A Stella Review: Caught! (The Shamwell Tales #1) by J.L. Merrow

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

You can run from the past…but the past runs faster.

Shamwell Tales, Book 1

Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.

Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.

Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good…

Warning: Contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young man who may have more bow ties than sense.

Okay, confession time for me: I had with JL Merrow a love/hate relationship until last month (of course she didn’t know about it LOL). This amazing author wrote one of the first mm books I read back when I became obsessed with men loving men. The book is called Muscling Through and it still is one of my fave re-read. I fell in love with it and with the great way JL have to put words together. This love brought me to Hard Tail and there, it started my hate. I realized she was too “British” to my poor English. Sure it was my fault but I had to leave it behind and hated it. Three years later here I am, I came back to her, cause I honestly couldn’t resist The Shamwell Tales series anymore. I read it out of order, first Played! and then this one, Caught!

So far I read four of her books and I don’t want to stop! We can discuss about plots, characters, etc, but the feeling I have is the same in every book: satisfaction. That’s the word I have in mind when I think of her works.

Caught! was another winner to me. The story was definitely light, with a lot of humor and some incredible second characters, especially I’m thinking about Rob’s best friend, Rose, who was my favourite one, sometimes I liked her more that Robert himself. She acted exactly as I hope my friend should be: true in her harsh words, cheering and so much funny.

You know, I’m not usually a huge fan of stories based on misunderstanding and miscommunication, but in this case the story flowed so well I wasn’t bothered from the lacking of clarity, most of all because I really couldn’t blame Robert for being scared to share his past. It was so destructive enough for him to bring him to transfer in the new village of Shamwell. It made him more insecure in his love life and when he meets Sean, he is soon worried to not be enough for the bisexual man.

What about the pest control technician? Well first of all I have a thing for red hair, so I was a goner for Sean from the start. And for the little twins too, cute as much as trouble makers. Sean is a really good person, loyal in his love and so caring versus his sick sister, he lives with her to helping with his twin nephews. I loved how he was with Robert, so open and understanding with the formal teacher and so in love with his bow ties.

“I haven’t got any condoms!” I blurted out. Mortified, I clapped a hand over my mouth. I could almost feel the breeze of the stable door slamming shut as the horse flicked its tail in contempt and cantered merrily down the street.

Sean was laughing at me. “Okay, unexpected but to the point. I like that in a bloke.”

Oh God. “I mean, I thought… Just in case we… Not that I was making any presumptions, that would be, um, presumptuous. And I wouldn’t want to, well, presume…”

A rough-skinned hand stroked my face. It was blessedly cool against my heated skin. “Got it. No presuming. Wouldn’t dream of it. You know. Presuming you’d presumed.”

“You must think I’m utterly ridiculous.”

He laughed again. “Well, I wouldn’t say utterly.”

The story is full of funny moments, some cute and some unbelievable too. It was a light read but there were a lot of things going on at the same times (I don’t want to spoiler), which didn’t make the book confusing, just more relevant, poignant.
Of course I still had to use Google for a couple of things sometimes but it was so worth it. My relationship with JL is just a love story now!

Cover art by Kanaxa. I simply love this cover! It’s exactly how I imagined Robert, his expression, his clothes. Well done.

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

BOOK DETAILS

Published August 19th 2014 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Kindle Edition, 276 pages
ASIN B00K1WUBG0
Edition language English

The Shamwell Tales series
Caught! #1
Played! #2

A Stella Review: Lonely Hearts (Love Lessons #3) by Heidi Cullinan

Rating: 4,5 stars out of 5

With the quiet help of his wealthy family, Sebastian “Baz” Acker has successfully kept his painful past at bay. But as the end of college draws near, his friends—his buffer zone—are preparing to move on, while his own life is at a crippling standstill.With loneliness bearing down on him, Baz hooks up—then opens up—with Elijah Prince, the guy Baz took a bullet for last year. The aftershocks of their one-night stand leave giant cracks in Baz’s carefully constructed armor. For the first time, the prospect isn’t terrifying.

Accustomed to escaping his demons by withdrawing into his imagination, Elijah isn’t used to having a happy herd of friends. He’s even less comfortable as the object of a notorious playboy’s affections. Yet all signs seem to indicate this time happiness might be within his grasp. When Baz’s mother runs for a highly sought-after public office, the media hounds drag Baz’s and Elijah’s pasts into the light. In the blinding glare, Baz and Elijah face the ultimate test: discovering if they’re stronger together…or apart.

“People moved on. Everyone did, eventually. Everyone but Baz”.

Elijah Prince is finally in a safe place. He’s really been through hell. After spent some time on the streets and being almost killed by his father, he’s trying to live his life. He’s got a job at a cafeteria for the summer and he’s waiting to move to the White House (not the one you’re thinking about, but if you have read Fever Pitch you already know it). Now it’s starting the real struggling, dealing with a lot of fears and panic attacks. Used to take care of himself since he was just a little baby, he’s not comfortable to receive kindness, to be cared of. He hides himself behind walls so high. Elijah is very lonely and unhappy. He’s not able to accept something, he’s scared of be a friend and have a friend. He always kept his pain closed away.

“[Elijah]I mean, I know I push people away, hurting them first so they can’t hurt me. I’m trying not to do that with most people, but I can’t stop with him. I want” […]“I want…him. A lot.

