Release Blitz for The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles (giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 62,000 words

Cover Design: Harper by Design

Blurb

Two plus one equals scorching hot fun.

Dumped by his boyfriend and reduced to living in a grotty bedsit, Josh Carpenter lives for his job as a glassblower. That and occasional glimpses of his sexy downstairs neighbours, Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman.

Whenever he overhears the diminutive academic and the hunky plumber having loud and obviously kinky sex, Josh is whipped into a state of frenzied lust… and a longing for a relationship like theirs.

To his amazement, Rai and Evan find his embarrassing tendency to blush utterly charming, and the three men grow closer over the course of the long, hot summer. Despite enjoying Rai’s charming flirtation and Evan’s smouldering gaze, Josh is determined never to do anything to split them apart.

However, when a naked Josh falls—quite literally—into the middle of one of Rai and Evan’s marathon sex sessions, the force of their mutual attraction takes over. But just as Josh dares to hope, he senses a change. If the three of them can’t renegotiate the rules of their new relationship, Josh risks losing their friendship—and any chance at love—forever.

Warning: Contains one well-endowed stud with a sexy accent, one improbably toppy bottom boy with an unfortunate owl obsession, and one blushing naïf who can’t believe his luck. Also, the occasional indulgence in mathematical spanking and some shameless armpit sex.

Bonus Christmas Hot Floor short story included in this edition!

Originally published by Samhain Publishing, September 2012

Originally
published by Samhain Publishing, September 2012

Author Bio

English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. Sheís beginning to suspect he enjoys it.

Joís novel Stuff won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Romance, and her novella Merry Gentlemen won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Romantic Comedy. She loves to be busy, and is currently having fun trying to work out how she is going to fit in her love of writing, dressmaking and attending cabaret shows in fabulous clothing around the demands of a preteen with special needs and an incessantly curious toddler.

Website and blog: josephinemyles.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/josephine.myles.author
Twitter: @JosephineMyles
Newsletter: eepurl.com/hrQ4s

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A Kai Review: Nate And The New Yorker (Nate and Cameron #1) by Kevin Klehr

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Cameron had it all. He was rich, lived in Manhattan, and even had a cross-dressing butler. But then he met Nate, an Australian who was bitter about love. Cameron was determined to turn this realistic into a dreamer by sharing his world of classy restaurants, Broadway shows, and fabulous parties. And while Nate’s friends saw the makings of a fantasy romance, it was Nate who had to learn that in order to open his heart, he had to face a painful secret.

Well, It wasn’t easy to start this review. Actually, when I finished the book I had mixed feelings. But after thinking about everything I’m pretty sure this book didn’t work for me as it could.

Although I liked the writing style, I didn’t like the rhythm of the story. It was so fast paced and the situation was rushed and unclear.

I also didn’t like Cameron. He was a total dreamer, spoiled and unrealistic. He fell in love with Nate after a week, and ok, I would buy it if I had seen their interaction. But the author skipped these parts. He just showed the first and the last day of them together in New work, and even that was short and rushed. How can the reader relate to a love so fast if the situations where they interact with each other was out of the book? Needless to say, I couldn’t buy them as a couple. Even when they were together I didn’t feel the connection between them. The story was told in Nate POV and in any moment it felt like he was in love with Cameron.

Although not loving Nate, I liked him. He was a lot more down to earth than Cameron and his interaction with his friends was great.

Almost in the end of the book, I realized the story wasn’t really about Nate and Cameron as a couple. This book was about Nate trying and moving on from his past. He had a secret and was stuck in the past and couldn’t break free. It made my eyes tear up when I learned his story. That realization was why my feelings were a little mixed about this novel and why I had, at first, problems rating this book.

But in general, the book just didn’t work. The plot had so much potential, could be a so great story but the development was lame. I think if the author at least hadn’t cut Cameron and Nate interaction and the story hadn’t been so fast paced, I could have enjoyed it.

Even though I didn’t like this book and wouldn’t read it again, I’m looking forward to the next one in the series. Just because I’m curious and want to know if the next will be less rushed.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is nice and suits the book. The image of a gray city can represent the way Nate couldn’t really enjoy New York city because of his past. And in front of it, Cameron as a powerful man and in color, who was supposed to help Nate to let the past behind. I like it.

Sales Links

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/nate-and-the-new-yorker/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nate-New-Yorker-Cameron-Book-ebook/dp/B071DCJCSJ

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/nate-and-the-new-yorker/9781370492145-item.html

Book Details:

Ebook: 85 pages

Publication 2 edition: May 1st, 2017 by NineStar Press

Séries: Nate and Cameron

Main Characters

An Alisa Release Day Review: Liar, Liar by TA Moore

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Just another day at the office.

For some people that means spreadsheets, and for others it’s stitching endless hems. For Jacob Archer a day at the office is stealing proprietary information from a bioengineering firm for a paranoid software billionaire. He’s a liar and a thief, parlaying a glib tongue and a facile conscience into a lucrative career. He just has one rule—never get involved with a mark.

