New Release Blitz for Distant Cousins by Eric Huffbind (excerpt and giveaway)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Distant Cousins

Author: Eric Huffbind

Cover Artist: Eric Huffbind

Genre/s: Contemporary Gay Male Romance

Release Date: September 28, 2018

Heat Rating: 4 flames

This book is intended for mature audiences

Length: 64,000 words / No cliff hanger / HEA

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Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

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Amazon US

Amazon UK

Blurb

Even the worst mistakes can be forgiven

Konner was looking forward to learning more about his family heritage. What he found was his entire life was a lie.

Konner O’Flattery, a passionate amateur genealogist, has finally gotten back the results of the DNA test he took. He’s been waiting months to uncover what mysteries his DNA has locked inside. But his results aren’t anything like he expected, and he unearths a secret buried since birth. His heart becomes shattered leaving no room for forgiveness. Now, Konner feels compelled to go on a journey to find the truth of who and what he truly is.

Through the miracles of modern technology, Konner meets his distant cousin, Aaron Kirschenbaum. Turns out, he knows exactly who Aaron is, yet they’ve never met. Aaron makes the girls and boys alike swoon from his stunning good looks and velvety voice. Unfortunately, he’s picked up a bad habit of abusing his status for his own personal gain, but nonetheless, is a man with a heart of pure gold.

Konner’s story pulls on the strings of Aaron’s heart. So, he offers to help Konner, in any way he possibly can. Aaron finds Konner to be incredibly attractive, so the two men are swept up into an intense romance filled with sensuous heat and passion.

Distant Cousins is Eric Huffbind’s second published novel, a Contemporary Gay Male Romance. Take a journey with Konner as he finds heartbreak, intrigue, love, passion, and the importance of forgiveness. If you want to rekindle the euphoric high of falling in love, Distant Cousins is the book for you.

Excerpt

Aaron was walking, while an airline employee was pushing Konner in the wheelchair, heading towards the arrivals area. Konner noticed a gentleman, dressed in a chauffeur’s attire, holding a sign that read “Kirkman Party.”

Aaron walked towards the man, who was quick to say, “Good Morning, Mr. Kirkman. My name is James and I’ll be driving you and Mr. O’Flattery to the Hyatt Regency. Do you have any checked luggage we need to retrieve before we leave.?”

“Yes, we do, James.” The driver explained to the airline employee he would take over pushing the wheelchair. Konner had the definitive facial expression of, “What the hell is this all about? A chauffeur?”

Aaron was quick to notice his appearance. “Arnie always arranges for a limousine to meet me when I travel.”

“Oh—I see. Aaron, this is so foreign to me. A house in Bel Air was one thing, but flying first class, and a chauffeured limousine. Let me guess, we’re staying in the presidential suite at the hotel.”

Aaron responded, “Uhhhh…” Followed by clearing his throat. “Actually, yes, we are staying in the presidential suite. I would’ve thought you would like it. You don’t?”

“I wouldn’t say I don’t like it,” Konner answered “I feel like a country bumpkin next to you. I’ve never had your kind of money. And I’m not used to being taken care of, like you are. I’ve always made my own way in the world.”

“Can’t I make life nicer for you? It’s important to me.”

“You mean living the high life is important to you?” asked Konner.

“No. It’s not that. It’s important to me that you live a nice life.” Aaron said. “Let’s talk about it after we get in the limo. Okay?” Konner nodded in agreement.

Within five minutes, they were waiting at the baggage carousel. Aaron pointed their bags out, and the driver obtained the luggage to carry. Aaron offered to push Konner’s wheelchair the rest of the way. Once they were outside, a black stretch limousine was waiting at the curb. The driver placed their luggage in the trunk and then opened the passenger door for the boys. Aaron helped Konner to his feet and into the back seat of the car. The chauffeur closed the door for them and drove them straight away to their hotel.

