A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Heart & Soul by Shae Connor

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

heart-soul-by-shae-oconnor Under a hundred pages, this story seems much longer due to the author’s crafty way of weaving us into this tale of a very slow burn romance. There’s so much character development in an interesting story arc that I simply couldn’t believe it was so short. And though I would love to read more of this couple, the story ended on a perfect note (pun intended).

Kellen is a pianist in a local bar a few nights a week and weekends as needed. In addition, he teaches piano lessons and has a degree in music education with a concentration in jazz piano, so he’s in the perfect position to help out the new owners who want to mix in some R&B and jazz with the current music selections. Not one for casual sex, or for relationships for that matter, Kellen is attracted to men but rarely acts on that attraction. So it comes as a surprise to him when his friendship for one of the new owners gives him little tingles in more than just his heart.

Terrence Harvey, former pro football player, finally has a chance to use his business degree when he and his attorney brother purchase the bar together. Though out to his family, the bisexual man has remained closeted to the public due to his career choice, but he finds Kellen fascinating and is more than willing to act on that attraction. Regardless, it isn’t until after the 60% mark in the story that they finally have more than a simple kiss, and oh my, what a scorchin’ hot, complex kiss it is when these two finally set off rockets together.

I enjoy the author’s writing style and appreciate the sense of family, warmth, and connection she brings to her books, not to mention the light touch of humor and a load of romance. I highly recommend this one to lovers of romance, slow burn, and/or stories featuring musicians.

The very attractive cover by AngstyG features Kellen playing the piano in the bar—a perfect representation of his character.

Sales Link

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 87 pages
Expected publication: November 14th 2016 by Shae Connor
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Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Release Day Review: Trust and Control by Remmy Duchene

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

trust-and-control-by-remmy-duchene Wealthy real estate mogul Christophe Lafavre has everything—except any love life to speak of. Though he has a brilliant head for business, when it comes to relationships, he’s often left fumbling in the dark.

To put a stop to the whispers about his pitiful social life, Christophe takes a suggestion from a friend and goes to a club on masquerade night. There, he meets an elusive hottie who calls himself Raj, and though Christophe cannot see Raj’s face, there’s definitely a connection. Over the phone and online, Christophe and Raj get to know each other. Their conversation is easy and arousing. It’s hard for Christophe to believe the strength of the feelings he’s developing toward a man who is still essentially a stranger, but he can’t get Raj out of his head. They eventually give in to their physical longing—but still Raj refuses to show his face or divulge his identity.

When it comes, the revelation will rock Christophe’s world and redefine more than one relationship in his life.

I enjoyed this story. I will say upfront, if others had the same thoughts I did, this book isn’t as heavy in BDSM as I thought it would be. To me is just seemed like it was playing in the bedroom, which is fine, just not what I expected. Christophe has never had a romantic relationship that ended well, heck he hasn’t been with anyone for years just to protect himself. Jaswant has been Christophe’s best friend forever and has been in love with him for the same amount of time, he fears revealing his feelings will ruin their friendship.

Chris is completely confused when he meets Raj at the masquerade night; he is scared of his own reaction to the man. While he learns a bit more about Raj he continues to think there is something familiar about him, but can’t place his finger on it. When Chris runs away from Jas they both feel that there may be no way to fix their relationship.

I could feel Chris’s confusion and Jas’s heart break at their interactions. When Jas disappears, just when Chris decides they can work it out, Chris goes to the one place he knows Jas would run to. Chris pursues Jas, but continues to doubt. The thing about that that bugged me was that Chris’s doubt’s never seemed to change and he always calls his brother to talk him through it. I just had a hard time believing that Chris would continue to doubt after everything him and Jas went through. At the same time Jas can’t believe it’s real either until Chris can finally say those three special words. Overall though I enjoyed this story.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson is perfect and I wouldn’t change anything.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 162 pages

Published: 2nd Edition, November 14, 2016 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN: 9781634779111

Edition Language: English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Freckles (2016 Holiday Charity Bundle) by Amy Lane

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

freckles-by-amy-lane The only thing better than a low-level angst story from Amy Lane is one that is low-level angst and has a cute puppy in it and is a Christmas story. Score all three on this one!

Honestly, the author had me right from the beginning when she painted the picture of Carter, a man who’s been living a boring, very neat and tidy life. He’s just broken up with his boyfriend of three months because he works too many hours, regardless of the fact that he was working to earn enough billable hours to go on a cruise with said boyfriend. When the cute little puppy, who reminded me so much of my own cute little puppy, entered the story via being literally abandoned in Carter’s hands, my heart just melted.