Well, had one rule. To be fair, though, Simon Ramsey is dark, dangerous, and has shoulders like a Greek statue. Besides, it’s not as though Jacob’s even really stealing from Simon… just his boss and his brother-in-law. Simon didn’t buy that excuse either after he caught Jacob breaking into the company’s computer network.

That would have been that—one messy breakup, one ticket to Bali booked—but it turns out that the stolen information is worth more than Jacob thought. With his life—and his ribs—threatened, Jacob needs Simon to help him out. Or maybe he just needs Simon.

This is a great story that shows that even when you have made a big mistake love can overcome the challenge. Jacob never planned to really get involved with Simon but he just couldn’t resist time and time again. Simon will do anything to protect his family and feels completely betrayed by Jacob’s actions.

Even though Jacob kept their relationship separate from his job they are too connected to actually be kept apart in the end. When Jacob runs after Simon finds him they keep looking but at the same time Simon is glad that he doesn’t have to confront Jacob. When the tables are turned they find that they may have a common enemy in this and it may be closer than they think.

We get to see both of these character’s points of view, which helps to know what the characters are thinking. Jacob closes himself off from the pain of not seeing the man he loves anymore when the job is done because that’s just what he has to do and as they begin to work together he finds that maybe Simon can give him an excuse to stay. Simon feels like Jacob has stabbed him in the heart with his actions and though he never apologizes for the actual stealing Jacob helps to find the real culprit for why he was originally hired. I loved how they couldn’t deny their feelings no matter what was going on around them and are both good guys down deep.

Cover art by Anne Cain is wonderful and gives great visuals of the characters for the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 216 pages

Published: May 12, 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 9781635335712

Edition Language: English

An Ali Review: Bones (Blue Boy #2) by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Cam is a veteran porn star at Blue Boy Studios. Known as Mr. Nice Guy, he’s the top every newbie bottom wants to be paired with.

But in recent months his beloved hardcore scenes have dried up. Instead, he finds himself stuck with a string of monotonous foreplay scenes. He takes his frustration to his boss, and warped kind of lover, Jon Kellar, but Jon won’t bend. Cam is a commodity and will do as he’s told…in every way.

Cam’s frustration builds, but a chance meeting with a hot BMXer distracts him. Sasha Tate is gorgeous, warm and wonderful; everything Cam has ever wanted. They bond over shared interests and a sizzling mutual attraction. Cam is exhilarated and thrilled, until his chosen profession gets in the way.

Sasha pulls back, and before Cam can fix it, life comes at him from all fronts. A crisis threatens much more than his relationship with Sasha, and as his world implodes he begins to realize that life will never be the same again.

This is the second book in the Blue Boys series. This can be read as a standalone, but there is some follow up on the couple from book one’s relationship as I mention later in the review, so you may want to read book one first. The majority of the book focuses on Cam who we meant in book one. Cam is a porn star and is in an unhealthy relationship with the studio’s owner Jon. Cam knows that he needs to get out of this relationship but is struggling with how to do it. He’s unhappy at work and he’s found himself increasingly isolated from his friends. A chance meeting at his second job leads him to meet Sasha, a really nice guy who has nothing to do with the porn business. The story then takes us through Cam’s attempts to break away from Jon, his struggle to have a sexual relationship outside of porn and another very serious issue.

I really enjoyed this book. This author makes you really like these characters without shying away from the seedier aspects of their lifestyles. Cam was a great character and he and Sasha were really good together. The style of the series is interesting and different from any other that I’ve read. Book one ended with a happily for now and those character’s story rolled in to this book. A good portion of the story was about Levi and Sonny and we saw them continue to work through their issues. By the end of this book it was apparent that their story is not even close to being done and will be seen more in book three. Cam and Sasha’s story ended on a happy note but they did not really get together till the end of this book so it looks like their story will also continue into the next one. It looks like the stories in this series will not wrap up in each book but will be on going through out the series. Kind of like a television drama or soap opera. I find that interesting and I’m eager to see what happens next for our guys as their stories unfold.

Cover by Black Jazz Design: This is a new cover for this book’s re-release and I like it a lot.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Published May 5th 2017 by Fox Love Press (first published May 5th 2014)
SeriesBlue Boy #2

Robert Winter on A Virtual Tour of Locations in ‘Every Breath You Take’, his latest novel (guest post and giveaway)

Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Purchase

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Release Date: May 5, 2017

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 221 pages
Genre: Romance, Thriller/Suspense

Add to Goodreads

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Robert Winter here today. Robert is going to give us a tour of the locations in his novel, Every Breath You Take. Welcome, Robert!