I maybe get a few good tries at not preemptively attacking him, and I fail…but he actually gets more aggressive then. The more I try to run, the more he wants me. I feel like he’s led me way out into the deep water where I can’t swim, and any second he’ll leave me to drown.”

“What in the deep water makes you so scared?”

It was a raging sea of terrible darkness in his mind. Huge, black, stormy. The emotion shafted him like cold light. “Loneliness. The water is full of loneliness.”

Sebastian “Baz” Acker has already saved Elijah once. But when Elijah’s dad tried to kill his son, Baz took a bullet in the shoulder to save him. And the need to protect the young man is still strong, still there in his soul.

Baz’s family is really rich, his uncle is a senator and his mum is running for a prestigious role in politic. When she wants him to attend a fundraiser with a boyfriend, Baz soon thinks about Elijah. After had sex at Kelly and Walter’s wedding, he had totally ignored Elijah for over a month. Baz is attracted to him cause Elijah is the only one to antagonize and keep him to his toes, to threat him as a normal person, where everyone in his life babies him.

Of course what started as a fake boyfriend is becoming to Baz a real one, he wants more from Elijah for the first time after a long time. He too has a painful past, physically and in his heart too, it’s time for someone to saves him from the daily pains he has to endure due to his disabilities and from the guilty he still feels about a dramatic event he couldn’t control.

“I…love you. I’m scared and I don’t want to, not anybody, but I do. Love you. And I don’t think I can stop.”

Hot breath exhaled on his cheek as Baz sighed, then nuzzled his temple. “I love you too.”

The story is detailed, a specific feature of Heidi Cullinan’s writing style. It follows the MCs’ life together very well, let’s us know them and their feelings, their fears and most of all their incredible family, not the bloody one, but the true, faithful and stronger protective family of amazing friends. While both their families are non existent, there are a lot of people around them, their real family. There is a huge, pretty well-defined second characters cast: Marius and Damien are Baz best friends: Pastor Robert and his wife Liz, I loved how they cared for the boys, how they helped them in their job hunting or in their everyday activities. When Liz told Elijah “Oh, sweetheart. Come inside and let me wrap you in a blanket” I was so ready to let her adopt me too. Besides meeting Kelly and Walter (Love Lessons) and Aaron and Giles (Fever Pitch), Ed from Dance With Me appears in Lonely Hearts. I particularly liked when an author does this kind of mixing of choices, I always crave to know more and more after the HEAs of my favorite couples. The book starts with Elijah taking part at the wedding of Kelly and Walter (Love Lessons) and I was so happy to know more about them, especially re-meet them at their wedding, a Disney theme wedding!

Apart from the not so ordinary lives Baz and Elijah have, one being trashed and left disabilitated, the other being almost killed by his own father (previous books), the story felt to me pretty real, especially in the dialogues between the characters. Only one thing I didn’t like: the easy way both of them used anxiolytics. Being there and struggling a lot to put them away, I wasn’t so comfortable at reading the easy way they took them and mixed with alcohol. At the same time I could understand the need and I so appreciate how the author chose to develop this need in the end.

I had to think a little about it, cause I honestly can say at the beginning it was hard to me to override what my mind was telling me and just let my heart show me how much I was loving the book, no matter what was happening at the moment. Most of all where the weed, alcohol, and xanax lead to some hot moments between Baz and Elijah. Nothing new in it because Heidi is really the QUEEN of hot scenes (have you read Special Delivery or Dirty Laundry? You know what I’m talking about).

I can’t talk of course of the ending but I want to tell you is just fantastic. It made me cry a little too. Just a little prayer to Heidi, I’m ready to begging, please can I have Lewis/Lejla in the next book, please?

Highly recommended. A great book with perfect writing.

Cover art by Kanaxa. I’m particularly loving this series’ covers. Really well done.

Sales Links: Samhain Books – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon → preorder/ Buy It Here

Book Details:

Warning: Contains sex in a Tesla, sex in a cupboard, sex under a piano, kinky role play, and a cappella RuPaul songs. Just a couple of boys groping, battling, then finally loving their way to becoming men

ebook
Expected publication: August 11th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
original titleLonely Hearts
ISBN139781619226692
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.com/Lonely-Hearts
seriesLove Lessons #3

Love Lessons series
Love Lessons #1
Frozen Hearts #1,5
Fever Pitch #2
Lonely Hearts #3

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A MelanieM Review: Chasing the Swallows by John Inman

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Sometimes an entire lifetime can be spent in the arms and heart of one person. It is not so with imaginations, for they go anywhere they wish.

David Ayres and Arthur Smith are about to find that out. When they meet as young men within the garden walls of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, one man from one continent, one from another, an uncontrollable attraction brings them together. But it is something stronger than attraction that holds them there. It is love. Pure and simple.

After forty years, when the fabric of their existence together finally begins to fray because of David’s imaginary infidelities, it is with humor and commitment that they strive to remain in each other’s heart.

And turning fantasy into reality, they find, is the best way to do it.

I love John Inman’s writings. His comedic novels (and the few mysteries I have read) have always been grounded in the pain and gritty reality of life, an element which made the humorous sections feel authentic and precious when they happen. But lately I’m finding it harder to connect with his stories and its left me wondering if it’s my expectations that are at fault instead of his actual writing.

