Its Valentine’s Day. Treat Yourself to a Love Story. ‘Love at Roades End’ by Kris T. Bethke (author guest post)

Love at Roades End by Kris T. Bethke
Dreamspinner Press

Goodreads Link
Cover Artist L.C. Chase

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Kris T. Bethke here to talk about Love at Rhoades End, her latest novel, and her writing process. Welcome, Kris, thanks for sharing with our readers.

**********

Thanks so much for allowing me to pop in today, and thanks to everyone who’s stopped by to read!

Up until about a year ago, I was a complete and total pantser. Yep. I got a vague idea for a story and I’d start writing willy nilly with nary a plan to be seen. Sometimes, this worked. Several of my published stories were written that way and they turned out just fine. But just about a year ago, I had a story brewing in my brain and I saw so much of it that I wrote a rough summary.

And a new method for writing was born.

Now I’m a combination plotter and pantser. And , my newest release, is the perfect example of why. I wrote this story in four evenings, and only had to do a minimal of tweaking and editing before it was ready for submission. When I got the plot idea, and let it percolate in my brain, Sean and Hunter emerged to tell me their story. Before I actually started writing it, I worked out the major plot points and wrote it all down. And then I worked off that when actually writing the story.

It didn’t stay exactly as I had plotted it, of course. And I allow for things to change. I don’t get bent out of shape if I don’t follow the outline exactly. Heck, sometimes my brain comes up with something on the fly and I follow that track instead of what I originally envisioned. Sean and Hunter didn’t veer too far off their original path, and since I’d already worked out plot holes while writing the summary, that made it a quick and fun write.

Their story is short and sweet, a perfect little Valentine’s Day story. I was writing it with a word limit in mind, and I worked hard to get only the necessary information on the page. Sean and Hunter were made to meet and fall in love, and I truly enjoyed writing their story. I hope you’ll consider picking this one up when looking for a happy, fluffy, Valentine’s Day romance!

About Love at Roades End

Sean Newvine is looking forward to his weekend at Roades End Inn so he can review his stay there for inclusion on his travel website. What he never expects is for the owner, Hunter Roades, to capture his attention from the very start.

The only problem is Hunter thinks Sean’s been sent by his brother on a blind date so that Hunter doesn’t have to spend Valentine’s Day alone. Once the awkward misunderstanding is resolved, Sean is charmed by Hunter’s formality and hospitality. And when they have a chance to really talk, sparks fly.

A passion-filled night has them both wanting more, but Hunter pulls away knowing Sean doesn’t live in town and the distance might be more than they can overcome. Sean and Hunter must figure out if they can make it work for longer than one night, or if their chance at love will end at Roades End Inn before it can begin.

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press |Amazon | ARe | Kobo | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Kris T Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long. An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project. Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time. A classic muscle car will always turn her head and naps on the weekend are one of her greatest guilty pleasures. She lives in a converted attic with an aquarium full of tropical fish and the voices in her head. She’ll tell you she thinks that’s a pretty good deal. Kris believes that love is love, no matter the gender of people involved and that all love deserves to be celebrated. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

You can find her on Twitter @KrisTBethke or on her blog http://www.kristbethke.com

In Our Author Spotlight: Ava Hayden and her latest story ‘Table for One’ (guest blog)

Table for One by Ava Hayden
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Anna Sikorska

Sales Links

Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Ava Hayden here today to talk about her latest story, Table for One, and share with our readers a bit of the background into the plot and storyline. Welcome, Ava!

********

In “Table for One” I wanted to throw a big plot complication at Nick. Oilton, Alberta is a made-up place, but there’s one thing you can count on anywhere in Alberta in winter—snow.

Not that we can’t handle it—snow falling at a reasonable pace, that is, with plenty of time for plowing. When it arrives all at once—life gets complicated. I’d been living in Alberta three months when the worst snowstorm in 113 years hit on St. Patrick’s Day. I was at the airport, ready to fly to Vancouver for business. When the airlines cancelled a few flights and marked some delayed, it didn’t seem unusual—not at first. Traveling in snow is a fact of life here. Plenty of passengers assumed these were temporary annoyances—a little runway plowing, some de-icing, and no worries. The airline’s staff was playing coy.

The problem with having to make decisions in a hundred-year snowstorm is you don’t know it’s a hundred-year snowstorm until it’s over and the CBC is broadcasting videos and statistics. When my flight was cancelled, my gut told me not to join the line of people at the gate hoping to go standby on the next flight. Instead, I made a quick call to my Vancouver customer and headed for the cabstand as fast as I could.

