An Aurora YA Review: There Is No Fear (Children of the Knight, #3) by Michael J. Bowler

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The most famous boy in the world is a prisoner. He’s been charged with a crime he didn’t commit, a crime that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Languishing within The Compound, the most secure juvenile facility in California, while the district attorney vows to make an example of him because of his celebrity status, Lance must endure the daily indignities of There is No Fear coverthe incarcerated.

New Camelot is fractured without him. Ricky and Chris are bereft, living for the weekly phone call that becomes their only lifeline to the brother they so desperately love, while Arthur and Jenny feel the loss of their son with a sadness that can’t be quelled. And what about Michael, the highly volatile teen who helped write the proposition that will change California forever? Could he really be the monster he says he is? His hatred of Ricky is palpable, and his instability may well threaten the lives of everyone at New Camelot.

As the election looms closer, Proposition 51 takes on an even greater significance in light of the pending trial of the century. The more harshly fifteen-year-old Lance is treated within the broken justice system, the more he contemplates the wisdom of his idea that children need more adult rights. If The Child Voter Act becomes law, won’t it simply allow adults to throw more kids into prison with impunity?

Whichever way the voters decide, his greatest fear remains the same: will he ever again be with the people he loves?

The Knight Cycle Continues…

This book was really great! Even as the plot gets more complex and things progress within the larger story, the characters stay just as complex and develop throughout the whole book in a way that’s really satisfying to the audience, or at least to this audience member. I had a great time reading it, and I loved the plot. It’s a rare thing to see in young adult books especially, and I loved seeing the whole thing unfold.

As I was reading it, I found myself looking forward to what was going to happen next on every single page and when I reached the end of the book I was really looking forward to being able to read the next one. This was the most exciting, for me, of the first few books. I had a great time reading it and finding out what was going to happen to all the characters and where the plot was leading.  I also couldn’t wait to see where the author would end up going next, since this series has so many original ideas and I’ve really been looking forward to seeing the ideas behind every single book as I’ve been reading them.

Cover art by Reese Dante: I really liked this cover! It’s really beautiful and it definitely drew my attention. It really followed in the theme of the other books and still represented it well, to someone coming to this book even maybe not knowing it’s part of a series would still be drawn to the cover and it would get them to at least pick the book up. It’s very well put together.

Sales Link:  Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

Paperback, 284 pages
Published July 17th 2014 by Michael J Bowler
ISBN139780990306337
edition languageEnglish
seriesChildren of the Knight #3, The Knight Cycle #3

Books in the Children of the Knight, The Knight Cycle Series are:

  • Children of the Knight
  • Running Through a Dark Place (Children of the Knight, #2)
  • There Is No Fear (Children of the Knight, #3)
  • And The Children Shall Lead (Children of the Knight, #4)

 

In the Spotlight: Andrew Q. Gordon’s The Eye and The Arm (excerpt and giveaway)

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The Eye and The Arm (Champion of the Gods #2)  by Andrew Q. Gordon

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Release Date: April 14, 2015

Are  you a lover of fantasy fiction? Then check out Andrew Q. Gordon’s latest fantasy novel,  The Eye and The Arm in his Champion of the Gods series.  We have the book synopsis and an excerpt for you as well as a contest to enter.  Happy Reading.

Special bonus! We also have a trailer for you as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk6OfKOU6nc&feature=youtu.be

STRW Author BookSynopsis

After defeating Meglar at Belsport, Farrell returns to Haven to recover from his injuries, but Khron, the god of war, has other ideas. He gives Farrell a new mission: free the survivors of the ancient dwarf realm of Trellham from their three-thousand-year banishment. To fulfill Khron’s near impossible task, Farrell will need the help of his distance ancestor, the legendary wizard Kel. But Kel has been dead for a thousand years.
 
Farrell finds information hinting that Kel is alive, so he moves his search to Dumbarten, Kel’s birthplace. To reach Dumbarten unannounced, Farrell and Miceral disguise themselves as mercenaries on board a merchant vessel. Their journey is disrupted when pirates attack their ship. While attempting to subdue the attack, Farrell is struck down by one of Meglar’s minions.

Unconscious and trapped in his own mind, Farrell’s only chance for survival rests with Miceral and the peregrine king Rothdin entering his thoughts and helping him sort fact from illusion. To reach Farrell, they will need to rely on an untested spell from one of Kel’s spellbooks. If they succeed, Miceral can guide Farrell home safely. If not, Farrell will destroy not only himself, but Miceral, Rothdin, and everyone around him.

Pages or Words: 296 pages

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Categories: Fantasy, Gay Fiction

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Miceral grabbed his last javelin and crept toward the starboard rail. The tip of pirate’s prow had just reached their stern. He could see men crouched under the protection of the gunwale. “They’re almost here—be ready.”

Moving faster than the enemy could react, Miceral scaled the short staircase and quickly found a protected spot in the aftcastle. Peering through a narrow opening, he scanned the clusters of men he could see. At the rear of the largest group, Miceral spotted someone who, by clothing at least, appeared to be an officer. With no one else standing out as being the captain, this man became his target.

Springing to his feet, he hurled the spear before anyone could target him. One of the pirates huddled by the rail fired an arrow, which Miceral caught in midflight. Flashing the enemy a wicked grin, he snapped the shaft in half before dropping back behind his cover.

Miceral closed one eye and stared through the space between crates. He watched the men look toward where their officer had been standing, and from the shouts he knew he’d hit his mark. One pirate tried to pull the spear out but failed. When he turned to ask for help, a stream of blood dribbled out of his mouth and over the feathers of the arrow protruding from his neck. Everyone else ducked immediately and remained out of sight.

Miceral traced the shaft’s path back to where Peter knelt, nocking another arrow. He gave his friend a wink and a nod. Before either could enjoy the small victory, a hail of arrows and spears whistled across the deck. Under the cover of this barrage, dozens of grappling hooks landed on the deck of the Rose. Once the barbs dug into whatever purchase they could find, the two vessels inched closer. Miceral heard the faint thud of the two ships colliding and slipped the mace and axe from his belt.

With the ships tethered together, the pirates flipped long wooden planks from their ship onto the Seafoam Rose. Hooks on the ends secured the slim pathway firmly in place. The first wave of invaders ran across the boards, screaming at the top of their lungs. If they expect to scare the crew into surrender, that hope dissipated when four of their number fell dead from a round of arrows.

Miceral used the distraction to leap from his hiding place. Screaming his own battle cry, he rushed the startled pirates. From his right, Emerson and Nathan led the crew in defense of their ship.

The ferocity of the resistance appeared to catch the invaders by surprise. Miceral killed anything in his reach, stalling the attack momentarily. Peter stood next to Miceral and proved the value of all the long hours of practice he’d been put through.

Unfortunately, Miceral couldn’t defend all points of entry onto the vessel. The pirates quickly learned to avoid the armed warrior who moved with the speed of lightning.

The initial advantage of the Rose’s crew quickly evaporated as the pirates brought superior numbers onto the trading ship. To avoiding being surrounded, the defenders fell back to a predetermined, more defensible position. This allowed the rest of the pirates to cross unimpeded.

“Now would be a good time to arrive, Farrell.” Miceral didn’t know if Farrell could hear him, but if he didn’t arrive soon, there’d be no one left to rescue.

“I’m almost there, Ral.” Farrell’s voice distracted Miceral enough that he cut off an opponent’s arm instead of slicing through the man’s neck. “Hang on!”

  • Publisher: DSP Publications
  • Cover Artist: AngstyG
  • Sales Links: DSP Publications

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.

He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of twenty years, their daughter and dog.  In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day.

Where to find the author:

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Tour Dates & Stops: April 15, 2015

Parker Williams, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Bayou Book Junkie, Cate Ashwood, Charley Descoteaux, BFD Book Blog, Full Moon Dreaming, Divine Magazine, Butterfly-O-Meter, 

Molly Lolly, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Rainbow Gold Reviews, The Hat Party, Love Bytes, Inked Rainbow Reads, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Novel Approach, My Fiction Nook, Velvet Panic, Prism Book Alliance, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, Amanda C. Stone, Elin Gregory, Nephylim

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 3 e-copies of the Last Grand Master with the new cover art. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and Prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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The Cherry Blossoms Are Out and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Our Japanese Cherry Blossoms are out in our neighborhood as well as those  along the tidal basin in DC.  And all it took was a day of  warmth and sunshine to bring them out.  How I love this time of the year.  The snowdrops are fading but everything is just starting to come into its own.

We do have an announcement to make.  It’s the two winners chosen by Abigail Roux to win those fabulous Go Bags of Ty’s.  See the announcement below:

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Winner Announcement for the Crash & Burn, Ty Go Bag Contest:

Abigail Roux is pleased to announce the two winners from the Crash and Burn tour:
Maya Jade and alohahelper – chosen from more than 1800 entries!

Congratulations to them both. I’m envious!

We have some wonderful books and yes, more new authors, at least to us, that we are reviewing this week.  Barb the Zany Old Lady is reading and reviewing Dreamspinner Press’ new Curious Cookbook series, 6 authors, 6 stories and what a line up it is. Sammy has Fallout by Lisa Henry and M. Caspian that you won’t want to miss, BJ is here with The Protector, Stella has Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood, Mika is reading contemporary romance, I’m all about the fantasy and science fiction this week and we round out once again with Aurora’s YA Saturday.   Interspersed among the reviews, you will find more author interviews, giveaways and announcements.  Stay Tuned!

        This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, April 12:

  • The Cherry Blossoms Are Out and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, April 13:

  • The Other Side of Winter Tour (Riptide)
  • In the Spotlight: Rebecca Cohen’s Under Glass (contest and interview)
  • A Sammy Review: Fallout by Lisa Henry and M. Caspian
  • A MelanieM Review: Baked Fresh by Annabeth Albert
  • A BJ Review: The Protector by Cooper West

Tuesday, April 14:

  • Book Blast: When The Band Came To Town  by Author: H. Lewis-Foster (contest)
  • Jennifer Cie’s Down the Other Street Vol. 2 Tour and Giveaway
  • Annabeth Albert ‘Baked Fresh‘ (Portland Heat #2) Excerpt and Giveaway
  • A Sammy Review: Cronin’s Key by N. R. Walker
  • A Mika Review: You In My Arms by A. C. Katt

Wednesday, April 15:

  • V.L. Locey’s Two Man Advantage Excerpt and Giveaway Blast
  • Get Supernatural with Tina Blenke’s Shifting Cargo Excerpts and Contest
  • In the Spotlight: Andrew Q. Gordon’s ‘The Eye and The Arm’ (contest)
  • A Stella Review: A Boy Called Cin by Cecil Wilde
  • A MelanieM Review: Unproven Theory by Lillian Francis

Thursday, April 16:

  • Cover reveal for Thianna Durston’s ‘A Good Family Man’‏ (contest)
  • In-Decision by Sue Brown‏ Creative Minds Tour
  • In the Spotlight: ‘Every Inferno‘ by Johanna Parkhurst‏ (interview and contest)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: For A Rainy Afternoon by RJ Scott
  • A MelanieM Review: Emerald Keep by A Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder

Friday, April 17:

  • Just The Way You Are by E E Montgomery release day book blast and contest
  • In the Spotlight: Kjartan the Gentle by Catherine L. Byrne (excerpt and contest)
  • A Stella Review: Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood
  • A Barb Review:The Silence of the Stars by Kate McMurray ~ Audiobook narrated by Michael Ferraioulo

Saturday, April 18:

An Aurora YA Review: There Is No Fear (Children of the Knight, #3) by Michael J. Bowler

Fallout coverThe Protector coverYou in My Arms coverA Boy Called Cin

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Aurora YA Review: Running Through a Dark Place (Children of the Knight #2) by Michael J. Bowler

Rating: 4 out of 5

King Arthur and his extraordinary young Knights used ‘might’ for ‘right’ to create a new Camelot in the City of Angels. Running Through a Dark Place coverThey rallied the populace around their cause, while simultaneously putting the detached politicians in check. But now they must move forward to even greater heights, despite what appears to be an insurmountable tragedy.

Their new goal is lofty: give equality to kids fourteen and older who are presently considered adults only when they break the law. Arthur’s crusade seeks to give them real rights such as voting, driving, trading high school for work, and sitting as jurors for their peers charged with criminal behavior.

Understanding that the adults of California will likely be against them, Arthur and his Knights must determine how best to win them over.

However, before the king can even contemplate these matters, he finds himself face to face with an ally from the past, one who proves that everything isn’t always what it seems – even life and death.

The Knight Cycle Continues…

 

This book is just as interesting and original as the first one was, and the characters were just as good, if not better. The author did a great job of toeing the line between fantasy and contemporary. There were enough elements of the world we’re used to that it was easy to relate to and there was still enough fantasy and differences that it was still incredibly interesting.

It was also inspiring to see that teenagers were taking things into their own hands and were even working against adults because it often isn’t acknowledged that just because adults are older doesn’t mean that they’re always right in comparison to younger people. The friendships in the book were also a really enjoyable thing to watch and read about.

All in all, it was just a fun book, and something I had a good time reading. I would definitely recommend it and especially to teenagers who want to see themselves represented in a different manner than usual.

The cover artist is Reese Dante. Although I prefer drawn covers to photo edited covers, I still think that the book looks really nice and I like the fact that the cover isn’t too busy as some that feature the character on the cover. It’s interesting and represents the book well, and I think it would really draw someone’s eyes to the book in a shop or online.

Sales Links:  Author Website      Amazon       Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 425 pages
Published May 13th 2014 by Michael J Bowler (first published May 1st 2014)
ISBN139780990306313
edition languageEnglish
seriesChildren of the Knight #2, The Knight Cycle
also available in paperback

Books in The Knight Cycle Series:

  • Children of the Knight
  • Running Through a Dark Place (Children of the Knight, #2)
  • There Is No Fear (Children of the Knight, #3)
  • And The Children Shall Lead (Children of the Knight, #4)

 

Want Some Zombie Love? Spotlight on My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange (excerpt and contest)

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My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange

Goodreads Link
Release Date: April 15, 2015

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New author T. Strange is here with her first book, My Zombie Boyfriend.  Check out the blurb and excerpt below and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end!

STRW Author BookSynopsis

 

About My Zombie Boyfriend

Edward Grey is a medical student by day, necromancer by night. He lives alone with the first zombie he ever raised, his childhood cat, Boo. Edward’s life is simple: studying medicine, training his necromantic powers with his mentor, Mariel, and having weekly dinners with his parents. When he finds a very attractive corpse in a park and brings it home to reanimate, he accidentally creates a sassy, free-willed zombie who believes Edward is the one who murdered him.

With no memory of his former life, Edward names the zombie Kit and tries to win his trust. Kit slowly adjusts to his new un-life with Edward’s help, though he’s still suspicious of Edward’s role in his death and is convinced that Edward is hiding his former identity. Edward is very attracted to Kit, but understands why Kit doesn’t trust him. As they become closer to one another, Kit turns to Edward for comfort and love. The fragile trust they’ve built together will be tested when Kit unexpectedly regains his memory and seeks revenge on his murderers.

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Pages or Words: 64,000 words

Categories: Humor, Romance, Horror, Contemporary, M/M Romance, Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Paranormal

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Kit took one look at the concoction and raised his eyebrows in disbelief and disgust. “What is that supposed to be?”

“It’s your food. Mmm! Delicious, brains! Zombies love brains!” I could see right away that I had gone too far.

“I am not a dog or a child, Edward. And I don’t appreciate your stereotyping.”

Oh, great. I had offended a zombie. What a schmuck. “I’m sorry, Kit. Won’t you at least try it?”

“Is that a slice of brain?”

“…yes. Technically. It’s not human!”

