Category: Contemporary fiction

Audiobook Review Tour For NR Walker’s Red Dirt Heart #2

 



Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK 


Listening Time: 7 hrs 10 mins


Red Dirt Heart #1: Audible US | Audible UK

Blurb

Up until Travis arrived on his doorstep, Charlie had lived a very solitary life. He had surrounded himself with isolation; a couple million acres of red dirt, scorching sun and loneliness.

Six months on, winter has settled over the desert, and Charlie has the life he never dreamed possible. But living and working together, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months straight starts to take its toll.

Charlie is a stubborn, stubborn man, who tends to have more conversations in his head than what comes out his mouth, whereas Travis has no problem saying what’s on his mind. And even as they both struggle to communicate, struggle to make sense of need versus want, Charlie can see that he’s pushing Travis away – yet seems helpless to stop it.

When it all boils down to whether Travis should stay or go, maybe the decision won’t be theirs to make.

Author Bio

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things…but likes it even more when they fall in love. She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

 

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A Free Dreamer Review: Misfits (Urban Soul #1) by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

misfits-by-garrett-leighRestaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.

Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.

Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.

“Misfits” was my second book by this author. I read “Slide” ages ago and quite liked it. But “Misfits” was simply brilliant.

I was hooked from the very beginning. Something about the writing sucked me in, so I just couldn’t put it down. Luckily, RL didn’t interfere too much and I got to stay up really late and then stay in bed till afternoon the following day. Just so I could finish this book.

I liked how differently Tom and Cass deal with Jake’s TS (Tourette’s). Tom politely ignores it, while Cass openly talks about it with Jake. My knowledge of TS is rather limited, so I’m not sure how accurate the descriptions in this book were. But for what it’s worth, it felt authentic.

“Misfits” is hardly the first M/M book that deals with some sort of illness/disability, but unlike most, the TS isn’t the focus point of the story. It plays a big part, of course, but it’s not what the whole story is about. I really liked that it was very much just a part of Jake’s character.

I totally have a thing for ménages and I really liked the set-up for this one. Jake wasn’t immediately a-okay with Tom and Cass’ open relationship. I liked how pissed he got when he found out that Tom already had a boyfriend. The build-up to the eventual three-way relationship took a good long while.

I loved all three protagonists, and how different they are. Cass is a bit rough and prickly, but not overly so, while Tom is more refined and definitely posher. And Jake somehow fits perfectly in the middle of those two. They worked great together.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the feel of the setting. It had a very strong sense of place. I lived in a small town close to London for a while, so it all felt very familiar to me.

All in all, “Misfits” was simply brilliant. It’s highly addicting, with a very strong sense of place and incredibly funny at times. And it’s smoking hot, of course. Read it, you’ll love it!

The cover by G.D. Leigh is a bit generic, tbh. It’s nice to look at, but nothing special.

Buy Links: Riptide | Amazon US | Amazon UK | KOBO | B&N | Smashwords

Book details:

ebook, 277 pages

Published March 16th 2015 by Riptide Publishing

 

A Lila Audiobook Review: Red Dirt Heart #2 by NR Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

red-dirt-heart-2-audiobookUp until Travis arrived on his doorstep, Charlie had lived a very solitary life. He had surrounded himself with isolation; a couple million acres of red dirt, scorching sun and loneliness.

Six months on, winter has settled over the desert, and Charlie has the life he never dreamed possible. But living and working together, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months straight starts to take its toll.

Charlie is a stubborn, stubborn man, who tends to have more conversations in his head than what comes out his mouth, whereas Travis has no problem saying what’s on his mind. And even as they both struggle to communicate, struggle to make sense of need versus want, Charlie can see that he’s pushing Travis away – yet seems helpless to stop it.

When it all boils down to whether Travis should stay or go, maybe the decision won’t be theirs to make.

Red Dirt Heart 2 looks into Travis’s and Charlie’s relationship months after they became a couple. They’re cautious, but every day gives them an opportunity to learn more about the other. Solidifying their decision to be together.

I like how their relationship moved forward and how they integrated it to their everyday chores. Finding that combination between life and work took them a while but it became central to the book. I’m not a fan of stories in which the main characters had trouble or break up just to add more books to a series. So, I’m glad it was more to this second book than relationship issues.

This is a sweeter, warmer story. It seems slow in parts, but it shows how relationships really work. We get to see Travis and Charlie getting comfortable in their skins and with their relationship. Just like before, Travis helps Charlie be a better man and in return, Charlie shows Travis the beauty of small acts of love.