✒︎

A Virtual Tour of Locations in Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter

Every Breath You Take is set in Washington, DC, where I have lived for more than 25 years (with a few breaks to live in New York). The city has grown and changed tremendously in that time. When I moved here in 1990, the population was on the decline as people fled to the suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. Most recently, census figures from 2016 show Washington’s population has reached a 40-year high.

That growth shows itself everywhere in new construction and in lots of traffic, but in some ways Washington retains its charm. There are lots of pretty bicycle trails, for example, such as this one that connects DC to Maryland.

There are also moments when you see a famous building, like the Capitol or the Washington Monument, and realize what a beautiful city DC really is.

In Every Breath You Take, Zachary Hall works for the Treasury Department. Although no scenes take place in his office, I’ve always thought Treasury has one of the more attractive buildings.

When Thomas Scarborough picks up Zachary at a bar, he brings him back to his condo. I let Thomas live in a swank development called CityCentreDC, which houses several high-end fashion stores, great restaurants, and condos with great views. Thomas lives on the top floor, of course.

On a memorable Sunday, Zachary visits the National Gallery of Art with Thomas and another character, Randy Vaughan. Before he meets them inside, he sits for a while near a fountain. In the story, it had not yet been turned on, but I’m including a picture of the working fountain and its accompanying display of azaleas.

While he wanders on the Mall, Zachary also spots a building called the Newseum. Not only is this place a museum related to the freedom of the press and the other rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, but it also houses some famous relics including a piece of the Berlin Wall and an antenna from the World Trade Center.

It develops in the story that Zachary begins dating a man named Sam who has an apartment in an attached building called the Newseum Residence (to the left in the picture above). Sam lives on the top floor. I’m not saying anything more, but after you read Every Breath You Take you might want to take another look at that top balcony!

The last stop on our virtual tour is one that I didn’t use in the book, but that any lover of mysteries and intrigue might particularly enjoy – the International Spy Museum. My favorite feature is a collection of tools of the spy trade, including a tube of lipstick that converts into a derringer. I’ll have to find a way to use something like that in a future story, maybe one about a drag queen spy…

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the DC in which Zachary and Thomas find love and danger. If you know DC and I’ve missed one of your favorites, please tell us about it in the comments! You can find out more about my experiences in DC at my website.

Synopsis

When Zachary Hall leaves Utah for a job in Washington, it’s finally his chance to live as a gay man and maybe find someone special. In a bar he meets Thomas Scarborough, a man who seems perfect in and out of the bedroom. But Thomas never dates. He never even sleeps with the same man twice. Despite their instant connection, he can offer Zachary only his friendship, and Zachary is looking for more.

Thomas is tempted to break his own rules, but years before, he became the victim of a stalker who nearly destroyed his life. Even though his stalker died, Thomas obsessively keeps others at a distance. Despite his fascination with Zachary, he is unable to lower his barriers. Frustrated, Zachary accepts he will never have what he wants with Thomas and soon finds it with another man.

But young gay men in Washington, DC are being murdered, and the victims all have a connection to Thomas. Once again someone is watching Thomas’s every move. Can it be a coincidence? When the depraved killer turns his attention toward Zachary, Thomas must face the demons of his past—or lose his chance to open his heart to Zachary forever.

Excerpt

Across the street the man with the silver-framed glasses stood back in the shadows and stared at the front window of the garden apartment. He could see the back of his quarry’s head as he watched a small flat-screen TV.

Time passed.

Eventually the head nodded forward and then jerked up. When it happened a second time, the creature turned off the TV and then the lamp and headed to bed.

The man waited for another half hour with his back pressed against an alcove formed where two brownstones met. The street was quiet. Almost no one walked by, and the lone person who came down the street failed to notice him in the shadows.

The man felt his breath grow hoarse, and blood rushed in his ears as his heart began to pound. He cultivated that sensation as he reached into his coat pocket for the screwdriver that rested there and made himself imagine the creature’s hands touching the Beloved’s face. Stroking his body. He curled his fingers around the screwdriver and then clenched and unclenched rhythmically. Its thick handle felt rough against his palm because of the grooves and sharp edges he had chiseled into it. He had ideas for other implements that would serve his purpose, but for now, this would do just fine. This would make his point.

His throat was dry, and his eyes burned from focusing on the darkened window, but he felt invincible. The tension in his body climbed exquisitely, and when he could take no more, he slipped across the street and stepped down to the locked gate. It opened easily with his small set of picks. The gate made no noise when the creature went through it earlier, so he was confident and quick and didn’t bother to lock it behind him. Child’s play, he thought as he worked the lock on the apartment door.

The tumblers clicked into place.

He stored his lockpicks, slipped inside the darkened apartment, and then closed the door behind him as silently as he could. Streetlight came through the slatted blinds the boy had failed to close completely. He waited quietly until he heard a faint snore from the back and then removed his glasses and tucked them in an inside pocket of his jacket. The scarf his quarry had been wearing caught his eye, and the man bared his teeth as he lifted it off the coat tree and tugged it tightly between his hands. It was well made. It would hold. He smiled.