Road conditions were already horrible. The trip took five times longer than usual. The worst moment occurred when the taxi was fighting for traction to climb a hill. A pickup hauling a refrigerator ahead of us began sliding backwards, and for a few seconds, the taxi driver and I both had no doubt that we were about to be squashed under a Kenmore. (We weren’t. Barely.)

Take one blizzard, add an eight-months-missing-in-action-without-a-word-of-explanation ex-lover seated at a table for two in Nick’s section, and it’s a Valentine’s Day he’ll never forget.

About Table for One

Nick DiGiaccomo waits tables at Fortissimo, an exclusive restaurant in Oilton, Alberta. He loathes drama, particularly the kind that makes its appearance on Valentine’s Day.

This Valentine’s Day is especially bitter. Eight months ago Nick’s heart was broken when his lover walked away without a word over a misunderstanding. Too proud to call, Nick’s heard nothing from him since. But on this, the most romantic day of the year, he keeps his feelings well-hidden and his professional smile firmly in place.

That is, until he sees his ex-lover, Mark Mishimoto, at a table for two in his section—and his Valentine’s Day goes from bad to downright horrible.

To make matters worse, a winter storm descends, hours earlier than forecast. When the restaurant closes, Nick finds himself stuck downtown in the middle of a blizzard with no way to get home and nowhere to go. Mark lives conveniently close by, and he’s offering up his couch. Nick could use a place to lay his head—but is it worth risking his heart?

Categories : Daydreams, Contemporary, Holiday. Gay Fiction

About the Author

Ava Hayden lives and writes in western Canada but grew up in the southern United States. She comes from a family of storytellers and began creating her own at an early age. She’s still telling stories, but now she writes them down.

A Free Dreamer Review: Foxes by Suki Fleet

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

When Dashiel’s body is found dumped on an East London wasteland, his best friend Danny sets out to find the killer. But Danny finds interaction difficult and must keep his world small in order to survive. By day he lives in an abandoned swimming pool and fixes electrical devices to trade for supplies, but by night, alone, he hunts sharks—a reckless search for dangerous men who prey on the vulnerable.

A chance meeting with an American boy selling himself on the streets throws this lonely existence into disarray. Micky is troubled, fragile, and Danny feels a desperate need to protect him—from what, he doesn’t know. As Danny discovers more about Micky, he realizes that what Micky needs saving from is the one thing Danny can’t help him fight against.

To save Micky, Danny must risk expanding his world and face something that scares him more than any shark ever could: trusting he will be accepted for who he is. If a freezing winter on the streets, a sadistic doctor, and three thousand miles don’t tear them apart first, that is.

I’ve been a fan of Suki Fleet’s writing for a long time, so I just had to have this book. I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.

The tone is achingly bittersweet. There’s the bitter reality of Danny’s life in an abandoned swimming pool, desperately lonely after the death of his best friend. He’s dead set on finding Dashiel’s killer and protect other boys and girls like him. So Danny follows dangerous men all over London, alone, at night, without telling anybody. He also writes descriptions of every street walker he meets during his search. One night, he meets Micky and his carefully arranged world spins into chaos.

That’s when the sweetness starts seeping in. Because the love story is absolutely beautiful. I was often torn between wanting to grin like a loon and wanting to cry my eyes out.

I loved that Suki Fleet didn’t turn this into an angst-ridden cinderfella story. There’s no easy solution at hand, no rich lover who rescues the poor rent boy. Micky and Danny both have next to nothing. Both have issues aside from being poor that can’t be solved with a sudden influx of money. Still, the beautiful love story was a great counterpoint, keeping just the right balance of sad and happy. The result was an incredibly addicting story that I just couldn’t put down. I just sort of fell into the story and it didn’t let me go till the end.

Both MCs proved to be very likeable. They’re unique and well developed. They have their quirks and troubles and simply felt very much alive. Suki Fleet created an intense connection between me and Danny and Micky. They have depth and aren’t just cardboard cut-outs. Suki Fleet’s character building is simply beyond words.

Foxes were a bit of a recurring theme throughout the story. A little detail that endeared the story even more to me.

The writing style is quietly poetic and fits the mood of the story perfectly. Suki Fleet can conjure an incredibly dense atmosphere with very few words. It’s an incredible gift. I could practically see the streets of London before me and feel the bitterly cold rains on my skin.

By now, you’re probably wondering why I only gave this story 4.5 stars. There’s an easy answer to that: I didn’t like the ending.

Now, to be fair, I’m very picky about my endings and I’m often dissatisfied. In this case, the HEA felt forced and a little rushed. It was jarring after the slow quietness of the rest. It didn’t really fit the otherwise so realistic story either. Honestly, I’d have been perfectly happy with a HFN or even a tragic ending. But I’m weird like that.

