Category: Contemporary fiction

On Tour with Ian James Krender and Murder in Torbaydoes (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Murder in Torbaydos
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Ian James Krender

Author Bio:

I am a gay man in my early forties. I escaped the London rat race by buying a small hotel in the beautiful coastal town of Torquay, England with my civil partner. My career has been in business but I have written articles on a freelance basis for a gay website that is part of the Gaydar group. I am passionate about reading and writing and try to squeeze both into my busy week. My hobbies include watching films, travelling and I am a keep-fit fanatic. The hotel provides me with a constant source of writing material, given my interactions with the weird and wonderful British public. I served briefly as a police officer in London and considered writing a story about this, but I do not think anyone would believe me. I am an alumnus from the great seat of learning known as Portsmouth University.

See the hotel Ian owns!

Author Contact:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Marstan/133658398878?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/ian.krender

Publisher: Torquere Press Publishersmurderintorbaydos1400 (2)-1Cover Artist: Ali Futcher

Sales Links:   amazon

Blurb:

Old houses hide secrets, sometimes dark ones.

In the 1970’s, London based family, Marjorie, Stanley and their theatrically bent son fall in love with a dilapidated Victorian seaside villa. Dreaming of a better life by the sea, they transform the property into a luxury guesthouse, ignorant of the tragic events that occurred there at the beginning of the century. They discover that their guests are not the only other occupants in the building.

The souls trapped within the house offer the temptation of wealth and power, but all come with a deadly price. Stanley, supported by his ambitious wife, enters political office. Marjorie will stop at nothing to achieve her goals for her husband, no matter who gets in the way.

Thirty years later, an affluent gay couple, Jez and Graham, purchase the hotel, which now unoccupied has once again fallen into disrepair. They are blissfully unaware of the building’s grisly past. Jez falls under the influence of the spirits within the house, rapidly achieving fame, fortune, and a life beyond his wildest imagination, but the price is ultimately the corruption of his very soul.

Bound by a common destiny, both Marjorie and Jez’s fates lie inextricably intertwined across time and connected to the house. Their gruesome realisation is that death is not necessarily a release.
Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, Historical, Horror, M/M Romance, New Adult, Paranormal

Excerpt:

I write this book in my twilight years. Though considerable time has passed since these tragic events occurred, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be controversial. Some people will suspect me of profiteering. However, if I am privileged enough to see this work published, then I will donate any proceeds to the affected surviving family members. The money would be of little use to me now, as I am elderly, and I have no heirs.

Perhaps writing this is a form of therapy, a way to assuage my own guilt. Goodness knows, I have spent much time reflecting on the ‘what ifs.’ Over the years, I have learned to forgive myself the errors of my past. However, I will never forget the pain that I have caused others through my poor decisions.

Words: 97,600 Pages: 298

MiTBadgeTour Dates: December 2, 2014

Tour Stops: 

Parker Williams, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly, Havan Fellows, BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Queer Town Abbey, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Andrew Q. Gordon, Fallen Angel Reviews, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Elin Gregory

3-Dec

Multitasking Mommas

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘Murder in Torbaydos’, Use the RAfflecopter link provided and must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Rafflecopter Code:
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‘Shifting Weight’ by Tina Blenke (Book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Shifting Weight
Book one of a series
Author Name: Tina Blenke

Author Bio:

Tina is a retired Air Force brat and has lived in several states as well as a handful of countries. She has always had a soft spot for literature and is a voracious reader. When she isn’t writing, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. Though Tina adores a thrilling novel with sappy lovesick heroes, she is terrified of things that go bump in the night. This makes for quite a complicated relationship with zombies, something that she just can’t get enough of.

Author Contact:

Publisher: eXtasy Booksshiftingweight72
Cover Artist: Latisha Waters
Sales Links;  eXtasy Books  amazon

 Shifting Weight Blurb:

Jason is a West Coast wolf Shifter who leaves his native Pack Lands to search for his destined mate. When he finds the large muscled man working out a local gym, Jason is ecstatic and apprehensive. Eric is a Changeless human and there are tense sides to the politically heated debate around the integration of Shifters and Changeless. Jason is at risk of losing control of his wolf without bonding with his destined mate. But, will Eric accept that Jason is a Shifter? And can Eric trust Jason after his heart has been left shattered from a previously failed relationship.