He slid through the gloom toward the room where the creature lay sleeping. He was hard, and the blood in his erection pulsed in time to the pounding of his heart. That boy had dared to touch his Beloved. He had probably even been fucked by him. But that wasn’t enough—oh no. He came back for more.

It had taken the man so long to find his Beloved and interpret his subtle clues. He finally understood what was required of him. The undeserving gnat must be chastised, and he would be the Beloved’s angel of retribution. He was conscious of the weight of the screwdriver in his pocket, the scratch of the wool scarf in his hands, and the power in his arms.

He reached for the boy on the bed.

Meet the Author

Robert Winter is a recovering lawyer who likes writing about hot men in love much more than drafting a legal brief. He left behind the (allegedly) glamorous world of an international law firm to sit in his home office and dream up ways to torment his characters until they realize they are perfect for each other. When he isn’t writing, Robert likes to cook Indian food and explore new restaurants.

Robert divides his time between Washington, DC, and Provincetown, MA. He splits his attention between Andy, his partner of sixteen years, and Ling the Adventure Cat, who likes to fly in airplanes and explore the backyard jungle as long as the temperature and humidity are just right.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Goodreads | eMail

Blog Tour Schedule

May 8 – Stories That Make You Smile | Books, Dreams, Life
May 9 – two chicks obsessed Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
May 10 – Oh My Shelves | Butterfly-o-Meter Books
May 11 – Bayou Book Junkie | Boy Meets Boy Reviews
May 12 – Urban Smoothie Read | Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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C. J. Anthony on Roller Coasters, Road Trips and her latest novel ‘Runaway Rock Star’ (guest post)

Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

Available for Purchase at

Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host C.J. Anthony today on her Runaway Road Trip Blog Tour! Welcome, C.J.!

Thank you Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me on the blog today! Today is my fifth stop on my Runaway Rock Star Road Blog Tour! Join me as I hit the road—I’m going to be visiting some great blogs, sharing background about the book, about Ohio, and there may also be a fun interview with Lucas and Brandon along the way. The stops are listed below and any posts you comment on during the tour will enter you for a fun prize pack at the end that includes a $20 GC to the eBook retailer of your choice.

Runaway Rock Star is a part of the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press. A little background on the series for those who may not know what it is, the States of Love series is a series with one book about each state in the United States, all written by different authors.

~ ~ ~ ~

So in Runaway Rock Star, the first stop on Lucas and Brandon’s road trip (after they leave Cleveland) is Cedar Point. If you live in Ohio or even in a surrounding state—or if you’re a roller coaster fan—you probably know what Cedar Point is. But for those of you who have never heard of it, Cedar Point is an amusement park. They make the claim to be the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World, “ and that just might be true.

Cedar Point is located on a peninsula off of Lake Erie on the northern border of Ohio. According to ohiohistorycentral.org, the park officially began in 1870 when bath houses and other attractions were built to draw tourists. The first coaster was built in 1892 and the rest is history!

Today there are miles and miles of roller coasters, tons of places to eat, fun musical shows and entertainment and even a water park too.

I have to say, I have only been to Cedar Point once, many, many years ago, because I’m not a roller coaster fan. When I went, I made myself ride several coasters, and I survived in one piece, LOL. But that was enough for me. Cedar Point, though, is a popular place for Ohio families to visit and tourists come from all over for the roller coasters.

In the book, Lucas begins navigating and directs Brandon on the highway toward Cedar Point, already having made hotel reservations and plan without him knowing it. Here’s an excerpt of the beginning of their day at the park:

By the time Brandon caught up with him, Lucas was rubbing his hands together in delight. “All right, Harris. It’s on! What should we ride first?”

“What kind of thrill do you like? Riding upside down? Death drops? Wooden coasters? Or speed?”

“Well, considering I’ve never ridden any roller coaster before, I would say… all of them!”

Brandon stopped walking. “Wait a minute, you’ve never…? How…?” After what Lucas had told him so far of his life, he guessed it shouldn’t be a surprise that Lucas had never ridden a roller coaster. And he didn’t want to make the guy feel bad about it. But it did give him an idea.

“Okay,” Brandon said, striding ahead of Lucas. “I know exactly where to start.”

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination, Brandon smiling broadly.

Lucas glared at him. “The Woodstock Express? Are you fucking kidding me?”

A mother with two children in tow gave Lucas a dirty look as she tried to cover her little girl’s ears. Too late for the little boy though. “Mommy, he just said fuck-king!”

Brandon leaned over to Lucas. “Watch your language… there are little children present!”

“Of course there are, because you brought me to a kiddie ride!”

Brandon held up his hands. “Now, now… adults are allowed to ride too.” He smirked. “As your copilot on this roller-coaster adventure, I need to make sure you’re going to be able to handle the big-league coasters. After all you did say you were a roller-coaster virgin.”