“Foxes” is a quietly poetic story, without much excitement, that is still incredibly addicting with its bittersweet love story. Suki Fleet is one of the most talented writers out there and she deserves more readers. So, go read this. And everything else she’s written. She’s amazing.

The cover by AngstyG shows two things at once. At the top, you can see the silhouettes of two men walking toward the sunset. On the bottom are two silhouetted naked figures, one leaning down to the other, as if they’re about to kiss. I love the cover, it portrays the same sense of quiet bittersweet as the story itself.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book details:

ebook, 274 pages
Published February 8th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634769211
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Lila Review: Taking the Long Way by Max MacGowan‏

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Male escort Rye Bellamy is looking for a way out. Any way out. He’s getting older, and clients are getting more dangerous. If he doesn’t find something better, he knows he won’t survive.

He sees his chance in Marcus Townsend, a functionally blind Army veteran. Marcus, who refuses to accept his condition as immutable, has a shot at seeing a specialist who might be able to help him—but that doctor’s based on the other side of the country.

When Rye and Marcus meet, they realize they can help each other. Marcus can’t drive, but Rye can. Marcus knows what Rye is, but he likes him anyway. In fact, he more than likes him. Driving cross-country with a near stranger is a daunting task, but Rye’s biggest risk is falling for the gentle, stubborn-hearted soldier—and it might already be too late to stop that.

They plan to part ways when they reach their destination, but plans change as the affection between them grows. Now neither wants their journey to end, but continuing means finding a way to bridge the distance between who they were and who they’d like to become.

The opening scene is pretty typical for the . We get the young man in the right place, at the right moment, ready to save the blind man, who resented the help. But even so, gets intrigued by the first impression the rent boy leaves in his skin and life. From there we moved to learn more about Marcus and his family.

Next, we see how Rye’s and Marcus’s lives get to a point in which a change is needed. They both tried to work to achieve the change but realized they might need help. A chance encounter, at least for Rye, gets them together once again, and they found in each other the answer to their prayers.

Their cross-country road trip takes the majority of the story, and we get to experience the sights with them and through Marcus’s senses. They did several touristy stops and made some interesting findings on their way. Everything they saw or experienced made a difference in their relationship and their next step on the road.

By the time they arrived at their destination, Atlanta, their new found friendship had developed into something more, even when they both wanted to deny it.

Taking the Long Way starts interesting enough, but as soon as they met for the first time, the story slows down all the way to the very end. The situations during the trip are mainly predictable, and the MCs passed too much time inside their heads, letting the lack of communication step between them.

I had taken the coast to coast trip, and the descriptions of the areas were spot on. There’s really not much to see in certain areas, other than farms, fields, and miles upon miles of flatland roads.

I think my main issue with the story is the distance between the MCs. It’s not until the very last part of the story, almost in Georgia, that I felt the real need they had for each other. And at that point, it was too little too late. The same is to be said about the events occurring after they arrived and how they changed their lives.

I enjoyed the last twenty percent of the story, and I wished the author had gotten into that comfortable writing space earlier in the story. Their trip had potential, but it was perhaps too encompassing for a fictional romance in which the characters’ feelings should have been more important than the sceneries they were experiencing.

The cover by Valerie Tibbs goes well with the story and the road trip the characters took from coast to coast.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 234 pages
Published: February 12, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781634769235
Edition Language: English

https://at.atwola.com/adiframe/3.0/5113.1/221794/0/-1/size=160×600;noperf=1;adclntid=1002;alias=OVT2USEN;noaddonpl=y;kvmsft_sdkversion=3.8;kvmsft_ext_inv_cd=us;kvmsft_muid=06c7046e671d6db13a710218631d6ee7;kvpg=%2Fblu182.mail.live%2Fdefault.aspx;kvugc=0;kvrefd=login.live.com;kvmn=OVT2USEN;kvgrp=205730162;kvismob=2;extmirroring=0;kvtile=25;target=_blank;aduho=-300;grp=205730162

https://login.skype.com/login/silent?response_type=postmessage&client_id=580081&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fblu182.mail.live.com%2Fdefault.aspx&state=silentloginsdk_1455205744045&_accept=1.0&_nc=1455205744045&partner=999

In Our Contemporary Spotlight: LE Franks’ ‘Six Days to Valentine’ (excerpt and giveaway)

6 Days to Valentine (Yes #1) by LE Franks
Release Date: January, 2014

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: Adrian Nicholas

Blurb

In Nick’s perfect world, Valentine’s Day would be struck from the calendar.

