Category: Contemporary fiction

Cover Reveal Time for Mia Kerick’s Love Spell (cover reveal and giveaway)

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Its Cover Reveal Time for Love Spell by Mia Kerick
Release Date: June 1, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Cool Dudes Publishing
Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

Sales Link:  Amazon

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Blurb:

Strutting his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug orange tuxedo as this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon feels so very right to Chance César, and yet he knows it should feel so very wrong.

As far back as he can remember, Chance has been “caught between genders.” (It’s quite a touchy subject; so don’t ask him about it.)  However, he does not question his sexual orientation. Chance has no doubt about his gayness—he is very much out of the closet at his rural New Hampshire high school, where the other students avoid the kid they refer to as “girl-boy.”

But at the local Harvest Moon Festival, when Chance, the Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue, the Pumpkin Carving King, sparks fly. So Chance sets out, with the help of his BFF, Emily, to make “Jazz” Donahue his man.

An article in an online women’s magazine, Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You (with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure), becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart.

Quirky, comical, definitely flamboyant, and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.

Pages or Words: 44,300 words

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Romance, Young Adult

Excerpt:

“Do you really wanna go there?”

Unlike the fake lunch block that I spend every day with Jazz, my real lunch block with Emily has been a total bitch lately. I can’t say who the major target of the bullshit is—Emmy or me—as neither of us has a sizeable fan club at Fiske High School. But I will say that the front table by the salad bar can be a cold place, and that’s not just because of the draft that comes in from the hallway.

“Nice makeup, girl-boy.” It seems Edwin Darling hasn’t forgotten my nickname from grade school, which sucks for me.

But this diva never backs down. “Thanks. Haven’t you heard—I was the head makeup artist on Evita?”

“Eh-what-uh?” Eddie the Appalling wrinkles his greasy forehead and runs his hand over his buzz-cut hair. Clearly, he is unfamiliar with Tony Award winning Broadway musicals. Not that I’m shocked. He quickly shifts his attention to Emily. “How do you put up with him, fat-ass?”

My BFF isn’t as good as I am at deflecting evil taunts. She looks up at him with wide eyes and seems to lose her appetite, pushing her salad toward the middle of the table.

“Oh, that’s cold, my darling Eddie.” (See what I did with his name, there? Clever, I know.) I stand up. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” I then “rawr” at him like a ticked-off tigress, throwing in a clawing gesture to get my point across. “Do you really wanna go there?”

I can tell by the look on his face that he’s remembering how long it took for the scratches on his face to heal after our last entanglement.

“I personally could live without going there, but you know me—I’m impulsive as hell.” I fold my arms across my chest and thrust out my right hip. “Piss me off and I’m likely to do abso-fucking-lutely anything.”

The bulk of my attention is focused on my adversary, but it’s impossible to miss that we’ve gathered an audience. An audience of indifferent “watchers”—the multitudes of apathetic teens who will later text each other, “did you see the homo and the bully go head-to-head at lunch today?” They don’t matter one smidgeon in the scheme of things, but my Emily does.

At this point, Eddie and I are eye-to-eye and chest-to-chest. Lucky for him, one of his thugs bails him out. “Get too close to that fag and you’ll get AIDS—am I wrong?” The big oaf grabs Eddie by the arm and pulls him away.

But he doesn’t remove his gaze from mine. “You better watch out when we’re off school grounds, pansy.”

If I said I didn’t shudder, I’d be lying.

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About the author:

Photo_2Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, CoolDudes Publishing, and CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.

Mia is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights, especially marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Stop by Mia’s Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind. Find Mia on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Where to find the author:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick?fref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MiaKerick
Pinterest: http://www,pinterest.com/miakerick/

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Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Inked Rainbow Reads, Love Bytes, Bike Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Carly’s Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark, Chris McHart, EE Montgomery, Divine Magazine, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Boys on the Brink Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Velvet Panic, Up All Night, Read All Day, Cate Ashwood, Nephylim, Mikky’s World of Books, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Prism Book Alliance, Bayou Book Junkie, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, The Novel Approach, Jessie G. Books, Hearts on Fire, Cathy Brockman Romances

Contest

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25Amazon Gift Certificate.

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Queue Up The Fiction Fun with Mischief Corner Books, The MCB Quarterly Vol. I(excerpts and giveaway)

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LGBTQ Press: Mischief Corner Books
Book Name: The MCB Quarterly, Volume 1

Release Date: April 30, 2015

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

A Character Interview by J. Scott Coatsworth…

My name’s Tony, and I got this questionaire in the mail from The Center – I guess they want me to “move on” Like it’s just that easy to let someone go – the man who was a part of you, heart and soul.

But what the hell. Here it goes…

1. Now that you’ve gotten together, what comes next?

Well, I wouldn’t exactly say together. OK, so after Jake died, I did have this sort of weird thing happen. You know that thing where some guy tells you he met your soulmate in the afterlife, and … what, no? Well anyhow, it was one of those sort of things.

So next? I guess I pack up his things and figure out what to do now that Jake’s no longer here for me to take care of. He’d want me to move on. But still… it’s hard.

2. What was the hardest thing for you to overcome that you didn’t expect to be an issue?

Letting go. For a few unexpected days it was summer again. We were young together. Alive. But then it was snatched away. It’s hard to let it go.