The back seats were in the form of wrap-around couches. The smell of leather and alcohol floated in the air. As Konner sunk into the smooth feel of the black leather, he noticed a sunroof above them. “Am I too plain for you?” Konner asked.

Aaron felt as if it caught him off guard. “Absolutely not! Why would you think that?”

“Because, you said it was important to you I live a nice life. The high life as I call it. My feelings are a little hurt, you made me feel inadequate. Like I wasn’t rich enough, or fancy enough to meet your high standards.”

“Oh, my God! Sweetheart, nothing could be further from the truth. It has to do with the question you wanted answered when I said you need to ask your parents. It’s all tied together.”

“I see. So, I still need to talk to my parents for the solution.” Aaron gave a yes nod. “It has to be the something that badly hurt you. It’s become obvious your parents must’ve been the offenders.” Another yes nod from Aaron. “Then you don’t look down on me for living a plain-Jane life?”

“No! Not at all! I may live a fancy life, but I swear to you…” Aaron took an audible breath and sighed. “I may be an asshole who’s gone around seducing men, but I’m not a snob. I still want to make your life better, but not for the reason you think. I promise.” Aaron reached for Konner’s face to caress, always enjoying the feel of his facial hair, and gave him a kiss.

“I’d better give Anna a call. Let her know we’re here.” Konner pulled his cell phone from his carry-on bag and dialed her number. “Hi, Anna, it’s Konner. Aaron and I have arrived. We’re staying at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento; that’s where we’re driving to right now… We’d love to have lunch with you and your husband tomorrow…”

About the Author

Eric Huffbind is a man of many talents. Over the course of his lifetime, he’s been a licensed registered nurse, a travel agent, an Uber driver,  a hopeless romantic, and is the eternal social butterfly. Among his passionate interests are history, genealogy, romance, and travel.

The story of Distant Cousins was heavily inspired from his passion for family history; a hobby he has pursued for more than thirty years. Although his novels focus on the romantic relationship of two gay men, regardless of your sexual orientation, his stories are meant to rekindle the spirit and euphoria of falling in love. If Mr. Huffbind’s story moves you through an array of emotions, and it touches your romantic spirit, please share the book with a friend. Mr. Huffbind is a lifelong resident of Southwest Ohio; born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently residing in West Chester, Ohio with his husband Paul and their Pomeranian, Linus.

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An Alisa Release Day Review: Love You So Special by Tara Lain

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Can a man’s secret yearnings be revealed in a tank full of fish?

Artie Haynes knows he’s nothing special, with just-your-regular-brown hair, a solid plumber’s job, not much education, and a family that can barely get off the couch. But Artie has quirks—like his love of tropical fish, a landlord who’s a professor of existentialism, a passion for the amazing piano music he hears at a concert hall while he’s fixing the bathrooms—and the fact that he’s never come out as gay and probably never will. But when he’s hired to build a guesthouse for the pianist whose music enchanted him, Artie is swept up into an unimaginable world.

Francois Desmarais may be famous, rich, and revered as one of the world’s great classical composers and pianists, but he’s soothed and challenged by the inquisitive, stalwart, protective man in his back yard. When Francois’s terrible fear of crowds turns into a dangerous plot, Artie can stay in the closet or prove just how special he is.

This was such a nice story, it’s only loosely connected to the last books but it allows those who haven’t read them to jump right in.  Artie appreciates many things but doesn’t really allow others to see the real him and even allows himself to be pushed down by others expectations.  Francois has been sheltered from many things but hasn’t really had anyone in his corner no matter what until he walks in to his new house and meets Artie.

Both of these characters were great and for many different reasons.  I felt bad for Artie that he thought he needed to hide himself from those around him but was relieved when he wasn’t really hurt when he finally did come out.  Francois felt safe with Artie which gave him some freedom from his fears that kept him back but he also supports Artie to be himself and vows to show him how great he really is.  My only hang up is Francois’s mom, she was an ice queen at the beginning and had a sudden change of heart after Francois is put in danger and Artie helped rescue him; I just can’t see such a sudden change in anyone.

The cover art by Reese Dante is great and I love how it follows the style from the previous books.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 141 pages

Published: September 28, 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-961-1

Edition Language: English

Series: A Love You So Story

New Release Blog Tour for Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2) by Anna Zabo

Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2) by Anna Zabo

Carina Press
Published September 24, 2018

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Anna Zabo’s tour for Counterpoint, the second story in the Twisted Wishes series.  Check it out below…

 

 

 

Book Synopsis: Twisted Wishes lead guitarist Dominic “Domino” Bradley is an animal onstage. But behind his tight leather pants and skull-crusher boots lies a different man entirely, one who needs his stage persona not only to perform, but to have the anonymity he craves. A self-imposed exile makes it impossible to get close to anyone outside the band, so he’s forced to get his sexual fix through a few hot nights with a stranger.

When computer programmer Adrian Doran meets Dominic, he’s drawn to the other man’s quiet voice and shy smile. But after a few dirty, demanding nights exploring Dominic’s need to be dominated, Adrian wants more than a casual distraction. He has no idea he’s fallen for Domino Grinder—the outlandish, larger-than-life rock god.

Dominic is reluctant to trust Adrian with his true identity. But when the truth is revealed prematurely, Dominic is forced to reevaluate both his need for Adrian and everything he believes about himself.

Pre-order/Buy Links: Carina / Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Google Play / Kobo / universal link

 

Quirks and Warnings: Contains D/s and bondage. Also discusses anxiety and depicts a panic attack.

Tropes and Themes: Secret identity. Geeks in love. hurt/comfort. Finding yourself behind the mask you wear for others.

Excerpt #1:

When Dominic had suggested going to the Met this weekend, Adrian’d been a little disappointed, since he wanted more than just looking at art. He’d wanted a glimpse behind some of those walls Dominic threw up.

Then Dominic had said the magic words: “There’s a tour today where they’re bringing out some of the stringed instruments for a demo, including a seventeenth century guitar.” His eyes had shone with excitement and delight. “I’ve heard recordings—there’s even stuff on the website—but to experience that in person?”

Adrian recognized the shiver of delight, and that had cinched it. He could touch Dominic like that—he wanted to know what else did. And this was music-related, something Dominic tended to push away.

As it happened, the galleries that housed the Met’s musical instrument collection had apparently been undergoing some major renovations over the last couple of years and they were finally in the process of being reopened. As part of that, there’d been some special tours, including performances with instruments from their extensive collection.

Normally, this was the type of thing Adrian would have passed up—tours were tourist traps or designed for school groups—but the way Dominic’s face lit up each time he thought of hearing some instrument from a couple hundred years ago played live…

Yes, he’d seen Dominic in the throes of passion, but that didn’t nearly measure up to the intense need in every fiber of Dominic’s frame. The man was a musician, indeed. He might not talk about his career or his band for whatever reason, but this—this Dominic was willing to share, so Adrian followed, and gladly.

He also adored the feel of Dominic’s hand in his and how utterly unashamed Dominic was to hold his. For someone who could be so shy at times, Dominic was utterly free about expressing his sexuality. Though sometimes, when he looked at Adrian, there was still that haunting sadness or worry. Less and less, though.

They were dating.

And Adrian was grateful for that. He’d rather have Dominic’s smiles and sexy little glances, and not have to worry about whether this was a very long casual thing. Plus, he wanted more, too. More throaty cries, more cuffs and rope, more lazy talks after sex, more of Dominic paging through books and snuggling next to him to read poetry.

As they walked through the Met’s Great Hall, Adrian had that quickening of breath he got whenever he visited a museum. This one topped his list. The Met had art and history—and he was here holding the hand of Dominic Bradley, with his flushed cheeks and a smile Adrian wanted to kiss forever.

This moment, right here, was giddy and full. The seed of deep love. Tantalizing. But calm and sweet. It took everything Adrian had not to get his hopes up yet.

They’d seen each other every weekend since that first one, and a few weeknights, too. More and more, Adrian learned about Dominic, and his childhood in New Jersey. He’d gotten a degree in history with a minor in music from Montclair State University, which explained his familiarity with New York City.

In return, Adrian shared pieces of his own life, beyond the tangled mess of his return to New York. Pieces of his childhood in Brooklyn. His parents’ reaction to his interest in more than just women. His running with his neighborhood crew until college in Buffalo. How hard it’d been to move to a place where he’d needed to learn to drive and own a car. And hadn’t that blown Dominic’s mind, that Adrian hadn’t bothered to get his license until well after he turned eighteen.

Being at the university had also been less diverse in many ways.

 

About the Author

 

Anna Zabo (they/them) writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which isn’t nearly as boring as most people think.

Anna is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns and prefers Mx. Zabo as an honorific.

Anna grew up in the wilds of suburban Philadelphia before returning to their ancestral homelands in Western Pennsylvania. As a child they were heartily disappointed to discover that they couldn’t grow up to be what they wanted (a boy, a cat, a dragon), so they settled on being themself whenever possible, which may be a combination of a boy, a cat, and a dragon. Or perhaps a girl, a knight, and a writer. Depends on whom you ask. They do have a penchant for colorful ties and may be hording a small collection of cufflinks. They can be easily plied with coffee.

Anna has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where they fell in with a roving band of romance writers and never looked back. They also have a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. (less)

CJ Baty’s Starting Over (The Knights Club #1) New Release Tour and Giveaway

 

Buy Links:  Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Cover Design: Kelly Abell @ Select-O-Grafix
 
Length: 25,000 words approx.
 
Blurb
 

Xavier Knight was starting his life over. A new city. A new club. The past was gone, and he had everything to look forward to… except… love. That ship had sailed, never to return. He was too old to play the games or stack up the one night stands. Until, an old enemy’s son walked into his club and his heart.


Sebastian Brady was through. Through with hiding who he was. Through letting his brother officers dictate his life. And completely through, with his family telling him who he was. He turned his back on his badge and his family’s heritage in the Atlanta police force. But, he never imagined that he’d be serving drinks in a gay bar and working for the hottest silver fox he had ever seen in his life.


Xavier and Seb have a lot to learn from each other. Hopefully, their growing love will survive Xavier’s past, Seb’s family, and a host of characters with secrets of their own, who all work at the Knights Club.

The Knights Club Series

Bk. 1 Starting Over September 18, 2018

Bk. 2 Letting Go October 2018

Bk. 3 Coming Out November 2018

Bk. 4 Learning Trust December 2018

Bk. 5 Deserving Forgiveness January 2019

Story Background

The Knights Club (formerly the Gentleman’s Club) first appeared in the Warfield Hotel Mysteries Series. It was owned by Stony Whitecastle and is located in Atlanta, GA. At the beginning of the Knights Club/Starting Over, Stony is selling the club to Xavier Knight. He renames the club the Knights Club and instead of a private club opens it the public. Some patrons still hold membership though.

This series involves Xavier and his crew of employees and their involvement with a local police family. We meet Sebastian Brady in Starting Over along with his dysfunctional family. Seb’s struggle with his homophobic oldest brother and the shadow of his dead father, Detective Delmonico Brady, haunts Seb as he tries to make a new life for himself.

Occasionally, a character from the Warfield Hotel series will pop up but they are not central to the story line. Everyone who works at the Knights Club has a past and secret they are running from. They are mixed bag of people who have been suffered many things. The Knights Club is their home and the people who work there are their families. But, even families don’t like each other all the time…


 

C. J. Baty lives in southwest Ohio. Her heart, however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.



The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to fan fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.


She has a loving and supportive family who don’t mind fixing their own meals when she is in the middle of a story, and a network of friends who have encouraged and cheered her on in her quest of being an author.


One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is: “You are never too old to follow your dream!”


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Release Blitz and Giveaway – A Taste Of Agapi by Chris Ethan

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 50,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Tiferet Design
 
Blurb
 

Jimmy has a secret.


But when he meets Ren, he can no longer hide it.


Ren is an adventurous comic-book nerd.
He transfers to Thessaloniki, Greece in an attempt to find his place in the world.
What he gets is more than just an escape from his academic family.


Jimmy is a hard working man.
After losing his mother, he has put his heart and soul into finishing his studies and helping his dad through his financial difficulties.
When he is introduced to Ren, Jimmy initiates him into the coffee-and-chill culture of his Greek city.


But something awakens in both of them.


Something neither can tame.


Can the two boys be more than just friends?


And what is that feeling called? That feeling they can’t seem to shake off?

 
Author Bio


Chris Ethan is a book whore. He enjoys selling his feelings for money and other pleasures and is blatantly unashamed to do so for as long as he breathes. Chris Ethan is also a persona for Rhys Ethan, author of fantasy and sci-fi. He uses Chris Ethan to share stories of adult queer romance with those who need it. Before you delve into his books however, be warned. He likes putting his characters through shitstorms and hates anything conventional. But then there’s that darned happy-ever-after. Also, he likes swearing. Deal with it!


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A Stella Review: Of Dreams and Ceremonies (Butterfly Hunter #2) by Julie Bozza

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

It seemed like a great idea at the time… Aussie Dave Taylor has followed Nicholas Goring to England, and the lovers have become engaged. But now Dave has to cope with living in a mansion full of family and servants, making wedding plans, getting his head around visa applications, and wondering why on earth he’d ever want to wear a ‘mourning suit’. He’s not sure if it will prove any easier, but right now Dave would love to just skip ahead to the honeymoon…

The Butterfly Hunter series by Julie Bozza continues with Of Dreams and Cerimonies, where I found Dave and Nicholas finally ready to spend their life together. After a simple marriage in Egland with their close families, which was exactly what I wish for myself and so I was swooning the whole time. After a lovely and cozy honeymoon with some mystery to solve (sold for some paranormal event). Finally they were back in Australia to start living the love they shared.

This second installment in the series was another beautiful journey into these young men love story. As it happened with the first one, I was sucked into the reading and enjoyed the lyrical and magical atmosphere that seemed to follow the couple wherever they were. The love they shared was always so delicate and pure it was inevitable for me to cheer on them and hope for a beautiful HEA. They were special together, how each one understood the other, fulfilled the other’s desires, they were simple perfect and so sweet and hot at the same time.

I can’t wait to see where the author will bring Dave and Nicholas in the last book.

The cover art by Gayna Murphy of Mubu Design is lovely, I like the colours and the style a lot.

SALE LINKS  Amazon | https://books2read.com/u/boZdWp

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, second

Published September 15th 2018 by LIBRAtiger (first published November 1st 2013)

ASIN B07GW44XH8

Edition Language English

Butterfly Hunter series #2

A Free Dreamer Review: Witchbane by Morgan Brice

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Seth Tanner and his brother Jesse’s fun evening debunking local urban legends ends with Jesse’s gruesome murder. Seth vows revenge on Jesse’s killer – too bad the murderer has been dead for a hundred years. Seth uncovers a cycle of ritual killings that feed the power of a dark warlock’s immortal witch-disciples, and he’s hell bent on stopping Jackson Malone from becoming the next victim. He’s used to risking his neck. He never intended to risk his heart.

The blurb of “Witchbane” reminded me a bit of “Supernatural” and I had rather high hopes.

The idea behind the story has potential. I like urban legends, ghosts, witches and other supernatural elements like that. So I did definitely enjoy the plot itself. There was the occasional moment that made me break out in goosebumps.

The sex scenes were plentiful and hot. I liked that the author made a versatile couple, even if there wasn’t much variety otherwise.

I did figure out the bad guy’s identity pretty soon, there wasn’t all that much suspense for me on that front and I actually found it a bit hard to believe that the two MCs didn’t realize it much sooner.

What didn’t quite convince me was the romance part. Our MCs fell for each other pretty fast and pretty hard. Not quite insta-love and I can see how extreme situations can make awaken extreme feelings. Still, I found it a bit baffling that the of them were just about ready to spend the rest of eternity with each other after only four days.

There’s a backstory of an abusive stalker ex that didn’t get enough screen time in my opinion. It comes up every now and then, when it’s convenient for the plot, but it just didn’t feel fully resolved.

Toward the end, Jackson got on my nerves. He had reason to mistrust Seth’s motives but he was blinded by it and turned into a bit of a “too stupid to live” character, which made me really mad. There’s a bunch of relationship drama as well caused by it, which never gets properly resolved.

Another thing that really bothered me was the somewhat sloppy editing. There were quite a few spelling mistakes that drove me to distraction. Like the final sex scene, where we get a “wonton” invitation. Instead of getting all hot and bothered, I broke out into hysterical giggles. Way to destroy the mood!

Overall, “Witchbane” was an alright book. It had its ups and downs but overall it was enjoyable. I’ll read the next short story but I’m not sure yet if I’ll continue with the series after that.

I quite like the cover. It’s nice and spooky.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book details:

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 275 pages

Published February 19th 2018 by Darkwind Press

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Band Sinister by KJ Charles

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Apparently Georgette Heyer’s work was the author’s inspiration for this book. So, first and foremost, I am embarrassed to say I had no idea who Georgette Heyer was. Agatha Christie? Yes. Georgette Heyer? Nope. So, though some reviewers may cite how wonderful the connection is, this one is clueless.

Was this typical KJ Charles? No. Not at all—nary a body to be found. But lots of loving, a band of gregarious rakes who call themselves the Murder, a sweet, innocent, virginal man with a mischief-making sister who breaks her leg and lands among the rakes—this one has so much more. A body simply wasn’t needed.

Sir Philip Rookwood inherited his estate when his older brother died suddenly after running off with the wife of the Frisby family who lived nearby. The problem to most who knew the Rookwoods is that Philip is the black sheep of the family—the illegitimate son who runs with a crowd of young men, many of whom are outrageous in their personality and their dress.  Philip is no doubt thought of as the same since he calls his group “the Murder.”  We find out this is deliberate since his friend Corvin’s name means crow, and between Philip’s “rook” and their friend John Raven, they form a murder of crows.  These three have been together since their boarding school years when all Philip had were his best friends and Corvin’s family who welcomed him as one of their own.

Guy Frisby and his sister, Amanda, have continued to live in the village for years after their mother brought scandal to them simply because their father gambled away their funds before he died. Their mother’s aunt gave them enough money to stay quietly in the country away from society where their soiled reputation won’t affect her daughters’ chances of making a good match.

Amanda reveals to Guy that she’s authored a scandalous book, Darkdown, featuring Sir Peter Falconwood and his dastardly friends. She admits she based it on rumors about Sir Philip and the men with him, and Guy is mortified. Then when Amanda’s horse throws her on Sir Philip’s land and she has to recuperate at his mansion, Guy vows he won’t leave her side so her reputation remains safe, or as safe as it can be given their history. Once there he meets Philip and his friends and realizes just how much trouble he’s in when he can’t take his eyes from the notorious rake.

As the days go on, Guy learns there’s more about Philip than anyone knows.  Aside from being serious about cultivating sugar from beetroot to help his tenant farmers, he’s caring, kind, sweet, and dangerous for Guy’s cravings for men. He’s never acted on his feelings, but his resistance is nil where Philip is concerned and the attraction is mutual. Being thrown together away from the eyes of the rumor mill gives them the opportunity to know each other in carnal ways and the author takes us to a time of innocence and surrender with a light-hearted twist to the romance. One of my favorite scenes is when Guy has his first fellatio experience and realizes the fluid is similar to oysters and he definitely doesn’t like oysters.

While Guy and Philip are occupied, Amanda is still healing from her broken leg and she and her doctor, another of Philip’s friends, are becoming closer. She’s also revealed that she authored Darkdown, the scandalous novel which delights Philip’s friends, especially Corvin, who sees himself in a promiscuous character and spreads the word to his London friends that this is a book that must be read. Things progress nicely until the bubble bursts and Guy and Amanda’s aunt and uncle arrive to lay down the law and break up the events at the mansion. 

A must read, this is KJ Charles’s lightest romance to date and she’s captured the sweet innocence of Guy Frisby perfectly. She’s also built intriguing character sketches of Philip’s other friends so I certainly hope we get to see them in their own books in the future.  Very highly recommended and not to be missed. 

Cover art is charming and works perfectly for this novel.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 224 pages
Expected publication: October 11th 2018 by KJC Books
ISBN139781912688029
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Lila Audio Review: His Leading Man by Ashlyn Kane and Kenneth Obi (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Drew Beaumont is bored of the same old roles: action hero, supervillain, romantic lead. He’s not going to let a fresh gay buddy comedy languish just because they can’t find him the right costar. No, Drew bats his eyelashes and convinces everyone that the movie’s writer should play Drew’s not-so-straight man.

Aspiring writer Steve Sopol has never had a screenplay optioned. Now one of Hollywood’s hottest properties wants to be in a movie Steve hasn’t finished writing—and he wants Steve as his costar. Turns out the chemistry between them is undeniable—on and offscreen.

Drew swore off dating in the biz, but Steve is the whole package: sharp, funny, humble, and cute. For Steve, though, giving in to the movie magic means the end of the privacy he cherishes. Will the credits roll before their ride into the sunset?

His Leading Man is all about indie films and production. A behind the scene, step-by-step path from pre-production to award season. The book does read like the script for an independent movie. It’s one I could see in a Fine Art theater or a small company production. And that’s one of the reasons the story didn’t rate higher for me. The technicalities took away from me getting invested in Steve’s and Drew’s love story.

They did have an interesting chemistry and their personalities gelled well. I like the sass between them and how they worked together to further develop the script. I love the dog, Drew’s over the top personality, and Steve’s smart wit.

There’s not much drama in the story and everything has a simple solution. The secondary characters, especially Steve’s mom, added that humor to the story that made it unique. It’s an interesting story, different from most Dreamspun titles.

Kenneth Obi brings the story to life and adds to the characters. I’m glad he did the narration.

The cover by Bree Archer is generic to the Dreamspun Desires series. Not really enticing, but good enough for the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Kenneth Obi
Length: 5 hours 22 minutes
Published: August 16, 2018 (Audio Edition) by Dreamspinner Press
ASIN: B07GJSKZMN
Edition Language: English

Xenia Melzer on How to Write a Fight Scene and the release A Dom and His Warrior

A Dom and His Warrior (Club Whisper #3) by Xenia Melzer
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Xenia Metzer today on tour for her new book in the Club  Whisper series, A Dom and His Warrior.  Welcome, Xenia.

♦︎

 

 

How to write a fight scene

When I chose to make Leeland an MMA fighter, I had many reasons to do so and none of them was any eagerness on my part to write a fight scene. I’m not good at writing fight scenes. They never turn out like the ones in my head, which are perfectly choreographed things of beauty that could put Mission Impossible or Charlie’s Angels to shame. Sometimes I feel like a child who has this great picture of a happy family in front of a house complete with sunshine and trees in the garden in mind and when I’m done painting, it’s a bunch of stick-people with a vaguely sphere-shaped ball in bright yellow and elongated brown smears with green blotches on top.