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

Shifting Weight Excerpt:

Jason allowed himself to run that night. Elation filled him making it easier to relax and allow his wolf to flow into his mind and body. The shift was seamless, years of transitioning helped his wolf to take control in under a few painless minutes. Jason knew of wolves who could never shift because the pain was so intense. It was unknown what the cause was but some insisted that it was because the Shifter’s true mate had never been found and the man could not control the beast inside of him.

The old wives’ tale had haunted Jason especially as years passed without locating his mate. Now that he knew Eric existed, it was one less thing to worry about. Now he could focus on worrying about Eric finding out he was a Shifter. Eric’s acceptance. If the two would find love and happiness despite fate playing a factor, then, and only then, could Jason think about starting a family with Eric. Maybe he was jumping the gun, but he had always wanted a man to love and a family to care for. Was it too much to want? Shouldn’t he be satisfied with finding a mate? All of this thinking and stress was weighing him down. Yes, he had found his mate, but would Eric want Jason?

His legs pumped harder as he made his way across hills and through forests with large trees reaching up towards the skies. It was not the familiar woods of his home on the Pack Lands but it felt good to stretch his limbs, pull deep pulls of fresh air into his lungs, and feel the wind tickling through his fur all over his body. With a grin, he imagined his large bear of a mate with sexual wants that matched his own.
Pages: 60 pages

SWBadgeTour Dates:

Tour Stops: 

Tour Stops: 

17-Nov

Decadent Delights

24-Nov

Parker Williams

1-Dec

MM Good Book Reviews

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

8-Dec

Carly’s Book Reviews

Queer Town Abbey

Molly Lolly

15-Dec

Prism Book Alliance

Amanda C. Stone

22-Dec

Multitasking Mommas

Kimi-Chan

Hearts on Fire

 29-Dec

Cate Ashwood

5-Jan

Dawn’s Reading Nook

BFD Book Blog

12-Jan

Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

Love Bytes

19-Jan

Inked Rainbow Reads

My Fiction Nook

26-Jan

Crystal’s Many Reviewers

2-Feb

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

 

Contest:  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Shifting Weight and a gift certificate.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link provided to enter and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter the Holiday Spirit with Share the Love and Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (book tour and charity contest)

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Its Share the Love…the third time’s the charm with Sydney Croft and her story, Three the Hard Way!  The holidays are a time of joy and giving. Riptide Publishing and authors Jane Davitt, Kelly Jamieson, and Sydney Croft have combined their efforts in the Share The Love 2014 Collection for Charity.

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Check out Sydney Croft’s story, Three the Hard Way and then read the details how YOU can help choose the LGBTQ Charity to receive the 2015 collection proceeds! This year’s Share the Love collection Charity is It Gets Better organization. Pick up a copy of Share the Love 2014 and get a head start on the holiday giving,, and then help out your favorite local LGBTQ charity as well!

Three the Hard Way Blurb:

This title is part of the ACRO universe.

Three the Hard Way coverLovers Taggart Brody and Justice McKinney possess special abilities that make them valuable to agencies who employ—or enslave—people with extraordinary talents. When tragedy tears them apart, Justice finds purpose working for the good guys: ACRO, the super-secret Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. But he never forgets Taggart or the past they once shared.

Heartbroken, Taggart runs from who he is . . . right into the arms of Ian Bridges. But Ian, battling his own demons, betrays Tag to the terrorist organization Itor. After months of torture, Tag manages to escape, but kills an ACRO agent in the process.

With nowhere left to turn, Tag disappears into the Alaskan wilderness, but it’s only a matter of time before his enemies track him down. He reaches out to Justice, and somehow Ian finds him too, hoping to right his wrongs. With ACRO and Itor both bearing down, the three men must figure out how to forgive, how to work together, and how to love each other—or the coming battle will destroy them all.

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Each year, Riptide Publishing releases a holiday collection in support of an LGBTQ charity. Twenty percent of all proceeds from the Share the Love collection will be donated to the It Gets Better Project.Share the Love Bundle

This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

• Three of Hearts by Kelly Jamieson (releasing November 17)
• Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt (releasing November 24)
• Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (releasing December 1)

About Sydney Croft:

Sydney Croft is the alter-ego of two published authors who came together to blend their very different writing interests into adventurous tales of erotic paranormal fiction. Together, they developed a world where people with extraordinary abilities, like the power to control storms, could live and work with others like them. The series has been described as “Erotica meets the X-Men,” and is unique in its own “erotic super hero romance” niche.

