting to pass up.

Landon Phelps grew up in an unconventional home as the only child to Legendary Tattoo Artist Gib Phelps and mother, Peaches. He always felt a bit out of place when he became a boring accountant instead of following in his parents’ footsteps. Boundaries were in place early on; he didn’t date the employees of Twirled World Ink. Sometimes rules were meant to be broken. Bezerker was his idea of perfection, large, husky and tattooed; the thick, grab-worthy beard was a bonus. So when the boyfriend became the ex, Landon decided it was time to get his man.

With the help of the matchmaking Twirled Crew, can Landon finally get Berzerker to see him as more than a friend and the employer’s son?

Here we are at the beginning!  The Twirled World Ink series launches the first of three interconnected series and an ever enlarging cast of addictive characters, all of whom live in the town of Powers, Georgia.  And it all starts here.  I’ve been working my way backwards from that last series, Executioners (a band) to arrive at this  point.  Now I get to meet the original characters and see how they find their HEA.

First it’s Brian “Berzerker” Anderson, the large, intimidating inked tattooer at Twirled World Ink.  Tossed aside by someone ashamed of him,  it frees him up for the man who’s been waiting for just this opportunity. Landon, the young son of the owners of the tattoo shop who’s crushed on Berzerker for ages and now intends to go after the man he wants.

This story by J.M. Dabney has enough elements to appeal to everyone.  It has an age different in couple, humor, friends to lovers, and yes, simply hot sex scenes.  I don’t really regard what happens with Brian and Landon as instant love as they have known each other for a while, but more as a recognition of what’s really been there all along.  And I love stories like that.

It’s hard for me to be impartial about this story because in a way I’ve been living with this couple for nine books now and feel like I know them intimately.  I’ve seen them grow and I know where they are going.  So for me, this is a lovely trip back in time to see where it began for them and I love it.  And yes, I’m so fond of them.

All that couldn’t happen without  J.M. Dabney’s wonderful way with characterization and decisions about location and things like a tattoo shop called Twirled World Ink.  Because as Berzerker demonstrates its never just about the couple, its also about the supporting cast of characters that you will come to love and need to see as much of as anyone else.  That includes Peaches and Gib, and the rest of the Brawler crew and everyone else from Twirled World Ink and more.   In this series (all three of them)  it takes a town, and that town is Powers, Georgia.  It too will undergo transformation along with the men who live there.

And it starts here.

I gave you all the old cover because that came with the version I read.  The new cover states that it has been reedited so I will put that one  in a smaller version below.  I hate to admit it but I really prefer the older version.  Tell me what you think.

Cover art by Winterheart Designs (old).  I really love this older cover.  It seems grittier, more perfect for the characters than the new lighter version.  Tell me what you think.

 

 

 

 

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Author’s Note: Although this is the first book in a series each book is a standalone and every book deals with a separate couple.

Kindle Edition, 138 pages
Published November 27th 2016 by Hostile Whispers Press, LLC (first published November 2016)
ASINB01N0KDB60
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTwirled World Ink #1
Characters Brian “Berzerker” Anderson, Landon Phelps settingPowers, Georgia (United States)

 

An Ali Review: Kill Game (Seven of Spades #1) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Homicide detective Levi Abrams is barely holding his life together. He’s reeling from the fallout of a fatal shooting, and his relationship with his boyfriend is crumbling. The last thing he’s prepared for is a serial killer stalking the streets of Las Vegas. Or how he keeps getting thrown into the path of annoyingly charming bounty hunter Dominic Russo.

Dominic likes his life free of complications. That means no tangling with cops—especially prickly, uptight detectives. But when he stumbles across one of the Seven of Spades’s horrifying crime scenes, he can’t let go, despite Levi’s warnings to stay away.

The Seven of Spades is ruthless and always two moves ahead. Worst of all, they’ve taken a dangerously personal interest in Levi and Dominic. Forced to trust each other, the two men race to discover the killer’s identity, revealing hidden truths along the way and sparking a bond neither man expected. But that may not be enough to protect them.

