Category: Contemporary fiction

A PaulB Review: Layne, River & Damion (Storming Love: Blizzard #4) by Vicktor Alexander

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Layne River and Damion coverDamion had his heart broken six months ago when his boyfriend of ten years called things off. When he is trapped at work in a college library with a cute student and his ex, Damion must decide what to do next.

“Layne, River and Damion” is the fourth book released in the Storming Love: Blizzard series. Each book can be read as a standalone.

River Cunningham is a marketing student at Yale University. While studying at a university library during a snowstorm, his mind wanders to the janitor passing by. After taking the janitor’s pic and sending it to his best friend, the janitor teases him that River did not catch his best side in the photo he had just taken.

Damion Martin, the janitor of said photo, had his heart broken six months previously by his boyfriend of ten years, Layne. Still hurting, Damion decides the cute student might be what it takes to move on from is ex, who happens to work in the same library as Damion does.

Layne Haylse is working as a librarian at Yale. While he believes he did the best thing for Damion by breaking things off with him, Layne still longs for Damion. He knows he has hurt Damion by his actions but still wonders if there might be a chance left between them, despite the reasons for the breakup.

As the snowstorm intensifies, the power goes out in the library. This brings the three characters together to survive during the blackout. While Damion and Layne talk about the reasons for the breakup, Damion still has interest in River. The three must figure out how to move forward once the lights come back on.

I liked how the author established the back story between Layne and Damion. The reason for the break up between Layne and Damion also laid the groundwork for the reason behind the ménage pairing that would come about later. I also liked how the author left open the possibility of a future story with the characters with his happy for now ending. The one complaint I have with the book is that only these three characters are stuck at a library at Yale University during the blackout and snowstorm. If the storm was intensified that suddenly, wouldn’t more students and employees be there?

The cover art by Kris Jacen mimics the other books in the Blizzard series. However, with this book there are three silhouettes instead of two, to reflect the three characters in the story.

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

Book details:
Kindle Edition, 54 pages
Published February 15th 2015 by ManLove Romance Press
ASINB00TOKGUEM
edition languageEnglish
seriesStorming Love: Blizzard #4

Series: Storming Love Blizzard
Jens & Eliot by Sara York (Storming Love: Blizzard #1)
Kimo & Mike by Neil Plakcy (Storming Love: Blizzard #2)
Seth & Casey by R.J. Scott (Storming Love: Blizzard #3)
Layne, River & Damion by Vicktor Alexander (Storming Love: Blizzard #4)
Gavin & Morgan by Nicole Dennis (Storming Love: Blizzard # 5)

Book Spotlight: Other Freedom by Catherine L. Byrne (interview and contest)

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Some Other Freedom by Catherine L. Byrne
Release Date: February 15, 2015

STRW In The Spotlight Header

 

Author Catherine L. Byrne is here with her latest story, Other Freedom.  We have a Q & A with Catherine, along with excerpts and a contest for you all to enter.  Check it all out below…

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts
Catherine L Byrne amused herself writing as a hobby for some years until she had her daughter, but becoming a mum made her realise she now had a purpose and time was limited, so she must get on with writing seriously.
The winter of 2009 was severe and as she and her family live in a small village, they were house bound by unusually deep snow for southern England. So she settled down in her office (i.e. the corner of her bedroom) and began her first book, which was published in 2010.
She hasn’t stopped writing since, generally on the theme of forbidden or unrequited love, and often including erotic scenes.

Where to find the author:
Website : https://catherinelbyrne.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinelbyrne

Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist:  Latrisha Waters,

Sales Links: Extasy Books  Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Ambitious teacher Anthony, who is firmly in the closet, works at a very conservative school, carefully living up to expectations in order to further his career.

After drinking too much at a wedding, however, he meets a gorgeous man and can’t resist having a passionate liaison with him.
Weeks later, Anthony is engaged to his girlfriend, but then his secret lover turns up at school as the new teacher in his department…

SOFRC

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

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

“Here’s your drink, mate,” he said to Anthony, as if asking him a question. Anthony smiled at the Australian accent, and the waiter gave him a subtle wink, making him quickly look away as the man gave Francesca her Daiquiri.

