Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

Anne Barwell on Bidding Adieu to her series and her release Comes a Horseman’, Sequel to Winter Duet (guest post and giveaway)

Comes a Horseman (Echoes Rising #3) by Anne Barwell
DSP Publications
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Available for Purchase at DSP Publications

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Anne Barwell here today talking about the writing the series finale, and her latest release Comes a Horseman (Echoes Rising #3).  Welcome, Anne!

✒︎

 

Bidding Adieu by Anne Barwell

Thanks for hosting me today as part of my blog tour for Comes a Horseman, the 3rd and final book in my WWII Echoes Rising series from DSP Publications.

I have a Rafflecopter running as part of the tour so be sure to enter.  DSP Publications also have the ebooks for Shadowboxing (book 1), and Winter Duet (book 2) on sale from 17th July-August 4th.

Although I started writing this series with a clear overall story in mind, part of me still can’t believe I’ve finished the final book.  I first began writing the early draft of Shadowboxing in 2002, but shelved it when the thought of all the research got a little daunting.  After my first novel with Dreamspinner Press, Cat’s Quill, was published in 2011, I dusted off the manuscript for Shadowboxing and started writing again. This time the research felt more doable, and hoping I might have a home for it, I went back to the beginning, edited it heavily, and finished the story.  I was delighted when Dreamspinner wanted to publish it, and ecstatic when it and Winter Duet, book 2 of my renamed Echoes Rising series, were republished by DSP Publications in 2016. 

Although this story wasn’t my first published book or series, it was the first thing I’d written that I knew was going to be a novel.  That novel quickly became a three book series, when I realised the story I wanted to tell either needed to be split into a series, or would be one very long book.

I’ve grown attached to these characters, as they’ve been a part of my life for nearly twenty years, and although I’m happy I’ve finally finished telling their story, I’m going to miss them. Despite writing in series, Echoes Rising is the first I’ve finished—although I’m working on completing my others in progress too.  The characters—much like myself—have changed and grown over those years, to the point where I had to rethink some of the scenes in this last story.  They might have worked at the beginning of the series, but these men are no longer the same as they were when they started on this adventure.  They’ve endured many hardships, lost people they cared about, but through it all they’ve built friendships which have impacted their lives. I figure that’s quite an achievement considering that—apart from Matt and Ken—none of them knew each other before the pieces moved into place leading into their mission into German in 1943.

I suspect—considering the strong personalities of these men—that although Echoes Rising is finished, that they’ll find another way to sneak into my writing.  I’m gearing up to set up an author newsletter and will be writing free fiction as a part of that, and Liang is making noises about sneaking into a 1950s murder mystery I want to write.  Matt already has a blink and you’ll miss it cameo in an upcoming release, so watch this space.

After all, these guys are spies, and very practised at getting into places they’re not to be.  I’ll miss the 1940s and WWII as well. I’ve learnt a lot more than I ever thought I would, so maybe other characters from that period still have stories they want to share. Only time will tell.

Finally, I want to thank the readers who have enjoyed reading about my characters’ exploits in WWII. I’ve loved being able to share this series with you. 

Blurb

Echoes Rising Book 3, sequel to Winter Duet

France, 1944

Sometimes the most desperate struggles take place far from the battlefield, and what happens in secret can change the course of history.

Victory is close at hand, but freedom remains frustratingly just beyond the grasp of German physicist Dr. Kristopher Lehrer, Resistance fighter Michel, and the remaining members of the team sent by the Allies—Captain Matt Bryant, Sergeant Ken Lowe, and Dr. Zhou Liang—as they fight to keep the atomic plans from the Nazis. The team reaches France and connects with members of Michel’s French Resistance cell in Normandy. Allied troops are poised to liberate France, and rescue is supposedly at hand. However, Kristopher is no longer sure the information he carries in his memory is safe with either side.

When Standartenführer Holm and his men finally catch up with their prey, the team is left with few options as they fight to keep atomic plans from the Nazis. With a traitor in their midst, who can they trust? Kristopher realizes he must become something he is not in order to save the man he loves. Death is biding his time, and sacrifices must be made for any of them to have the futures they want.