3. Who or what makes you laugh out loud?

Jake. He had a wicked sense of humor… sometimes he’d wait until I took a drink, and then say something so funny I’d snort coke out of my nose. And oh my god, his Michelle Bachmann impression. Those eyes…

4. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Daiquiri Ice. It’s one of the lesser-known of the 31 flavors. I don’t even drink. But I’m addicted to the stuff. Jake… well, Jake liked chocolate chip. But he used the Italian name – stracciatella.

5. What movie will you watch over and over again?

Strictly Ballroom. Hands-down the best movie ever made, and the only other thing that makes me snort. Of course, Jake disagreed with me about that one too.

He swore up and down that Romy and Michelle was better. Turns out I’m the Mary, after all.

I hope I get to see him again in Avalon so he can fight me on that one.

Blurb:

The Quarterly is an eMagazine of LGBTQ fiction – of all kinds. This volume features four short stories: Facsimile by Mina MacLeod, Leash on Love by Beany Sparks, Man of the House by Brigid Collins, and Avalon by J. Scott Coatsworth. It also includes an Author Interview with Lexi Ander, talking about writing gay science fiction, and a Featured Artist section about the multitalented Catherine Dair. And our very own Angel Martinez offers an Op-Ed on “When is an Author not an Author?”

Pages or Words: 33,200 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Gay fiction, Horror, Lesbian romance, M/M romance, Romance, Transexual

(Please remember that not all stories will contain all elements listed.)

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Excerpts:

Avalon by J. Scott Coatsworth

Tony wheeled the chair down the long ramp to the beach, hoping it wasn’t too hot or too cold for Jake’s skin.

The day itself was wonderful, the clearest in weeks, and the Pacific Ocean waves pounded the beach in a steady, soothing rhythm that he hoped even Jake could hear.

Soon they were on level ground, negotiating the boardwalk that ran up and down this part of the beach. Jake had a sloppy smile on his face.

Tony smiled to himself. There were so few pleasures he could give Jake anymore. The man deserved so much more than this.

He reached forward to wipe the drool from the side of Jake’s cheek. “It’s a lovely day out, isn’t it, Jake?”

His lover didn’t respond, but only stared ahead, smiling.

There were still periods of lucidity, to be sure, but they were farther and farther apart. Sometimes Tony wished that Jake would finally succumb to the growth in his head and be at peace. But only sometimes.

More often, he treasured the time they still had together and remembered the strong, vital man Jake had been when they’d first met.

For just a moment, the rest of the world faded away, and they were alone together on a quiet, windswept beach. Tony breathed in deeply, savoring the pure sweetness of the salty ocean air, the wash of clean colors that assaulted his vision.

He glanced up at the road above, only to find it was gone. There were no other people on the bluff, no buildings, nothing. They were alone, really alone, in this little corner of the world.

Tony shook his head to dispel the vision. It was the late nights, he thought, the lack of sleep that led to these strange imaginations.

A hand came down on his shoulder. Hard. And suddenly they were back among the bustle of a thousand other people.

Leash on Love by Beany Sparks

There he is again.

Matty noticed the man exit the gym as he’d done numerous times over the past few months. The gym was only a few doors down from the veterinary practice where Matty came to help out his cousin Robert when he wasn’t at uni.

Every day after his classes finished, he’d pop down to the practice and walk the dogs that were in doggy day care. Some days he’d finish earlier than others, so he didn’t always walk the dogs at the same time, but on the days that he walked the dogs later, he’d leave around the same time as the guy left the gym.

He’d noticed gym-guy after the first few visits to his cousin’s vet practice. There was nothing outrageous about the man. He had light brown hair and muscles that were obviously from his time spent at the gym, but not that of a hard-core body builder. Something about him had caught Matty’s eye, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He looked forward to seeing him, but he hadn’t gotten up the courage to say anything to him, let alone get caught watching him. Even now he was practically hiding behind his car, pretending to be looking for his keys.

“Hey, Matty!”

Matty turned to see Ronnie, or Veronica as her name badge indicated, coming towards him. Ronnie had been his best friend for years, which worked out well when she married his cousin. While Robert was a vet, Ronnie was a dentist who conveniently worked in the building opposite the vet practice. The only thing separating the buildings was the numerous parking spaces in between.

“Hey, Ronnie. What’s been happening?” Matty asked as he walked up to her and gave her a hug, which she happily returned.

“Oh you know, same old, same old.” She moved back a step and leaned against his car. “How are things with you?”

Man of the House by Brigid Collins

Some inconsiderate ass-dick had hit a skunk on the road out front of our house.

The God-awful stench woke me before my alarm, which I suppose I could have chosen to see as a blessing. For some reason, all I could focus on was the way skunk scent stuck in the back of my throat. Lucky I wasn’t much of a breakfaster.

God, it was bad. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, but the darkness of pre-six o-fuckin’-clock in the morning pressed against my lids. That and the soft warmth of my bed whispered to me, urging me to roll over, press my face into the pillow, and pretend the dead critter out there was a squirrel. Those little bastard thieves deserved to get hit, and they didn’t stink up the neighborhood when they died.