Lucas scowled. “You are a devious arsehole, Harris. I am shocked!” Defiantly he stalked over to the line, towering a good two to three feet over his fellow riders.

Brandon laughed out loud. He stood on the sidelines and took pictures and video of Lucas riding on the train ride, like a proud parent. He also watched as Lucas’s car-mate, a little dark-haired boy, conversed with Lucas and pulled him out of his indignant mood. Lucas was chatting and laughing with a look of pure joy on his face.

When the ride was over, Lucas brought the little boy over to Brandon. “This is my new best bud, Martin.” Looking down at Martin, he motioned toward Brandon. “Marty, go ahead.”

Martin looked up at Brandon with a seriously bored expression on his face. “Dude, he rocked the ride, didn’t scream or puke once. He’s good to go.”

Martin and Lucas did some kind of hand-slap fist-bump, and then Martin ran off to find his family. Lucas looked smugly at Brandon.

“See, I was just coaster-approved. Now, can we please ride a big-boy ride? Please, Daddy?”

Brandon just rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine.”

Lucas threw his fist in the air.

~ ~ ~ ~

If you enjoyed the excerpt, pick up the book, there are more shenanigans to be had. And the itinerary for my blog trip is listed below; I hope you’ll visit each blog along with me! Don’t forget to leave comments to be entered for the prize giveaway. Also be sure to check out the blurb and info about the book.

May 3 MM Good Book Reviews

May 10 My Fiction Nook

May 11 Love Bytes Reviews

May 12 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

May 15 Open Skye Book Reviews

May 17 The Novel Approach

May 18 Boy Meets Boy Reviews

Blurb:

Just hours before Brandon Harris is supposed to head home to Cincinnati for a Labor Day family picnic, his boss at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame forces him into giving a private tour to bratty British pop rock star Lucas Black. Before he knows it, he finds himself swept up in a whirlwind road trip through Ohio with Lucas riding shotgun.

Lucas grabs hold of this wild opportunity to run away—even for a few precious days—from the gilded cage that is his carefully managed life. He’s just looking for a little fun and freedom as a normal person. From roller coasters to a college football game, Brandon begins to see the real Lucas Black buried under the famous persona. But by the time he and Lucas discover their mutual attraction, they only have one night left before both of them have to go back to their real lives. The fun is over…unless Lucas can run away for real this time and keep their adventure going.

About the Author

C. J. Anthony grew up watching soap operas and reading piles of books. She attributes her love of reading and romance to her mother, who not only taught her to read but also made countless trips to the library lugging piles of books home for her. It wasn’t a far jump to start writing her own stories, early childhood tales about flower families and traveling to the moon with her best friend.

C. J.’s favorite stories to read and write include “opposites attract” pairings—couples who appear to be an odd couple to the rest of the world, but fit together perfectly, finding their own happily-ever-after with a little hard work and a whole lot of love.

Not surprisingly, C. J. is a big lover of rom coms—she’ll gladly take Julia Roberts standing in front of Hugh Grant asking him to love her over car crashes and shoot-em-up movies any day. She also watches way too much TV and every singing reality show there is. She loves music of all genres and attending live concerts.

She spends most of her time juggling a day job and a commute and freelance and falling asleep on her couch, dreaming of a day when she can write all day in her pajamas while living in a house by the beach.

E-mail: cjanthony70@gmail.com

Blog: https://cjanthony.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cjanthony.writer

Twitter: @C_J_Anthony

An Ali Audiobook Review: Wedding Favors (Bluewater Bay #7) by Anne Tenino and Nick J. Russo (Narrator)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Lucas Wilder’s best friend is a traitor. First, Audrey moved back to their hick-infested hometown, Bluewater Bay, and now she’s marrying a local. His own brother, in fact. And as her man of honor, Lucas gets coerced into returning for an extended stay. Although, between his unfaithful ex-boyfriend and his artist’s block, going home isn’t the worst thing that could happen. Even if the best man is Gabriel Savage, Lucas’s first crush, first hookup, and first heartbreak.

The only reason Gabe hasn’t been waiting for Lucas to return to Bluewater Bay is because he never thought it’d happen. Not that it matters now that Lucas is back—Gabe’s still a logger who’s never been anywhere (Canada doesn’t count), and Lucas is now a famous sculptor who’s been everywhere twice. Plus, there’s that shared past.

When Audrey asks Lucas to make her wedding favors, the only place to set up a kiln is at Gabe’s tree farm. Soon, they pick up where they left off twelve years before, then blow past it, discovering why neither of them forgot the other. Now they have to choose how much of their history they’ll repeat, and what future they’ll make together.

I forgot how much I enjoyed this author. This was a great example of her story telling style. This was funny, sweet and steamy. It starts as a bit of an enemies to lovers story due to a fall out between the two MC’s back when they were in high school.

I also liked the fact that the story felt realistic. It was believable that these two could come together like they did.