The authors behind Sydney Croft live in different states and communicate almost entirely through email, though they often get together for conferences and book signings.
Stephanie Tyler
Larissa Ione

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Contest and Giveaway:
Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $25 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 7. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Every year, Riptide Publishing releases a Holiday charity bundle with themed stories by bestselling authors. Twenty percent of the net proceeds of each bundle goes to a charity that serves the LGBTQ population.

Royalties from Riptide’s 2013 Home for the Holidays charity collection have raised over $14,000 in nine months for the Ali Forney Center, and continue to yield several hundred dollars per month in royalties donations. Our 2014 Share the Love charity collection will be raising money for the It Gets Better Project, and we hope to report even better results than in 2013.

For 2015, the theme will be Holiday Surprises, and we’ll have stories by HelenKay Dimon, Christine d’Abo, and Marie Sexton. But we don’t have a charity yet.

We need YOUR help to choose the 2015 charity.

Nominate your favorite LGBTQ charity below and Riptide might choose it as the 2015 Holiday bundle charity!

The chosen charity for 2015 will immediately receive a $5,000 advance against royalties (paid in 2015 on announcement of the award recipient). The charity will continue to receive 20% of all lifetime net sales income from the 2015 holiday charity collection, in the form of a monthly royalty check.

Three honorable mention charities will each receive a $250 donation.

Click here to nominate a charity. Both supporters and representatives of a charity can submit a nomination.

It’s Back! The Texans Are Back in RJ Scott’s Texas Fall! (book tour and contest)

Texas Seris LLB

RJ Scott’s heartwarming Texas family is back in Texas Fall! There’s a wonderful excerpt to read and a contest to enter.   Check it out! 

Texas Fall by RJ Scott

Book six in the Texas series

For all buy links when they become available click here:

http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/texas-fall.html

Texas Fall 400x600Jack is focusing on building an equine therapy school for children with special needs and works hard along side his normal horse training and breeding program. He and Riley have settled into a softer, quieter, kind of family life, but that doesn’t stop them using the barn with the door to the fullest!

But the lull comes before the storm.

Riley and his new assistant travel to Laredo, and across the border into Nuevo León as part of an exploratory team and things very quickly go to hell. Riley is caught in some serious Cartel problems and suddenly everything Jack holds dear is threatened.

Add in Vaughn and Darren’s story, revisiting Robbie, Eli, Liam and Marcus, alongside Sean and Eden and the wedding that never was, and this story promises you everything you want from a Texas series book.



Author Bio:

RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.

As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.

With over sixty titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.

Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

Contact RJ Scott via:

Contest:  Win a $15 gift card and free e-books, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for all additional contest details and for the entry form.Texas Fall 400x600

a Rafflecopter giveaway    oR    http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f922301b41/

Texas Fall Excerpt 1

“You can’t hide the whole night,” Riley said from behind him. Jack turned to face his husband, leaning back against the stable door and waiting for the lecture. Riley was happy as a pig in shit right in the middle of it all: juggling babies, catering, socializing, and hell, everything that Jack was avoiding right about now. “People asked where you were,” Riley added.

Riley sure looked good tonight, his blond hair just this side of bed-head spiky, his long legs in black pants, the dark green shirt so perfect against his warm skin tones, and his hazel eyes sparkling with enthusiasm for life. Sexy. Very sexy, all toned and slim and hard and hot. Jack cleared the thoughts of kissing the life out of Riley from his head. He’d need all his faculties to deal with Riley when Riley wanted him to go back inside and host the party.

Anyway, he was suspicious that anyone really worried where he’d gone. “Who asked?”

Riley stepped right up into his space, close enough so that Jack could inhale the scent of his man. The combination of familiar citrus was underscored by deeper notes of mulled spices from the kitchen and some punch concoction Eden had made.

“Actually, no one asked,” Riley admitted. “Josh mentioned that he was impressed you’d lasted an hour.”

Jack huffed a laugh. He was surprised his brother hadn’t come out and hidden right next to him. Seemed that enjoying socializing skipped the male Campbell line entirely.

“So,” Jack began slowly. “What are you doing out here?”