Nick’s dreams of a Happily Ever After were shredded long ago and the last thing he and his customers need is a bunch of happy loving couples rubbing it in their faces.

Bouncer Fat Boy Newman is willing to bet he knows Nick’s heart better than he does. He has just six days to change Nick’s mind about romance and the holiday and the perfect man to do it.

Too bad it’s not him.

Too bad Nick’s not going down without a fight.

Too bad he cheats.

Pages or Words: 24,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

I looked again at the stunned blond sprawled at my feet. From this angle, he might be considered cute, certainly the butt in his jeans was worth exploring further, but for some reason, it was his cap that caught my eye. I could see part of a logo from one of those Texas schools—the one with the horns. Reaching down, I hooked it with my finger. I held it up so I could see it clearly, though it was hard to mistake the long white horns stretching across the front of the orangey wool.

Hmm, old-style baseball cap. I peered inside and checked out the underside of the brim, looking for his name. Someone had signed it in black ink, but it was worn and smeared in places, making it barely legible. Given the fading and the stains on the sweatband, it hadn’t been new in a very long time. Certainly not when this guy was in school.

“My hat. Please.” A soft drawl and a hand moving into my line of sight distracted me. It’s possible, though unlikely, that I missed him waving up at me; I’d had quite a late night, after all. I think, instead, that my brain froze the second he pushed himself into the cobra pose and looked deep into my eyes.

I hadn’t gotten much sleep after leaving the bar in the early hours of the morning. I’d walked around the neighborhood, halfway hoping I’d get rolled by a drunk or knifed in an alley. It was a thoroughly depressing failure. I was still there, still intact, and still feeling guilty as hell, all of which pissed me off to no end. Even worse, everyone I’d seen since entering the bar had congratulated me on my win, while FatBoy was doing a spectacular job of avoiding me.

I sat still, considering the blue depths, the straight nose, the plump pink lips, the strawberry locks curling over his ears. Then FatBoy finally decided to make an appearance, jerking the man up by his pits and dangling him in front of me like a rag doll.

Surprising as the maneuver was, it did have the added benefit of shaking his limbs out so I could get a nice long look at the whole…package.

“Ever hear of picking up after yourself?” FatBoy growled his exaggerated drawl at me. I guess that answered the question of whether or not FatBoy was still mad.

“Yeah…no…” I muttered, thinking about the wrongness of the whole thing and absently fondling the cow head on the front of the hat, forgetting what I’d been asked just a moment before.

“What the hell?” the blond jerked away from our bouncer, grabbing his hat and inadvertently catching my pinky in the adjustable strap.

“Yow!” Fuck that hurt. I shoved my finger in my mouth, sucking furiously where part of the nail was now missing.

“Shit, sorry, man. You just…” The blond trailed off as he fixed his attention on the hand now shoved between my lips. You’d think he’d never seen a man suck on anything before.

I might have answered him, but I’d hopped off my stool and was now too busy brushing bar floor debris off the front of his well-formed chest. My hand slid down the front of him until fingers gripped my wrist tightly just as I was getting to the fun parts, freezing my hand in place at his waist.

“My name’s Cameron.” It was a perfectly reasonable answer to an obvious question that I hadn’t asked. He removed my hand from his body before stepping out of my personal space to sit. I wanted to follow, but in a rare show of restraint, I chose leaning against the bar two stools down.

God, I need a drink. And a bed. And a man. And a way to go back through time.

Hell—two out of four ain’t bad. Well, more likely one out of four, which sucked, and my night was going to get worse…

When Rachel came in, she was going to skin me and make rainbow boots out of my hide. The story was already making the rounds, and my act of treachery, while still hidden, was lying like a dead skunk, stinking up the air between FatBoy and me.

I was waiting for inspiration to strike, gifting me with the perfect pickup line—the dazzler that would have my tongue in Cameron’s mouth and his beautiful golden body pressed up against the wall in the supply room with enough time before I had to officially clock in for work.

Apparently not. All I was hearing from the celestial chorus was the sound of crickets. I went with the old standby and introduced myself. “I’m Nick.”

I must have been grinning like an idiot. I could feel my cheeks begin to ache, and my palms developed an unexpected dampness. Rubbing them hastily against my soft denims, I reached across to him and held out my hand.

“Call me Cam.” He smiled. Sweet Jesus, it was a beauty of a smile, and I felt my cock begin to fill. Dammit. The lunch bartender chose that moment to lean over and smirk at me.