“Shall we eat here too?” said Francesca. “Could we have a menu please?” She smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at the waiter, who smiled back, showing a gold tooth.

“Of course, I’ll get it.” He strode out, reminding Anthony of Blondie at the wedding. How would it feel if this Australian lay on top of him on the huge hotel office desk? He turned back again to his girlfriend. His proper, steady girlfriend.

Lunging to kiss her, his lips hit her cheek, and she twisted her head so their mouths could meet, but he moved the wrong way and kissed her hair. His hand slipped on the arm of her chair and he fell forwards onto her shoulder. A sudden gust of wind, carrying the rotting, fishy smell from the tide going out, forced him to stifle a cough.

“Here you go.” The Australian accent conveyed a hint of amusement as the couple untangled themselves and sat up.
Pages or Words: 51,189

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Tour Dates: March 4, 2015

Tour Stops:

Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Love Bytes, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fallen Angel Reviews, Nic Starr, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of the book. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter link and prizes provided by Pride Promotions.

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In Our Author Spotlight: Alexis Woods on Baseball, Writing, and Opening Day! (author interview/Contest)

 

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Up Close and Personal With Author Alexis Woods!

Opening Day cover

Alexis Woods has stopped by today to talk about her latest story Opening Day, baseball and writing.   As part of her guest post, we are hosting a  giveaway of Opening Day!  For all the details, see the contest section below.

Q and A With Alexis Woods!

Q. Baseball, America’s sport, and a wonderful place for a romance. Why include it in your story?

All of my stories have a backdrop or theme, and I have always loved the use of innuendo – baseball is just perfect with all of its lovely little terms: pitching, catching, wood, and, of course, all the “bases.” It was a lot of fun writing this story and trying to work in as many of the terms as I could.

Q. What was the inspiration behind your story and characters?

Ace and Darren were easy to write as they mirrored real life. I’m a pharmacist, just like Darren, and my husband is a front-store supervisor for a well-known pharmacy chain. The proverbial “they” always say write what you know. I grew up playing softball and my husband is from New England, big Red Sox fan, and got me hooked, watching them avidly in the mid-90’s.

Q. Do you include a brownie recipe as well? What is your favorite brownie to eat?

I didn’t, but I’ll share my favorite here. I make what I call my Rocky Road Brownies: Take any box mix that you like and add an additional 1 cup each of mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips and white chocolate chips to the recipe. It’ll need an extra ten minutes baking time, but they are absolutely delicious. Super moist.

Q. Were you a voracious reader as a child?

Always. I had to read before bed, late at night, under the covers, flashlight in hand. Now I’ve got a stocked e-reader, white words on a black background and I’m golden.

Q. What childhood books and authors had the great impact on you and has that carried over into adulthood?

This is a tough question, but I’d have to say Mercedes Lackey. She is one of the few authors that I have read so many her books. I love her world-building, the Heralds of Valdemar being my favorite. She also gave me my first exposure to M/M, but it was almost another dozen years before I truly discovered the genre.

Q. Favorite genre to read and write in?

I was a hard-core fantasy reader for a long, long time, especially anything with battle and military scenes. Up until 2011, I was eating up the children’s and teen fantasy fiction. I absolutely love the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan and all of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson stories, but I got caught up in the 50 Shades phenomenon and then paranormal romance, eventually finding my way to the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. Hooked ever since, their Don’t Read in the Closet event is what finally got me writing. Haven’t looked back since.

Q Vulnerability in a character is a great way to grab onto a reader’s heart. Does that come into play when creating a character or does the character “appear” sort of fully formed?

My character’s are never fully formed until they start talking to me. Every time I sit down to write, they whisper the things they want to say and do. Putting actions (and their voice) into words takes time, but I strive to make it true-to-life.

Q. Title or story…which comes first

The story line first, but the title quickly follows. The working title usually holds through to the finale, with maybe a minor tweak. The cover comes last, although I usually get ideas from the story about what I want, they raely become reality. Not that I’m complaining, the finished product (assembled by fellow author and cover-composer, Shayla Mist) for both Opening Day, and its sequel, Evading Exodus, are stunning.