Excerpt:

Matt nodded, his lips moving although he did not speak. He was counting, Michel realized, as they pulled away from shore, and using the rhythm of his movement to distract himself from the darkness.

The moon’s light highlighted the waves lapping around the boat—the water seemed to reach toward them before diving back again. Ken and Matt quickly settled into a unified motion, both focused on what they were doing, although Ken glanced at Matt a couple of times.

Frej signaled for Matt and Ken to change direction slightly and rest the oars. They did that for a few moments, letting the boat drift with the current. If Michel squinted, he could see the outline of the bridge in the distance and several shapes moving at either end of it. The guards on duty would hopefully stay focused on the bridge itself and not notice a small rowboat sneaking over the border. The area was well guarded, but as it had been secured for quite some time, they would not be expecting trouble.

On the other side of the boat, Liang quickly turned and leaned over the side. As soon as he started to make a gagging noise he shoved his hand over his mouth to silence it. If his seasickness got any worse, it would be difficult to mask the noise of him vomiting over the side of the boat. He was doing his best to silence his dry heaving, but his hunched posture suggested he felt miserable and unwell.

Frej leaned toward Ken and gestured. Ken nodded, rested the oars again, and then he and Matt changed direction. Matt was still counting under his breath, and he gripped the oar tightly.

“Who’s there?” The shouted question shattered the silence.

Kristopher glanced around, an expression of panic on his face.

Michel put a hand on his arm to calm him but didn’t dare whisper the reassurance he wanted to. He turned around and strained his eyes, trying to find the source of the disruption. Matt and Ken stopped rowing, the boat drifting back the way they’d come, caught by the current.

He heard boots against wood in the distance—the unmistakable sound of men running, probably over the bridge crossing the Rhine south of their position. “No farther or I’ll shoot,” one of them yelled.

Frej got down on the floor of the boat. Michel and Kristopher followed, then Liang. Matt kept hold of his oar, trying to keep it as still as he could. He leaned down into a crouch, as did Ken.

Gunfire sounded from the bridge. A couple of shots in succession before stopping. Michel heard an engine, a vehicle approaching. A door slammed, and then everything went quiet again. Logically he knew the bridge was a good few kilometers away, but Frej was right about noise carrying on the water. If felt too close for comfort.

Frej waited a few minutes. “Row,” he whispered urgently. “While they are distracted.”

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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You can find the list of sites taking part in the blog tour here: https://annebarwell.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/comes-a-horseman-blog-tour

July 25 –  MM Good Book Reviews

July 31 –  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

August 1 – Two Men Are Better Than One

August 1 – Top to Bottom Reviews

August 1 – Genre Talk at The Novel Approach Reviews

August 2 –  Love Bytes Reviews

August 3 –  Andrew Q. Gordon

August 3 –  DSP Publications Blog

August 4 –  Nic Starr

August 4 – Alpha Book Club

August 7 –  My Fiction Nook

August 8 –  Divine Magazine

August 9 – Aisling Mancy

August 10 – Lucy Marker

About the Author

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand.  She shares her home with two cats who are convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date it appears as though the cats may be winning.

In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts other authors, reviews for the GLBTQ Historical Site “Our Story” and Top2Bottom Reviews, and writes monthly blog posts for Authors Speak and Love Bytes.

Anne’s books have received honorable mentions four times and reached the finals three times in the Rainbow Awards.  She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

RIPTIDE TOUR & Giveaway: Heat Wave (Seasons of Love #3) by Elyse Springer

Heat Wave (Seasons of Love #3) by Elyse Springer
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Natasha Snow

Read an Excerpt/Buy It here at Riptide Publishing

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Elyse Springer on her Heat Wave tour.  Welcome, Elyse!

♦︎

 

Summer is here, and what better way to relax by the pool than with a steamy romance! I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that Sara and Laura’s relationship is hotter than Manhattan in July, and I can’t wait to introduce you to these snarky and sexy ladies. I’ll be touring throughout the week to talk about my new release, Heat Wave, and I hope you’ll follow along. Plus, there’s a pretty sweet prize in it if you do!