I liked both Lucas & Gabriel as characters and they went well together. I also enjoyed the side characters. They all added to the story and I was so interested in one of them, Seth, that I had to look to see if he had gotten his own book. (I’m glad to report he has & I’m off to read it as well).

This is a long series that is done by a collaboration of authors. Since each of the books is written by a different author they can be read as a standalone with no problems.

This audiobook was narrated by Nick J Russo & I felt like he did a very good job on all of the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I would definitely recommend it.

Cover by L.C. Chase: I like the cover and feel it is a good representation of the MC’s and the storyline.

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing | Audible, Amazon, iTUnes

Audiobook Details:

8 hrs 14 mins

Audible Audio, 9 pages
Published April 13th 2017 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 11th 2015)
Finalist: Best Gay Romantic Comedy in the 2015 Rainbow Awards!
Original TitleWedding Favors
ASINB06Y3MWY3S
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBluewater Bay #7
CharactersLucas Wilder, Gabriel Savage settingBluewater Bay, Washington (United States)

An Alisa Review: Louder Than Words by Siryn Sueng

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

A local teacher takes silence as rejection from his coffee-shop crush, but then he learns that his crush is mute, and is determined to show that his love is deeper than any words can express.

Derrek is a local teacher in Clearwater, Florida. He frequents a nearby coffee shop before work every morning, where he finds himself enraptured with a young barista, Alex. But Alex never seems to notice him, even when he’s handing Derrek his morning coffee.

After weeks of hiding in his corner under the pretense of working, Derrek finally gains enough courage to ask Alex on a date. He’s crushed when all he gets for an answer is complete silence. He thinks it’s the end, until he finds out that Alex has a disability that has paralyzed his vocal cords.

Sign language is Alex’s way of communication, and it’s something that Derrek knows little to nothing about. With renewed determination, Derrek asks Alex to teach him sign language. Derrek wants to be able to talk to Alex, to tell him how he really feels, and find out if Alex feels the same.

But more than anything, he longs for a relationship that goes deeper than just words alone.

This was such and adorable and sweet story. Derrek runs when Alex is silent after the he asks him on a date but with the encouragement of a friend he goes back later that day to set things right and learns that Alex is mute. Derrek ends up with a weekly date disguised as learning sign language [even though it really happens] and gets to see Alex on his own away from the coffee shop.

Derrek is so awkward (and a little bit oblivious) it’s adorable and you can see that Alex just wants someone to love him for him. We see their relationship progress slowly but it seems natural for them. We see how Derrek will do anything to help and support Alex even when it drives him crazy. I loved both of these characters and it was great to see them find what they had been longing for.

The cover art is wonderful and perfect for this story.

Sales Links: Deep Desires Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 67 pages

Published: April 11, 2017 by Deep Desires Press

Edition Language: English

A VVivacious Review: Positive Reinforcement (Daniel and Ryan #4) by Tamryn Eradani

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Ryan finds himself drowning in work during the aptly named ‘Hell Week’ at work and Daniel & Ryan both agree to not meeting up for a week. Because as Daniel very well knows, what they have is just an arrangement, not a relationship and their arrangement can’t get in the way of work. But a week is too long a time for Daniel to not even talk to Ryan and Daniel puts his mind to finding moments with Ryan, torturing himself with the moment they can finally be with each other. When the torture finally ends, it might be time for Daniel to realize that he no longer wants an arrangement but a relationship.

After a long wait I finally got to see the potential in these two characters that I had seen when I read the first book in this series. This book has it all, it is from Daniel’s point of view and finally we get to see a major turning point in their relationship with Daniel accepting that he wants more form this relationship and doing what needs to be done so that Ryan knows it too. The author just has to capitalize on this momentum and the next book will be pretty amazing if we can finally get Ryan and Daniel’s relationship to evolve.

I really loved this book from the moment it started out in Daniel’s “I’m a control freak but I’m also crushing really hard even if I don’t want to accept it” POV which was so endearing. All the times he convinces himself that he doesn’t need something because he didn’t need it in the past only to later come to the realization that things can’t work that way any longer were just so adorable.

This story takes Daniel and Ryan’s relationship further with such imperceptible nudges that when you reach your destination it leaves you pleasantly surprised. I loved how these two are together, I loved the scene they shared together in this book and the scene they were going to share in the future, amazing, both of them. I especially loved the part where they sleep (as in falling asleep) together, it was just so adorable.

I found the story of this book very enticing and I can’t wait for the next one. This book has an ending that had me going like, “that’s it” but instead of finding the ending abrupt, I felt my reaction was more to do with how much I still wanted to continue reading about these two which left me with a smile on my face. I truly enjoyed this book in the series and it has me very excited about reading the next instalment in this series.

Cover Art by Natasha Snow. The cover was amazing as always.