Nothing exemplifies my confusion with his recent novels better than his latest story, Chasing the Swallows. It was a story where I absolutely detested some elements while others left me sobbing and emptying a box of tissues. I loved one character, disliked another (both came across as throughly believable and real). And throughout the entire story, Inman’s style of writing felt concise, well organized and it brought the story to it’s heartbreaking/heartwarming conclusion. But I wouldn’t read it again and hesitate to recommend it to others. *head desk*

My issues with the story started from page one. The reader is dumped into the pornographic daydream of David Ayers, one half of a couple that’s been together for approximately 40 years after meeting in their early 20’s. Its like reading/watching a bad porn movie unrolling before you with the (insert stock character like pool boy, gardener here) as a participant. It’s only when the daydream is interrupted by Arthur, his partner, that we realize what has happened. And the reality is both brief and painful for the reader and Arthur who realizes that his lover’s pornographic fantasies occupy more of David’s time and emotions then Arthur does. We feel his pain and confusion over their situation and it drags the reader over immediately to Arthur’s side, where at least I stayed for two thirds of the story.

Over and over again, David and Arthur’s present day life (and David’s remembrances of their past together) is abruptly halted by David’s erotic dreaming, no matter the time of day. We are just getting settled into finding out how they met or learning about their life together then…bam….it’s David and his sexual hookups with whatever hottie is in front of him. Grocery store, church, no male or location was free of David’s promiscuous musings. And yeah, Jimmy Carter’s famous line about “I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times..” did jump to mind, and not favorably.

It’s not that the daydreams that bother me (ok, not true, they did) but also that these pages of porn take me away from the characters and out of the narrative. Just as I suspect the author designed it to. Those very same pornographic musings are taking David away from Arthur and their life together just as its removing the reader from their story. It’s a familiar refrain heard from couples where one has become obsessed by the porn on the computer to the point where they do little else. I get it, really I do. But this literary device works too well. It pulled me out of the narrative so completely (and made me detest David so throughly) that I kept putting down the story and going on to another. Sometime it took me days to bring myself to pick up this story once more. Only to repeat the process.

David is the narrator of their life together, past and present. But its Arthur who grabs at our hearts while David is obsessing over his age and sex life. Arthur is funny, fragile, and living in the moment…unlike his lover David. And Arthur is fully aware of how far they’ve traveled from the two young men so very much in love. He’s being neglected, perhaps completely. It hurts, and it feels almost unbearably painful for him and the reader. Forty years together will do that…for some. Not all…most definitely not all.

But this is a realistic look at a long term relationships that has wavered and faltered. It’s so well written, its descriptions so starkly believable and filled with hurt feelings that I never once doubted the raw, immediate lives John Inman was laying out before us. This includes David’s missed opportunities, ones he was aware of, to make it “right” that helped serve to highlight those areas that I felt severed me from their story. That it will take a tragedy to bring David back into his relationship may be authentic and realistic but further highlights the long delay it took to make the connection to David happen, at least for me. Yes, towards the end I liked the “new” outlook that David found but that’s not the man I (and Arthur) lived with for most of the book. That David was selfish, mean, obsessive over his looks and sex life. In short, he was a jerk. And the one we had to listen to for pages and pages of his self involved outlook. Having David as the narrator was probably better, for if the roles had been reversed and we “saw” their life from Arthur’s perspective, than I don’t know that I could ever have found any affection for David, and that’s needed in order to buy into their long lived love affair. Just one more issue I had with this story, my utter dislike of one of the main characters, no matter how well written the character.

David feels like a real human being, that’s great writing. Still, it doesn’t make me want to spend time with him. Only the sections from their past show a couple we could love and understand a little why they were drawn together. For me, that just wasn’t enough to overcome the issues that bothered me.

Finally, yes, that last chapters of the story had me in tears. It unfolded so vividly that I felt as though I was there on this journey with them. The writing is beautiful, the feelings it engendered so tender and loving towards both Arthur and David that I can feel the tears starting to form again just remembering these passages.

These pages made me want to rearrange and re edit this story, throwing whole sections away, leaving the parts that speak of love,the passage of time, and the possibility that it might be found once more before its too late. But that’s not what John Inman wrote or what he intended to say in his story. That’s the story you have to read and review.

So is it me? Or is it this story? Chasing the Swallows by John Inman still has me so conflicted. And I suspect that this viewpoint will be felt by many readers out there. Some, probably those less judgmental than myself, will find David less objectionable than I did and that feeling will make them view this story in a completely different light. For me, like the swallows of the story (an amazing element that I adored), I will be finding my way home to another John Inman story…one that feels more like me, or at least more like a place I love spending time in. Does this sound like a story for you? The choice, as always, is up to you.

Cover art by Maria Fanning is probably one of my favorite covers for the month and perhaps the year. The subtle figures in the background enhance the picture of the swallow in the foreground. Just beautiful. Faded love and immediate beauty.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published April 17th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ISBN139781632169181
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Wedding Favors (A Bluewater Bay story, #7) by Anne Tenino

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Twelve years ago, Gabe Savage let his best friend’s brother get away. In fact, he encouraged him to leave Bluewater Bay by breaking off with him before they even got started, because he knew the artist within Lucas Wilder would never have a chance to fully develop if he stayed in this small backwoods town. Now, Gabe wants him back, and unknown to Lucas, this Gabe has all the patience in the world. All he has to do is treat Lucas like a skittish colt and wait for him to see that they belong together.