Two really gentle, sweet, and somewhat ordinary guys, neither with the best of luck in relationships meet when Carter, who somehow found himself with a fluffy, two-pound puppy in his possession, takes the little one to the vet hospital located in the big franchise pet store. He needs to find out what to do with her and how healthy she is (or isn’t). He also has a million questions—mostly looking for the kind of all-around help any panicky person who’s never owned a pet before might require. There he meets Sandy, a vet tech who’s enrolled part time in veterinary college. Sandy is a hard worker with a great personality and a ton of ambition. So much so, that his past boyfriend left because Sandy didn’t seem to have enough time for fun, and their goals and life ambitions weren’t the same. Sandy can see himself with pets and kids in a committed relationship in his future, something his boyfriend didn’t want.

As a side note here, I need to thank Amy Lane for allowing Sandy to work in the pet store where the manager, Tommy, seems to have a lot of hot, sexy friends. As soon as I heard Tommy’s name, I knew who he was, and I’m so happy about this that I feel like Amy Lane gave me a Christmas gift of my own. Squee!

Back to the story, it’s everything I need to bring me happiness when I’m feeling a little down. As the story progresses, Carter emerges from his preconceived notions of what a successful attorney should be and disregards the mold that had been set for his life—all because of a sexy and kind-hearted vet tech named Sandy and a sweet little puppy named Freckles. What happens to bring these two men together and to forge a new path for both Carter and Sandy make this story a delight to read. I highly recommend it for bringing in the holiday cheer.

The cover by LC Chase shows the adorable puppy, Freckles, peeking out of an open box. Very bright and attractive, this cover is attention-getting.

Sales Links (other links coming soon)

Riptide Publishing

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Book Details:

ebook, 170 pages

Expected publication: November 14th 2016 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN 1626495033 (ISBN13: 9781626495036)

Edition Language English

Series 2016 Holiday Charity Bundle

Amy Lane on Facebook for Dogs and her release ‘Freckles’ (2016 Riptide Holiday Charity Bundle) (guest blog and giveaway)

Freckles (2016 Holiday Charity Bundle) by Amy Lane
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Order It Here

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is lucky to have Amy Lane here today to share her thoughts on dog ownership, dogs, and the adventure of a walk from a dogs pov. Welcome, Amy!

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Facebook for Dogs By Amy Lane

So, in Freckles, my Christmas story, Carter Embree, a guy who has never owned so much of a goldfish, is suddenly in charge of a small dog.

He’s trying to be a good dog owner, so he takes Freckles out for a walk—and ends up getting an entire education about what a dog thinks a walk should be, versus what a people thinks a walk should be.

It’s an entirely different thing. I mean, people put dogs on a leash and we think we’re taking them for a walk.

Ha!

Yes, there is walking involved, but the dog isn’t thinking of it as exercise. The dog is pretty sure he’s going FaceBooking—and this leads to some conflict.

Think about it—they catch up on friends, investigate new things, tell each other jokes… if a dog wants to know what’s going on in its community, it gets itself hooked onto a leash and takes its owner for a walk.

And then smells ALL THE DAMNED THINGS—while the people tugs impatiently at the leash and tries not to trip, fall, and die.

Sort of like my dogs Geoffie and Johnnie, who’s morning FaceBook might go something like this:

“Oh, hey, Geoffie—the Shih-Tzu from across the street has been here—see?”

“Oh yes, Johnnie—she’s eating the good kibble, you can tell—ooh, look, the turkeys have blogged!”

“No! No! No! Don’t clickbait the turkey poop!”

“But Johnnie… it’s so good! Look! Little delicious juicy sound bites to quibble—“

“Oh, did you see that? The Motherboard doesn’t like clickbait—yanked your chain, she did. Slows the whole thing down. She’ll make you drop that right quick.”

“Butt cookies!!”

“Don’t whine, Geoffie—there’s always more cookies when you click FaceBook for dogs.”

“Ooh… dead-thing memes. Did you see this, Johnnie? I’ve got to roll in it—it makes me happy every time.”

“Ooh… good one, Geoffie! I can roll in this dead-thing meme forever! Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha! Aren’t dead-things the BEST!”

“But… but… Motherboard, why won’t you let us surf the dead things? WAIIIIIIEEEEEEE????”

“Too much surfing isn’t good for you, Geoffie. That’s why the Motherboard has the leash and collar control system, you know that.”

“Yes, I know. Come on, Johnnie, let’s—Oh. Didn’t realize you were stopping to blog.”