This killer likes to play games, and the deck is not stacked in Levi and Dominic’s favor.
I thought this was really good.  I haven’t been this excited about a new series in a long time.  In fact, if the rest of the series was done I would have binge read the entire thing.  When the story starts we meet both Dominic and Levi.  They know each other through their jobs but they don’t know each other well.  When a serial killer starts hunting prey in their city they end up crossing paths in a more detailed way.  The two men both feel the chemistry between them but there is a lot going on in both of their lives and getting together is a complicated things.
As the book proceeds the two MC’s get drawn together repeatedly due to the circumstances of the case.  I loved how the author handled these two getting together.  It’s a slow burn and it’s obvious she’s going to take her time building their relationship and I for one am really excited about that.  I love ongoing series where the main characters have time to build a solid foundation and where the author takes the reader along and lets us see all the steps along the way. 
I liked both Levi and Dominic and I thought they were both well done and thoroughly fleshed out.  They came across as realistic people with realistic problems.  Both have some issues they’re going through and the author shows us their vulnerabilities and flaws.  Despite that, or maybe because of that, I immediately connected with them both.  There are a host of side characters (friends, family, co-workers) that we both interesting and added to the overall plot.
The author did a good job on the mystery aspect of the case.  I thought it was entertaining and pretty fast paced.  I have some theories about who the killer is and I’m eager to get to the next installments of the series to see if I’m right or not.  The murders were sufficiently creepy but not too gruesome or dark. 
So, again, this was really good and is going to go on my “best of” list this year.  It looks like there will be 5 books total in this series and I can’t wait to read them all.
The cover was done by G.D Leigh and I think it’s fantastic.  It fits the creepy vibe of a book about a serial killer.  I think it’s super eye catching and attractive.  When you get to the end of this book you can see the covers for the rest of the books in the series and they are all great.  They are distinctive and they match well.  You’ll have no trouble seeing that they are a matched set.
Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 297 pages
Published October 23rd 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleKill Game
ISBN139781626496194
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSeven of Spades #1 settingLas Vegas, Nevada (United States)
Nevada (United States)

The Seven of Spades series is best read in order of publication, which is as follows:

  1. Kill Game (October 23, 217)
  2. Trick Roller (January 29, 2018)
  3. Cash Plays (April 30, 2018)
  4. One-Eyed Royals (July 30, 2018)
  5. A Chip and a Chair (October 22, 2018)

An Alisa Review: For Better or For Worse by Emery C. Walters

Rating:  2 stars out of 5

 

It was just going to be a simple Spanish fabada bean and chorizo soup from his grandmother’s favorite recipe. Jake hoped for a nice meal and a better time with his widower father. His dad didn’t seem homophobic, but he just didn’t get that Jake was gay. A quiet dinner might clear the air.

 

But the trip to the supermarket was a disaster involving a bear and some sausage. Then his dad showed up accompanied by a health aide who isn’t quite what she seems. And the bear shows up, too.

 

Stress and rum piles up. Will Jake’s father get a new grandson? Does Jake have a bear in the kitchen and in the bedroom, too? Is this meal one big happy family gathering, or an even bigger disaster?

 

So, I went into this story thinking it would be a short, funny and romantic story, it was not.  This just felt like a big mess to me.  Jake seemed relaxed and calm about his dinner with his father and suddenly he’s inviting someone to join them but forgets to mention it to either.  This was a mess up of misunderstanding and “relationships” that didn’t add up either.  I’m not sure what seemed to push Jake to the bottom of the bottle but it couldn’t have been as new as it seemed for everything to happen the way it did.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is a sweet picture of the characters cooking together, it just doesn’t go with the actual story.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 40 pages

Published: September 23, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634864626

Edition Language: English

A VVivacious Review: Changing On The Fly: The Second Period Anthology – Various Authors

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Changing on the Fly features four M/M stories about hockey players falling in love on – and off – the ice. It includes the following stories:

1. Head in the Game by Jeff Adams

Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Roger Jacobson is having a hard time getting his head in the game following his disastrous breakup, when things start looking really bad he turns to his roots for help in the form of Coach Barker. What Roger wasn’t expecting was the distraction in the form of Dylan Barker. Can Roger fix his game and his heart?

This story didn’t have any impact on me. It is a nice little unassuming tale but it lacked the depth that makes a story memorable. It’s hard to pin-point what exactly didn’t work in this story because on the surface everything works. The story has a nice premise and the writing is good but nothing about this story left an impression.

In fact on second thought, I felt like things just weren’t hard enough, I don’t know, this story needs a little bit more fight in it. Personally, I was just never that invested in these characters for their story to mean something to me. Otherwise, it is a good read but extremely forgettable.

 

2. Second Chance at Love by Heather Lire

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Zach needs a break after the crazy couple of months that see his hockey career end and see him elected as Mayor of Holiday, Vermont. He ends up in Costa Rica ready for a relaxing vacation only to find out that he is sharing his beach house with Tony, his best friend from High School. Will this surprise reunion ignite something new between these two friends?