In the meantime, Lucas comes back to Bluewater Bay only because his best friend, Audrey, is marrying his brother—a fact he is shocked to learn. He’s to be her Man of Honor, and once the shock wears off, he packs up and heads north. Then he learns that Gabe Savage, that sexy redhead with the body of a real man, is going to be the Best Man, and he wants to run back to California.

Lucas has recently broken up with his partner, and since they not only owned a home together, but Lucas sold most of his artwork in his partner’s gallery, Lucas feels alone and adrift, unable to decide where to relocate so that he can pursue his art. Bluewater Bay is the last place he’d want to settle, but Audrey actually does him a favor by dragging him home. It’s not until she coerces Lucas into sculpting favors for her wedding, and she suggests that he can set up a studio at Gabe’s tree farm, that Lucas starts to suspect that there may be a master plan in place.

Gabe had never really believed that Lucas would return to town, but now that he has, he’s willing to go along with Audrey and her fiancé Zach and provide the space for Lucas. There’s certainly a better chance that he’ll have the opportunity to explain that he never meant to break Lucas’s heart all those years ago; at least, he hopes he can get the chance. He does get that chance, and eventually more, and the two pick up where they left off and go much further than either expected. Both men have matured, and Gabe is the macho, big, sweaty male that Lucas finds extremely hot and dominating in their relationship. Lucas is the kinky, sexy, subservient guy of Gabe’s dreams. But neither has learned to truly communicate their feelings, and they seem headed to disaster as the wedding approaches, and Lucas prepares to leave.

This one is my favorite in the Bluewater Bay series, so far. It amazes me that so many wonderful authors have come together to create this series in which each book is distinctive, yet fits in the series, often has overlapping characters, yet brings its own unique and interesting story to light. Anne Tenino has done an outstanding job with this one. There’s some angst and heartache for both men as they work through their past and show fear for their future. But there’s also humor, amazing secondary characters (Lucas’s father and his pot-growing operation for one), and there’s hope, romance and an emotional journey that brings them to deep and abiding love.