“You (grunt) know (grunt) about blogging.”

“Ooh—good one, Johnnie.”

“Thanks, Geoffie. (kicks grass over blog) Suddenly you just get the urge to unload.”

“Yes—I know. I don’t understand why the Motherboard feels the urge to delete our posts though. Don’t you think everybody wants to read them? I mean we like reading everybody else’s.”

“Right? And the bags she uses—stink to high heaven. Citrusy plastic something. Just not as inviting as a good blog. I don’t understand at all.”

“Well, there’s no accounting for taste. And… oh. Must blog.”

“Your blogs are always so short, Geoffie.”

“Thank you. Oooh… look. Turkeys!”

“Oh my God—FLAME WAR! FLAME WAR WITH THE TURKEYS! DIE MOTHERFUCKERS, GO DOWN IN A BLAZE OF TROLL GLORY!”

“You tell ‘em, Johnnie—we hate turkeys. If they didn’t want us to hate ‘em they wouldn’t leave such good clickbait. Hates ‘em. Don’t back down, you’ve got ‘em on the—OMG!”

“TURKEYS! THEY’RE FLAMING BACK! ABORT ABORT ABORT! DELETE ALL TURKEY POSTS! RUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN!!!”

(Dogs and Motherboard catch breath)

“Oh, nicely done, Johnnie, you told those turkeys!”

“Yes, well, you know. Wanted to walk away from the convo. No use getting sucked into a fight that’s going to last all day.”

“Yeah, we’re almost around the corner anyway. One more sniff so we can read the Great Dane’s blog, and then we can go home and get off FaceBook. I’m ready for some real life interaction with my canned food and a nap.”

So, next time you see a dog on a walk, picture the world as his computer—and wonder what he’s surfing. It’s definitely as absorbing to him as FaceBook is to us!

About Freckles

Carter Embree has always hoped to be rescued from his productive, tragically boring, and (slightly) ethically compromised life. But when an urchin at a grocery store shoves a bundle of fluff into his hands, Carter goes from rescuee to rescuer—and he needs a little help.

Sandy Corrigan, the vet tech who helps ease Carter into the world of dog ownership, first assumes that Carter is a crazy-pants client who just needs to relax. But as Sandy gets a glimpse into the funny, kind, sexy man under Carter’s mild-mannered exterior, he sees that with a little care and feeding, Carter might be Super-Pet Owner—and decent boyfriend material to boot.

But Carter needs to see himself as a hero first. As he says good-bye to his pristine house and hello to carpet treatments and dog walkers, he finds that there really is more to himself than a researching drudge without a backbone. A Carter Embree can rate a Sandy Corrigan. He can be supportive, he can be a hero, he can be a man who stands up for his principles!

He can be the owner of a small dog.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/freckles

About Amy Lane

Amy Lane exists happily with her noisy family in a crumbling suburban crapmansion, and equally happily with the surprisingly demanding voices who live in her head.

She loves cats, movies, yarn, pretty colors, pretty men, shiny things, and Twu Wuv, and despises house cleaning, low fat granola bars, and vainglorious prickweenies.

She can be found at her computer, dodging housework, or simultaneously reading, watching television, and knitting, because she likes to freak people out by proving it can be done.

Connect with Amy:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Freckles, one lucky winner will receive Freckles in ebook and another ebook of their choice from Amy’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 19, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

In the Author Spotlight with J.R. Loveless and their latest release ‘You Belong With Me’ (author interview and excerpt)

You Belong With Me by J.R. Loveless

Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Anne Cain
November 9, 2016

Sales Links

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have J.R. Loveless here today. J.R. agree to answer some questions for us and here’s terrific interview that resulted. Welcome, J.R.

Hi, good morning/afternoon/evening, depending on where you are in the world! I’m J.R. Loveless and I’m here to introduce a new novella release as well as to answer some really awesome questions proposed by Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words! I want to say thanks to the host here for letting me guest post today. It’s a privilege and an honor to be here.

You Belong With Me was released on November 9th from Dreamspinner Press. The story was inspired by a song and the feeling it sparked inside of me when I heard it. Please continue reading for a glimpse into the story and into some of what makes me the writer I am today. I hope you enjoy the interview and the excerpt from my latest novella.

Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from? A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal? – My inspiration for books comes from every direction. I read a lot, watch movies, listen to music, but even a single conversation can spark an idea. In fact, even discussing my tattoo that I recently got this year sparked an idea for a new universe of shifters. I could be standing in the shower and an idea will come to be from nowhere. I currently have about six WIPs and another seven ideas written down.
Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why? – I am definitely a pantzer. I have tried planning or plotting out a story completely from A to Z but by the time I got even a couple of chapters into the story I found myself unable to finish it. Mostly because I was bored with the storyline. I like the mystery of letting my characters write the story as I work on it. It may seem like more work because I have to be careful not to leave plot holes as I go along but at the same time it gives me more of a surprise and more to work with as the story progresses. It leaves it fresh for me really, keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else? Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so? – I prefer paranormal/fantasy. There’s just something about werewolves, vampires, and other creatures, humans being able to shapeshift, just draws me in. Typically when I look for stories, I tend to turn toward those first. I do read contemporary, but there has to be a certain element to it in order for it to grab my attention. I like angst for sure, not just straight up “date and fall in love” romance.
If you had a character you’ve written you would write differently now at this time in your writing career, who would it be and why? – I think I’d have to choose Seth from Chasing Seth. I’d make him a little less… of a wilting flower so to speak. I’d make him stronger. He started off that way, but after Kasey came into the picture, he kind of trailed off into leaning on Kasey a bit too much and allowed more of his emotions to show through.
Can a author have favorites among their characters and do you have them? – Of course! Even though a parent will tell you they don’t play favorites, they always do. I don’t care what anyone says on that front. People will always have favorites of one kind or another. My favorite character out of all of my own would have to be Logan from Touch Me Gently. Who doesn’t want a strong, gorgeous, kind, sweet cowboy to come sweep them off their feet and show them the kind of love and acceptance Logan shows Kaden?
If you were to be stranded on a small demi-planet, island, or god forbid LaGuardia in a snow storm, what books would you take to read or authors on your comfort list? – As I indicated before I love paranormal/urban fantasy so I would definitely be taking shifter stories. I only read gay romance for the most part. Some of my favorite authors are Mary Calmes, Lisa Oliver, and Lynn Hagen. I pretty much read everything by them. I also would have to take my Harry Potter series. 🙂
Were you an early reader or were you read to and what childhood books had an impact on you as a child that you remember to this day and why? – I was an early reader, actually. I picked up anything and everything I could. My favorite book as a child was Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. As I grew older I also loved The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. See the theme? Animal stories! I think that’s why most of my stories usually have an animal in them in some way or another, typically.
If you were writing your life as a romance novel, what would the title be? – Where’s the Love?

Blurb

youbelongwithmefs-1 Scott has been in love with his best friend Craig for years, but watching Craig with his manipulative boyfriend has worn Scott down, and he knows he needs a break from the pain and maybe a change of scenery and perspective. His twin sister, Karen, convinces him to spend a summer in Paris.

Karen is sick and tired of seeing Scott suffer, and she’s not going to stand for it anymore. She confronts Craig and tells him what he’s been missing by spurning Scott’s affection in favor of a jerk who mistreats him.

When Craig unknowingly breaks Scott’s heart, Craig opens his eyes—and his own heart—to the possibility of a future with Scott. He plans to use the time while Scott’s abroad to orchestrate a romantic surprise that will show Scott they belong together. But when he sees Scott with another man at the airport, Craig fears he’s too late.

Excerpt

Scott

Having slept all day, Scott couldn’t sleep that night. He felt restless and constantly moved his shoulders. Something seemed off and he couldn’t put his finger on it. After some major debating with himself, he finally turned on his cell phone. There were multiple texts from Craig, but he couldn’t bring himself to read them. The odd thing was, once the phone was on, there were no calls or texts. His brooding grew worse.

Stanley tried everything he could to distract him from thinking, but even the smallest thing reminded Scott of Craig. They hadn’t gone a full twenty-four hours in their entire friendship without at least talking to each other. Sadly, last night might be the last time they spoke for a while. Craig would be so pissed at him for leaving without saying good-bye.

That would lead to Scott having to explain why. Could he finally tell him? After all this time? Would Craig hate him? Pity him? It might even end their friendship. Could he survive that? Questions raced each other around and around inside his head, never letting up as the hours drifted by at a slow pace.

“Scott,” Stanley said with exasperation, as if he’d called his name more than once. “Come on. It’s your turn.”

They were in the middle of playing Monopoly. Scott gave a chagrined smile. “Sorry. Guess my mind isn’t all here.”

“Would you rather watch a movie?” Stanley was trying to keep his face passive, blank. Scott knew he felt bad for him.

Scott shrugged. “If you’d prefer.”

They cleaned up the game, and Stanley popped in an action movie that didn’t have a speck of romance. “Want some popcorn?” he offered.