But rolling over and pretending wasn’t what the man of the fucking house would do. I didn’t even have to go through my usual cycle of “what would Dad do” to know that. A man did what needed to be done, and that was that. No use bitching about it now, either. Dad was gone, and there was no getting him back. Someone still had to do the stuff that needed done, and I figured out months back that it wasn’t going to be Derrik.

I flopped my arm out from the blankets and around my nightstand until I managed to get my finger on the alarm switch. That taken care of, I sat up and cracked my eyes open. A red 5:23 burned out of the shadows of my room, and I groaned.

Look on the bright side, this gives you time to deal with the skunk without making you late for school.

Facsimile by Mina MacLeod

The night President Carnot is assassinated, Monique Chambly is nestled in a chair in her sitting room with a blanket wrapped around her legs. The fire is crackling, and her tea is hot. It smells of cinnamon and spice; the scent brings familiarity and comfort, but Monique cannot remember why. She remembers very little these days.

She’s staring at the amber softgel capsules, debating whether the pain is bad enough to warrant them. The phonograph is warbling Mozart. She has always adored Mozart. At least, she’s fairly certain she has.

Outside their Montmartre estate, the rain comes down upon the city, heavy and unforgiving. Thunder rolls across the sky and lightning rips through the clouds, illuminating the streets. It is a cold, terrible night to be outside.

Her joints ache. Monique winces and reaches for the capsules. Her muscles feel like they are being pulled from her bones. She manages to swallow the medication, wincing as it slides down her dry throat. Monique grabs the tea and takes a generous gulp, though her tongue protests the sting of heat. She lolls her head until her chin sits upon her chest. Dark ringlets of hair shift to hide her face. Her head feels heavy, so heavy—as though her neck isn’t strong enough to hold it up.

The next clap of thunder startles her; it cracks the sky in twain with its severity. The arc lamps in their home flicker. Monique is huddled there, curled in on herself, when Elvire finds her.

“Monique, my darling,” she says, kneeling before the chair. “Whatever are you doing awake?” She reaches out, brushing aside the curtain of Monique’s hair.

Dr. Elvire Mazet is a tall, wiry creature. Yet here she is, folded up neatly at Monique’s feet. Her dark eyes are wide with concern behind her wire-rimmed spectacles. She is still wearing her lab coat. Its immaculate whiteness has long since been stained with evidence of various experiments. A pair of safety goggles is holding her short red hair out of her face. Monique wonders idly what Elvire has been up to down in her lab. Normally, Elvire leaves all of her clothing and equipment downstairs.

Thunder rumbles through the sky yet again, and Monique shudders. “Am I—am I afraid of storms? I don’t…remember.”

Sales   Mischief Corner Books  All Romance (ARe)  – Bookstrand – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

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About the Press:

Mischief Corner Books is an organization of superheroes… no, it’s a platinum-album techno-fusion group…no, hold on a sec here…

Ah, yes. Mischief Corner is a diverse group of authors who met on a mountain in Tennessee and decided since we probably were too easily distracted to rule the world that we’d settle for causing a bit of mayhem instead.

In addition to making mayhem, we publish books with a diverse range of genres and topics… we live to break molds.

MCB. Giving voice to LGBTQ fiction.

Where to find MCB:

Giveaway

Contest:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by MCB and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a
Rafflecopter Prize: 1 $15.00 Amazon gift certificate and copy of the Quarterly (winners choice of format), 2 $10.00 All Romance gift certificates, and 3 copies of the Quarterly (winners choice of format).

Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Dates & Stops:

  • 11-May Angel Martinez
  • 12-May Bayou Book Junkie
  • 13-May Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance
  • 14-May Cate Ashwood
  • 15-May Cathy Brockman Romances, Full Moon Dreaming
  • 18-May  Divine Magazine, Molly Lolly
  • 19-May MM Good Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews
  • 20-May  Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
  • 21-May  Inked Rainbow Reads
  • 22-May  BFD Book Blog
  • 28-May  Prism Book Alliance

Let Love Find The Way with “Light A Candle” by VJ Summers (tour and contest)

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Light a Candle (Club Velvet Ice #4) by VJ Summers
Release Date: May 18, 2015
Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon

About Light A Candle…

Will broke Dusty’s heart their senior year. One unexpected moment of passion between them, and Will freaked out. Not only wasn’t he gay, but he wasn’t kinky either—or so he insisted to Dusty. Their long friendship ended, and Dusty was left with only bittersweet memories of their last movie night together.

Ten years later, out as gay and a Dom, Will auditions for membership at Club Deviant, only to find that he’s been assigned an all-too-familiar submissive. His scene with Dustin feels like fate, and he’s determined to get back what they once had—and more.
Dustin had buried the pain of rejection deep, but playing with Will conjures all his memories of that one electric moment they shared and the friendship it destroyed. He’s built walls around his heart high enough to keep out the Trojan Army, but together, he and Will may find the courage to move beyond their past and face their future together.

About Author VJ Summers

When not working the EDJfH (Evil Day Job from Hell), obsessing over whether her parents are getting enough to eat, obsessing that her kid is sexting the boyfriend, making coffee, drinking coffee, or feeding the two cats who allow her to live with them, VJ can be found reading or writing erotic romance—either solo as m/m author VJ Summers, or as the shorter, more quiet half of the “Violet Summers” writing team (the tall half is Sierra Summers).