Q. What’s next for Alexis Woods?

That’s easy. Evading Exodus, as I mentioned above as the sequel to Opening Day will be available at the beginning of April.

Religion often plays a marked role in my stories, although not in an overbearing way. If you’re a member of Goodreads and kept up with Love’s Landscapes, I’ve got an unpublishable story there about two twin Jewish boys, and last winter I wrote Lion’s Hero, for the Boughs of Evergreen Anthology about an Angel and a Jewish man coming together during Chanukah. April marks the start of Passover and is the backdrop for Evading Exodus. This story is a bit longer at 16k and is told from Darren’s point of view. Darren, or Dare, as Ace comes to call him, worries about their relationship when an old friend of Ace’s arrives in town, and it just so happens that that old friend is also one of Darren’s exes. Friends and family join together, braving the plagues of Exodus, riding out the waves of miscommunication and discomfort, understanding and pleasure to brave their future together.
Following Evading Exodus, will be Ultimate Summer, book three of the series, to be released at the beginning of summer. It’s focused on two new characters, but Ace and Dare make a cameo appearance.

I’ve got at least two other short stories planned, and I am currently working on what I hope will be a novel length M/M/M romance backdropped on solving a cold-case murder.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Alexis Woods...

Alexis Woods is the pen name of Alexis of Woods End, mundanely known as Alicia Mattson. You can find my reviews and book lists here.

I’m an: Author/Anachronist, Beta, Coffee Lover, Daughter/Dancer, Friend/Fighter, Jewish, Khazar, Lover/Leader, Mother/Medieval, Novice, Opinionated, Pharmacist, Romantic/Reenactor, Sister/Scout, Traveler, Visionary, Wife

Always an avid reader and colorful dreamer, it was only a matter of time before taking pen to paper, oftentimes literally. A firm believer in every song tells a story and every story has a song, I sing under my breath, tap my toes and swing my hips, much to the delight of my co-workers and friends. I freely admit that becoming a romance author is the best mid-life crisis a girl could ever have.

You can contact/follow Alexis Woods at:

If you’re another Author, I’d love to connect with you on Facebook.

Opening Day (Southern Jersey Shores #1) by Alexis Woods

Opening Day cover

STRW Author BookSynopsis

When pharmacy manager, Aaron Lark, known to his best friends as Ace, is dumped by his latest boyfriend, he decides to step back from the dating scene. What he doesn’t expect is for the blue-eyed pharmacist, Darren Goldman, to step into, and rock, his world. Bonding over beer, brownies and baseball, Ace and Darren play a game where hopefully both end up crossing home plate as winners.

STRW Spotlight Contest Header

To enter to win a eBook copy of Opening Day by Alexis Woods, leave a comment below about baseball and romance, or any combination thereof.  Use the link provided for all contest details. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 48 pages
Expected publication: March 1st 2015 by Beaten Track Publishing
ISBN139781910635308
edition languageEnglish
series Southern Jersey Shores #1

In the Spotlight: Baby, Think it Over by Hurri Cosmo

STRW In The Spotlight HeaderBaby, Think it Over by Hurri Cosmo
Tour Date March 4th

Baby, Think it Over Cover

 

Hurri Cosmo is here today with Baby, Think it Over.  We have an exclusive excerpt for all our readers.  Enjoy!

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt

The guard at the gate simply waved Tarell’s car through, since the Alans lived here in the same neighborhood as Rand.

Tarell wanted to stop and ask if the guard had seen Kedon come here and, if so, when, but he didn’t want to take the time. He cursed the time it was taking already, even knowing Kedon had most likely gotten to Rand’s only minutes earlier.

What could have happened in a few minutes?

Plenty.

He knew what Rand was after. He wanted the same thing as Tarell…Kedon.

Rand was, in fact, the reason Tarell had taken the initiative to pursue Kedon sooner than he’d planned to. He’d wanted to wait until he and Kedon were both were away at college. That’s why he’d made sure he’d gotten them into the same one.