When I wrote A Dom and His Warrior I realized I had to somehow connect the picture in my mind with the painting/words on the laptop, which was a process, to put it mildly. First I had to learn the right words, because ‚and then he punched him in the face‘ gets old pretty quickly. Luckily for me, the internet is this huge space where you can find the answers to almost every question. At https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/what-s-that-move-called-a-glossary-of-mma-terms I found a treasure chest of terms to describe a fight. And after several highly instructional hours on YouTube I also knew what those moves looked like when executed by pros.

A little warning, if you are squeamish, MMA is not for you, since there is blood. And heavy punches. And kicks. And almost naked men with muscles in places you never thought possible.

In my mind, Leeland is a very elegant man whose fighting style is gracious. In MMA – as the name suggests – different kinds of fighting, like martial arts (all kinds), boxing, and wrestling are combined. Fighters usually come from a certain direction, like boxing, or taek won do and adapt movements from other styles. This diversity is what makes the fights interesting and what helped me to write fighting scenes that didn’t get boring after the first couple of sentences. Being able to choose from a wide variety certainly helped me to describe the fighting in a gripping way – if I do say so myself. 

In the book, Leeland has fight scenes with men who come from boxing and from kick boxing, while he himself has a background of karate and jiu jitsu. I did my very best to show how these sports influence the fighters and the fight itself and how highly adaptive an MMA fighter has to be.

Lastly there’s the way the winner of a fight is determined in an official UFC fight. If there is no knock out (one of the fighters gets down without getting up again) or tap out (one of the fighters taps the mat, usually when they’re in a submission hold, to show he gives up), there’s a rather complicated system in place with points deduced at each round for fouls or timid fighting. This system leaves room for lively discussions and some of Leeland’s best friends indulge happily in them.

Writing the fight scenes for A Dom and His Warrior was a challenge for me, one I took on with a certain amount of apprehension, but I think (and hope) it was worth the effort. 

 

About A Dom and His Warrior

Leeland Drake and Jonathan White are a committed BDSM couple and have just moved in together. Leeland has only one year left in college, and everything seems perfect… until Leeland’s uncle asks him to stand in for an injured UFC fighter.

 

Leeland wants to help his uncle, but he remembers all too well from his years competing in martial arts how strenuous life as an athlete can be. He doesn’t want to risk his relationship with Jonathan. After some discussion, they decide Leeland will go pro for a year.

 

As if the training and strict diet weren’t bad enough, the pressure skyrockets when Leeland encounters homophobic fighter Tommy Adams—especially when they end up facing each other in the championship

 

Between the bigoted rants of his opponent, the scrutiny of the media, the pressure from his sponsor, and a fire in his uncle’s gym, Leeland is close to breaking down. Only Jonathan’s support and love keep him focused enough to set foot in the octagon once more—and maybe even walk away a winner.

 

Biography Xenia Melzer

Xenia Melzer was born and raised in a small village in the South of Bavaria. As one of nature’s true chocoholics, she’s always in search of the perfect chocolate experience. So far, she’s had about a dozen truly remarkable ones. Despite having been in close proximity to the mountains all her life, she has never understood why so many people think snow sports are fun. There are neither chocolate nor horses involved and it’s cold by definition, so where’s the sense? She does not like beer either and has never been to the Oktoberfest – no quality chocolate there.

Even though her mind is preoccupied with various stories most of the time, Xenia has managed to get through school and university with surprisingly good grades. Right after school she met her one true love who showed her that reality is capable of producing some truly amazing love stories itself.

While she was having her two children, she started writing down the most persistent stories in her head as a way of relieving mommy-related stress symptoms. As it turned out, the stress-relief has now become a source of the same, albeit a positive one.

When she’s not writing, she translates the stories of other authors into German, enjoys riding and running, spending time with her kids, and dancing with her husband. If you want to contact her, please visit either her website, www.xeniamelzer.com or write her an email: info@xeniamelzer.com .