Book two is raw and filled with emotion, not only from the MCs but from the rest of the cast. They all play an important part in Travis’s and Charlie’s future and added color to their days. There are very sad moments, but the happiness around Sutton Station compensates for it. Keep an eye open for unexpected guests and lovely quiet times.

Joel Leslie continued to impress me with the narration. It was up-to-spot, not missing a single beat from the previous installment. He gives the characters more than a voice, he makes them real. It’s hard to imagine than Sutton Station doesn’t house all these characters in real life. It’s like they came together to tell us their stories.

Another fitting cover by Sara York. Just like book #1, the cover makes more sense after you read the book.

Sales Links:  Amazon | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Joel Leslie
Length: 7 hours 10 minutes
Published: January 18, 2017 (Audio Edition) by Love Lane Books
ASIN: B01N9RLT2B
Edition Language: English

Series: Red Dirt
Book #1: Red Dirt Heart
Book #2: Red Dirt Heart 2

 

A Lila Audiobook Review: Red Dirt Heart #1 by NR Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

red-dirt-heart-1-audioWelcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.

Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.

American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely, it’s the man with the red dirt heart.

Red Dirt Heart is an intense story about two men learning to love and accept each other. Their differences played tug-of-war with their feelings, creating more problems that they expected. Falling in love might not have been part of their plan, but the “lost in translation” effect added to the magic.

I normally wait until the end of the review to talk about the narrator, but this is about the audio version after all. This is my first story by Joel Leslie and I need to accept that I had to listen to the opening scene several times to get used to the different voices he created. I do have a very strong accent so I know how hard is for others to understand something they’re not used to, but after the initial shock, I can’t imagine reading the actual books. I’m waiting for the rest of the series to be released in audio. Charlie Sutton is now too real to be set aside. When you say that you can imagine visiting an area to meet the characters from a book, this is one of them. I’d love to travel to Sutton Station.

One thing, though, I wasn’t much into the female voices and Travis made me think of Bill Clinton. Sorry but it’s true. I listened to Clinton’s audiobooks and the accents are similar. I do live in Texas, but that cowboy had an Arkansan twang. 🙂

Travis’s and Charlie’s story isn’t an easy one. We get it from the very beginning with Travis’s arrival and how it changed Charlie’s view. We see how they struggled with what they wanted, especially Charlie, and what they were willing to do to get their happiness.

This is a very well-written story with much more than a simple romance plot. It’s a travel story with enough details about the Australian outback to make the reader want to visit. I’m not going to spoil the events that brought them together, but it was all worth it. Every single detail that might seem unnecessary, added another layer.

Definitely, a great story. One that’s not going to get dated over the years. The topics are universal and relevant no matter the times.

The cover by Sara York seems generic at first sight but after you read the story, you will see that it’s perfect for this book.

Sales Links:  Amazon | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Joel Leslie
Length: 5 hours 7 minutes
Published: July 4, 2016 (Audio Edition) by Love Lane Books
ASIN: B01HU3WTHQ
Edition Language: English

Series: Red Dirt
Book #1: Red Dirt Heart

 

Retro Review Tour: Garrett Leigh’s Misfits (Urban Soul #1) (giveaway)

Urban Soul Series
Misfits (Book #1) 
Strays (Book #2)  Out March 27


Buy Links: Riptide | Amazon US | Amazon UK | KOBO | B&N | Smashwords


Length: 70,200 words


Publisher: Riptide Publishing


Cover Design: Garrett Leigh at Black Jazz Design

Blurb


Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.

Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.

Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.

 
Finalist: Best Gay Romance in the 28th Annual Lambda Literary Awards!
Be sure to check out Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ 5 star Review here.
 
 
 

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

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Looking for New Reviewers to Join Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Do you love to read?  Can’t wait to share your thoughts on the books you just read?  Or maybe the books you just listened to?  Ebook and Audiobooks included!

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is looking for new reviewers to join our family. Get in touch with us at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com if you love books and like to share your thoughts about them with others. Send links to your reviews if you are already reviewing here. YA,New Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Sci Fy, you name the genre, and any coupling as long as its LGBTQIA.  Maybe you like LGBTQIA Non fiction or graphic novels.  That would be cool.  Have a busy schedule?  We’ll work with you.  We don’t pressure you to take more books then you want or can handle.

We supply the books, you supply the review. We are flexible with schedules and the amount of books each person needs to review. Let’s talk! Send all inquiries and links to reviews if you have them to scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com

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