Sales Links

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 58 pages
Published May 1st 2017 by NineStar Press
Original TitlePositive Reinforcement
ASINB071D36ZCY
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://ninestarpress.com/product/positive-reinforcement/
SeriesDaniel and Ryan #4

Christi Snow on Romancing St. Louis and her latest release “Believe in the Wish’ (guest blog and giveaway)

Title: Believe in the Wish

Author: Christi Snow

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: May 11, 2017

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: ~55,000 words

Genre: New Adult, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, twins, contemporary romance, mourning death

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Christi Snow here today talking about her latest novel, Believe in the Wish. Welcome, Christi.

✒︎

Romancing St. Louis by Christi Snow

I try to write most of my books in places that I’m familiar with, even though I may use made up town names…i.e. Snowcroft is based on a real New Mexico mountain tourist town where we lived when we were first married (many, many moons ago), but that wasn’t the name of it.

For Believe in the Wish, I chose to put the characters in St. Louis, specifically a cross between two of my favorite towns that are suburbs of St. Louis… Kirkwood and St. Charles. I love Kirkwood because it’s filled with the old, big houses like you see in Meet Me In St. Louis. It’s not hard to imagine the carriages driving down some of the roads in that modern-day quaint little town.

Although none of these huge mansions make an appearance in Believe in the Wish, the entire picturesque quality and cozy ambiance of the town does.

Before we moved to Texas when my husband retired from the military, we lived in another suburb of St. Louis…Belleville, Illinois. Our entire family fell in love with St. Louis.

St. Louis is one of those perfect cities. It has tons of history…the Lewis and Clark expedition came through there, but the Mississippi has been a major waterway for this country the entire time people have lived here.

When we lived there, they had pro football (Rams, who have since moved), pro hockey (St. Louis Blues), AND pro baseball teams (St. Louis Cardinals). It’s also the home of Budweiser, which means when friends and family come to town, you can go tour the plant and drink free beer. Double win. The same goes for kids theme parks like Grant’s Farm…seriously all kids parks like this should offer free ice-cold beer to parents.

St. Louis is a major city with all the amenities that go with it, but it never felt overwhelming or huge when we visited it. We regularly went into the city…for shopping, entertainment, festivals, and activities. We truly loved it there.

So when it came time for this book, St. Louis was an easy fit for location. Plus it offered lots of options for the tasks that Emma left Ethan and Hawk to do.

My favorite scene is the two of them going up the Arch. Not only is that scene pivotal to the story…hello, first kiss…but it’s simply fun, because the Arch and the ability to travel up it is something unique to St. Louis. And I promise you, once you’ve gone on that little, weird roller coaster ride up the inside, you will never forget it. There are videos on YouTube about riding the tiny cars up to the top. It’s wild…and yes, sometimes a bit eerie and scary, but it’s an experience everyone should have.

I hope that you see a bit of the city I loved through this book, Believe in the Wish. While the romance is most definitely the focus, I thought the romance of St. Louis provided the perfect backdrop for two of my favorite men and their guardian angel.

Synopsis

I buried my twin sister six months after she found out she had cancer. Her funeral was three months ago. Today is our birthday and it started with delivery of letters from her.

It seems she didn’t trust me to move on after her death. She knows me too well. But how can I go on when my other half is just…gone? That’s not something I can recover from with a snap of my fingers. But I also can’t ignore her instructions even though I’d be perfectly content to cuddle up with my buddy, Johnnie Walker, and call it a year.

She has a list of things for me to do and there are rules attached.

There’s one major problem besides the fact it’s been three months since I left the house. I have to do all these things with her jerk of an ex, Hawk Simmons. He abandoned her shortly after she found out she was sick. If that wasn’t enough to make this a really bad idea, the fact that he makes an appearance in all my nighttime fantasies probably does.

I don’t think I can do this, but I owe it to my sister’s memory to try.

This is a stand-alone male/male contemporary romance novel.

Excerpt

Katya ended her call and promptly pushed the ‘away’ button for receiving phone calls. “I’m sorry. No more calls. They may not think so, but they can survive without me for an hour or so while we have our chat.”

Ethan’s stomach rolled over. That brought them to the question of the hour…chat about what? But he was almost afraid to ask at this point. Instead, he redirected. “Do you have your own firm, or do you work for someone else?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, but with a slight tilt of her head she must have seen something in his expression because she answered, “I own my own firm. When I graduated from law school, I went into a partnership that was later dissolved when I bought my partner out. It’s all mine now, which keeps me very busy.”

He grimaced. “And that’s further complicated by hermits like me who refuse to answer phone calls or mail deliveries. Sorry about that.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s time for you to stop apologizing. This is a hard time for you and that’s okay. To a certain extent, that’s the way it should be…”

She hesitated for a moment. “At least for a little while. You’re allowed to grieve. But Emma knew this would be an issue for you, so she made plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

Katya reached into her briefcase and pulled out a file. She reached inside and pulled out an envelope that she handed to him. On the front was his name, written in Emma’s handwriting. Suddenly it was hard to breathe.