“Soooo, Niiiiiick…who’s your friennnnd?” Christine made a decent margarita and a top-notch Bloody Mary of her own special recipe, but her gaydar was broken. Anyone could tell that this sweet angel of the south was 100% boy meat.

“Ma’am! Cameron Fielding at your service.”

I was stunned as I watched my morsel of seraphic delectability stand and doff his cap, and felt a shiver run up my spine. It seemed to be in a race with the tightening of my jeans and the galloping of my heart, and I had a sudden irrational urge to pull him closer and sniff his hair. And maybe touch it.

What the hell?

Buy the book:

Wilde City Press | ARe |Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Meet the Author

LE Franks lives in the SF Bay area and writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated and sometimes a little bit dark. LE Franks is a best selling author and finalist for 2013 & 2014 Rainbow Awards. Her books are available through her publishers at MLR Press, Dreamspinner Press and Wilde City Press and Pride Publishing and online bookstores.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LE.Franks1
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LEFranksAuthor/
Twitter: @boxtersushi
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lefrankswriter/le-franks-books/
Tumblr: http://boxtersushi.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxtersushi/

Tour Dates & Stops: February 12, 2016

Parker Williams, Posy Roberts, Bayou Book Junkie, TTC Books and More, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, A.M. Leibowitz, Divine Magazine, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Bonkers About Books, Alpha Book Club, Mikky’s World of Books, The Jena Wade, MM Good Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Sassygirl Books, Man2ManTastic, BFD Book Blog, Attention is Arbitrary, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, Rainbow Gold Reviews

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: eBook copy of ‘6 Days to Valentine’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Dedications, Inspiration and More: Writing ‘Foxes’ by Suki Fleet (guest post)

Foxes by Suki Fleet

Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist AngstyG
Release Date February 8, 2016

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Suki Fleet here today to share some insight into the background and inspiration behind Foxes, her latest novel. Welcome, Suki.

Homelessness and ‘Foxes’ by Suki Fleet

Be the change you want to see in the world.

This is the dedication at the beginning of the story. When I searched for whom to credit it to, I found it’s a quote often mistakenly attributed to Mahatma Ghandi. One source says the original quote of Ghandi’s is more something like this:

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”

I like them both a lot.

For me this change goes hand in hand with kindness, on a big or small scale. Danny’s kindness in Foxes is a bright light in the dark that makes up a lot of his world. He is the change I’m talking about. He’s also badly scarred, and copes with the life a little differently, and he’s homeless, though he doesn’t live on the streets.

I’ve written about homelessness before in This is Not a Love Story. Foxes takes a very different approach. With This is Not a Love Story I focussed more on making a social statement about how society treats homeless people. This story isn’t as desperate or as hopeless as Romeo and Julian’s story was either. Foxes is about how it doesn’t matter what you’ve got, it matters what you do. It’s about making a difference to someone—about how small kindnesses can change someone’s life for the better.

Make a difference. Be the change.

Blurb

Tags: Contemporary, New Adult, Gay Fiction

Foxes Buy Links

Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Dreamspinner Press | ARe |

About the Author

Suki Fleet grew up on a boat and as a small child spent a lot of time travelling at sea with her family. She has always wanted to be a writer. As a kid she told ghost stories to scare people, but stories about romance were the ones that inspired her to sit down and write. She doesn’t think she’ll ever stop writing them.

Her novel This is Not a Love Story won Best Gay Debut in the 2014 Rainbow Awards and was a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Awards.

Links

Email: sukifleet@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/suki.fleet.3
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7919609.Suki_Fleet
http://sukifleet.tumblr.com/
http://sukifleet.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/SukiFleet?lang=en

An Ali Review: Second Hand (Tucker Springs #2) by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton, Iggy Toma (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he’s not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.

El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn’t apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.

Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There’s no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn’t mean second best.

This was an average story. Nothing really wrong with it but nothing that made it stand out either. Paul has gone through a bad break up and while looking for a gift for his ex-girlfriend he meets Eli. The two men become friends and while Eli realizes immediately that he has feelings for Paul, Paul just cruises along cluelessly. Paul bordered on getting on my nerves with his cluelessness. At other times though I felt for him and I thought the internal discussions/fears/etc he has over his sexuality were probably pretty realistic. Eli I liked throughout the entire story. I didn’t really feel the emotional attraction between the two men. It just felt like they were friends unless they were in the bedroom. The bedroom scenes though were great. The chemistry just jumped off the pages. Unfortunately hot sex scenes isn’t enough to carry an entire book for me. I needed more relationship development. Again, I didn’t love this book but I didn’t dislike it either.