Riley placed his hands on Jack’s hips, then slid his fingers through belt loops to tug Jack away from the door and flush up to him.

“I was asking myself,” he explained, “just where would my husband be when it’s only ten at night and he was looking for peace. I tried everywhere.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips, then smiled down at him, that few inches in height he had just enough to force Jack to lean his head back a little. “Actually that’s a lie. I looked in the twins’ room, checked in on Max, then came here.”

Share in the Love Collection Tour with Jane Davitt’s Lucky Strike (charity tour and contest)

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It’s Share the Love Collection Tour – Part Deux!  The holidays are a time of joy and giving.  Riptide Publishing and authors Jane Davitt, Kelly Jamieson, and Sydney Croft have combined their efforts in the Share The Love 2014 Collection for Charity.

Check out Jane Davitt’s story, Lucky Strike and then read the details how YOU can help choose the LGBTQ Charity to receive the 2015 collection proceeds! This year’s Share the Love collection Charity is It Gets Better organization.  Pick up a copy of Share the Love 2014 and get a head start on the holiday giving,, and then help out your favorite local LGBTQ charity as well!

Lucky Strike by Jane DavittLuckyStrike_200x300

Death’s a heartbeat away, but love is even closer.

Flying a traveler to Leap celebrations on the luxury planet Crestal is no problem for intrepid partners Jake and Rill, even if they have to navigate a deadly meteor shower to get there. But their fresh-faced, privileged passenger is carrying more than Leap gifts: Lian has a message to deliver, treachery and murder to avenge, and a killer close on his heels.

Lian thought he was ready for independence from his overbearing extended family, but his first solo trip off-planet has landed him in a nightmare of deadly intrigue. Though he’s devastated by betrayal, and no longer able to tell friend from foe, he’s fascinated by the gruff pilot and scorchingly handsome first mate who’ve become his reluctant rescuers.

With a dazzling fortune at stake and the fate of the United Protectorate of Planets in their hands, there’s no time for the three men to fall in love. But with their future measured in hours, crew and passenger may have just enough time to discover that three can become one, and that together they are strong enough to beat any odds.

Each year, Riptide Publishing releases a holiday collection in support of an LGBTQ charity. Twenty percent of all proceeds from the  Share the Love collection  will be donated to the  It Gets Better Project.

This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

• Three of Hearts  by Kelly Jamieson (releasing November 17)
• Lucky Strike  by Jane Davitt (releasing November 24)
• Three the Hard Way  by Sydney Croft (releasing December 1)

About Jane Davitt:

Jane Davitt is English, and has been living in Canada with her husband, two children, and two cats, since 1997. Writing and reading are her main occupations but if she ever had any spare time she might spend it gardening, walking, or doing cross stitch. She’s recently taken up yoga and loves discovering her ability to bend.

Jane has been writing since 2002 and wishes she’d started earlier. She is a huge fan of SF, fantasy, erotica, and mystery novels and has a tendency to get addicted to TV shows that get cancelled all too soon.

She owns over 4,000 books, rarely gives any away, but is happy to loan them, and is of the firm opinion that there is no such thing as ‘too many books’.

Share the Love Bundle

Contest and Giveaway:

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $25 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 7. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

(If you can’t or would rather not include this whole text, here is the link to our website. Feel free to include as much or as little as you would like: http://riptidepublishing.com/help-us-choose-charity)

Help us choose a charity!

Every year, Riptide Publishing releases a Holiday charity bundle with themed stories by bestselling authors. Twenty percent of the net proceeds of each bundle goes to a charity that serves the LGBTQ population.

Royalties from Riptide’s 2013 Home for the Holidays charity collection have raised over $14,000 in nine months for the Ali Forney Center, and continue to yield several hundred dollars per month in royalties donations. Our 2014 Share the Love charity collection will be raising money for the It Gets Better Project, and we hope to report even better results than in 2013.

 

For 2015, the theme will be Holiday Surprises, and we’ll have stories by HelenKay Dimon, Christine d’Abo, and Marie Sexton. But we don’t have a charity yet.

We need YOUR help to choose the 2015 charity.

Nominate your favorite LGBTQ charity below and Riptide might choose it as the 2015 Holiday bundle charity!

The chosen charity for 2015 will immediately receive a $5,000 advance against royalties (paid in 2015 on announcement of the award recipient). The charity will continue to receive 20% of all lifetime net sales income from the 2015 holiday charity collection, in the form of a monthly royalty check.

Three honorable mention charities will each receive a $250 donation.

Click here to nominate a charity. Both supporters and representatives of a charity can submit a nomination.

ShareTheLove_TourBanner

In the Book Spotlight: Slippery Slope by Iyana Jenna (blog tour and contest)

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Book Name: Slippery Slope
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Iyana Jenna

Author Bio:

Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.

Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.

Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.

Publisher: JMS Books
Author:  Iyana Jenna
 Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Sales Links:  JMS Books     Amazon US    Amazon UK   Smashwords     All Romance (ARe)  Bookstrand

Slippery Slope Blurb:

Actors Ethan Grey and Alex Haynes are gay, but in Hollywood, they can’t be open unless they’re willing to be typecast in future movies or they’re dating prominent gay producers. Since neither are willing to become stereotypes, and neither have studio boyfriends, they take another path — hiding their relationship under the cover of a pretend girlfriend.

What works for Ethan, though, doesn’t work for Alex, who screws up to the point of losing his job and the chance to get another. His manager finally finds him another job across the pond, where he meets Nathan Wells.

Nathan can be the prominent producer Alex needs to further his career, but there’s something Alex doesn’t know about the man.

Soon Wells grows obsessed with Alex, and he’ll do anything to keep Alex from getting away.

Though Nathan wants Alex for himself, there’s still Ethan to think about. Is the love story between Alex and Ethan really over? Or will Ethan find a way to get his boyfriend back?

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

Words: 20,000

Excerpt:

“Come on, Ethan. You don’t have to pretend. I’m in love with you, but I’m not blind. There’s clearly someone else you’d rather be with right now instead of me.” Lea wrapped herself up in the silky coverlet, leaving Ethan staring at her, shocked, as he sat back on his heels.

Feeling ashamed yet not totally guilty, Ethan backed away from the bed and put on his jeans.

“Who is it that you want, Ethan? It’s Alex, isn’t it?”

Ethan just looked out of the window. The setting sun was golden on the horizon.

“I—I need to do something,” he mumbled then, and left the room. He felt Lea’s eyes boring into his back but Ethan just couldn’t make himself turn around. He’d been unfair to her from the very beginning.

Ethan sank into the chair and turned on his notebook. He hadn’t checked his email for too long. This might be the best time to do so. Time to find out what was hot in the world right now.

His eyes fell to the first mail, and Ethan’s heart started to pound. It was a Google alert he had for Alex. It had been months since he’d heard anything about Alex. Ethan felt like crying.

 

SSBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

24-Nov

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

The Hat Party

25-Nov

BFD Book Blog

25-Nov

Bayou Book Junkie

26-Nov

Up All Night, Read All Day

MM Good Book Reviews

27-Nov

Parker Williams

3 Chicks After Dark

28-Nov

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Love Bytes 

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Slippery Slope. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided below for all contest details and for the entry form.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A MelanieM Review: Manipulation (Diversion #4) by Eden Winters

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Lucky Lucklighter has a new life. His old life wants him back.

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00023]From the jail cell courtesy of a life of crime, complete with drug lord lover, Lucky Lucklighter surfaced with a new life,  a new name and a new career as an agent for the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau.  Now Simon “Lucky” Harrison, Lucky even has a new boyfriend and partner,Bo Schollenberger.  Bo Schollenberger arrived at the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau in much the same way as Lucky.  As a pharmaceutical chemist, Bo ended up with a drug addiction and his  illegal deeds brought him to the attention of the head of the Bureau looking for just the right  or wrong type of men for his narcotics team.

Through perseverance and charm, Bo worked his way under Lucky’s defenses and his “I-Get-Along-Fine-Alone” mindset until Lucky starts thinking the unthinkable…that they might just have a future together.

But now Bo is missing.  Their last case involved unexpected ties to bigger crime syndicates, and a voice from Lucky’s past who whispers ““Did you miss me?”

Now Lucky must figure out who is lying and who he can trust?  The voice belonged to someone he was told was dead and now seems very alive.  And there is more to Bo’s absence than people are telling Lucky.  Is Bo missing by choice or by abduction? Every clue, every trail Lucky follows leads him back to the drug Corruption and the syndicate flooding the US markets full of this dangerously addictive drug.   With temptation all around, what won’t Lucky do to find the man he loves and bring him safely home?

Eden Winter’s Diversion series captured my heart from the moment I met Lucky Lucklighter and Bo Schollenberger in Diversion (Diversion #1).  I love complicated wounded men and here were two that not only fell into that category but did so in a way I had never seen before.  There are so many layers to these men.  Lucky’s background is a patchwork of hot cars, adrenaline rushes, and poor choices that led from boosting cars for drag racing to major involvement with a crime lord as employee and lover.  Lucky is  highly intelligent, walled off, and confident, while still leaving space in his heart for his sister, her children, and finally Bo.

Bo Schollenberger. Where to start?  Each book reveals more complications and dimensions to this already convoluted personality.  At first glance and meeting, Bo came across as extremely affable and gentle, a victim of his addiction and circumstances.  A far cry from Lucky and his unrepentant outlook who when given a choice between continuing life behind bars or freedom as an agent chose freedom.  Certainly a choice made from expediency instead of a need to “do right”.  But nothing is as it seems, and the more that Lucky (and the reader) got to know Bo,  the more we realized that Bo has depths and pain to him and his past then he was ready to reveal or deal with.

Oh the joy of discovery.  Each new story and case has uncovered new insights into each man and their past.  Bo and Lucky’s interpersonal dynamics has deepened and expanded along with their relationship.  It’s hot, sexy, at times tender and rough.  You never know from moment to moment what to expect when they get together.  And to their chagrin and our delight, neither do they.  Uncertainty, hesitation, an emotional neediness…all that is new to Lucky and it has contributed to his inability to commit to just about anything.  I love it when a reader can’t predict what the main characters will do in any given situation.  It keeps us on the edge of our seats as the plot swivels and swoops through dangerous highs and deceptively deadly lows.  This is a E Ticket ride in every way.

Eden Winters has also chosen a highly unusual subject and law enforcement agency, in this case the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau,  as the foundation for this series and as professions for Lucky and Bo.  Think hard, how many series and books are developed around pharmaceutical corporations, over/under the counter drugs, and the criminals associated with the shipping and stocking of known medications?  I can only think of one.  Eden Winter’s Diversion series.  That aspect of  this series has been an eye-opener about the giant pharmaceutical corporations, and not in a good way.  More than once it has sent me running to research different elements that have popped up during Lucky and Bo’s cases, ones that left this reader thinking about new issues far into the night.  This series world building is as quirky, complex, and believable as the characters living out their messy lives within it.  I obsess over the characters relationships, the plots, the surprises and then go back and start them over again to see what clues and secrets I missed out the first reading.  And then wait for the next book to arrive.

This story contains quite a few stunning revelations, more layers of deception than ever before and angst by the boatload.  Once started I couldn’t put it down until it was finished…right around 2:45am.  And could I sleep after that? Uh no. Manipulation contains shocks that will shake the foundations of Lucky, and Bo, and even Walter their boss.  Where there had been certainty, now is left nothing but fog and questions.  The narrative is concisely told, the tension and suspense increasingly exponentially until the plot feels as tightly wound as a coiled spring.  It explodes with all the dangerous impact one might expect and the ramifications will still be unfolding right into the  next book in the series, Redemption (which is being written now).

Each year a book from this series has found its way,  deservedly so, onto the Best of lists for Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and others.  This year is no different.  Manipulation will be high on my Best of 2014 lists, just as I expect Redemption to be there on the list for 2015.  All are highly recommended and Must Reads that should be on everyone’s TBR stack of stories.

If you haven’t discovered this series yet, please, please, don’t start here.  The pleasures and joys that come from the character growth and relationship dynamics is best enjoyed if you start at the beginning and Lucky and Bo’s first meeting in Diversion.  I have a list for you below.  Make it your check list of stories to read. Eden Winters is a remarkable author, and the creator of Lucky and Bo is certain to find her way onto your automatic buy list if she is not there already.

Tag this story and series one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Must Reads!  Happy Reading!

Cover artist: L.C. Chase.  Terrific cover perfect for the character and story inside.

Sales Links:  Rocky Ridge Books     All Romance (ARe)         amazon           buy it here

Book Details:

ebook,
First Published November 1st 2014 by Rocky Ridge Books
seriesDiversion #4

Books in the Diversion series in the order they were written and should be read:

Diversion (Diversion, #1)
Collusion (Diversion #2)
Corruption (Diversion #3)
Manipulation (Diversion, #4)
Redemption (Diversion, #5) coming in 2015

A PaulB Review: Ciro (Shivers ) by Remmy Duchene

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Ciro coverCursed by Hera at birth, Ciro Pyktis must try to keep his brothers from wrecking havoc on the world. Things become complicated when he meets his mate, architect Carter Olabasu. Can this son of Zeus stop his hellion brothers while keeping his lover safe?

Ciro Pyktis, son of Zeus and the goddess of the Storm Winds, along with his brothers are cursed by their step mother Hera. As Ciro is the first born, his mother and the Olympians have tasked him to try to keep his brothers in line. When his brother Gala causes a storm and refused to back down, Ciro must take his life. To try to forget the fight with his brother, Ciro decides to head to a bar to unwind.

Carter Olabasu’s relationship with his brother Kofi has been strained since Carter came out to him. Trying to patch things up with his brother, Kofi suggests the two go out to dinner and a party at the Firewall, a popular straight club. There he is approached by Ciro, who offers to buy him a drink. Before things progress much further, Kofi comes looking for Carter. Ciro mistakes him for Carter’s boyfriend and takes off.  But the instant attraction between them sets off events that  will change everything for them both.

Ciro is the first book  of the Shivers series by Remmy Duchene. I enjoyed how Ms. Duchene has actually added to story of the Olympians by including a new branch in the mix. Also terrific? How the author included several lesser known children of the Olympians to the known pantheon of the main twelve gods. It is difficult to add something to two millennia of storytelling but the author should be commended for her accomplishment.

I also liked how the idea of mates was mixed into the mythology. As most know, the gods just went after whomever they wanted. The idea of predestined love is a nice addition to this mythology and I enjoyed the author’s twist to the Greek gods.

This is a great start to a new series and am looking forward to seeing where Ms. Duchene will go in future books.  I highly recommend reading this story.

The cover art by Posh Gosh depicts Carter and Ciro looking down on a storm raging over a Grecian arch. It draws you in and is well done.

Sales Links:  Totally Bound Books    All Romance eBooks(ARe)    amazonUS   Ciro
Book Details
:

Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing
Ebook, 151 pages
Published: October 31, 2014 by Totally Bound
ISBN: 978-1-78430-259-7
Edition Language: English

Virtual Book Tour: Laura Stone and her release, The Bones of You (book tour and contest)

VBT_TheBonesOfYou_Banner

The Bones of You

by Laura Stone

Laura Stone is here today with her latest release, The Bones of You.  I got a chance to ask her some questions about her inspiration for this story, and much more.  Check out the blurb and excerpt and don’t forget to click on the Rafflecopter link to enter the contest.

 

Laura Stone is giving away a $25 Interlude Press GC to one randomly drawn winner and multi-format copies of THE BONES OF YOU to ten randomly winners via Rafflecopter. One randomly chosen host will win a $25 Interlude Press GC.  Use this Rafflecopter link to enter.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Interview with Laura Stone…

What was your inspiration for the story? The Bones Of You is actually the title of a song by an English alternative rock band, Elbow. It’s just a beautiful, romantic piece of music about a man suddenly stopped in his tracks by the memory of a former love, one he’d believed he’d gotten over. I just could not get that idea out of my mind, and that’s something I think we all do at some point with old lovers: what are they up to now? Would we work as a couple now? I wanted to explore what that could be like for two people who stopped being together not because they stopped loving each other, but because life wasn’t working for them. And now, living on different sides of an ocean, how could it work again?

Do you have a muse? Without question, it’s music. I love big, sweeping epic rock songs, classical music, you name it, I love it. Music has always been a part of my life growing up, and every song always tells a story to me, even if it’s just orchestral. When one of those stories won’t leave me, I have to sit and write it out.

Do you work on one project at a time or many? In the past I’ve only worked on one project at a time, but now, if I get stuck, I’ll pick up something else and work on it, usually something like a short story, just to keep the creative juices flowing.