“Oh, it’s a brain, but it’s not human. That makes it all better. What’s in the rest of it?”

“The rest of the cow?” No, this was not going at all well. I pleaded. I cajoled. I begged.

He poured it down the sink.

Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: B. S. Clay

Sales Links:  Torquere Press

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Author T. Strange

My Zombie Boyfriend is T. Strange’s first full-length novel, though she has published several shorter works with Torquere Press. When not writing, T. enjoys gardening, spending time with her horse, and, of course, reading. T. lives in Canada with her wife, surrounded by pets.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tq.strange
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTStrange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TqStrange
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tqstrange/
Goodreads Author Page
Tumblr: http://tqstrange.tumblr.com/
Torquere Author Page

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Tour Dates & Stops: April 10, 2015

Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, Tara Lain, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Molly Lolly,

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Love Bytes, Charley Descoteaux, Decadent Delights, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, TTC Books and More, Andrew Q. Gordon, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, 3 Chicks After Dark

 

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘My Zombie Boyfriend’ by T. Strange. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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In the Spotlight: Annabelle Jacobs “The Altered” (excerpt and contest)

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The Altered by Annabelle Jacobs
Goodreads Link

STRW In The Spotlight Header
Release Date: April 9, 2015

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Twenty years ago the UK’s water supply was contaminated with an experimental pathogen, Lycanaeris, causing widespread panic across the nation. Terrorism was suspected but never proven, and when nothing happened–no epidemic, no unexplained illnesses–the whole episode was written off as an elaborate hoax. But Lycanaeris was selective. Only those of a certain age, and with a specific gene in their DNA were infected. Time would reveal the pathogen’s true nature, when those susceptible grew up Altered.

Daniel is one of thousands forced to hide his altered status by living a quiet life. He’s not like the others, though.

Daniel can’t help looking so distinctive or being able to see every altered for what they really are. To those abducting altereds, that skill makes him valuable.

For Jordan, shifting from human to wolf means living under the radar to avoid unwanted attention. Meeting Daniel complicates matters. Daniel’s existence is a threat to Jordan and his friends, but Jordan can’t seem to shake the strange connection between them. When danger threatens, there’s little time for Daniel and Jordan to work out their feelings before lives are at stake.

Pages or Words: 209 pages, 75,000 words

Categories: M/M Romance, Paranormal

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

He laughed at the joke Matt was in the middle of telling, chipping in for a bit and teasing him, and then he felt it again, creeping up the back of his spine like icy fingers. Daniel stayed perfectly still, suppressing his body’s natural reaction, and carefully turned to place his empty pint glass on the bar.

He let his gaze wander along to the end of the bar, past the couple he’d spotted earlier, and—

Bloody Hell.

He sucked in a sharp breath before he could stop himself. Usually he got a flash of images, depending on how much they’d been altered—claws, teeth, and fur if they changed fully, but never anything like this. One minute Daniel was looking at a tall dark-haired, really hot man, and in the blink of an eye he’d changed into a huge black wolf, fangs bared in a snarl—clearer than anything he’d seen before.

The image vanished almost as soon as it appeared, and the noise from the bar suddenly jarred Daniel back to his senses.

Fuck.

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Publisher: Annabelle Jacobs
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Sales Links:  Amazon US – Amazon UK

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About Author Annabelle Jacobs:

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
website: http://www.annabellejacobs.com

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Tour Dates & Stops: April 9, 2015

Parker Williams, Inked Rainbow Reads, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Cate Ashwood, Amanda C. Stone, Gaylist Book Reviews, Havan Fellows, Molly Lolly, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Rainbow Gold Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Chris McHart, MM Good Book Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark, The Hat Party, Lee Brazil, Bayou Book Junkie, Emotion in Motion, Divine Magazine, Carly’s Book Reviews

 

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Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Any book from Annabelle’s backlist. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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A BJ Review: A King’s Ransom by Lia Black

Rating:   4.25 stars out of 5

A King's Ransome cover

Kaidos Vailinn is a Wander-born thief trying hard to overcome an unfortunate past when he’s approached by a gentleman offering him a large sum of money to recover a kidnapped prostitute for return to the King of a distant kingdom. Kaidos is surprised when he undertakes the mission and discovers upon trying to bed Veyl that not only is the prostitute in question the highest paid companion in the brothel, but also very much male.

Thus begins a journey of epic fantasy proportions. A King’s Ransom is a longish book separated into two parts. Part One was awesome—I adored it. Veyl and Kaidos are sexy, quirky well-developed characters that captivated me and had me thoroughly invested almost immediately. I was absolutely riveted watching them fall in love on their journey across the kingdom to an unknown end. As their pasts are revealed in all its delicious angst, they had me enthralled. Then about midway through came part two and everything changed.

At that point, the book shifted from a tightly focused love story to a sprawling Lord of the Rings style epic set within a complex world of elves, werecreatures, mages and demons in a kingdom of political intrigue. The storyline complexity bumped up to encompassed three m/m love stories, and to facilitate that there are several new POV characters introduced. None of them were bad, in fact, all were interesting and well-drawn. But I’d become so completely invested in Veyl and Kaidos, that this shift threw me.

The entire book is well-written with compelling characters, wonderful storytelling and world-building. Part two just wasn’t the story that I personally craved after having become engrossed in part one. Having the main couple separated for nearly the whole second part of the book had me itching to hurrying through all the other fun stuff going on in order to get back to the relationship of Veyl and Kaidos again. In the end, the brief time on-page after they were reunited left me wanting just a bit more.

Veyl and Kaidos are an awesome couple. I enjoyed them so much that my only niggle with this book centers around my annoyance at having them share the spotlight with any other couples no matter how interesting and fun they were.

Cover Artist: Cinchbug. I appreciated the cover more after reading the story than before.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 432 pages
Published February 1st 2014 by Smashwords
original titleA King’s Ransom
ISBN139781311782328
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Spiretown by Lia Black

Rating:   5 stars out of 5

Spiretown coverIn this urban fantasy novel, the human population has been split into two factions after the Mage wars, plainbloods born with no magical abilities and mages born ‘tainted’ with magic. Mages are considered dangerous and separated from the rest of humanity into compounds like Spiretown, a ghetto city within a city that serves as a prison. Templar Commander Collin Anderfels has a duty to contain the mages and protect plainbloods. When a group of power-crazy mages target Logan Gray, the powerful self-proclaimed leader of Spiretown, Collin finds himself forced to protect a man that embodies everything Collin loathes.

Spiretown features exceptional world-building, lots of plot twists, and a story that runs the gamut from fun, witty dialogue to delicious angst, from hot and sexy moments to intense action, and from sweet emotion to gory horror.

The characters are well-drawn, complex guys with imperfections and hurtful pasts (oh, how I love the broken boys). Logan and Collin represent the two sides of this separated world. Each have reasons to hate the other, but when fate brings them together, can they come to trust each other in order to survive? Logan, the emotionally damaged, tattooed and pierced mage initially uses his androgyny and flamboyance to taunt and flirt with Collin. Collin is strongly anti-Mage due to both personal events from his past and his sworn duty as a Templar. Both characters must change in order to stay alive. As a side note, I enjoyed how Collin’s repressed dominant tendencies were just waiting to come out when Logan opened that door. Very tasty.

There’s also a strong and relatable female character in Collin’s mother, Penny. I mention this mainly as its not often in M/M that I encounter female characters that aren’t props, stereotypes or bad exs, but rather a real character that participates in moving the story forward in a positive way.

I consider Spiretown a picture perfect M/M urban fantasy of forbidden love between two guys from opposite sides of the track in more ways that one. Put this one on your must read list right now. It’s awesome.

Cover Artist: Author
Love this cover. Eerie city spires darkly silhouetted against the blaze of setting sun. What could be creepier than facing encroaching darkness alone in such a scary, godforsaken place?

Sales Link:    Amazon US       Amazon UK         Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published August 28th 2014 by Lia Black/ VineDark
(first published December 2nd 2012)
ISBN139781310068072
edition languageEnglish

A Stella Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate (Being(s) in Love #3) by R. Cooper

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

A Beginner's Guide to Wooing Your Mate coverZeki Janowitz has returned to his hometown of Wolf’s Paw to start his wizarding career. Unfortunately, Wolf’s Paw, a werewolf refuge, follows centuries of tradition and shuns human magic and a very human Zeki. He knows he’s in for a struggle, but a part of him has always belonged in the mountain town, or rather belonged to Theo Greenleaf. Years away at school haven’t lessened Zeki’s crush on the quiet werewolf. When town gossip informs him Theo still suffers from his mate’s rejection and does not date, it does little to ease Zeki’s embarrassing feelings. He decides now’s the time to get the man he’s always wanted.

Werewolves usually don’t recover from losing their mates, and Theo barely pulled through by focusing on his love of baking. It’s a daily struggle, and Zeki’s return to Wolf’s Paw shatters his peace. Theo doesn’t know what to think when Zeki attempts to woo him, talking about his wizarding business and settling in town for good. It’s like Zeki doesn’t have a clue how his words years before left Theo a shell of a werewolf.

Beginners in love, Theo and Zeki must seduce each other with a bit of heavenly baking and magic.

A Beginner’s Guide To Wooing Your Mate by R Cooper is almost a second chance at love story, almost cause they weren’t exactly together the first time. After five years apart it’s finally time for our MCs to have their happy ending.

In a world where humans, werewolves and other beings live together, Zeki is a shy, young human wizard. He just got back to Wolf’s Paw after being away to study. He returns to live with his dad while trying to get a job. Theo is a fireman werewolf and Zeki’s high school crush. After having been rejected from his mate, he is surviving as best as he can. Finding out his mate he’s back in town, will shake Theo badly. It seems both Zeki and Theo are determined to have some happiness, but who is going to woo whom?

The book left me thinking a lot. I was afraid to have missed something, at the end I understood it was just disappointment. I read a couple of other books by R. Cooper and really enjoyed them. This one wasn’t a winner to me. It left me confused and hungry for more of Zeki and Theo together.

I don’t know how to explain it well, but I found the author’s writing style different. It was still endearing, but a little harder to read, sometimes with too long sentences. I had a hard time getting used to it. Moreover she chose to focus the writing more on the werewolves world and its rules, than show us Theo and Zeki together. She explained really well the world we were going to read about, I knew every little detail but I missed the chemistry between the MCs, because during the book they met and spoke directly a very few times. In fact if you like a slow burn story this is your book, cause really, nothing happens between them until two-thirds in.

At the same time what I loved in this book is the fact that I was able to feel the characters, feel their emotions. The author made an amazing work at showing to us what they are thinking, what’s bothering them, everything that came from within their minds and hearts.

Also there were some funny scenes, Zeki’s attack of verbal diarrhea were hilarious and I often found myself take a breath for him. While Theo didn’t speak through all the book, only at the end. Perfect for each other.

I loved the title, as soon as I saw it I wanted it. The point is, in my opinion, it’s misleading, it doesn’t fit the story. I was so curious about how to wooing your mate, but they actually courting didn’t happen or better, it happened but it wasn’t showed to us. Even the dates are showed to us as Theo remember them briefly.

So to me A Beginner’s Guide To Wooing Your Mate wasn’t what I was expecting from R. Cooper, nonetheless a good story, I just would have preferred it was delivered in a better way.

Cover art by Paul Richmond. A fabulous cover, like all the other works by Paul!

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

Book Details:

Published March 13th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ebook, 200 pages
ISBN13 9781632168207
Edition language English
Being(s) in Love series
Some Kind Of Magic #1
A Boy And His Dragon #2
A Beginner’s Guide To Wooing Your Mate #3

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It’s April, Ty and Zane’s Last Mission is Over, and this Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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On Friday, we hosted the last day of  Abigail Roux’s Ty and Zane Farewell tour.  From the comments left, it’s clear these two have made quite an impact on the readers that have followed them all these years, including me.  The winners of  Abigail Roux’s contest (what a great  prize….Ty’s Go Bags) will be announced on Monday.  That may sound the last ringing of the official bell, but this week Mika and I will share our reviews and thoughts, not only on Crash & Burn, but the series as a whole.  Please feel free to chime in with your favorite books, greatest lines and best scenes.  Let’s all wallow one last time!

Another announcement.  The winner of all 4 first book of the Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States series was Helen J.   Congratulations to Helen.  This is  going to be some scary, white knuckle series and I can’t wait for Round 2!

What’s else is happening this week? Our highlights  include Barbara Elsborg (Falling) and Keira Andrews (A Way Home,Gay Amish Romance  trilogy finale) who are here this week for author interviews and giveaways of books from their libraries.  Both have new releases that the reviewers at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words think are just amazing.  The reviews for Falling by Barbara Elsborg and A Way Home by Keira Andrews, both by Sammy, one of which has already run and the other will be posted this week.   So if you would like a little insight into their characters, books and series as well as have a chance to win some wonderful stories, make sure to mark it on your calendar!  BJ is reading and reviewing 3 of Lia Black’s books, an author who is new to me and maybe to you as well. She is now on my TBR list.  I think she will be on yours after the reviews.  And Mika and I have dueling/double dipping/agree to disagree reviews of Ever The Same by BA Tortuga on Thursday.  And the week isn’t even over!

Finally two last things.  Aurora‘s YA Saturday is back,  with her reviews of Michael J. Bowler’s series.  And on Friday, we are hosting a tour for Alex Beecroft’s Blue Eyed Stranger (Trowchester #2), a 5 star read from a 5 star series.  It’s a must have, must read on all fronts.  I love this series and can’t wait for the next story to appear!  Please check it out.  Barb and Stella each have reviews this week and Paul will be back with us  next week with more of his love for the paranormal and things that go bump in the night. Stay tuned.

Now for this 

Week’s Schedule At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, April 5:

  • Goodbye Ty and Zane and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, April 6:

  • Cover reveal for ‘Crossed Hearts’ by K. Vale (contest)
  • A BJ Review: Spiretown by Lia Black
  • A MelanieM Review: Dance Off by Ariel Tachna and Nessa L. Warin
  • A Stella Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate (Being(s) in Love #3) by R. Cooper

Tuesday, April 7:

  • In The Book spotlight: Falling by Barbara Elsborg (author interview and giveaway)
  • A  Sammy Review: Slasherazzi by Daniel A. Kaine
  • A Mika Review: Defined by Deceit by A. E. Via
  • A BJ Review: A King’s Ransom by Lia Black
  • A MelanieM Review: Storming Love: Blizzard Gavin and Morgan by Nicole Dennis

Wednesday, April 8:

  • Keira Andrew’s A Way Home spotlight (author interview and giveaway)
  • A Sammy Review: A Way Home (Gay Amish Romance #3) by Keira Andrews
  • A Mika Review: Crash & Burn (Cut & Run Series Finale) by Abigail Roux
  • A MelanieM Review: Cut & Run Series Review and Book Finale by Abigail Roux
  • A BJ Review: Where Willows Won’t Grow by Lia Black

Thursday, April 9:

  • Finding Their Own Way by Chris Owens and Tory Temple Tour and Contest
  • In the Spotlight: Annabelle Jacob’s The Altered (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Room 1024 by Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae
  • Double Dipping Review:  A Mika Review:  Ever The Same by BA Tortuga
  • Double Dipping Review: A Melanie Review: Ever The Same by BA Tortuga

Friday, April 10:

  • A Supernatural Blast: My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange (contest)
  • Mimsy Hale’s 100 Days Book Tour and Contest
  • In the Spotlight:  Blue Eyed Stranger by Alex Beecroft
  • A MelanieM Review:  The Line by Angel Martinez
  • A Mika Review: More Than Anything by T. T. Kove

YA Saturday, April 11:

  • An Aurora YA Review: Running Through a Dark Place (Children of the Knight #2) by Michael J. Bowler

 

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