About Heat Wave

Sara Walker’s life is going nowhere fast: she has a job she enjoys but doesn’t love, friends who are too busy to hang out with her, and no boyfriend in sight. Then a phone call on a lonely Friday night changes everything, and suddenly she’s spending her weekends with Laura. Newly single and openly bisexual, Laura makes Sara think decidedly not-straight thoughts.

Laura Murphy, with her red hair, freckles, and killer curves, is any guy’s wet dream. But Laura’s done with guys for now, and it’s Sara who can’t stop dreaming about her. When Sara finally gives in to the curiosity, Laura blows her mind and pushes her further than she’s ever gone before.

But Laura makes it very clear that this is only a rebound fling, and she’s still planning to move to California. She’s more than happy to tie Sara up, but she’s not ready to be tied down. If Sara wants to keep her, she’s going to have to work hard to convince Laura that New York is worth staying for . . . and so is she.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/heat-wave

About the Seasons of Love Universe

New York is the city that never sleeps: where everything can change in the blink of an eye, and where anything is possible—especially romance. In the bitter cold of winter or the impossible humidity of mid-summer, your own happily ever after might be right around the corner.

The people of New York come from all walks of life, and the relationships are just as diverse. So whether you’re a waiter or an aspiring actor, a banker or a model, falling in love can happen quicker than the seasons change.

Check out Seasons of Love! 

About Elyse Springer

Elyse is an author and world-traveler, whose unique life experiences have helped to shape the stories that she wants to tell. She writes romances with LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, and believes that every person deserves a Happily Ever After. When she’s not staring futilely at her computer screen, El spends her time adding stamps to her passport, catching up on her terrifying TBR list, and learning to be a better adult.

She’s always happy to chat with other readers, and you can find her online at:

● Website: http://elspringer.com

● Twitter: @ElyseSpringer

● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elysespringerwrites

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Heat Wave, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 5, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Alisa Review: Stormy Nights by Jules Jones and Storm Duffy

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

Sex and love, lies and truth, shades in between. Happy endings and might-have-beens. Nine tales of these things between men.

 

This is a nice collection of stories.  Every story was quite different from the others which I always like in a anthology.  While over all I liked this collection of stories they all just didn’t quite hit home with me because they either didn’t feel as if the story was finished or I felt that I was missing something.  These stories are told from one character’s point of view in which we greatly understand what they are feeling or thinking but I didn’t completely connect with the other characters as well.

 

In Gone Fishing Mike is separating himself from the business of his work but finds the lonely beach isn’t quite so empty.  Mike has to put his disbelief aside when he meets Pearl and Malachite.  Both Malachite and Mike decide to explore their curiosity for each other and their physical differences.  Bill bares a lot more for Kevin in Naked but find he enjoys the power play once he gets over his insecurities.  Bill learns more about his partner’s desires but also some more about himself at the same time.  Gavin is trying to get a little more insight into Hugh in One Size Fits All while also trying to indulge in his underwear fetish.  Hugh gives Gavin a firsthand experience in how the leather and buckles works but also give more insight into how he feels for him.

 

Brendan takes a big risk taking on David in Fraudster and gets more than even he bargained for.  While David slowly lowers the walls be built while in prison Brendan also has to open himself up to having another in his life.  In A Sparrow Flies Through two strangers come together for a quick bit of warmth on a cold rainy night.  Jack and Fergal get some wonderful time together in If I Offered Thee a Bargain but it isn’t all they get.  For only seven years they get to experience their love for one another and Jack sees the wonders of Fergal’s home but once Jack returns to his only a day later he is left with only the memories.

 

In Any Port In a Storm Phil gets the chance to get out of his wet clothes at Steve and Julian’s but gets more than he would wish for.  They continue to explore their appetites and the menu for a bit of takeaway.  Guy need a little bit of encouragement from Tristan in Management Practices in order to let go.  But Tristan has to right touch to dominate the other dominating man.  Colin gets even more than his fantasy in Car Wash.  Rod can’t help but admire Colin and his attraction to his vintage cars but is drawn in more during the school holiday while they are alone.