Hero or Antihero?  Who would you chose and why? You know, this is going to be corny and uncool, but the Hero. I think I’ve had my fill of the tortured past as an excuse for bad behavior and trying to help change them. How about we stick with the person who’s already become the good guy from the start? So uncool, I know. Now, who am I fascinated by… That’s a different story! But choose? Gimmie the hero!VBT_TheBonesOfYou_CoverBanner

People say write what you know.  Do you think that is right or even important? This is one of those phrases people bandy about, and I think it does a massive disservice to new writers. I mean, if authors had to stick to “writing what they know,” then Thomas Harris has a lot to answer for with his Hannibal Lecter! I think a better idea is to write what you want to know about. Research, educate yourself, and go! But I will say that you should write the emotions that you know. But setting? Place? Time? Nah, have fun!

What is the first book you read that really meant something to you? Hand’s down, it’s Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery was formative for my humor, my sense of fantasy, gosh, the types of friendships I wanted! Everyone deserves a Diana Berry. Anne was someone who dreamed and hoped like I did. It was such a relief to “meet” a character in a book that felt the way I did about life.

What do you find sexy in a man? How much time do we have? Ha! I love a confident man, one who isn’t posturing or peacocking for attention. A man that is confident in himself doesn’t feel the need to put other people down, doesn’t put himself above his partner, and knows that when he reaches out, they’ll reach back. A great set of (long, strong) legs and a broad set of shoulders doesn’t hurt, either!

What’s next up for you? I’m working on two different books, in fact. One is contemporary, our protagonist Becca has been dealing with the grief of losing her ex and struggling with when it’s okay to move on. (The beautiful and fun Dani Torres isn’t making it easy to resist.) The other is set in the mid-1800s, and is based off an actual gravesite in Tombstone, Arizona where two cowboys insisted on being buried together. Turns out that being homosexual and a cowboy was pretty common back then. Who knew?

Cover_The Bones of YouTHE BONES OF YOU
by Laura Stone

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The Bones of You BLURB:

Oliver Andrews was wholly focused on the final stages of his education at Cambridge University when a well-meaning friend up-ended his world with a simple email attachment: a clip from a U.S. morning show.

The moment he watches the video of his one-time love Seth Larsen, now a Broadway star, Oliver must begin making a series of choices that could lead him back to love—or break his heart.

The Bones of You is full of laughter and tears, with a collection of irritated Hungarians, flirtatious Irishwomen, and actors abusing Shakespeare that color Oliver and Seth’s attempts at reconciliation.

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The Bones of You Excerpt 

And that’s when he heard it, a beautiful voice that was painfully familiar. God, that sounds just like… He dropped the satchel–the papers thankfully stowed away–and turned to his computer screen. It felt like time had stopped, that it took him forever to see proof on the screen that he’d heard what he thought he had heard. That’s when he saw him.

Oliver immediately forgot that he needed to get to campus, that he had a mountain of work ahead of him, that he’d not even eaten yet. Seth. Seth, his first love, his first, well, everything, was on his computer screen, singing. And if he’d thought Seth had a beautiful voice as a teenager, that was nothing to how he sounded now. Clearly his time at Juilliard and whatever he’d done after had developed his voice into something truly special, almost otherworldly.

Oliver gripped the computer with both hands, his face close to the screen, breath trapped in his aching chest. Seth, tall and lean, his pretty, still-boyish face aglow from the joy of performing, was in the middle of the studio, hands clasped in front of him, eyes closed and head tilted slightly as he sang a song Oliver wasn’t familiar with. He didn’t care; he was transfixed by the line of Seth’s long throat, how the fitted shirt he was wearing accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, the small smile on his face as he sang. It was Seth, but now so much more than the captivating boy he had loved all those years ago.

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Laura StoneAUTHOR Bio and Links:

A life-long fan girl, Laura Stone takes a leave of absence from the glamorous life of motherhood while the kids were in school, devoting her days to writing full-time. In the past she’s worn the hat of actress, Master Gardener, and computer geek, but now sticks mostly to a Texas Ranger’s ball cap as she raises her children. They’re not fully raised, but then again, she would say that she isn’t either.

She began telling stories to her parents at the age of four. She was so successful in catching her parent’s attention that her father actually dislocated his back, trying not to sit on her imaginary cat, Doka.

She lives in Texas as proof that it’s not totally populated by hard-line right-wingers—and because that’s where the good tamales are from.

Connect with Laura:

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