A super story! This can easily be read as a standalone as there’s little overlap with characters from other books. It’s for all those who enjoy reading about reunited lovers, hairy, sexy outdoorsmen, artists who see the beauty all around them, and just simply for all lovers of M/M romance. Don’t hesitate to pick this up.
~~~~
Cover design by LC Chase depicts two handsome young men—one dressed casually, one as a rugged outdoorsman—superimposed on a background of a barn and rural scenery. This photo matches both the MC’s and the story content perfectly.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 325 pages
Published April 13th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 11th 2015)
original titleWedding Favors
ISBN139781626492929
edition languageEnglish
seriesBluewater Bay #7
charactersLucas Wilder, Gabriel Savage

Bluewater Bay Universe….

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Aleksandr Voinov, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, and Jaime Samms. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Books in this Universe include with links to our reviews:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt
There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay #2) by L.B. Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau & Rachel Haimowitz
Lights, Camera, Cupid (A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology; Bluewater Bay #6)
Wedding Favors (Bluewater Bay, #7) by Anne Tenino
The Deep of the Sound (Bluewater Bay, #8) by Amy Lane – release date of June 15, 2015
When to Hold Them (Bluewater Bay, #9) by G.B. Gordon – release date of August 17, 2015
Christmas Comes to Bluewater Bay (The Bluewater Bay Series) by Deanna Edens Oct 2013 -charity story with proceeds going to the Michigan Humane Society (F/F)

In the Book Spotlight: J.E. Birk’s Depending On You (Dating in Denver #1) (excerpt and giveaway)

Depending On You (Dating In Denver #1) by J.E. Birk
(This is the prequel story to the short that appeared in the Grand Adventures Anthology)

Release Date: February 4, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press – Amazon – Barnes and Noble – All Romance (ARe)

It all started with a diabetic kid who wouldn’t stop eating cookies. And a best friend who’d just announced his bisexuality and hit on everything that moved. And a kind pediatric nurse with an amazing rack, a lying ex-boyfriend, and a nasty case of the chicken pox.    But mostly, it started at table 42.   When Benjy Moreland almost collapses during his restaurant shift, Dr. Kyle Penners wants nothing more than to take care of him… but if there’s one thing former foster kid Benjy values, it’s his independence. A dying man and a sick little boy force Kyle and Benjy to work together, and both of them have to make some important choices about what it means to depend on someone.
Pages or Words: 103 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

YEARS LATER, when people would ask Benjy and Kyle how they ended up together, Benjy would usually say this: “Oh, he came into my restaurant one night, and I thought he was cute, so I dumped beer all over him. Saw it in a romantic comedy once, so it seemed like a good idea.” People always laughed at that, and Kyle always rolled his eyes. And then they’d slyly smile at each other, and maybe Kyle would wink a little bit, because, as Benjy was fond of telling him, he liked winking way too much, and both of them would think about how there was so much more to the story than that.

Like a diabetic kid who wouldn’t stop eating cookies.

And a best friend who’d just announced his bisexuality and was intent on hitting on everything that moved.

And a kind pediatric nurse and her amazing rack.

And a lying ex-boyfriend.

And most of all, a nasty case of the chicken pox.

But before all that, it had started with Benjy dumping beer all over Kyle—and before that, it had really started with Benjy, a twenty-two-year old college senior, waking up with a horrible taste in his mouth.

About the author:

J.E. Birk has been telling stories since she could talk and writing them since she was introduced to the alphabet. She hails from Colorado, where you can usually find her skiing, training for a 5k she won’t end up running, or trying to figure out why a good strong housecleaning never lasts longer than two days.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jebirk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jebirkwrites

Contest. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and Prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Depending On You’ by J.E. Birk.

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  Tour Dates & Stops:

13-Apr

BFD Book Blog

20-Apr

Inked Rainbow Reads

27-Apr

Hearts on Fire

4-May

Molly Lolly

11-May

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Happy Mother’s Day to All Mothers Everywhere and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.
William Shakespeare
Sonnets

Happy Mother’s Day!

It’s Mother’s Day today and I’m off to deliver card and present to my mother this morning. It’s time to celebrate those who raised us and loved us and helped us forward into adulthood. The Mothers who bore us, chose us, and made us their children. Time to give thanks for their words, their silence support when needed, and their boundless encouragement.

For that reason, and others on this warm day, our Sunday post will be short.

Here is Our Schedule This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, May 10:

Happy Mother’s Day and Our Schedule This Week

Monday, May 11:

Light in Endless Darkness by Huston Piner – Book Blast and giveaway
In the Book Spotlight: Depending On You by J.E. Birk (excerpt and contest)
A Paul B Review: Rock Star Baby (Bad Oak Boys #1) by Erin M. Leaf
A Barb The Zany Old Lady Review: Wedding Favors by Anne Tenino

Tuesday, May 12:

In the Spotlight: Get Off My Case by Lisa Oliver (excerpt and giveaway)
A Stella Review: Caught! (The Shamwell Tales #1) by J.L. Merrow
A MelanieM Review: Catching the Swallow by John Inman

Wednesday, May 13:

Katey Hawthorne’s latest Superpowered Love Giveaway and Guest Post
Karen Stivali Moment of Clarity (Book 3 of the series) excerpt and giveaway
A BJ Review: Straight Boy by Alessandra Hazard
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Cookies for Courting by Amber Kell

Thursday, May 14:

Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore’s “Peripheral People” Tour and Giveaway
REV re-cover celebreation with Heidi Belleau (except and contest)
A BJ Review: Peripheral People by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Just Desserts by Mary Calmes
A MelanieM Review: My Cowboy Promises by ZA Maxfield

Friday, May 15:

Teegan Loy’s Love Complicated Book Tour and Contest
A Stella Review: Played! by JL Merrow
A MelanieM Review: Keep The Stars Running Anthology
A BJ Review: Just a Bit Obsessed by Alessandra Hazard

Saturday, May 16:

An Aurora YA Review: Slaying Isidore’s Dragons by C. Kennedy

An Aurora YA Review: A Scout is Brave by Jay Jordan Hawke

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Sequel to Pukawiss The Outcast
The Two-spirit Chronicles: Book Two

In the months following the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, fourteen-year-old Joshua, a half Native American boy, is new to a Boy Scout troop and spending a week camping in northern Wisconsin. The weaker kids in the troop soon realize Joshua is not afraid to stand up to the troop’s ruthless bullies. Joshua’s bravery and kindness is infectious, and the bullied Scouts quickly find their own inner strength.

Joshua, however, is plagued by self-doubt as he realizes he has feelings for Cody, the son of the troop’s harsh and puritanical Scoutmaster. The two discover they have more in common than Scouting as they share their deepest secrets and develop a close friendship. That friendship faces its greatest challenge as the homophobic bullies claim a “faggot” has “infected” their troop. As if struggling to come to terms with his sexuality while dealing with hatred and bigotry isn’t enough, Joshua discovers the camp holds another dark mystery, one that will make him summon all his courage and learn for the first time what it truly means to be brave.

I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting and fresh novel with plenty of action that still keeps the characters and their personalities as the main focus. It’s very realistic and I think a lot of LGBT youths will be able to relate to the things the characters are going through. Joshua, the main character, is incredibly likable, and I definitely read the book wanting to see him flourish. All of the characters are very realistic, down to the bullies who act very similar to a lot of real life teenagers, as well as Pastor Bob, the Scoutmaster and Cody’s father.

Cody is another character who is very likable. The main characters certainly aren’t perfect throughout the book, and that’s a lot of the appeal to me. I also really like the fact that the main character is half Native American and it’s well recognized within the story! Even as LGBT fiction, and more specifically young adult fiction, becomes more popular, we often see white, upper-middle class leads. Which is absolutely fine! But adding more diversity to a specific genre and treating the character’s heritage with respect, as this book does, is always a positive thing in my mind. There are LGBT teens of every race and culture, and seeing themselves represented from a young age is so important that it really just made me very happy to see that in the main character.

The story itself was really, really great. All in all, the action and mystery made it a fun read. There were times when the things the bullies in the book said made me uncomfortable, but I think they were designed for that purpose and I really commend the author on getting people to think about how they talk. The story of Joshua dealing with the camp bullies was very relateable and interesting, and added to him exploring the secrets of the camp and getting some mystery and action in there made this seem very multi-faceted and well thought out. It really kept my attention and I definitely enjoyed the read plot-wise, as well.

If there’s one thing about the book that I might criticize, it’s that there were times when the writing felt a little clunky. Not enough to bring me out of the story or really take away from me enjoying the book, but there were a few sentences here and there that could have been a little smoother.

That being said, I definitely enjoyed the book and it was a really great read on a lot of different levels.

Cover Artist: Anne Cain. Anne Cain is one of my absolute favorite cover artists and I love this cover a lot! It’s pretty, it represents the book well, and it isn’t too busy. It definitely would have drawn my eye in a store, and I really like the design.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner (Harmony Ink Press) All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It here

Book Details:

ebook, 180 pages, also available in paperback
Published December 18th 2014 by Harmony Ink Press (first published January 11th 2011)
original titleA Scout is Brave
ISBN 1632166933 (ISBN13: 978163216693

The Two-Spirit Chronicles:

Pukawiss The Outcast-The Two-spirit Chronicles: Book One*
A Scout is Brave-The Two-spirit Chronicles: Book Two

*The 2014 Timmy Award for the Most Realistic Characters Portrayed in a Story (2014), Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Best Young Adult Fiction

A MelanieM Review: Snowman by Isabelle Rowan

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

We all find ways to run away. Some do it in seclusion, others in the arms of lovers.

Since the death of his long-time partner, Caleb Maguire lives a quiet life in Australia’s Victorian high country with only his dog and horses for company. Each day is the same. There are no surprises—good or bad—until a major snowstorm hits his mountain and Caleb is called out to rescue a stranded tourist. The late night snow brings with it a lost soul who forces Caleb to reassess his solitary life.

Paul Turner is a barista in the trendy Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He lives life totally in the moment, but a life of no commitments is about to change for this city boy. Three days is all it takes for Paul to fall hard for Caleb, and Paul returns to the city with a promise he’ll be back after turning his life around… but only when all the roads are clear.

I fell in love with the writing of Isabelle Rowan when I read her story, A Note in the Margin. Rowan’s characters leapt off the page and into my heart so believable and real I found them and their lives to be. When I saw Snowman on the Dreamspinner website, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to acquaintance myself once more with this remarkable author. But there was also a bit of trepidation as well. Since that first book I had read tons more stories, with a variety of approaches to the M/M fiction genre. How would I feel about Isabelle Rowan’s writing now?

It was wonderful and I found myself falling in love all over again at her ability to bring Australia’s harshest landscape, in all it terrifying glory, and the men who love it deeply vividly to life. It takes a special person to be able to connect with that environment, who loves both the stark beauty enough to accept its devastating changes that can destroy everything around you, whether its avalanches or wildfires and drought. If these people, these men in this case, have their own scars and pain they carry, then it makes their attachment to this land all the more understandable and believable.

Caleb Maguire is just such a man. The loss of his long term partner has thrown him into a crevasse of grief he’s not even trying to crawl out of. Instead, Caleb has withdrawn emotionally and physically into their cabin high in the mountains, their animals and working dog Molly. He has so isolated himself that his only contact is when he heads into town for supplies and Sarah, the sister of his dead lover. But that all changes one snowstorm, when he gets a call from the local policeman. A man is lost up on the mountain and the blizzard is making it impossible for them to get to him. The temperature is falling rapidly and the “fool” needs to be rescued immediately or they fear he will die of hypothermia. Caleb is the only one close enough to reach him and with the resources to do so. The march to find the lost man and his vehicle is almost impossible in the whiteout conditions, and Rowan makes us take every hard won, treacherous step of the way with Caleb and Molly. The rescue itself is frightening as frostbite is numbing the man’s hands and the cold making him sleepy. It’s scary, the work to free the man from his car frantic as the snow piles higher around them. And its this scene, this rescue that pulls us into these mens lives and makes us care what happens to them. Both men, and Molly could have been lost here. But courage, and determination pulls them through, staggering home through the snowdrifts.