“Nah. I’m not really hungry.” In fact, Scott hadn’t eaten all day. The thought of food made him feel sick to his stomach.

Not more than thirty minutes into the movie, Stanley fell asleep. Scott heard his soft snuffle and smiled. He stood up and pulled the afghan from the back of the couch to cover him. He carefully removed Stanley’s wire-framed glasses to set them on the coffee table. It reminded him of the many times Craig had fallen asleep while they were watching a movie late at night.

Scott sighed and wearily sank down into the easy chair nearby. He knew it was time to let Craig go, but how would he find the strength he needed to do it? It wasn’t fair to Craig if he just cut him from his life. Craig didn’t know.

He wasn’t even sure how he let himself fall in love with Craig. But he clearly remembered the day he realized it. They were playing basketball outside his house, and Craig stripped off his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Scott’s eyes were drawn to Craig’s chest and stomach. The sun glinted off the beads of sweat like diamonds. Craig tossed the shirt at him teasingly. “What? You want my hot bod?” He flexed his miniscule muscles arrogantly.

Maybe that was Scott’s chance, but he swallowed hard and shakily said, “No. Who’d want your skinny-chicken self?”

Craig let out an indignant shout and rushed at him. Scott tried to run, but Craig was faster and tackled him in the grass before he started to tickle him. Tears were rolling by the time Craig collapsed onto the grass next to him, huffing from his own laughter. His eyes were sparkling with happiness and affection. “Buds forever, right?”

As he looked into Craig’s eyes, Scott’s heart started to pound so hard against his rib cage. And an overwhelming sense of wanting to kiss his beautiful lips washed over him. He managed to choke out, “Yeah.”

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Find Me Here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjrloveless

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrloveless

Blogger: http://jrloveless.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.jrloveless.com

Launch Time for STRW FFWriting Contest and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Its Launch Time for STRW FFWriMo

Last week, we told you that November was National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as its called and gave you all the links to the contest and the details. It goes on every November each year. Its for you or anyone who actually had the thought “hey, I wonder if I could write a story”. Write…50,000 words. In one month. Chart your progress. Meet tons of people on line just like yourself. The end goal? To complete a novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.

Well, maybe that’s daunting for some. And for others, a tad too late to get started this year.

So last week we came up with STRW FFWriMo. Starting today, write a Flash Fiction story. That’s a small, no micro tale…tiny fiction. You have until the end of November. That’s midnight, November 30th to get your flash fiction story into us.

What is Flash Fiction? Generally speaking its any fiction under 1000 words, although even that seems to vary with definitions from 1200 to 100 words. Its micro fiction. Here’s a couple of articles to help you all out:

Flash Fiction: What’s It All About? | The Review Review: I liked this one. It gave excellent advice on writing, tips on how to be concise. Definitely check it out.
Flash What? A Quick Look at Flash Fiction – Writing-World.com! Again more wonderful advice on how to use that red pencil and cut the extra wordage out of your story.

Earlier our reviewer, Paul B, read and reviewed Flight: Queer Sci Fi’s Third Annual Flash Fiction Contest (QSF Flash Fiction #2), an excellent anthology of flash fiction for science fiction lovers and those who love the short story format. Flash Fiction, while not new, is steadily gaining in popularity and here is your chance to try your hand at writing a flash fiction story of your own and perhaps make a comment on recent events.

I would love to get a flood of stories. Maybe enough in the future to put out a charity anthology of our own if the authors are agreeable. Its something to think about.

STRW FFWriMo Contest

What to write about? Last week I said we would choose topics but I’m throwing that out the window based on recent events. I’m leaving the subject matter up to each writer. It can be contemporary, science fiction, horror, supernatural…its up to you. It must be LGBTQIA. And it must be Flash Fiction. You must be over the age of 18. Those are our only restrictions other than the time constraint. Have your story in by midnight, November 30, EST.

Prizes: $25 Amazon gift card for the one chosen by our guest judge, and for the first 5 ppl getting in their stories $10 gift cards (their choice Amazon or Dreamspinner Press). Rights to these stories remain with the authors.

Again here are the rules for STRW FFWriMo:

Can be any topic and any genre as long as its LGBTQIA.
Must be flash fiction (under 1000 words, presumably 300)
Story must be finished and into us at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com by midnight, November 30th EST.
The author must be 18 years of age or older.

So now get writing. You can do it. Inspiration isn’t far away these days. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. Lets hear you roar!