VJ loves to hear from readers! You can find her at https://vjsummersandsmut.wordpress.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VJsSmut.

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Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $15 Riptide store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 23. Make sure you include a email address where you can be contacted in the body of your comment. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Prizes provided by the author and Riptide Publishing.

 

Book Details:

(Publisher’s Note: This is a heavily expanded and revised edition of Velvet Memories, previously published in 2011.) – See more at Riptide Publishing’s Light A Candle page.
Author: VJ Summers
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-286-8
eBook release: May 18, 2015
eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Word count: 35,200, Page count: 136
Type: Standalone,

A MelanieM Review: Life, Some Assembly Required (The Rebuilding Year #2) by Kaje Harper

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Finding love in the ashes was easy. Building a life together? Don’t make Fate laugh.

Life, Some Assembly required covrAfter spending the first part of his life chasing pretty girls, love has finally come to Ryan in the form of John, a tall, lanky, red-headed landscape architect with wide shoulders and a five-o’clock shadow.

For the first time in his life, love feels easy. Hell, he even ran into a burning building for John and his son, and he’d do it again if he had to. But telling his father and brothers “I’m gay. I’ve met a man”? That’s a bumpy ride he’s not looking forward to.

For John, loving Ryan is as natural as breathing. Now if only the rest of his life would fall into place. Dealing with his teen son is complicated enough, but with his ex-wife causing trouble and his daughter wanting to move in, John’s house—and his relationship with Ryan—threaten to split at the seams.

Would one month without a new surprise knocking him upside the heart be asking too much? If the sound of Fate’s laughter is any indication, the answer must be yes…

Kaje Harper’s The Rebuilding Year was one of my favorite books of 2012.  It was the story of two seemingly “straight” men at an unsettled point in their lives, a time where they are discarding their past and trying to rebuild a future for themselves, and in John’s case, hopefully for his children as well.  That novel told the story of ex-firefighter Ryan Ward, disabled on the job and now going back to school for a medical degree.  He’s still dealing with the loss of his beloved profession, having nightmares over the fire that damaged his leg, and dealing with an unsettled vision of his future.  On the college campus, Ryan meets John Barrett, a man as familiar with loss as Ryan is.  John lost his marriage and kids when his wife cheated on him.  And when the divorce was final, he watched his wife move the kids to California in search of a new life with a new man.    Two men whose lives were shattered by events out of their control.  Two men who thought they were straight but whose strong attraction to each other has them rethinking their lives and future.

Now comes the sequel, Life, Some Assembly Required (The Rebuilding Year #2) and, with this story, I found myself falling back in love with John and Ryan, and their relationship.  Never quite the fan of  the “gay for you” trope, Harper made a serious argument for John and Ryan’s feelings in the first book.  While John had married and Ryan was considered a “hounddog” with women, both men had had attractions to men in the past, while not quite acting on them.  So the story became more one of old desires rekindled and recognized then a purely straight man falling for another. We watched them work through many emotional issues as well as acceptance by John’s children.  And that first story ended with Ryan telling his father that he was finally serious about someone for the first time in his life, and its with a man.  A wonderful ending that packed a huge emotional punch.

Life, Some Assembly Required picks up directly after the events in The Rebuilding Year.  I won’t go into detail because that is simply a book to be savored and a must read for this novel.  One (of many) of the things I appreciate so about Kaje Harper’s writing is her ability to make her stories feel so real.  Her characters and their lives aren’t enveloped in some softly glowing light where everything works out smoothly and with relative ease.  That’s better left for the fairytale romances.  No, Harper’s characters and their lives reflect the grittiness and intimacy of people living every day realistically and authentically.   It involves boredom, obstacles little and big, schedules that get too busy and the hiccups and burps that relationships go through.  Its the work the couple needs to do in order to have the partnership they want.  And that includes two men who love each other deeply such as John and Ryan do.

This book is full of life’s pebbles and boulders that get scattered in the way of their happiness and much of the joy in this story is watching them deal with those problems together (and figuring out that they need to come at these issues as a couple).  That doesn’t always make for easy reading, just throughly rewarding and satisfactory one, at least in my opinion.   Why?  Because life isn’t lived in a bubble. For John and Ryan, the relationship they are building together includes John’s children (who I adored and who went through some surprising emotional turmoil of their own), an ex wife’s determined to have their own way albeit one that is understandable from her point of view, and Ryan’s family with expectations of their own for Ryan which doesn’t include another man.

Throughout the story, its one of constant adjustments…in plans of every sort from dinner to vacations. It’s the ever deepening joy of a daily life together along with the typical hurt feelings, and occasional miscommunication that involves. On an intimate level, we watch the men deal with all the  repercussions of their love for each other and their decision to move in together. And how that effects their professional lives, families and the community around them.  I love how Harper lets us see into their decision making process and relationship dynamics through their conversations, actions and lovemaking.  Harper allows her characters the strength and depth that lets them act responsibility and respectfully towards themselves and those around them.  Yes, this is a book about grownups in a thoughtful adult relationship.  How I appreciated that tone and type of character as well.