The man Caleb rescues? Party boy Paul Turner. Not immediately likable but somehow Rowan puts a spark in his “shallow” personality, one that makes you want his actions to change. Which he does ever so slowly. In fact both men change at an almost glacial rate, a pace I thought was not only realistic but necessary because of the character traits and types of change that needs to happen for this to become a love story to believe in. I fell in love with Paul, it took time but I did, just as deeply as I fell in love with Caleb. It takes time to make you think they belong together but when you “buy” into their relationship you will do so with your whole heart.

And that brings us to an element that will either make you crazy or leave you deeply in love with this story and its characters. It’s the pace, the flow at which things occur. This is a long story but it is divided into four chapters, each with the title of a season of the year. We start appropriately enough at Winter. It’s actually winter in the country but there’s also a winter of the soul in each of the men. One has given up, letting his heart become cold, freezing others out. The other? Has let life reduce him to a shallow party existence, devoid of richness of growth and life. Then we follow the story, these men and their attempts at a relationship through Spring, Fall and it ends with Autumn. We live through the changes in the landscape, and the myriad of changes that Paul and Caleb (and the others around them) must go through as well. Those transformations happen at the pace and whims of nature. It can be like watching the water drip from a melting icicle. In the mornings, its slow, the drop falling at long intervals. In the afternoons, with the sun shining with the promise of the approaching Spring and the icicles melt with a rhythm of a stream. Snowman‘s narrative follows such a pattern, it ripples and eddies, pools and then picks up the pace once again, following the path that nature sets out. I loved that about this story and pulled its slow permutations and evolutions of character around me like a soft throw, enjoying every minute I spent inside this story.

But if you like action, a sort of “wham bam thank you sir” sort of action, this will make you crazy. If you want Caleb and Paul to change and change now, well, that doesn’t happen here. Life altering changes take time, so does grieving over a major loss, one that you refuse to accept. Isabelle Rowan understands that and if and when changes happen to Paul and Caleb, its because they did in a logical and meaningful way.

If I had a quibble it was the insertion of drama with Stewart aka “Stewie”, Paul’s best friend. I’m not sure why this element was included unless it was setting up a sequel with Stewart at its heart. I would love that actually, but the drama that centered around Stewart took me away from the developing relationship with Caleb and Paul, already one that moves at a snail’s pace. It really didn’t need one more impediment. However, I did like Stewart and would love to see what happens with him down the line, with a reappearance by Caleb and Paul of course.

I love Isabelle Rowan and Snowman exemplifies just why I adore her writing and characters so. Snowman feels real, its characters flawed and throughly human and their journey towards each other and a relationship strewn with the pebbles and boulders life puts in their path. It’s the men, the people around them and the land they live on that comes together in one seamless portrait of life well lived and rich in love in all its aspects. I highly recommend this story and this author. Pick up Snowman and start your own journey with both today.

Cover art by Garrett Leigh. Lovely cover, works perfectly for the story and draws you in.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press – All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 276 pages
Published May 4th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ISBN139781634760287
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Finding Freddie Venus (Have Body, Will Guard #7) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Aidan and Liam’s new client is former gay porn star Freddie Venus, who survived an epic slide and now lives a solitary life in a restored farmhouse outside Nice. He hires bodyguards when he begins to believe he is being stalked.

Newt Camilleri is a sad, overweight fifty-year-old who writes gay unicorn porn but has no romantic life. He has fled his dead-end job and old life to start again on the Riviera. When he spots Freddie, his porn idol, in a grocery store, he kicks off the plot that will bring them together.

But Freddie’s past is about to come back to haunt him. Will Aidan and Liam be able to save Freddie, and help him and Newt start a new story together?

Finding Freddie Venus is the first book that I have read in Neil S. Plakcy’s long running Have Body, Will Guard series so I am coming into an already established relationship between bodyguards Adam and Liam. But as a newcomer to these characters, I don’t think that particularly hurts the story as Plakcy does a wonderful job in providing enough of their back history to support the relationship dynamics we see happening here, a couple at a crossroads at their partnership and wondering where to go next.

I was curious to see if I could repeat the success I’ve had with the same approach with Plakcy’s amazing Mahu series. With the Mahu series, I actually started at the end and have been working my way back towards the beginning and enjoying every bit of the journey. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can say that here but its definitely not due to the characters involved but the format of the story and the weird inclusion of a porn story within a story that jolts the reader out of the narrative. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Liam McCullough and Aidan Greene both work for Agence de Securite in France. They are partners romantically as well as partners as bodyguards for the Agency. It has worked well for them but Liam is growing tired, feeling his age with all the wear and tear the profession has left on his body and spirit. Aidan wants them to settle down and buy a home in France, giving them a permanence they have lacked up until now. And neither is exactly talking about the issues bothering them, preferring to ignore them and concentrate on their latest case…which manages to highlight all the insecurities and issues they are trying so hard not to address. The cause is their client, former porn star Freddie Venus. Turns out Aidan is a fan of porn and Freddie, Liam is neither. Throw in the fact that their sex life has been mostly absent recently and the stage is set for a few emotional explosions when they and their small dog move into Freddie’s house, all the better to guard him.

Freddie Venus is an interesting character, complicated and haunted by his past but still very much involved with porn because he can make a living working in editing porn scenes. But the cost to Freddie of his past in porn? A total lack of interest in sex and a lifestyle of hiding in the french countryside. Two things happen to bring an end to Freddy’s seclusion and promote a need for bodyguards. One…he receives a written threat. Two…he has a physical encounter with a fan/stalker that permanently changes Freddie’s outlook on sex and life.

And that brings us to the best/worst element of this story…Newt Camilleri. Newt is such an unusual character. He’s grossly overweight and an ex pat who has come to France to make his living writing M/M Romance. He’s already known for his series which involves a gay unicorn bent on vengeance against those that brutalize the LGBTQ community. Yes, he writes gay unicorn porn. Here is the description of Newt’s character and story from the book:

His most popular character was a half man, half unicorn named Fledglis. Like a centaur, he had a man’s head, arms, and torso over a horse’s body, with a spiral horn sticking out of his forehead. He was pure white except for dark hooves and a mane with all the colors of the rainbow in it.

His mission was to skewer every antigay government official—literally. When he found a homophobic mayor, sheriff, governor, or legislator, he’d use his front hooves to knock the man down. He’d strip the man naked, then pinion him to a floor or wall, his legs open and his ass exposed. Then Fledglis would turn his horn into a giant penis and fuck the man into oblivion. By the time the jerk awoke from his sex-induced stupor, his attitude would have taken a 180-degree turn.

How I wish Plakcy’s had left Newt’s writing to this description. Its pretty hilarious…in concept. Well, maybe not. Rape is never the laughfest no matter the cause. Anyway, this character and his stories are the driving force in Newt’s life and have inspired him to come to France. But now he’s gotten writer’s block and is running out of money. If he is to stay in France, Newt needs some inspiration and fast. But where to find it? You see, Newt’s physical attributes (such as they are) are vividly, almost anatomically correctly described down to the smallest roll of fat and size of his man boobs. Nothing is left to our imagination, thinning hair, lumbering walk, gasping for breathe,…yep…Newt’s one pathetic sack of flesh. The author makes Newt so outwardly repulsive that its hard to connect with him at first. But the inner Newt is different, so vulnerable, so needy that eventually a connection between him and the reader forms to bring us over to Newt’s side of things.

So far, so good. The story is moving concisely along, pulling the readers into the plot…until wham! Plakcy throws us into one of Newt’s stories involving Fledglis, the unicorn avenger. It’s not one or two lines of plot…nope its paragraphs of, in my opinion, god awful porn. And while my mind is shuddering over the antics of Fledglis, I’ve disconnected from the other characters and storylines at hand. Why remove the reader’s interest in the suspenseful nature of Freddie’s predicament and spend it all on some pornographic unicorn and his problems? I think it was to put us into Newt’s mindset but surely there was another way…like first person internal dialog? Time and again just when things are getting interesting, here comes clopping/flying horny Fledglis to get in our way.

I did like where the author took this story. I thought the various couples interesting in their differences and the events fascinating in the background layers and subject matter, even the mystery was suspenseful, if only a bit predictable. But that darn unicorn keep spoiling the flow and finally brought the rating down as well.

See, I think Mahu and Kimo have totally spoiled me. There the narratives are concise, the dialog is amazing, and the location is made believable and authentic by an in-depth knowledge of Hawaiian culture and history that makes that series one of my all time favorite contemporary series and characters. Because this series was written by Neil Plakcy, I will probably go looking into the first story to see how it all started. Hopefully, I won’t find any horny unicorns there.

Finding Freddie Venus by Neil S. Plakcy was ultimately a hot mess of a book, albeit a fascinating one. This author never fails to surprise me, and he certainly did that here. Would I recommend it? Yep, I would. It’s just too weird not to. But be warned, its different. And if you love that in a story and romance, pick it up and start reading it today.

Cover art by Ginny Glass. The cover works, especially the wing tats on the back of Freddie Venue. Great job.

Sales Links: MLR Books All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published March 31st 2015 by Loose Id
ISBN139781623008567
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.mahubooks.com/romance.htm
seriesHave Body, Will Guard #7

Books in the Have Body, Will Guard Series:

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert (Have Body, Will Guard, #1)
Dancing With The Tide (Have Body, Will Guard, #2)
Teach Me Tonight (Have Body, Will Guard #3)
Olives for the Stranger (Have Body, Will Guard #4)
Under the Waterfall (Have Body, Will Guard, #5)
The Noblest Vengeance (Have Body, Will Guard #6)
Finding Freddie Venus (Have Body, Will Guard #7)

A Mika Review: The Glass House by Suki Fleet

Rating: 5 star out of 5 stars

At seventeen, Sasha is a little lost and a lot lonely. He craves friendship and love, but although he’s outwardly confident, his self-destructive tendencies cause problems, and he pushes people away. Making sculptures out of the broken glass he collects is the only thing that brings him any peace, but it’s not enough and everyday he feels himself dying a little more inside. Until he meets Thomas.

Thomas is shy but sure of himself in a way Sasha can’t understand. He makes it his mission to prove to Sasha that he is worthy of love, and doesn’t give up even when Sasha hurts him. Little by little Sasha begins to trust Thomas. And when Sasha is forced to confront his past he realises accepting the love Thomas gives him is the only way to push back the darkness.

I’m telling you that Suki Fleet is becoming a favorite of mine. Her writing is so beautifully done. She has the power to reach inside of you, and rip out all your emotions. I expect to cry reading her books, and I love every second of it. The Glass House was no different. It flowed from beginning to end effortlessly. I absolutely loved her characters in this one, and I liked the concept…a lot. I normally don’t read YA but this YA had definitely surpassed all expectations. I loved every second of it..

Sasha is remorseful, and cynical in a way a teenager should not be. I was rooting for him from the start. He doesn’t have it easy with his life. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I stopped because he stopped feeling sorry for himself. I know all about teenage angst and the ability to lash out to hurt others in order to protect yourself. Goodness, someone was looking out for him, because they sent Sasha a beautiful loving angel in Thomas. Thomas made me smile so much. He did not want much; he just wanted to be loved and to give love. I truly like how they came together; there was such innocence about them together.

I think Sasha reacted in a way that made sense. He’s still emotionally closed off from being abandoned by his mother. Her reappearance in his life had the potential to push him over the edge. If it wasn’t for Corinne and Thomas I don’t think emotionally Sasha could have recovered.

I liked Corinne and Thomas’s grandmother; those two women were very supportive in these boys’ lives. I was so happy at the end, and even those moments of uncertainty weren’t enough to steer clear for me. I will be reading more by Suki Fleet.

Cover Art by: Aaron Anderson. I think this cover was beautifully done. This is how Sasha sees himself, and he was in the darkness for a long time, before he was able to come into the light. I like the symbolism of it.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 180 pages, also available in paperback
Published April 16th 2015 by Harmony Ink Press
original titleThe Glass House
ISBN139781634760515
edition languageEnglish

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Depending On You (Dating In Denver #1) by J.E. Birk (This is the prequel story to the short that appeared in the Grand Adventures Anthology)

Release Date: February 4, 2015

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Depending On You (Dating In Denver #1) by J.E. Birk
(This is the prequel story to the short that appeared in the Grand Adventures Anthology)