Now for this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, November 13:

Launch Time for STRW FFWriMo
This Week AT Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, November 14:

In the Author Spotlight with J.R. Loveless and their latest release ‘You Belong With Me’ (author interview and excerpt
Amy Lane on Facebook for Dogs and her release ‘Freckles’ (guest blog and giveaway) (part of Riptide’s 2016 Holiday Charity Bundle series)
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Freckles by Amy Lane
An Alisa Release Day Review: Trust and Control by Remmy Duchene
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Heart & Soul by Shae Connor

Tuesday, November 15:

Check out ‘A Chance for Us (New Vampire Justice #2)’ by Jake C. Wallace (excerpts and giveaway)
In the Spotlight: Blank Spaces (Toronto Connections #1) by Cass Lennox (giveaway)
Montana Series Recap Tour: A Cowboy’s Home by RJ Scott (excerpt and giveaway)
Book Blast and Giveaway: Nobody’s Home by Dev Bentham
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Seven-Card Stud (Wild Cards #2) by Ava Drake
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Seven-Card Stud (Wild Cards #2) by Ava Drake

Wednesday, November 16:

Remmy Duchene on Trust and Control (Dreamspinner Author Guest Blog)
Release Blitz – Brina Brady’s Master Cleary’s Boys
A Caryn Release Day Review: Andre in Flight by Laura Lascarso
A MelanieM Release Day Review: When the Dust Settles (Timing #3) by Mary Calmes
A Paul B Review: Gyrfalcon (Taking Shield #1) by Anna Butler

Thursday, November 17:

Double Dealing by Nicole Colville Blog Tour and Giveaway
Release Blitz & Review Tour – Snow & Secrets by RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott
A Lila Audiobook Review: Counterpoint (Song of the Fallen #1) by Rachel Haimowitz and Narrated by Craig Beck
A Paul B Review: Heart Scarab (Taking Shield #2) by Anna Butler
A MelanieM Review: Murder Between The Pages by Josh Lanyon

Friday, November 18:

Laura Lascarso on Writing and Andre in Flight (Dreamspinner Press Author Guest Blog)
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Snow & Secrets by RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott
An Alisa Release Day Review: Why I Love Geeks by T.A. Chase
A Paul B Review: Makepeace (Taking Shield #3) by Anna Butler
A Jeri Release Day Review: The Playmaker by Andrew Grey

Saturday, November 19:

In the Spotlight:Learning to Want by Tami Veldura
Release Blitz & Giveaway- J M Snyder’s Not Another One Hit Wonder
A MelanieM Review: Not Another One Hit Wonder by J.M. Snyder
A Jeri Review: Double Dealing by Nicole Colville

A MelanieM Review: Hanging The Stars (Half Moon Bay #2) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

hanging-the-stars-by-rhys-ford Angel Daniels grew up hard, one step ahead of the law and always looking over his shoulder. A grifter’s son, he’d learned every con and trick in the book but ached for a normal life. Once out on his own, Angel returns to Half Moon Bay where he once found…and then lost…love.

Now, Angel’s life is a frantic mess of schedules and chaos. Between running his bakery and raising his troubled eleven-year-old half-brother, Roman, Angel has a hectic but happy life. Then West Harris returns to Half Moon Bay and threatens to break Angel all over again by taking away the only home he and Rome ever had.

When they were young, Angel taught West how to love and laugh but when Angel moved on, West locked his heart up and threw away the key. Older and hardened, West returns to Half Moon and finds himself face-to-face with the man he’d lost. Now, West is torn between killing Angel or holding him tight.

But rekindling their passionate relationship is jeopardized as someone wants one or both of them dead, and as the terrifying danger mounts, neither man knows if the menace will bring them together or forever tear them apart.

Hanging The Stars, the second book in the Half Moon Bay series, had a obstacle to overcome that most Rhys Ford books don’t start out with. I wasn’t crazy about one of the main characters right off the bat.

West Harris was a minor character in a close-to-my-heart book, Fish Stick Fridays. A twin in appearance only to Lang Harris the bookstore owner and wonderful MC of that story, much like Zig (really you have to read that book) I was ready to write this fellow right off. Skedaddle, out of here! Nope, Ford was determined to put West on the road to redemption.

Well, its a hard road, I’m telling you. I wasn’t ready to accept him right at the start.

What’s not so hard to do? Fall in love with Angel Daniels and his brother Roman. Ford loves her down on their luck men. When she writes about them, builds their characters, something special happens. A magical spark ignites, a personality pops into place and boom, there rides into the story a layered, hunted man. Tortured past, looking to better himself for any number of reasons, trying to escape the demons running so close behind him. That Angel Daniels. In this case, its Roman his young highly intelligent brother that’s pushing Angel to get them a better life. A few scenes, snappy dialog, and hints of their awful past. and there you are, rooting for these two to make it happen.