The one thing I have to mention in regards to this story is that it features no hockey in it, like at all, which was kind of weird and technically doesn’t even feature a hockey player. It features an ex-hockey player. I kind of picked up this anthology for the hockey so that was a bit of a disappointment but then I kind of reset my expectations because even the following story didn’t have much hockey in it.

This story does have my favourite troop friends-to-lovers but it really fails to develop on it. This story is very hot and heavy and I feel like the sexual development kind of occurs at the altar of everything else (like character and story development). So when things do happen they feel a little rushed, especially in regards to that Epilogue. I personally didn’t get to know the characters enough to know for sure that they would end up like they did in the epilogue.

Overall, this is a hot and heavy quickie but not much in the way of story development.

3. Rookie Moves by V L Locey

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Riley and Keiffer have made it despite all odds, but now Keiffer finds himself under the spotlight. Will Keiffer be able to get a hold of his life and be able to figure out what he wants to do with his life, or will he crumble under the media blizzard?

I liked this story quite a lot. In fact, I liked it so much that I read the prequel to this one as well after finishing this one.

Riley and Keiffer make an incredible couple. At times it is hard to imagine that such a couple could actually work but then you see them interact and they click so well together that you can’t figure out the doubts you had. Of course, at the core of their relationship is balance Riley has an insurmountable amount of power over Keiffer given that Keiffer is completely dependent on Riley for everything and as of yet can’t support himself and at times that power dynamic does err on the wrong side. If things unbalance even a bit this story could be a mess but for the most part, the author has the balance between these two figured out because these two need solid boundaries between pushing and demanding.

But on the whole, I loved this story as it follows Keiffer. We see him grow into himself and finally figure out what he wants to do with his life which coupled with the amazingness of Riley and Keiffer makes for one hell of a story.

4. Secrets by RJ Scott

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Benji is a skater on the Colchester Colts and he is used to being chirped on for his short height, especially from Avery Lester, the defenseman for the Carlisle Rush. When Benji makes a single inappropriate comment about Avery’s ass, it has an unexpected outcome. 

Avery comes to Benji for guidance, to figure out how to be a gay man in a hockey league, while Benji wants to help he also needs to guard his heart. Will Benji succeed or fail, miserably?

This story was my most favourite of the lot. I loved it, like so, so, so much.

God, it was amazing! I loved Benji and Avery so much, they like completely made my day. God these two were so adorable together and it was just so heartrending to have Benji trying to protect his heart but failing, so spectacularly. Like there was just something about Benji falling in love that had me so emotional.

Avery and Benji were amazing characters and I think the thing that really worked for their story was all that focus on hockey. Their story really tied in with Hockey as a concept and as a game and was used amazingly to further the plot.

God! This one was amazing, and I am not very good at expressing just how good it was but it was amazing. It is not only one of my most favourite stories from this anthology but this is like one of my most favourite stories ever.

 

Cover Art by Jen Needles which I really liked.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

Charity Anthology\All proceeds from the anthology will be donated to a charity that supports inclusiveness in athletics.

The anthology will be available starting in October 4, 2017, for a limited time only.

ebook
Published October 4th 2017 by Gone Writing Publishing
ISBN139781370424719

Piper’s Top Five NHL Defensemen and their release ‘​Off the Ice (Hat Trick #1) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn ( tour and giveaway)

Off the Ice (Hat Trick #1) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by

Read an Excerpt/Purchase it here at Riptide Publishing

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Piper Vaughn here today on her tour for Off the Ice.  Welcome, Piper!

Piper’s Top Five NHL Defensemen

Hi, all! Piper Vaughn, here! Thanks for having me today. In honor of Tristan Holt, who is one of the main characters in OFF THE ICE – and a defenseman for my and Avon Gale’s fictional hockey team, the Atlanta Venom – I’ve decided to talk a little bit about my five favorite NHL defensemen. If you’re an ice hockey fan and you haven’t heard of these guys, they’re all worth checking out! 😀

Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues

If you’ve already read OFF THE ICE and saw the dedication, you won’t be surprised to see Colton Parayko as the first name on this list. Avon and I have been open about the fact that Parayko inspired our character, Tristan, and the plot for the book itself. In interviews Parayko comes across as a genuinely nice, bashful, and humble guy. He’s also an amazing defenseman! This is his third season with the Blues, and he’s known for being a playmaker and with every passing season, becoming a more offensive defenseman. He isn’t scoring a ton of goals himself, but he’s getting assists and helping his teammates score, which is crucial. This past off-season, he even signed an impressive 5-year contract extension with the Blues, proof of their faith in him and his developing skillset. I can only see him getting better from here! And his smile is to die for.

Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild

I have a thing for height differences and short, feisty players, and Spurgeon, clocking in at 5’7” (or 5’9”, depending which site you look at) is the shortest d-man on this list. You won’t necessarily find him among the NHL’s top 25 defensemen, but in my opinion, he’s vastly underrated and he’s constantly proving that size isn’t indicative of skill. He’s not a high-scoring defenseman, but he’s consistently good and puts up some respectable numbers in terms of goals and assists. Beyond that, he’s good at creating plays that lead to offensive chances, even if he’s not notching assists on those goals. In other words, he’s helping his team score! I only expect his numbers to improve over the next few years.   

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

Burnzie is easily one of the top defensemen in the NHL and well-known for his skills as much as his impressive beard and his toothless grin. Burns is the ultimate offensive defenseman. He scores a lot of goals and notches even more assists. He’s also a goof, and I love his sense of humor. I’m a Sharks fan mostly because of him. Plus, I’ll never forget how supportive and awesome he was with his former teammate, John Scott, during the All-Star Game a couple of years ago. It was, hands down, the most memorable all-star game I’ll ever watch, and Burns was a big part of that.

Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild

When I think of Ryan Suter, one word that comes to mind is solid. If you know your hockey history, you’ll know Ryan Suter is the son of Bob Suter, who played as part of the “Miracle on Ice” team in the 1980 Olympic Games. Much like what I’ve read about his father, Suter loves hockey, his family, and is a humble and dedicated player. He’s a point-scorer, whether it’s goals or assists, and he’s a reliable offensive defenseman – evidenced by consistently solid numbers and his participation in the NHL’s All-Star Games three times in the last 5 seasons. He’s not a flashy player, but he’s definitely a difference maker, and I’ve liked him since I watched his episode of “Becoming Wild” a couple of seasons ago.

Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Werenski is the youngest d-man on this list. He’s only 20, but last year he led the NHL rookie defensemen in points. He made a huge impact on the Blue Jackets and was even nominated for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the rookie of the year. To no one’s surprise, last year’s winner was Auston Matthews, who is an incredible player, but it’s still impressive Werenski finished third in the voting! I love bb!players and seeing them do so well. He has an exciting future ahead of him, and I’m really looking forward to watching him develop.

And those are my top five, although it wasn’t easy to narrow it down. The league is filled with so many talented players, and I have a soft spot for defensemen and goalies… but the goalies I’ll save for another post. ;D

 In the Hat Trick series, love and hockey collide—and create enough heat to melt the ice. Join the players as they chase both the Stanley Cup and their own personal happily ever afters.

About Off the Ice

Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.

Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.

But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.

Available now from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/off-the-ice

About Avon Gale

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon:

● Website: www.avongalewrites.com

● Blog: www.avongalewrites.com/category/blog/

● Facebook: www.facebook.com/avongalewrites

● Twitter: @avongalewrites

● Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/avongalewrites/

● Instagram: www.instagram.com/avongale/

 

About Piper Vaughn

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book—fantasy, young adult, romance, sci-fi, she loves them all (and has an over-two-thousand-book library to prove it!). She’s an avid tea drinker, a hockey fanatic, a vintage typewriter collector, and loves to travel so much she has “wanderlust” tattooed on her ankle and dozens of countries on her bucket list. Recently, she discovered the world of nail art and realized she’s pretty handy with a paintbrush—as long as it’s a miniature one.

  • As a bisexual and Latinx person, Piper takes great pride in her heritage. She grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood and strives to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. She currently resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband, son, and a cat that has Piper wrapped around her little paw. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life … even if it’s only in a book.