But with Rand’s advances becoming more heated every day, Tarell had decided to forge ahead. The thing was, now that he’d spent the past two weeks with Kedon, Tarell’s feelings for him were even stronger than he’d ever expected. Yes, he burned for Kedon’s body, burned for his lips and those perfect nubs just right for nibbling. And, oh yes, he loved the inside of Kedon’s white, warm thighs that begged to be licked all the way up to Kedon’s beautiful balls. Tarell imagined getting one, then the other, fully in his mouth, tasting the muskiness of Kedon’s sweat and lust as he slowly milked Kedon’s cock, squeezing pre-cum from the tip so he could lick that up, too. Oh, Kedon’s hard shaft. How Tarell wanted to pull it into his mouth and suck up one side, then down the other, holding Kedon’s hips still as he swallowed him whole.

He knew that was what Rand wanted, too.

But Tarell now wanted not only to take Kedon’s body, he wanted Kedon’s affection. He wanted Kedon to trust him, in everything, from finances to stability to safety. He wanted to hear Kedon’s laugh, see his smiles. He wanted to hear his voice when he talked about totally random things, and watch Kedon’s ass when he walked. He wanted Kedon all to himself. He didn’t share well, never had, but this was totally different. He had wanted to get into Kedon’s pants for a long time, and when the fake baby project had come up in class, it had been too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. Especially with Rand stalking Kedon and making his interest all too obvious.

But in the short time Kedon and he had been alone together, Tarell had seen a side of himself he didn’t know existed. He found he liked himself when he was around Kedon. Not that he hadn’t liked himself before he had gotten to know Kedon, but he’d realized that life was more than just being an Alan. He’d realized that a possible life with Kedon was much more important than even being an Alan.

All his life the Alan name had gone before him, breaking through barriers and opening doors. Being part of a family that could influence nearly everything around them had been a foundation for him, a solid base to stand on. He had never questioned it before. But now? Now Kedon filled Tarell’s every thought, his very being. What did Kedon think, what would he say, how would he react? Those were the questions that were influential now, and it had changed everything for Tarell.

Being an Alan was powerful, but it paled in comparison to how Tarell felt about Kedon.
And now Kedon was in trouble.

Yes, Tarell wanted to be Kedon’s first. But more importantly, he wanted Kedon to make that choice. In Rand’s hands that was not going to happen.

BOOK TRAILERS:  http://youtu.be/RF0xCkE9BZA

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PUBLISHER: Amber Allure Publishing
RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2015

STRW Author BookSynopsis
Kedon can’t wait to go on the three week break from school. His parents are off on a vacation for two of them and he’s going to have the entire house all to himself. Except he forgot about a school project. One that would be half of his science grade, a grade he needs in order to graduate. The project? The class needs to “partner up” and take a baby home. 

Luckily, it’s only one of those computerized things, and Kedon’s convinced it’s not really a physiological exercise in “The Effects of a Child on a Young Couple”. He thinks it’s a not so veiled attempt at sex education; as in scaring the hell out of the seniors into not having any. Thing is, most of the seniors are already eighteen years old. It’s going to fall pretty much on deaf ears.

And to top it off the great Tarell Alan has decided Kedon is going to be his “wife” for the project. But Kedon’s not worried. Tarell did it to prove a point. He isn’t really going to spend the whole three weeks helping Kedon to take care of a baby. Especially one that seems to cry all the time.

But Kedon turns out to be wrong. Now Kedon is on his feet constantly, walking a colicky baby and running from a horny daddy! What’s a boy to do?

Book Links:
Amber Allure
Goodreads

STRW Author Bio and Contacts
Hurri Cosmo lives in Minnesota where she holds tight to the idea that there, where it’s cold a good part of the year, she won’t age as fast. Yep, she avoids the truth as much as she avoids mirrors. But one of the reasons she loves writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, she doesn’t mind “real life” and she does try to at least keep it in mind when she writes her stories, but she truly loves creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every – single – time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason she loves reading this genre, too. Give her a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and her computer, whether she is reading or writing, and she will entertain herself for hours. The fact she actually gets paid to do it is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.