Then West Harris enters the picture. I swear most of the time I wanted to swat him one. Mostly because I was that irritated with him.

Turning around a prejudice towards a character is a hard thing for an author to have to do. Making that turn here, well, it didn’t happen as smoothly for me as I think the author might have hoped. I guess I thought certain connections should have been made far sooner than someone as bright as he was supposed to be. Maybe it was because I adored Angel and Roman so much that they shone so brightly that took longer to connect with West. That entirely possible. I was certainly more emotionally engaged in the dynamics in the relationship between brothers first, and then between Angel and West.

Then all three, Angel, West and Roman, began to meld into a unit. That’s when this story took flight. I loved it when all three started to come together as a whole. West became more layered, more a functioning human being. The scenes as West and Roman discussed candy spreadsheets? Priceless! If Zig is focused on world domination, then Roman is be her CFO. Rhys Ford should seriously consider writing a book filled with Zig’s and Roman’s and fantastical creatures and libraries bursting at the seams with books full of mystical things. I’d buy them and hand them out on the street. She writes children and pretweens like no one’s business. I recognize them as I have one just like them in my family. How much they enrich these stories can’t be measured.

Hanging the Stars pulled the mysteries together and the murderous reign of terror to an end in a totally satisfactory manner. Yep, happy at the end. Ford left me wanting more as she always does. And as we are all likely to get more…Half Moon Bay is a wonderful place. I can’t wait to see who and what is coming next.

I recommend this story. And the one before it. The author too. S’marvelous…all three!

Grab up the first and wait for this to come out. And don’t be so hard on West Harris as I was. He had Lang Harris (and 2 cats) to overcome. That’s a tough one in any case.
Cover Artist: Reece Notley. I think its perfect for the character and in keeping with the series.

Sales Links – Pre Order

Book Details:

ebook, 206 pages
Expected publication: December 5th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634778985
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Half Moon Bay:

Fish Stick Fridays (Half Moon Bay, #1)

Hanging The Stars (Half Moon Bay #2)

A Stella Review: Stroke of Luck by Posy Roberts

RATING 3,5 out of 5 stars

stroke-of-luck After everything Marc owned burned to a crisp, he’s living off the kindness of others. A model condo is his temporary home, and his last dime went to essentials. He doesn’t need another distraction, but the fates conspire against him, setting up a chain of encounters that bring him face to face with Cas.

Cas’s love life has been in limbo for years, lovers moving on as soon as they discover how close he is to his best friend, Maisie. Then he meets Marc. The attraction between the two men can’t be denied, but Cas isn’t sure he can risk his friendship for a guy who will only end up leaving when he sees how close he and Maisie are.

When Marc and Cas discover they live in the same building, it’s kismet. But Marc has to invite chaos into his life if he and Cas stand a chance, and Cas faces a choice between friendship and love. Luck may be on their side… if they’re willing to risk it all.

Stroke of Luck is the latest story by one of my favorite authors, Posy Roberts. The story is quick and sweet, just what I needed when I read it. Nothing in common with the angst I got from books like Silver Scars.

Marc has lost everything he owned in the fire that burnt his apartment, he is now living in a condo offered by his friend Sylvia and shopping at Goodwill for his basic necessity. And just at the Goodwill he meets Cas, who is looking for Halloween costumes. Cas, who can’t keep none of his boyfriends cause they are all too scared and not trusting of his friendship with his bestie Maisie. The chemistry between Cas and Mark is so strong, they fall for each other pretty soon.

I think the author did great, the story is funny and very light and the writing is good as always with Posy style. I loved Marc, he is definitely my favorite, while I couldn’t connect with Cas, probably his attachment with Maisie left me a little dubious. The relationship between Cas and Maisie is not the typical friendship, she is still in the closet and afraid to come out to her parents. She is basically using Cas in my opinion, so I couldn’t fully enjoy Cas until almost the end of the book when things finally started to change. By then it was too late to have more space for the MCs and I wanted more of Marc and Cas together. That’s why, althought I really liked the story, Stroke of Luck didn’t fully satisfy me and I’m still craving for more.

I like the cover art, especially in the use of the colors and well, the model smile is pretty good too.