 

Connect with Piper:

● Website: http://pipervaughn.com/

● Blog: https://pipervaughn.wordpress.com/

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipervaughn

● Twitter: https://twitter.com/pipervaughn

● Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pipervaughn7/

● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piper.vaughn/

● Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104698982870458063898

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Off the Ice, one lucky winner will receive a Venom t-shirt in their size and Venom notebook! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 4, 2017. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

A MelanieM Review: Shattered Pieces (Heathens Ink #4) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

I was sure my heart had withered away years ago, but then you smiled at me, and I felt it beat again.” ~Gage
Years ago, I fell in love with my best friend’s little brother. Then, he took his own life, leaving me shattered and unable to piece my heart back together. I’ve been a zombie for nine long years. Until a crazy, gorgeous man walked into Heathens Ink and injected color back into my world of gray. No matter how hard I try to resist Beck, he just won’t give up on me. I would need steel willpower to withstand his gorgeous long legs in those high heels and his drawer full of lacy lingerie. But is this just a kinky hook up or does it have the possibility for more?

“We’re both broken, but our jagged edges fit together well” ~ Beck
When you’re half of a whole you never contemplate what life would be like without your matching piece. Since my twin sister, Brianna, died last year, nothing I do seems to quiet my soul. I know there has to be some way for me to feel happy and whole again. And, when I look into the pained eyes of the tattoo artist at Heathens Ink, I feel like I have a purpose. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I have to find a way to put him back together.

Shattered Pieces (Heathens Ink #4) by K.M. Neuhold is simply an engaging, heartwarming romance between two people broken by grief and past loss.  I’ve not read any of the other Heathens stories and it’s not necessary because Shattered PIeces works perfectly on its own. K.M. Neuhold gives the readers all the back history and series foundation necessary without overshadowing the central story of Gage and Beck’s romance.

And what a  slow and wonderful romance it is.  Gage has been living a numb life for close to ten years ever since the young love of his life committed suicide, something he blames himself for.  Mired in grief, guilt, and loss, his world has greyed out until Beck comes into Heathens Ink asking for a peacock tattoo in memory of his twin sister.  The story is told from both points of view and it works beautifully here, making both characters fully come to life.

Gage’s needs to work through his grief, pain and fear that if he moves on, he loses his love and memory of Jay, something I think most people will understand.  Beck is caught up in a different way, drawn to broken souls because he knows he too is shattered and in need of mending.

I loved the whole slow recovery and forming a relationship here, it worked.  The writing was smooth and moved the plot along easily and quickly.  The dialog fit the men and their personalities and made me fall in love with them both.  It also piqued my interest in the other stories which I’ll be looking into now.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shattered Pieces (Heathens Ink #4) by K.M. Neuhold and absolutely recommend it.  Now on to see what the rest of the series holds!

Cover art by Inked Designs. I like this cover and the models work for the characters except where is Gage’s pink hair?  That’s a major failure as its an important element in the story.

Sales Links:

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2zZWnl2

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2zOYkj9

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 181 pages
Published October 31st 2017
ASINB076M878V2
SeriesHeathens Ink #4

An Alisa Review: Steel Trap (The Wyverns #5) by L.M. Somerton

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Secrets don’t stay hidden forever.

 

Hatchet has a thing for the enigmatic Mr. Smith, Horatio Trap’s spokesman. He’d love to get his hands on the pretty man and show him how good it feels to take orders for once rather than hand them out. He’s had his eye on Smith for years and he’s running out of patience.

 

The Wyverns’ involvement in the drug trade is limited to stealing money from the cartels—they don’t want junk peddled on their turf. When Trap orders them to destroy a crack cocaine factory in Phoenix, they are happy to oblige. But Smith throws a spanner in the works by posing as a potential buyer, putting himself in mortal danger.

 

Hatchet and The Wyverns come up with a plan to fake Smith’s death, muscle in on the deal and convince the cartel to do business with them instead. But when Hatchet’s cover is blown he’s left to save a bunch of illegals, destroy the drugs and wipe the factory from the face of the planet. It’s all in a night’s work for The Wyverns—but there are still secrets to uncover and the mysterious Horatio Trap and his mind games can’t stay hidden forever.

 

This was a great conclusion to this series.  Hatchet has claimed Smith as his, he just needs convince the man himself.  Smith hasn’t allowed himself to be taken care of too much by someone else and is used to calling the shots but Hatchet wants to show him that isn’t what he really needs.

 

Hatchet lets Smith go home after he is mostly healed from the injury he received in the previous book but the instant that he tries to put himself in danger again he knows he needs to teach him a lesson.  Smith still has secrets he is trying to protect but once they are revealed he is freer to let go of his long held control.  I loved that this story gave a nice ending to this series, I really liked most of the characters and stories in it.

 

The cover art by Posh Gosh is great and continues to follow the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 69 pages

Publication: October 17, 2017 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-78651-638-1

Edition Language: English

Series: The Wyverns #5