 

Cover art by Natasha Snow is great and works well for this book.

 

Sales Links: NineStar Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages

Published: July 24, 2017 by NineStar Press

ISBN: 978-1-947139-50-3

Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Jordan’s Pryde (Pryde Shifter #1) by Giovanna Reaves

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

All he did was apply for a job and then his world was turned upside down.

Thrust into the world he had no idea about, Jordan Sutton’s only goal was to get a job working for Duncan Pryde of Pryde Industries. He thought werewolves, vampires, and Fey’s belonged in fairy tales, not in the real world. What will he do when he finds out that there’s more than meets the eye to his boss and his family?

Duncan Pryde had too much going on in his life. He became the sole guardian of his twin niece and nephew along with the addition of his pack and company. He had no time to think about a mate when trouble comes to his front door. What happens when the man he hired for one job turns out to be his destined mate? Does he deny what he feels or embrace it?

Jordan’s Pryde (Pryde Shifter #1) by Giovanna Reaves represents three new things for me.  New book, new series and new author.  I picked it up based on the synopsis and the fact that it’s hard for me to pass any shifter story by.  They are pretty much an auto read for me.  Throw in the idea of an Alpha who’s just become the guardian of his young niece and nephew while being in charge of a pack and business empire?  Just seemed too juicy for words.

In fact Reaves takes the story beyond what I had imagined.  Into a universe where there’s murderous hunters, kingdoms to be had, evil plots unfolding and so much more.  I almost wish the author  had left it at the overworked alpha and the adorable employee romance…..almost.   But Reaves started to build something very interesting here with other supernaturals , sanguines aka vampires, along with werewolves, fae along with the human hunters.  As  the author was laying down the foundation for the series and story,  she was also introducing her characters.

Jordan Sutton was an unusual main character, one I alternated between liking and feeling his lack of realistic reactions took me away from connecting with him.  At times I find him charming and others, especially when he’s been smacked in the gut with some unbelievable fact/knowledge, the sort of ‘roll with it’ tendency or lack of shock takes away a layer of depth he’d have  otherwise.  Duncan Pryde is another character I like but sometimes feel that we don’t get enough interaction with him within the storyline.  However, there is a lot going on here as the author scrambled to lay everything she needs for the next books in the series.

I did enjoy the tale, most certainly the children. It has plenty of great ideas and characters.  I love the direction the series and storylines are taking. Several secondary characters found mates with storylines to be resolved in the next book or books to come. Also, a major plot line was left unfinished that may be a series story arc (evil laugh ensues).However, the story suffers also from the need of a red pen and editor.  Things like past and present tenses switched within one sentence (more than once) are noticeable, word choices that are close to what they should be like ‘unmanageable strength instead of unimaginable strength” but even more major, a good editor would have commented on things like Jordan’s lack of appropriate response to shocks to his system and had the author think about what they had written down.  Didn’t happen.

Will I read the next story in the series?  Absolutely.  I want to find out what happened.  And you never know, these other things can be corrected.

Cover art contains a nice element from the series, overall very eye-catching.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 268 pages
Published June 30th 2017
ASINB071JQ1LV8
SeriesPryde Shifter #1

Release Tour for Unscripted Love by Aimee Nicole Walker (excerpt and giveaway)

 

UNSCRIPTED LOVE

Road to Blissville Series, Book 1

AIMEE NICOLE WALKER

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.11.17

UL Cover

 

 PHOTOGRAPHER: Wander Aguiar

COVER ARTIST:  Jay Aheer/Simply Defined Art

UL Full Cover

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2uzVnkV

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2tzosN1

BLURB

Kyle Vaughn had three goals in life: become a vet, find the man of his dreams, and start a family. He easily checked off the first item on the list when he took over his grandfather’s veterinary practice. Too bad he wasn’t as lucky in love.

Chaz Hamilton took a leap of faith when he decided to pursue a career in writing, but one best seller didn’t mean he could quit his day job. All work and no play threatened to make Chaz a very dull man when the only romantic action he saw was in the pages of his manuscript. Too bad he couldn’t write his own happily every after.

Circumstances pushed the two men together, and one magical kiss beneath fireworks and stars changed everything. Kyle knew his luck had finally turned around and Chaz found a man far better than any book boyfriend ever written. There was just one problem. Chaz has kept a secret from Kyle that could ruin their chance at a beautiful life together.

Kyle and Chaz learn that the best-laid plans often go awry, the heart has a mind of its own, and the greatest love is unscripted.

The books in the Road to Blissville series can be read either as standalone books or as part of the series. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for mature adults 18 and older.

UL Teaser 1

UL teaser 2

EXCERPT

Chaz stared unblinkingly into my eyes for several awkward moments when I arrived. Our connection broke when he took a deep breath and shifted his features into a mask of cool professionalism, but not before I saw the hurt in his eyes. Hurt? What the hell did he have to feel hurt about? I was the one who put myself out there, and he ignored me.

If asked, I would tell you that my greatest personality trait was my patience and my laid-back attitude was a close second. I rarely lost my temper, but I felt my blood simmering beneath the surface that day. My heart pounded in my chest as fury rose inside me. I had half a mind to toss him over my shoulder and carry him off so I could kiss a confession out of him. I hadn’t mistaken the desire in his eyes when he looked at me nor had I imagined the sparks that flew between us when our lips first touched. I just needed to find out why Chaz turned cold on me so suddenly.

“Jazz is running a few minutes behind,” Chaz coolly said as if he spoke to someone who hadn’t experienced the pleasure of his tongue in their mouth. “Please help yourself to a beverage and a magazine while you wait in the reception area.”

That little imp was dismissing me, and I wasn’t about to… My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of heavy work boots walking across the polished hardwood floor of the salon. It wasn’t a sound I associated with the classy salon, so I turned to see who was wearing them. My mouth dropped open at the sight of the sexy stud approaching Chaz and me, but I don’t think he even noticed I was alive because he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of Chaz. Was this guy the reason Chaz didn’t answer my calls or return my messages.

My eyes raked over the tall, dark stranger with bulging biceps and perfect pecs straining the fabric of his white T-shirt that was three sizes too small. His tool belt hung low over jeans much too tight to wear while constructing anything but wet dreams.

“Hi Andy,” Chaz said cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

I didn’t care if Andy constructed orphanages in third world countries in his free time; I hated his fucking guts because of the way he looked at Chaz and the way Chaz returned his interest. Andy leaned artfully against the high counter of the reception desk and smiled at Chaz.

“It could’ve been better,” Andy said. “A certain someone could’ve joined me for a drink like I asked.”

Chaz laughed uneasily and darted a glance in my direction to judge my reaction. I thought the soft blush that bloomed across his cheeks was adorable and wished that I was the one who put it there. His eyes widened when they met mine, and he licked his bottom lip nervously. Could he sense how angry I was right then? Was anger even the right emotion? It felt more like… jealousy. I could feel that I wasn’t the only one who had ideas what Chaz could do with his sexy tongue. I turned to face my new nemesis.

“I don’t believe we’ve met yet,” I said to the newcomer. “I’m Dr. Kyle Vaughn.” Even to my own ears, I sounded a bit pretentious, but I couldn’t take it back once the words left my mouth. I extended my hand to him, which he accepted in a vice-like grip.

“Andy Mason,” he told me. “Carpenter.” I could tell he wasn’t impressed by my title and didn’t like the possessive gleam he saw in my eyes. I narrowed my eyes as the beefcake squeezed my hand harder instead of releasing it.

“Guys,” Chaz said, trying to interrupt the standoff between us. We ignored his attempts and continued to stare one another down like two MMA fighters at the press conference before fight night. “Andy.” The flirty way Chaz said Andy’s name penetrated the carpenter’s brain and he jerked his attention back to Chaz.

“Yeah?” He asked, sounding hopeful.