Sale Link

Book Details

Kindle Edition, 86 pages
Published October 26th 2016 by Labyrinth Bound Press
ASIN B01M29RHHU
Edition Language English

Its Release Week for Falling Down by Eli Easton

Falling Down – Eli Easton

Author: Eli Easton

Release: November 9 2016

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2eBueEO

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fdTqVY

Blurb

Josh finds himself homeless at eighteen, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves were done and the harsh winter came, Josh would find a place to curl up and let go. It would be a relief to finally stop fighting.

Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now an ex-Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.

Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expected that he’d be the one to fall.

The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries fall?

Author Bio

Having been, at various times, and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of metaphysical thrillers, an organic farmer and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.

As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest writing.

Eli currently publishes with Dreamspinner Press and has a few self-pubbed titles as well.

She also publishes thrillers under Jane Jensen.

Website: http://elieaston.com/

Email: eli@elieaston.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliEaston

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eli-Easton-150366428468115/?fref=ts

A VVivacious Review: Ownage by Dale Chase

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Wayne Kerley and Tommy Knox have been together for twelve years but nobody knows it. As players on opposite baseball teams not only do they have to keep their relationship on the down low but they also stay apart for much of the season.

As Wayne faces the end of his contract and starts thinking of retiring, things start to slump for Tommy out on the field forcing them to talk about the one thing they have avoided talking about for most of their relationship –the future.

I loved this story, it is more novella than novel but as they say good things come in small packages.

I love established couple romances and this book epitomizes everything I love about that particular trope that is about seeing couples face their life together with their love a quiet awareness that smolders all around.

Wayne is a pitcher nearing the end of his contract and we see him trying to ignore the elephant in the room while still powering-through on the field. This story is told from Wayne’s perspective and I will agree that the fact that we spend so much time with Wayne means that I can’t describe Tommy as well, but it didn’t matter because Wayne and Tommy were an amazing couple.

When I first came across this book I was skeptical about their relationship seeing as their relationship is something that can be classified as a long distance relationship and romance (at least romantic books) generally don’t look kindly on long distance relationships, they are always the ones fraught with problems. But what made this book so splendid was the fact that while reading this book that skepticism didn’t enter my mind. Much of this book speaks about Tommy and Wayne and how they keep in touch without it ever feeling like that is what they are doing. They communicate on the same level as people who have been together for years (as they have) do, they have their own routines and couple-y things that make them comfortable and so in-sync with each other.

Also what I liked was that Wayne acknowledges all the aspect of their relationships good or bad. The fact that they stay apart much of the time and it is very easy to be shut out of the other person’s life, the lack of mutual friends and how time together is always bittersweet with the tinge of the looming parting and also the fact that coming back to each other is the best feeling ever, like coming home after a long day.

The ending of this story is something that can come as a bit of a surprise, like a ‘that’s it!’ when you come across the “THE END” but somehow for me I liked even that and I am a big one for endings. I loathe bad endings, like the good ones and I love the bittersweet ones and somehow I felt that this ending was perfect for this book. In a way I felt that the book ended at the right time because it was going to be like an end of an era for Tommy and Wayne, something new was headed their way, new challenges and maybe even unexplored territory as they live together, and this story contained as it was in a different part of their lives couldn’t possibly have done justice to this new period in their life, having said that I would definitely welcome more on these two.

For as short as this book was it really captured by imagination as even though I have talked so much about the story, I have somehow managed to avoid talking about the baseball in this book. I have a rudimentary knowledge of baseball like just the basics and I may be missing a few of those too. So I can say confidently that not knowing baseball that well didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book but I can equally not say if as a baseball fan I might have liked this more (because I would have probably understood more of the nuances of this book) or less (because I would have been more critical of said nuances).

Having said it all, I would like to say for me this book kind of added up, with all the nooks and crannies I didn’t understand to the love story I did, to be an amazing read.

Cover Art by Written Ink Designs. I liked the cover what with the packed stadium and the bright sun and the pitcher getting ready to pitch the ball.

Sales Links

JMS Books LLC

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 68 pages
Published October 15th 2016 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB01LZOFK6X
Edition LanguageEnglish

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Freckles (2016 Holiday Charity Bundle) by Amy Lane Riptide Publishing Cover art by L.C. Chase

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Facebook for Dogs By Amy Lane

About Freckles

About Amy Lane

Giveaway

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You Belong With Me by J.R. Loveless

Dreamspinner Press Cover art by Anne Cain November 9, 2016

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Blurb

Excerpt

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Its Launch Time for STRW FFWriMo

STRW FFWriMo Contest

Now for this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, November 13:

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Falling Down – Eli Easton

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Freckles (2016 Holiday Charity Bundle) by Amy Lane
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Anne Cain
November 9, 2016