The narration by Iggy Toma was just ok. Overall I did not really care for the narrator. He did a wide range of voices and did them all differently which is a plus. I didn’t like some of the voices though. This is probably a matter of taste. While it didn’t work for me it might for others. I suggest listening to a sample of the audio first.

Cover art by L.C. Chase. I like the cover. I think it is a good representation of the main characters and their story.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published January 22nd 2016 by Audible (first published September 1st 2012)
Original TitleSecond Hand
SeriesTucker Springs #2 settingColorado (United States)

A Lila Review: Forced Impressions by Piper Doone

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Jonah Landers’s promotion to detective isn’t going so well. His first undercover operation is a disaster thanks to Rafael Santos, a Cuban-American detective so far undercover, no one on Rafael’s Miami-based squad even had a clue he’d already infiltrated the prostitution ring Jonah was targeting. Two years and an insane twist of fate later, Jonah finds himself transferred from Orlando and partnered up with Rafael in Miami—and their rocky beginning doesn’t get any better.

For the sake of their careers and because he realizes he’s falling for Rafael, Jonah makes every attempt to smooth things over and move on with his love life. He turns his attention to A.J. Choya, a Seminole Indian who runs the tech department. But there’s no spark between them, and Jonah has to admit his feelings for Rafael aren’t going away.

When a new case falls into Rafael’s and Jonah’s laps, they must go undercover again and become intimate in a way that forces them to confront their feelings for each other—no matter the consequences

The story starts directly into the action. Jonah is on his way to his first undercover assignment as a detective with the Orlando Police Department. We get the basics about the area, Jonah’s relationship with his partner, and his doubts about the operation. Everything goes almost to plan until Rafael makes it to the scene. From there on, everything goes down the hill– for them and the investigation.

The ruined operation brings Jonah’s career to a halt, and no matter what he does, he’s not going anywhere. After two years, he’s able to transfer to Miami with the hopes to start over. Jonah doesn’t have much of a private or professional life when he leaves, but he hopes to, at least, have a chance to forward his career.

On his first day in Miami, everything changes when he gets to partner with Rafael. Their relationship is typical of newbies with experienced partners, but Jonah took it further, personal. We get a series of cases and how they worked them and interacted with the rest of the squad.

The last case in the book is the one referred on the blurb. It doesn’t last long, but it changes their relationship. In the end, they get their HEA with a quick epilogue, filled with future events.

Forced Impressions didn’t work for me. The first undercover case, in Orlando, was interesting, and we had a chance to meet the MCs and see them at work. After Jonah moved to Miami, the plot slows down and there’s not much action, not even during the cases they worked.

I think the monotony of their day job and their relationship is what brought my rating down. Perhaps if the cases were related or less, it would had kept my interest. But, they were standard police procedure with little trouble to be solved. By the time the main investigation happened, I was ready for the book to end. Not even Jonah’s relationship with A.J. was interesting enough.

The last part of the book moved faster, maybe too fast for Rafael’s and Jonah’s relationship to be meaningful. Their undercover job was smexy but didn’t compensate for everything the story lacked until that point. Their love affair was fast paced and their future together, on the epilogue, even faster.

And the cover? The overall idea of the cover by Aaron Anderson works, until you get into the details. The art deco font gives it the Miami feel and the model matched Rafael’s description. But, the skyline and tie effect makes it look more like New York City than Miami. Plus, the silhouette doesn’t represent Jonah.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published: January 25, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 1634767640 (ISBN13: 9781634767644)
Edition Language: English

A Jeri Review: The Imperfection of Swans by Brandan Witt

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (4 1/2 stars!!)

Kevin Bivanti’s dream is to open a wedding dress shop, a place with the stunning gowns to make every bride-to-be feel adored. At thirty-eight, he quits a successful advertising career to buy an old brownstone in a trendy Boston neighborhood and to make his dream a reality. When one of his cosigners drops out, fate intervenes, ushering in Casper James, who hopes to open his own bakery. With Casper willing to take the risk, their ambitions meld into a wedding dress and wedding cake boutique.

Extensive renovations to the brownstone, an affair with his ex-husband, family drama with his mothers, and the anxiety of significant life changes push Kevin to the brink of a nervous breakdown. In the midst of stress and uncertainty, Casper becomes more than a business partner, a mutual attraction that adds another layer of intensity and risk.

With their dreams on the verge of reality, Kevin and Casper must find the courage to face the stress of managing their attraction, the gamble of a new business venture, and the resurgence of Kevin’s personal demons.

I really loved this book! The general concept of the story was not all that original. Two guys working together and don’t want to mess up their professional relationship, but fighting it gets harder and harder. We’ve read that before right?

Yep, we have. But what we haven’t read about is one of the characters who is at once so lovable and so flawed and the other, just as lovable and trying hard not to be flawed. It is the flaws and the way they are dealt with which made this book a BIG 4 1/2 star read for me.

Kevin is the character with the most issues. And like most people with issues like his, he denies them and makes excuses for them. His strength and vulnerability make you want to hug him and tell him it is going to get better. Kevin is finally taking a huge leap to live his dream- that of opening a bridal shop in Boston. With the help of his moms and extended family, it looks like it will become a reality. Until financing falls through.

Enter Casper, a head pastry chef who has his own dream of opening a bakery. He lives with 4 loud music majors so that he can save up enough money to open his own bakery. Kismet brings them together and with Casper able to help secure the financing on the multi million dollar building- it seems as though they will both be living their dreams.

This book contains some pretty serious subject matter- eating disorders and anxiety. Both could have easily been portrayed as overly dramatic or sensationalistic, but they are not. They are addressed head on, shown for the true colors that they are. How they affect not only the person living with them, but the people who love them as well.

There is also an outstanding cast of background characters in this book. Two of my favorites were Renata and Noelle- Kevin’s moms. Their yin yang relationship so mirrors the relationship that Kevin and Casper are trying to build together.

I laughed and I cried. I couldn’t wait to turn the page and I didn’t want it to end.

Cover Photo Credit Brandon Witt; Model: Kevin Eksterowicz.When I am reading a book by a new to me author, I always go all the way through to the end. Reading the “about me” section and anything else. There I learned that the cover art- oh so gorgeous- is not only the author’s real life best friend, but also the inspiration behind Kevin. It made me love the book more.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 284 pages
Published January 18th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634768175 (ISBN13: 9781634768177)
Edition LanguageEnglish

What Does It Take To Turn A Brat Into A Man? Find Out with Patricia Logan’s ‘The Brat (excerpt and giveaway)

The Brat ( Marine Bodyguard #3) by Patricia Logan
Release Date: February 10, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Patricia Logan
Cover Artist: JP Adkins Design (Jeff Adkins)

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Patricia Logan author of The Brat, a standalone novel in the Marine Bodyguard series. Hi Patricia, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself. If you could bring back one TV show, what would it be and why?

I love so many shows and cried that they ended them. Fringe on Netflix is one that I adored. I am a bit of a geek so it appealed to me. I also like to learn something from a show and so much of that show went right over my head, after watching all 5 seasons twice, I still find myself wondering about quantum physics and wishing I’d stuck with the higher sciences in college. I suppose I could always go back to school but I get a pretty good education from my reading and TV. I also love history, so sometimes these shows with “time-jumps” appeal to my senses so much. Fringe and Torchwood, aside from the amazing acting and super hot male heroes, are those type of shows. They keep me thinking (and lusting, haha) which is never a bad thing.

Thanks, Patricia, now more about The Brat.

********

Blurb

Charles Fordham III has been expelled from Oxford and sent home with his tail between his legs. The self-professed “brat” has always gotten away with things because of his father’s influence and money. Poor Chas is in for the surprise of his life in the form of a tall, well-muscled, former Marine bodyguard… but even more daunting days may lie ahead. Have his years abroad prepared him for the expectations of his father when he’s forced to live up to his legacy?

Tate Heston returns home from Iraq when his beloved career is cut short by an IED. He’s used to turning boys into men and then leading them into battle where sometimes the good guys lose. This makes him even more hesitant about taking on a job guarding a spoiled brat, but he believes he can probably do what he does best… make young Chas a man.

Not everyone wants to see the brat succeed in his father’s place. Things have been running just fine for years and the return of Charles Fordham III and the shake up his arrival causes, has his family’s enemies in a panic. But as the boy assumes his rightful place, Tate understands sometimes a man must take his fight to the enemy… regardless of battlefield… or boardroom.

Pages or Words: 96,000 words
Can be read as a standalone
Categories: Contemporary Crime Fiction, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Thriller

Excerpt

Chas whirled on Tate, stalking up to him, probably having decided that he was the whole problem. Hell, Tate was totally fine with that. Better he hate him than his father. Hate was easy to handle but he was really surprised when he stopped right in front of him and shouted at him.

“You have no right to tell me how I should talk to my father, you… you cretin!” he screamed.

Tate was only slightly surprised as spittle flew out of Chas’s mouth when he spoke and he raised his hand. Is he gonna…?

Tate reached up and stopped Chas’s slap inches from his cheek as he viciously swung his hand toward him. Tate managed to grasp Chas’s wrist, stopping the blow and the action brought the young man flush up against his body. For a few seconds their faces were inches from each other and with all of Chas’s rage, the way his chest heaved with anger, Tate inexplicably felt his cock harden in his jeans. His fury is magnificent. Tate didn’t know whether he should stop the kid or just bend him over his father’s desk and fuck him right then and there and get it over with. He let the thought slide through his mind for a few seconds as he stared into Chas’s magnificent angry amber-colored eyes. It’s probably not the right time… more’s the pity.

Tate hesitated only a second and then tore his gaze away from the man’s, bringing Chas’s arm down and then around the man’s side so that he was forced to turn his back on Tate. Chas cried out as Tate deftly brought his hand up between his shoulder blades, causing him to bend forward to take the pressure off or have his arm snapped in the process. A second later, Chas’s knees gave out and he dropped to his knees on the thick carpet to relieve the pressure on his arm. Tate bent over him, still holding Chas’s fingers up behind his back with one hand. He laid his hand on the back of the young man’s neck, pushing his forehead firmly to the floor with the other hand.

“Ah! You’re hurting me!” Chas gasped out, drooling down toward the carpet beneath him. His body was shuddering but all the fight had gone out of him and he suddenly went boneless as his body relaxed.

Tate leaned down to speak softly at his ear. “No hitting. No slapping. No getting physical of any sort. That clear?” Go ahead. Fight me, you little fucker. I’ll have your jeans around your ankles and my dick up your ass so fast, you won’t know what hit you.

A second later Chas gave an almost imperceptible nod. His chest was heaving and Tate thought he heard a sob come out of the man as he grunted in pain again.

“Okay,” Chas finally ground out through gritted teeth, “Let me up.”

Buy the book:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BLV2AUY

AllRomance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebrat-1980105-356.html

Meet the Author:

International bestselling author Patricia Logan, resides in Los Angeles, California. The author of several #1 bestselling erotic romances in English, Italian, French, and Spanish lives in a small house with a large family. When she’s not writing her next thriller romance, she’s watching her grandchildren grow up way too soon, and raising kids who make her proud every day. One of her favorite tasks is coaxing nose kisses from cats who insist on flopping on her keyboard while she types. Married to a wonderful man for 30 years, she counts herself lucky to be surrounded by people who love her and give her stories to tell every day.

Become a fan of Patricia at http://authorpatricialogan.com/ and receive a free book of your choice. Email her at patricialogan.author@yahoo.com. She loves to hear from readers more than anything and will respond to all emails.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ploganauthor
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorpatricialogan/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatriciaLogan1
Blog http://authorpatricialogan.blogspot.com/
Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Patricia-Logan/e/B007RESZJA/

Tour Dates & Stops:

10-Feb Parker Williams, KathyMac Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic

11-Feb Jessie G. Books, 3 Chicks After Dark, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Kirsty Loves Books, BFD Book Blog

12-Feb Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Alpha Book Club, Louise Lyons, Inked Rainbow Reads, A.M. Leibowitz

15-Feb MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Molly Lolly, Open Skye Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire

16-Feb Bayou Book Junkie, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Love Bytes, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Divine Magazine

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 3 copies of ‘The Brat’ by Patricia Logan. Must be 18 years of age or older. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Love at Roades End by Kris T. Bethke Dreamspinner Press

Goodreads Link Cover Artist L.C. Chase

About Love at Roades End

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press |Amazon | ARe | Kobo | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Share this:

Table for One by Ava Hayden Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist Anna Sikorska

Sales Links

Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

About Table for One

About the Author

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

6 Days to Valentine (Yes #1) by LE Franks Release Date: January, 2014

Giveaway

Share this:

Foxes by Suki Fleet

Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist AngstyG Release Date February 8, 2016

Homelessness and ‘Foxes’ by Suki Fleet

Blurb

Foxes Buy Links

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

The Brat ( Marine Bodyguard #3) by Patricia Logan Release Date: February 10, 2016

Goodreads Link Publisher: Patricia Logan Cover Artist: JP Adkins Design (Jeff Adkins)

Giveaway

Share this:

Love at Roades End by Kris T. Bethke
Dreamspinner Press

Goodreads Link
Cover Artist L.C. Chase

Table for One by Ava Hayden
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Anna Sikorska

6 Days to Valentine (Yes #1) by LE Franks
Release Date: January, 2014

Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist AngstyG
Release Date February 8, 2016

The Brat ( Marine Bodyguard #3) by Patricia Logan
Release Date: February 10, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Patricia Logan
Cover Artist: JP Adkins Design (Jeff Adkins)