“What is this?” he whispered.

“The first of your instructions. You need to open and read it.”

He didn’t want to. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want to. “I’d rather wait until I’m at home.” At his house, if he fell apart, he could do it without witnesses.

She shook her head kindly. “No, that won’t work. She was very specific in how she wanted this all to go. I need you to open it now.”

Ethan swallowed against the huge lump in his throat as he tried to find air to breathe. His heart pounded in his chest. Surely, everyone around them could hear that.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I promise.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He glanced up at her. “It’s never going to be okay again.” His voice cracked.

She lowered her lids, and her lips compressed into a tight line as if his grief was too much for her.

His hands shook as he turned the envelope over, lifting the sealed flap. It had to be his imagination, but he could have sworn that he smelled a faint whiff of the strawberry lotion Emma always liked to wear.

For just a moment, he shut his eyes and tried to calm down his emotions going haywire. He didn’t know whether to be angry that she’d done this to him, sad that she wasn’t here to tell him whatever information this letter held, or scared at whatever Emma had cooked up for him.

Throughout her life, she’d kept him hopping. As the exuberant, outgoing twin, she’d always dragged him into trouble when all he’d wanted to do was stay home. In that regard, this whole scheme of hers was very apropos.

He took a deep breath and pulled out the single sheet of paper and unfolded it. At the very first words on the paper, his eyes filled with tears.

Happy Birthday, baby brother.

He glanced up in disbelief at Katya. “It’s May fifteenth?”

At her silent nod, he gazed down at the paper in his hands, his eyes filling with tears. It was their twenty-fifth birthday. The first birthday he’d ever celebrated without her. She’d only been twenty-four when she’d died. How unfair was that? To her. To him. To the world that missed out on everything she had to offer it.
Emma’s handwriting wavered in front of his eyes, but he continued to read, not knowing what else to do. His other option—sobbing in the middle of the restaurant—would be mortifying.

I’m sorry I’m not there to go out partying with you. Remember when we were little and you didn’t want to share your birthday with me? Now you get your wish.

He’d been a horrible person. The tears overflowed his eyes. He’d made that wish more years than he even wanted to remember. How selfish was that? How could he have wished for a life without her in any way? She’d been his light.

Katya shoved a tissue into his hand.

Right. He was in public. Time to get it together.

My bad. It was probably too soon for a joke like that.

I love you, Ethan.

I know I didn’t say that enough—you know emotional displays and I didn’t mix—but beyond anything else that happens over the next few weeks, KNOW THAT. I love you, and if I could have figured out a way to stay, I would have…for you.

But God obviously had different plans for me, so now I’ll just have to content myself with being your guardian angel for the next seventy-five years. I’ll have your back, bro. I promise.

And in the interest of having your back, that’s why Katya is here.

I know you. You’re stubborn, and right now, I imagine that you’re more than a little sad. I get that, but that doesn’t mean you stop living. My death means you have to live twice as much because you have to do it enough for both of us. I’m counting on you.

But, again, I know you, so I’ve enlisted some help from my friends just to get you going.

Make a Wish, Ethan. Believe in it. It’s time to live.

~Emma

When Ethan finished reading, he took several deep breaths. The sobs had welled in his throat, and it was all he could just to hold them inside.

“You okay?” Katya asked.

“Yeah.” His voice sounded husky, but he’d managed to say the word, so he figured that for a win.

“Then it’s time for step two.”

He looked up just as she held a flaming lighter to the candle on top of a cupcake. She pushed it in front of him. “Make a wish and blow. All you have to do is believe.”

As he sat there, looking at the flickering candle, it occurred to him at just how sad this was. His twin was dead, and he was at some bizarre birthday celebration with someone he’d never even met before. Even from the grave, Emma was working to pull him out of his shell.

So he closed his eyes and blew as he made his wish.

I wish I wasn’t so alone.

But when he opened them, nothing had changed. He was still sitting in a restaurant with a woman he didn’t know, mourning the twin sister who’d died. Not that he expected a miracle, but Emma wanted him to believe.

Believe.

How was that even possible? She’d been the one who believed in the magic of things like wishes and fairy tales. What had that gotten her? She’d died before she’d even had the chance to live. What kind of magic could he possibly believe in with that kind of reality?

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Meet the Author

As an avid reader her entire life, Christi Snow always dreamed of writing books that brought to others the kind of joy she felt when she read. But…she never did anything about it besides jot down a few ideas and sparse scenes.

When she turned 41, she decided it was time to go after her dream and started writing. Within four months, she’d written over 150,000 words and hasn’t stopped since.

She’s found her calling by writing about sexy, alpha heroes and smart, tough heroines falling in love and finding their passion. She’s truly living the dream and loving every minute of it.

Her tagline is… Passion and adventure on the road to Happily Ever After. She’s loving this adventure!