Sometimes the issues are raw with emotion and the painful aftermath of the disappointments that can occur when hopes and family collide.   Yes, there were times I was so frustrated with the events that happen, both with John’s ex wife (again not a villain but a woman doing  what she thinks is necessary to survive) and again with Ryan’s family.  But their reactions and actions towards John and Ryan are pretty realistic and believable in their own way.  I appreciated that too.  And it makes the ending that much sweeter for all the hardship both men endured to get there.

I hope this isn’t the end of the story for John and Ryan.  I want to see them married now that Ryan has finished his degree.  I want to know what happens next to their mixed families and their future together.  If you are listening, Kaje, pretty please, can we have another?  Until I have an answer, I will try and  be content with Life, Some Assembly Required. It’s a perfect sequel to The Rebuilding Year, and a new favorite of mine.  I highly recommend them both.  Please read them in the order they were written, its the best way to understand John and Ryan’s journey to love and a relationship that feels so wonderful and real.

Cover art by Angela Waters.  I like this cover, although I have to say I prefer the cover models in the first cover, they better fit my own idea of John and Ryan.  But its warm, and real, just like the story within.

Sales Links: Samhain Publishing  – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

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Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
original title Life, Some Assembly Required
ISBN139781619230743
edition languageEnglish
series The Rebuilding Year #2

Books in the Series to Date:

  • The Rebuilding Year (The Rebuilding Year #1)
  • Life, Some Assembly Required (The Rebuilding Year, #2)

 

In the Book Spotlight: Songbook: Paulo and Preston Shorts by Lee Benoit (excerpt and giveaway)

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 Songbook: Paulo and Preston Shorts by Lee Benoit

Release Date: May 20, 2015

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Goodreads Link:
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BSClay

Sales Links: Torquere Books

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Lee Benoit has collected all the Paulo and Preston stories into one volume.  Love a little kink with your romance?  Check out Songbook:  Paulo and Preston Shorts by Lee Benoit below and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end.

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Cue the music! SONGBOOK collects, for the first time ever, all of the stories in the Paulo and Preston series!

PRESTON is a lifestyle Dominant, recently retired from a career on stage at an exclusive BDSM club. When the series begins, he’s single and looking forward to a quieter life. All that changes on the night of Preston’s last performance when PAULO, a complete novice, takes the place of Preston’s usual stage submissive. By day Paulo does odd jobs and sings in the Sister City Gay Men’s Chorus. After that first night with Preston, however, he wants more. He wants everything. Can a newbie sub and a gracefully aging Dom learn to harmonize?

Each story chronicles a new phase in Paulo and Preston’s relationship and features song lyrics mangled in deliciously naughty ways by Paulo.
Pages or Words: 59,300 words

Categories: BDSM, Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance, Multicultural, May/December, Disability

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

He was flying from my flogger, and I knew I could break him with the whip. I shouldn’t — he was too new — he’d imprint on me like an orphan nestling. I decided once more on this mad, unexpected night, to trust myself. I would whip Paulo, not break him, and let him down gently once our performance ended.

I examined my control for a split second as I drew back my arm. No uncertainty, no sense of wrongness intruded. I was flying, too, and as much I trusted myself, I found I trusted my surprise sub too. This was right.

He screamed around the gag at the whip’s kisses anyway, though mine were not blows that would shatter him unless I’d read him very, very wrong.

I dropped the whip and removed the obscene gag, kissed the swollen lips, swallowed the last notes of his strange, wild song just as our finale music burgeoned around us. A choir of boys sang John the Beloved’s hymn “Shine on Me,” the perfect song for my last Epiphany on this stage and, I knew now, my first on a new path.

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Before dawn and after dark, Lee Benoit is a writer of queer fiction, some contemporary, some speculative, some historical. During the daylight hours she is a professor of sociology & anthropology. In the old days, Lee traveled the world doing field research. Now she lives in the middle of a New England hayfield where being a single parent provides more than enough excitement. Proudly pansexual, whenever she gets itchy feet and misses the world of research and advocacy, Lee invents a new world in her head and takes notes on what happens there.

Discover more about Lee at http://www.leebenoittales.com

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A Sammy Review: Apple Polisher (Rear Entrance Video #1) by Heidi Belleau

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

I don’t want to be right.

I want to be happy.

ApplePolisher_400x600Christian Blake has been trying to prove something to his mother for as long as he can remember. It doesn’t matter that she’s not even in the same country, or that he knows she’s wrong. The need to be more haunts him.

His life is all a very delicate balance of situations. He’s going to school to become a teacher, his aunt is sick, and he’s moving into a new place with people he’s never met. He doesn’t expect for the apartment to be full of temptations that could form a crack in his carefully constructed teacher facade. But Max, his roommate, well he’s one of the biggest temptations of all.

And then he’s confronted with more issues – like his aunt’s tanking porn store, and he’s forced to make choices and try to figure out how the balance he’s established can work when he’s a gay man in the teaching profession and working in a porn store. Overwhelming? Just a little.

This wasn’t reckless desire anymore, something Christian only acted upon because his life was going to shit. This was genuine want. He wanted Max. His body, his cock, his smile, his advice, his companionship. All of it.

Going into this, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I absolutely loved the premise behind it. Throw something that’s supposed to be forbidden at me (like a teacher working on a porn store) and I’m game. Some of the reviews made me a bit nervous, but I can honestly say that I’m glad I read it.

I found myself so enjoying the story, even when it made me frustrated. Take Max, for example. I know we’re supposed to be frustrated with Christian in this and his issues with being true to himself, but sometimes I struggled with Max’s method of pushing Christian. Was Christian right about the things he did? No, but I’m not sure it warranted Max’s reactions. Still, it worked for me because that’s pretty realistic of relationships. People suck sometimes. We still love them though.

A lot of the events really resonated with me too. Dealing with a family member with cancer, going to school, having all these stresses pile up at once and then having to worry about your image. It all sounds very superficial, but it’s a real problem so many people face, and I appreciated the author not shying away from that – though I do have some little nagging feelings about how the teaching profession seemed to be portrayed as a whole, and that’s part of what kept this rating from being higher.

But the sex, well that was steamy and delicious. I could’ve even stood to have some more, but that’s just me being needlessly greedy. I did feel the bit thrown in at the end with Max’s side career was a bit out of nowhere, but it was hot, so I got over it quickly. I would’ve loved to see it more fully developed though, especially with how Christian’s role in it comes into play. I feel like we only got a taste, and it was a yummy teaser, but I wanted more.

I also really enjoyed the side characters, who we get to see in future books, and that made me even more excited to read the next two books in the series! I can’t wait to see where she takes it. All in all, this was a fun, easy read that made me smile.

The new cover art by Vivian Ng is a lot of fun and compliments the story. After all, sweater vests play a bigger role than you may expect.

Sales Links:    Riptide Publishing      All Romance (ARe)  Amazon      Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 230 pages
Published July 27th 2013 by Riptide Publishing
original title Apple Polisher
ISBN 1626490341 (ISBN13: 9781626490345)
edition language English

A BJ Review: Just a Bit Unhealthy (Straight Guys, #3) by Alessandra Hazard

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

When the line between “need” and “want” gets blurred… 



SONY DSCGabriel DuVal, rising soccer star.

Jared Sheldon, team physician.

To the outside world, they’re just good friends. But the truth is, Gabriel isn’t entirely sure what they are to each other.

Some call their relationship unhealthy. Some call it codependency. Gabriel calls it confusing. He knows Jared wants him – as more than a friend. He doesn’t want Jared. He’s straight, he has a girlfriend, and he loves her. But Jared is… Jared is more. Jared is his. He needs him – his touch and his strength.

But is it enough for Jared?

 

Gabriel DuVal is a soccer star and Jared Sheldon the team physician who pulled him up from hell after an accident that threatened to end his career. Jared loves Gabriel, has for a long time. He tries to hide it because Gabriel is straight and has a girlfriend. Jared secretly knows exactly how Jared feels for him. Knows he should let him go, but can’t. Codependency? Maybe. When Jared discovers that Gabriel knows and quits the team, Gabriel is devastated. He makes a deal to get him back. A very unhealthy deal.

The latest in the GFY “Straight Boy” series is not a light-hearted, sweet romance… it’s just as the title implies, quite more than a bit unhealthy. Watching Gabriel struggle with wanting Jared, thinking of him as his and yet not thinking he physically wants him the way he knows Jared wants him was a fun ride. Both of these guys are rather shitty to each other at time and to others as well, so I can see why some folks might dislike them both. Despite that, I felt their connection, felt they belonged together, and thus I thoroughly enjoyed this!

This well-written series centers on “Straight Guys” who discover or come to terms with their sexuality a bit later and usually not without some trauma along the way. If that’s not what you are interested in reading, then this series may not be for you.

Cover was a bit different from the others in the series, not a matched set so to speak, but it works well enough for the story.

Sales Link:  Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 193 pages
Published March 26th 2015 by Alessandra Hazard
ASINB00V8L0G5O
edition languageEnglish
seriesStraight Guys #3

Publisher’s warning: This is not a light-hearted story; this is a rather twisted gay-for-you story. It contains some steamy MM scenes, explicit language, and two people so wrapped up in each other that the nature of their relationship goes beyond friendship–and beyond normal.

Straight Guys Series:

 

In the Book Spotlight: Cliff’s Edge (Willow Springs Ranch #7) by Laura Harner (author interview, and giveaway)

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Cliff’s Edge by Laura Harner
Series: Willow Springs Ranch #7
Release Date: April 22, 2015

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Laura Harner, a prolific and favorite author of mine, has a new couple for you all to meet and grow to love in her series, Willow Springs Ranch.  The couple is compelling, the sex sizzling and the story one to sink yourself into. But let Laura tell you about it.

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-A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Author Interview with Laura Harner-

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Laura Harner author of Cliff’s Edge, Book #7 of the Willow Springs Ranch Series.

Hi Laura, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hi there, thanks for having me! I’m here today talking about Cliff’s Edge, Book #7 of the Willow Springs Ranch Series. I’ve been writing for about seven years now, and have written 51 novels, novellas, and short stories, published in over 60 books and collections. PHEW! Before I started writing I had careers in the Navy, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management—and you’ll probably catch a bit of that experience in many of my books.
• What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about your writing?

Laura: That my book kept them up all night. As a reader, that’s always my yardstick for how much I enjoy a book, so when a reader says something similar it’s huge to me. The other terrific compliment is when one of my books gives them a book hangover and they’re still thinking about it days later.

Comments and reviews like that can make a writer’s day—week—month. In fact, it makes us write faster. You should tell us things like that on a regular basis. *Nods*

• Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that impact your writing?

Laura: I’ve been a fulltime writer for a couple of years now. In the old days, when I had an Evil Day Job, I would get up at 2:00 so I could write before I left the house. I tried writing after work, and I just never accomplished much. My brain is definitely more productive in the mornings.

Once I started working from home full time, I really got to sleep in. Now I often don’t start writing until 3:30 or 4:00. Yes…in the morning.

I know it’s early, but it works for me. Of course, I’m not completely stupid…there’s always coffee. Plenty of coffee.
• What interested you about the theme of this book?

Laura: I’ve always loved a friends-to-lovers theme. I think it’s just one of those universal themes that people relate to. A friend who knows what you’re thinking, remembers the punch lines to your jokes, and knows all the words to your favorite song? Yeah…that’s priceless. So add in the romance and sex, stir and pour. Yum.

• What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Laura: Typing. LOL…it’s true! I don’t know how to touch type, so I have to watch the keyboard. I still type pretty fast, but sometimes I look at the screen after I’ve been typing for a few minutes, and I laugh out loud, because I’ve mistyped a word and autocorrect “fixes” my mistake. In Cliff’s Edge, one of those typos made it into the Super Bowl party scene, just because it was so funny. In a completely unrelated part of the book, thought I typed the words ‘fragile calm’ but when I looked up, I saw Word had helped me with an autocorrect and changed it to frijole clam. So of course Ty had to make it and add it to the menu.

• Name your four most important food groups.

Laura: LOL…food groups? Anything that isn’t a starchy carb. I eat a high protein diet, for a couple of reasons, but most importantly because it makes me feel better. So a perfect meal is a steak and broccoli, or ribs and a salad. Or my all time favorite—tacos made with a low carb tortilla. Yum!

I am hopelessly addicted to salty, crunchy snacks, so I don’t even keep chips in the house. If they’re there, I’ll eat them—but that leaves plenty of room for bacon!

Thank you so much for having me—it’s always a pleasure to visit with friends. If you’re new to me as a reader, I invite you to try Ty Hard, Book #1 of the WSR series, available free at all major retailers. If you’re a long time reader, then I thank you, and I hope I never fail to entertain!

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: Hot Corner Press
Cover Artist: Laura Harner
Cover Picture: D.W. Skinner

Sales Links:   Amazon – Apple – Smashwords – Barnes and Noble – ARe

 

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Navy SEALs Cliff “Snides” Snyder and Ryan “Rhino” Matthews have been moving comfortably in each other’s worlds for two decades. Best friends since attending BUDs twenty years earlier, and despite playing for different teams, they’re often accused of acting like an old married couple—much to their amusement.

Assigned to shore duty for his final tour before retirement and without Ryan to anchor him, Cliff’s restlessness leads him to a local club and hands-on research that leaves him in a compromising position and a witness to murder—signaling the abrupt end of his Navy career. Needing a place to lay low and lick his wounds, Cliff visits his old friends at the Willow Springs Ranch while he considers making cowboy his new job title.

After six long months on deployment, Rhino returns to San Diego—only to discover Cliff’s gone dark and the unlikely words ‘poor judgment’ are hanging in the air. Despite the offer of a prestigious assignment, Ryan opts to track down his best friend first and finds him at the WSR…along with more questions than he ever expected. With the most coveted orders for a SEAL dangling, twenty years of service under his belt, and Cliff determined to move on without him, decisions must be made.

Ryan is certain he has the perfect solution going forward, but Cliff knows he must face the fallout of his actions alone—and the one thing he’s determined to do is protect Ryan from making the biggest mistake of his career—even if it costs Cliff everything. You know what they say—the only easy day was yesterday.
Pages or Words: 38,000 words

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Mystery, Western/Cowboy, Military

 

 

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Cliff stumbled a little in the dark of his bedroom, reluctant to turn on the lights and ruin his night vision. It had been a long while since he’d had so much to drink—or felt so relaxed. There was definitely something to be said about being on the WSR, away from anyone who might know him or what he did for a living.

In their careers, it was conceivable they could be targeted for one of their field actions or just by virtue of being Navy SEALs. Just like the cops who’d enjoyed harassing him once they’d discovered his profession. Some people needed to try to knock down others to feel good about themselves. But here? He and Ryan were just a couple more guys.

He stripped to his boxers and tossed his jeans onto the chair before pulling back the covers on the king-sized bed. A shudder raced up his spine, and for just a moment, he remembered the frustration and helplessness of the situation when he’d been trapped on the other bed…listening to those fucking punks. His stomach clenched at the thought of Gentry and Draco. Their bodies had been removed by the time the cops saw fit to release him from the alcove, but he’d never forget listening to their last moments or the blood that soaked the floor when he’d been led through the office to the stairs. Ryan would eventually ask for details about how they died—especially Draco, since they’d been friends—but they’d both learned to compartmentalize death a long time ago.

That didn’t mean they weren’t affected by loss, but there was a time and a place to mourn, to say good-bye, and it wasn’t while the battle raged. Despite several warnings from the DA and lead investigator, Cliff would like nothing more than to hunt down those gangbangers and make them pay…and Ryan would be more than happy to help. He recognized the danger in those thoughts, as well.

Blowing out a breath at the loss of his mellow mood of a few minutes ago, Cliff moved silently on bare feet to open the bedroom door and listened. The quiet murmur of television voices from behind Ryan’s door would mask any noise he might make. Hell, Rhino was probably passed out on his bed already.

Cliff padded to the refrigerator, considered then dismissed the idea of another beer. He had a long drive ahead of him in the morning. Grabbing a bottle of water instead, he drank half down in one long pull.

Turning, he found Ryan standing near the counter, watching him. With the moonlight streaming in through the window providing the only illumination, his friend’s face was difficult to read, but his naked body was a little hard to miss.

“Want some?” Cliff held the bottle of water in Ryan’s direction.

With a nod, Ryan took the bottle and finished it off. With a perfect aim, even in the near total darkness, he tossed the empty into the wastebasket. “And the crowd goes wild.”

“Idiot,” Cliff said, opening the fridge for two more bottles of water. Once again passing a bottle to Ryan, he started to head back to the bedroom. Ryan’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“I…uh…had a good time tonight.” Ryan’s words weren’t slurred, but there was a lazy cadence beneath the stilted delivery that spoke of too much tequila.

“Yeah, me too. Ty and Cass are good folk. They’ve made this place a good home for a lot of guys who needed a fresh start.”

“Is that what you’re thinking of doing? A fresh start out here as some kind of cowboy? ’Cause, man…I could see the attraction. You out here surrounded by all those hot guys—I mean obviously not the couples, but there were at least half of them in there single, right?”

Cliff laughed softly at Ryan’s concern for his love life. “Yeah…sorry about that. I didn’t even think about how you might have felt…surrounded by all those guys.” He studied Ryan’s face. “You weren’t offended, right? I mean you’ve been to gay clubs with me and it’s never bothered you…”

“Offended? Nah…why would I be? You never were offended at the straight clubs, right?” His hand tightened on Cliff’s forearm, and he seemed to weave a little on his feet.

“Hey, Rhino, come on. You need to get some sleep—”

“Are we having a bromance?” Ryan blurted.

“A bromance?” Cliff laughed, and Ryan’s eyes narrowed. Oh boy, never laugh at a drunk who thinks he’s making an important point.

“Yeah, a bromance. Where two guys hang out all the time, like the same shit, would probably fuck each other if they were both gay—or if one of them was female.”

Fighting off more laughter, Cliff nodded. “Sure, you can call it that. Come on, princess, let’s get you to bed.”

Ryan didn’t yield when Cliff tried to pull his arm free in order to lead him toward the bedrooms. “What do you think? Should I take the orders?”

“What, are you nuts? You’ve been waiting for those orders your whole career.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem…my whole career.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“You’re not the only one eligible to retire. Just because you had two years prior service in the Marines before you joined the Navy, you’ve got more time in service than me, but yeah…it’s been twenty years this month. I don’t know if I want one more tour. That’s another four or five years, in order to retire at the new pay grade I’d no doubt pick up in the next year or two.

“True, but it’s also more money when you do retire. And, Rhino…it’s Six.” He referred to the DEVGRU unit by their unofficial name, hoping to jar a little sense into his friend.

Squeezing his arm a little, Ryan leaned in, as if imparting a great secret. “You should be there.”

Cliff shook his head. “That’s done. We don’t even need to think about it. I just gotta figure what I want to do next.”

“See, Snides…that’s the thing. If I have to wait another four or five years before I retire and you move on, you’re going to get too fucking far ahead. I don’t like that. ’Sides, that’d mean no more football or watching NCIS. You’d get to see all the episodes of So You Think You Can Dance without me telling you how gay that is.”

“Ha, now I know you’re drunk. We only watch that because you like the women’s skimpy outfits. You probably need to quit hanging out with me and spend the next six months of your training cycle finding the right little woman and getting laid on a regular basis. Hell, get a wife! Then you’ll be all set for retirement when you’re done with the next tour. She can cook your sorry ass dinner, wash your clothes… Yep…you need a wife.”

“Fuck that shit. I’d sooner fuck you than ever get married again. In fact—”

Time seemed to stop, as if they both needed a moment to absorb the truth of those words.

[To continue reading, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older by clicking this link.]

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Laura Harner:

Laura lives on waterfront property in Arizona because she’s always wanted to be an oxymoron. She once enjoyed hobbies such as gardening and travel—now the characters in her head compel her to tell their stories, so she writes. (It doesn’t actually help quiet the voices—but it keeps the folks in the white jackets at bay.)

She shares her home with an ever-revolving cast of characters—some of whom are actually real—and is living her dream of building her own version of the Willow Springs Ranch.

With nearly sixty published novels and novellas, Laura is an international bestselling author of erotic romances, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and Highland romances. Her books can be found at all major online retailers.

Where to find the author:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lauraharner
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lauraharner
Website: http://lauraharner.com

RC

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Contest: Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Now here’s the giveaway!

Rafflecopter Prize:
First Prize (1): 1 autographed complete set of the Willow Springs Ranch Series (PRINT Books 1-7) PLUS
RT Goodie Bag
$20 ARE Gift card

Second Prize (3): Autographed print copy of Ty Hard, Whit’s End, OR Park’s Lot (Random)
RT Goodie Bag
$10 ARE Gift Card

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