Links to my sites:
Website: http://hurricosmo.webs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialHurriCosmo
Blog: http://hurricosmo.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/?lang=en
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466687.Hurri_Cosmo

In The Spotlight: Served Hot (Portland Heat #1) by Annabeth Albert (excerpt and contest)

STRW In The Spotlight Header

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Served Hot (Portland Heat #1)
by Annabeth Albert
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Goodreads Link

A Few Questions for Annabeth Albert

Question: What’s in your nightstand you don’t want anyone to see?
Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

Question: What’s your favorite meal?
Garlic Chicken Noodles at my favorite Thai place.

Hint:  Answers May Be Needed As Part of a Tour Contest!

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Author Annabeth Albert

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter.  In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabethalbert
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/annabethalbertauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AnnabethAlbert

Publisher: Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press
Cover Artist: Kensington Art Department

Sales:  Amazon   Barnes and Noble

STRW Author BookSynopsis

About Served Hot…

In Portland, Oregon, the only thing hotter than the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are the hard-working men who serve it up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no reservations…

Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but “the usual”—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?

First in the new Portland Heat series!

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

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt
A little idea niggled at my brain—like an evil elf had tapped me on the shoulder. “You know, if you give me your card, I could call you if you leave your wallet behind again.”

There. His cheeks went dusky pink. I finally got a blush out of him, but hell if I could decipher what it meant. I could predict people’s taste in coffee, down to preferred syrup flavor, but I still sucked at decoding anything as complex as human emotions.Served Hot cover

“Ah. Um.” He did the nervous cough thing again.

“Never mind.” I wiped my hands on my apron. “I’d better get back.”

“Wait.” He opened the wallet, plucked out a white card with a blue logo, and offered it to me. His broad fingers brushed mine again as he handed it over. Another barely there touch, but I felt the charge all the way down my spine, like I’d chugged a triple shot.

My breath tripped with wishing he’d add a “call me anytime.” Brian would have. But David just stood there silently. Straighter than the Fremont Bridge and denser than a concrete pylon.

Pages or Words: 30,000 words

served hot teaser kiss

Tour Dates: March 3, 2015

Tour Stops: 

Parker Williams, 3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, Charley Descoteaux, Inked Rainbow Reads, MM Good Book Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon, Hearts on Fire, Love Bytes, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, Prism Book Alliance, Queer Town Abbey, Christy Loves 2 Read, Emotion in Motion, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Cate Ashwood, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Up All Night, Read All Day, Multitasking Mommas, Cathy Brockman Romances, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook, Foxylutely Book Reviews, The Hat Party

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon or Starbuck’s Gift Card of the Winner’s Choice. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter link and prizes provided by Pride Promotions.

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Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Lights! Camera! Cupid! A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5BWBlogo_Web

Cupid is visiting Bluewater Bay, and he’s leaving chaos in his wake.

Lights! Camera! Cupid! coverIt’s been my experience that anthologies generally have stories which are great, not so great, and middle of the road. In this one, that’s not true—they are almost all terrific. To help me come up with an overall rating, I’ve rated each individual story and decided to leave that rating so that readers can see which ones I thought were the best.

The stories are:

Just Another Day by L.A. Witt

Levi Pritchard hates Valentine’s Day. In fact, he absolutely abhors it, so when he comes home to find that his lover Carter Samuels (“Starstruck”) has bought him a rare DVD for his collection and is making Pasta Carbonara, his favorite meal, he knows he’s going to have to say something ,and that it will likely hurt Carter’s feelings. He does, and it does, and after a brief period of time out for both of them and a call by Levi to his friend Anna, he does the unexpected and sits down with Carter to explain why he hates the holiday then takes Carter upstairs for a very special Valentine surprise. Saying more here would spoil the surprise but readers will definitely love it as much as Carter does! 4.5 stars

Nascha by Amy Lane

It never ceases to amaze me that Amy Lane can create an entire story spanning over fifty years, sketch full characters with both a history and a future, stir in a little (or in this case a lot) of angst, and spit out a story that is full, rich, memorable, and creates a lump in my throat and a pain in my heart. If I had to assign one word to this story it would be depressing. Another would be complex. It’s a story about Nascha, an American Indian and gambler, who falls in love with his two best friends, Kitten and Rawlins, from the time they are teens. Though those two legally marry, in their hearts they are a part of him, and it’s Nascha who struggles to feel that he’s bound with them forever, especially when life circumstances stink and he ends up trying to raise his niece, then ultimately his grandnephews, one of who has Asberger’s.