“What’s the real reason you came downstairs?” Chaz asked, his flirty tone replaced with a professional one. “As flattering as it would be, I’m pretty sure you’re a man on a mission.”

“I’m a multitasker,” Andy boasted.

Aimee Logo

I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy

who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees.

I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever-after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.

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A Caryn Review: Cutie and the Beast (Fae Out of Water #1) by EJ Russell

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE fairly tale retellings!  And of course, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites because I am such a sucker for that hurt/comfort trope.  I also think that a fairy tale retelling is a good way to showcase an author’s creativity – being original while still following the basic skeleton of curse and redemption and attraction to the inner beauty is hard to do when it’s been done so often! 

This retelling brings in a lot of Celtic folklore, combining the Irish, Welsh, Scots, and British fae in the Unified Seelie Court, as well as adding the more modern paranormal elements of vampires and shifters, and then throwing in some Druids just for fun, to create the world of the “Supes”.  Dr. Alun Kendrick is the “shrink to the supes” – an exiled Sidhe warrior who is now a psychologist  in Portland, catering to the mental maladies of the supernatural, as well as treating humans who have been accidentally exposed to (and traumatized by) supes.  His is a very specialized, and private, practice and he intends to keep it that way.

David Evans is an earnest and enthusiastic young man who works at a temp agency.  He’s been intermittently going to nursing school which is his passion, but in the meantime is working to support his terminally ill Aunt Cassie.  David tries, he really does, but every job he lands ends up in disaster as things just seem to happen around him – that riot in the dentist’s office?  Totally not his fault.  Besides, he’s done some transcription for Dr. Kendrick, and his voice is so swoon-worthy, he just has to meet the man.  So when the office manager position came open, it only took a little prevaricating to get it, and David just knew that he would do a fabulous job.  It was fate, it was right, and damn it, he was going to make it work.

The first day, however, didn’t go as planned.  Dr. Kendrick’s voice is just as smooth and dulcet as David remembered, but that face? 

He looked like the victim of a failed experiment on the island of Dr. Moreau who’d tried to get the results fixed at a cut-rate back-alley plastic surgeon.

But David is nothing if not determined, and even in that initial hostile meeting he noticed something more, something worth putting up with all of Dr. Kendrick’s glares and attempts to get rid of him in order to break through to the man beneath the ugly.  David’s irrepressible cheerfulness, his sublime coffee, the color he brought into the sad grey office, and his uncanny insight into client’s problems did catch Alun’s attention, but his dancing clinched it.

Stubborn, impudent, maddening, human David, with his wildly colorful office accessories, constant challenges, and the worst dancing Alun had seen in over two millennia.  Goddess strike him blind, but the man was bloody wonderful.

Thus the two men become a unlikely partners drawn into a conspiracy that could destroy the Unified Seelie Court and endanger all supes, in both fae and human worlds.  In the process, they finally solve the mystery of a centuries old murder that led to Alun’s curse, and both men find out there is more to them than they believed.

I loved the entire wild ride, from the dull, lifeless office to the magical, glittering world of Faerie.  I loved the secondary characters, the clients, the druid aunties, and especially Alun’s brothers Mal and Gareth (who will be getting their own books in the future, yay!).  We have an exciting plot, character growth, great dialogue, beautifully described settings, and it was also freakin’ hilarious.  What more can you ask from a book?

I didn’t really have a place to put it in this review, but must include this last quote:

“What about that poser guy?  Jackson.  What’s he?  Demon?  Troll?  Were-jackal?”  “Worse.”  Alun’s voice dropped to a husky whisper.  “Lawyer.”  David gulped…

Regarding the cover art by Lou Harper:  before I read the book, I have to admit I thought it was a little annoying, and I didn’t like the model’s smirk.  Now that I’ve read it, well, that is David!

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 283 pages
Published July 24th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleCutie and the Beast
ISBN 1626495998 (ISBN13: 9781626495999)
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://riptidepublishing.com/titles/cutie-and-the-beast
SeriesFae Out of Water #1