I struggled to get into the story at first, especially since there are some M/F sex scenes at the beginning when the story is being established. Later when the reader is engaged in the plot, all of the scenes make sense but it is a very complex story for so few pages. But it works, and it’s one of the best of the anthology. 4.5 stars

No Easy Way by S.E. Jakes

Cary Teijan, a teacher who holds the interesting job of tutoring both the delinquents who keep getting suspended and the child actors from the Wolf’s Landing TV show being filmed in Bluewater Bay is shocked when he runs into Dylan James on the set. Dylan is the man he was so deeply in love with in high school who has recently returned after six years in the service, and he’s also the subject of the M/M romances Cary writes under a pen name, romances which are highly successful.

Dylan is back and he wants Cary with all the passion he felt years before, but Cary resists with that same degree of passion because Dylan walked away from him without a word, and Cary is finding it hard to forgive and forget. This story is lengthier than most others in the anthology and is both intriguing and exciting. The fun in watching Dylan go after Cary and watching Cary continually give in then run away makes for a great short story and fits perfectly with the Bluewater Bay stories previously released. 5 stars

Helping Hand by Anne Tenino

Lucas Wilder is the son and brother of lumberjacks who have lived and worked in the Bluewater Bay area for generations, but he’s not willing to follow the family footsteps into the logging business. He barely knows how to hold a saw! He’s just been accepted into a prestigious art school, and he’s terrified to tell his homophobic father that there’s now one more reason for his father to hate him. In fact, he gets so flustered that he spills the beans about being gay shortly after he announces his plans to attend college to study art. Thankfully, his best friend Audrey is there to help him through this fiasco as she’s been there for him throughout high school. Both are looking forward to leaving the town behind them forever when they go to college.

Gabriel Savage, lumberjack and best friend of Lucas’s brother Zach, spots Lucas walking home a few nights later and stops to give him a lift. He gives him more than that too—his first sexual experience as a gay man. To be honest, I’m not sure I get the point of this story. I’ve re-read the entire section of their hookup several times and I still don’t quite understand the point the author was trying to make so for me, this story wasn’t on the same level as the others. In fact, whether it was just supposed to be a quick hookup or whether Gabe truly wanted a lasting relationship with Lu, really doesn’t matter. Either way, the story lacked the spark and interest the others held and that’s very disappointing since I generally love Anne Tenino’s work. 3 stars

I’ll Be There by Z. A. Maxfield

This was a great story to cap the anthology as Nash Holly fights desperately to make his way to the Chicago area to be with Spencer Kepler (“Hell on Wheels”) on Valentine’s Day during the worst snow storm to hit the Midwest in years. It isn’t even so much that it’s Valentine’s Day as the fact that Spencer is so socially inept that he fears meeting the guest of honor at the fan convention he’s volunteered to attend—a woman who is dying of cancer. In a brief Skype session with Nash, Spencer reveals more about his feelings related to his own mother’s death from cancer than he even realized himself. Readers get to witness how Spencer acknowledges the past and, learning from it, deals with the present and waits hopefully to see if Nash can make it. And we get to witness Nash as he delves into his true feelings for Spencer and his gratitude for having Spencer in his life. Their love is greater than the sum of both parts and this story is perfect for their first Valentine’s Day together. 5 stars

If you’ve been reading the Bluewater Bay stories, you know they can each be read as a standalone, as can this anthology. However, readers of the stories will recognize the characters in the first and last stories of this anthology and that will only add to the enjoyment of the book. I recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance and especially to those who enjoy the added spice of the Valentine’s Day holiday and all of the ways love can be expressed.

Cover art by L.C. Chase depicts a movie set clipboard with a faded out red background of two of the MCs looking at each other with stars in their eyes. Perfect for the stories inside.WolfsLanding_transparent

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

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published February 9th 2015 by Riptide (first published February 7th 2015)
ISBN139781626492615
edition languageEnglish
seriesBluewater Bay #6

 

Bluewater Bay series, one location, different authors (and all highly recommended by Barb and Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words: