A Kai Review: Conning Colin: A Gay Romantic Comedy by Elsa Winters & Brad Vance

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Hamilton Dillon is a high-class Manhattan escort, polished, well dressed, and cultured. Colin O’Neill is recently divorced, questioning his sexuality, and disappointed by his first fumbling gay hookups. So he figures, why not hire the best of the best to show him the ropes?

What he doesn’t know is that Hamilton Dillon is really Henry Davis, yet another New Yorker living on the financial edge, cobbling together several jobs to make a living. “Hamilton” has one great suit he can wear on an overnight date, but Henry’s got a good friend at GQ who makes a nice side income renting designer men’s wear for weddings, job interviews, and oh yeah, high-end escorts on long weekend assignments. The “top agency” that represents “Hamilton” is really just a smartass lady in India with a Skype account, whose face Henry’s never seen. Oh, and Henry’s also the gruff and very unpolished New York Straight Man “Dillinger,” a solo porn star.

In other words, he’s not at all who Colin thinks he is. Which is just fine, until their relationship gets… complicated.

What an interesting story!

Well, guys, I really liked this one. It was funny, steamy, HOT… Just what I needed.

I really liked the premise of the story and how it was written. The writing was fluid and easy and I really connected with the story while reading it.

The characters were intriguing. I loved Colin. He was an actor with audition-phobia who worked as a voice actor while trying to work up the nerve to an audition. His best friend was his ex-wife. I mean they have married just as an agreement nothing else, so it was easy to see them as confidant of each other. I liked their interaction.

Colin was funny, witty and was so sexuality frustrated (poor guy). He was just coming to terms that he was gay and then when he tried to go there and hook up it didn’t go well. So he decided to hire an escort to help and teach him the stream of the gay sex life. That was really Hot guys!

Henry was a little more complex. I liked him too, although his personas were a little confusing sometimes. Henry’s characters were everything Henry wasn’t: confident, charming, rich, super hot and elegant. Henry’s personas were just dreamy.

Henry felt so insecure and self-conscious when he wasn’t acting as a character that he didn’t realize that the personas he created were just part of him. But then we had Colin there to help him to learn exactly that and give him the inspiration to go after his own dreams.

I liked Henry and Colin together and although there were a lot of secrets between them at first, they helped each other and evolved. I was so cheering for them.

Another character I loved was Christina, Henry’s niece. She was so smart and strong and I really liked her interaction with Henry. Christina had a secret, I’m not telling you (sorry), and this secret is the reason Henry needed so much to be an escort. That was an interesting part of the story and I really wanted to know more about Christina.

I’m glad I read it. And if you are looking for an easy, steamy, sexy and interesting story you may like this one.

The cover is really beautiful. I really like it.

Sales Links: Amazon

Amazon:

Book Details:

Published June 1st, 2017 by Zirconia Publishing, Inc

Ebook: 60,000 words

An Alisa Review: My Highland Cowboy by Alexa Milne

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Duncan McLeish owns a ranch. Unlike most ranches, this one is in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited a failing farm from his grandfather, he turns it into a successful business. He has friends and he loves his home, but he’s lonely, and not even infrequent trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh slake that thirst to find someone. Then Drew Sinclair walks into his life.

Drew Sinclair is tantalizingly close to getting his clothing brand noticed in the industry. He and his business partner, Joy, create individual dresses, while, on the side, Drew produces a line of men’s lingerie. He visits Scotland to design a bridal gown for his sister, Jenna, who is marrying Duncan’s best friend at Christmas.

Duncan and Drew have nothing except their Highland upbringing in common, but they say opposites attract, and the attraction is immediate. Is this simply a summer fling, or can two men who live such opposite lives miles away from each other find a way to love?

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to homophobia and references to death of a character’s parents.

This was a very nice story. Duncan has resigned himself to being alone knowing that no one would want to move to the country even if he could ever find someone he wanted to live his life with. Drew throws his lonely and well managed life out of whack and he isn’t sure what to do about it.

Drew has never found someone worth keeping around and will flirt shamelessly with all those around him. They both are open while Drew is visiting but don’t even risk thinking that their lives could be intertwined and they end up hurting themselves more than they even thought possible. It was hard to see both of them hurting and knowing their friends didn’t quite know how to help them.

We see both of these characters’ points of view which allows us to understand these characters better. I could feel Duncan’s confusion about his feelings that contradicted how his grandfather raised him but knowing that he can’t leave his ranch he resigns himself to nothing more ever happening. Drew has never felt this strongly for a lover before and can’t seem to get Duncan out of his head, not even able to move on as he planned when he got back to London. I loved that Drew realized he couldn’t live without Duncan and was able to adjust his life to make their dreams possible.

Cover art is beautiful and gives a great visual of Duncan and background for the story.

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages

Published: June 6, 2017 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515674

Edition Language: English

A Caryn Review: To Love a Traitor by JL Merrow

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book is a great examples of why I love historicals. Clearly this was well-researched, with no irritating anachronisms, and I felt like I was right there in inter-war England. The language is so very appropriate – not only the dialogue, but the somewhat formal prose as well. The attitudes towards women who had only recently been granted the right to vote, the general feeling of the public about the aftermath of the war and how veterans were regarded, the frequent references to the Spanish flu that ended up killing over a quarter of a million people in the UK – so many authentic details! It was easy to completely immerse myself in the era, and in the story. I’ve read several of Ms. Merrow’s contemporaries, and I really enjoyed them, and I feel doing such an excellent job at a historical just showcases her versatility as an author

The story is told from the point of view of Roger Cottingham. He was a conscientious objector – “conchie” – who was imprisoned for a year at the beginning of the war and then went to work as a cryptographer in the Admiralty. While there, his brother Hugh was killed on the front lines. Hugh’s fiancée, Mabel, started hearing rumors after the Armistice that Hugh’s death might have been the result of treason, and Roger vowed to help her find the man/men responsible, and bring them to justice.

Enlisting the help of an old friend from the intelligence section of the Admiralty, Roger finds suspicious circumstances surrounding another officer in Hugh’s regiment, Captain Matthew Connaught. Roger’s friend can investigate no further, but he did encourage Roger to do a little spying of his own, and set him up with the perfect cover: George Johnson, who rented a room in the same house Matthew lived in.

Matthew actually was a rather simple character. He is a veteran who lost his right arm, but managed to maintain a cheerful and optimistic attitude in spite of that. He just exudes friendliness and integrity, and Roger can’t help but like and admire him – but what does this mean when he is supposed to be spying on Matthew and finding out his wartime secrets? I loved the struggle Roger/George had trying to reconcile what he instinctively knew to be true – Matthew is a decent man who would never have betrayed his fellow brother-in-arms – with his desire to find out what really happened to Hugh when Matthew was the only clue he had. Roger’s struggle only intensified when he realized that not only was Matthew also an invert (homosexual), but that they were attracted to each other. Roger was also fundamentally an honest, forgiving, and peace-loving man, uncomfortable with the duplicity he had to maintain to continue his undercover role, and he spent a good part of the book grappling with those feelings.

The book is primarily character driven, rather than plot driven. When the mystery was finally revealed, it really wasn’t a surprise to anyone – the characters or the reader. Learning the different facets of Roger and Matthew as they traveled this journey towards a relationship was my whole enjoyment of the book. The period details just made it all even better. The only thing I didn’t like was that Matthew was a little too one-dimensional, but Roger almost made up for that.

Just for fun, check out this really interesting little tidbit of history that was briefly referenced in the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_feather. I love learning new things when reading fiction!

The expression of the model used for the cover art by Written Ink Designs was just about perfect for how I imagined Roger would feel.

Sales Links: JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 200 pages
Published May 6th 2017 by JMS Books LLC (first published September 15th 2015)
ASINB06Y646324

Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell on Writing, Characters, and their story ‘Sunset at Pencarrow’ (author interview and giveaway)

Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Buy Links:

(Discount code PENCARROW from 5/31-6/30, 30% off, DSP store only.)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Google Books | iTunes | Kobo

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Anne Barwell and Lou Sylvre here today talking about writing, characters and their latest story, Sunset at Pencarrow. Welcome, Anne and Lou!

✒︎

Lou: Before we get started answering questions, Anne and I just want to say thanks—first to readers, but equally to STARW for hosting us on our Sunset at Pencarrow blog tour. A heads-up: We have a Rafflecopter giveaway going on so don’t forget to enter early and often!

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How much of yourself goes into a character? Do you feel there’s a tight line between Mary Sue or should I say Gary Stu and using your own experiences to create a character?

Lou: The answer to that question depends on how I look at it. In the most literal sense, plunking myself down in a fictional situation and writing about what I would do there, never ever. On the other hand, I’m sure many readers have heard it said that characters are all different versions of the author, and I believe there is some truth to that. I mean, how can we write characters with integrity—real reactions, responses, interactions, and inner workings unless they somehow come from inside ourselves? But so much goes into making up all the hidden parts of ourselves, not just our experiences and so forth, but our empathy, not to mention those characteristics that are part of us and we would never be able to say why. When I write a character, I definitely draw on that resource. Sometimes, it’s just little bits of gut knowledge or subtle reaction. Sometimes, though, it’s extreme—for instance when I write a “bad guy,” what they’re made of are my own honest responses exaggerated and twisted.

So the process goes something like this: Imagine a character vastly different from me, then write as if I am him (or her). Use my own honest emotions, reactions, responses, etc., to drive him along his trajectory toward whatever it is he wants or needs.

Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?

Anne: I don’t really choose the genres I write—they choose me. I enjoy researching, but I also love the challenge of making up my own worlds and cultures. I’ve written a few historicals and writing those always entails lot of research, and I always learn something new with each book. I work at a library so I tend to refer to a mix of print and electronic materials when I need information. Although I don’t have to worry so much about every little details being as accurate as possible when writing fantasy, I still want consistency in my world building and to ensure that whatever magic system I’m using makes sense. So… instead of a lot of research in the traditional sense, I’m still spending the time I’d usually research in making up a new world.

Lou: I don’t see that as an either/or question. Every novel takes place in a fictional world, even if it is contemporary romance set in a real city, with real buildings and streets and even events—because your characters don’t live in that real city and their story isn’t happening there. And even the most far-flung paranormal, sci-fi, or fantasy has to have elements of realism, because if it didn’t, it would make little sense to readers, and because to hold such a story together the question of “how” is at least as important as “what.” I do enjoy research a great deal regardless of the kind of story I’m writing. That was one of the bonuses of writing Sunset at Pencarrow; it required quite a good bit of research for me, never having been to New Zealand, not having a Vietnamese Buddhist mother, not having been familiar with the places fighting might have occurred in Afghanistan, etc. Anne and I do have another work in process which would fall, genre-wise, somewhere between fantasy and magical realism, but it’s worked around a real series of events in historical Scotland. Lots of research needed there, too—interesting, and one of the fun parts of the writer’s job.

Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?

Lou: As a teen, I loved fantasy, sci-fi, and suspense/thriller fiction. I veered away from that in my thirties and forties, reading a lot of Native American literature, women’s literature, lesbian fiction, and mainstream novels and short stories (though I never really stopped reading fantasy and sci-fi). Sometime in the last two decades, I’ve come back around, and now read genre fiction almost exclusively, especially fantasy and (with or without the suspense) romance—the latter mostly M/M. Not surprisingly, those are also the things I like to write nowadays.

Anne: Definitely. I grew up on a reading diet of mostly SF/fantasy and comic books, with the odd historical and mystery detective thrown in. I loved—and still do—Susan Cooper, Madeleine L’Engle, Robert Heinlein, Rosemary Sutcliff, and Andre Norton, to name just a few. If a book looked interesting, I’d read it, which is still my criteria for picking up one today.

My writing, like my reading, covers a range of genres, and sometimes a book will ‘misbehave’ and not stick to one genre. I’ve written historical (WWI and II so far), fantasy (contemporary, high, and urban), SF (time travel), and contemporary romance. There’s a touch of mystery detective through several of those too.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

Lou: Either can be satisfying to me, but I do want one or the other if I’m reading romance. I don’t particularly care for endings that are essentially cliffhangers (unless the next book picks up where the last left off in a series), or endings that just leave too much to the reader to decide what happened, in any genre. To me, however, the very worst kind of ending is the one that tidies everything up too neatly, with no room for me to imagine a future for the characters in my own reader mind.

Anne: I don’t mind whether characters get a HFN or HEA, as long as they don’t go through a lot of strife for nothing. In some situations, such as an historical, a HEA isn’t going to happen, but that’s fine. Sometimes, the story is a slice of someone’s life, and like real life, I’d prefer not to know what happens in the future. As long as they’re happy now, I’m happy.

Sometimes characters aren’t going to get either, but there needs to be a good reason for that, depending on the story. If there isn’t a good reason though, I get annoyed. I read a series a couple of years ago, and devoured all three tome sized books, only to have the author kill one of the main characters in the second to last chapter of the final book and then have something happen that undid everything the characters had worked for. And yes, I’m still muttering about that one.

Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?

Anne: I didn’t read any romance stories until I was an adult, although some of the stories I read had some romance in them, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I’ve always enjoyed stories that are more character driven and as romance is a part of life, it makes sense that I’d be drawn towards reading the genre. I read across a lot of genres, and my romance reading tends to be more MM rather than MF, although I do enjoy a good MF romance too.

Lou: I didn’t really start reading romances until I was in my twenties, unless you count things like Jane Eyre, which I read as a young teen. In the 1970s, I read authors like Kathleen E. Woodiwiss and Johanna Lindsey—that was the infamous bodice-ripper era. I stopped reading them for a while except Lesbian romance. For the past decade or so, I’ve been reading mostly (but not exclusively) M/M when I read romance.

How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going?

Anne: I read both ebooks and hardcopy, but given the choice I prefer the feel of a hardcopy book. However, if it wasn’t for ebooks, I wouldn’t have been able to read many books that I’ve enjoyed. There are more novellas available now than there used to be, as most of those aren’t in print, and also being in New Zealand, books and postage to here are very expensive, so many books I want to read would be out of my reach in hardcopy.

I think there’s a place for both ebooks and hardcopy for that reason. Each has their pros and cons, and readers who prefer one of the other, so I’m hoping we’ll continue to be able to have the option to read whichever way we want for.

How do you choose your covers? (curious on my part)

Lou: I’ve been lucky enough to work with Dreamspinner Press and Harmony Ink, their YA imprint. More so than some publishers, they allow the author to have a good deal of input about what goes on the cover, but it’s the assigned artist who interprets that. They provide mock-ups to choose from, and also accept suggestions for changes. So I don’t have to just accept a cover as a done deal, but I also don’t have to create one or go shopping for one. When I choose from the mocks and offer possible tweaks, I’m looking to evoke a feeling or atmosphere that gets at the heart of the book. I am more than pleased with the covers I have, and honestly I’m delighted with the cover Anne and I got from Reese Dante for Sunset at Pencarrow.

Do you have a favorite among your own stories? And why?

Lou: I’m going to take the liberty of changing the question slightly. Since Sunset at Pencarrow is my current love, I’m going to choose my favorite among my other books. It’s not easy, but I’d have to choose Because of Jade, the final book in my Vasquez and James series. Through five previous stories, I put those men through hell. They faced unspeakable terrors, they grew as individuals, and they grew in their love for each other. At the end of each book, they had a happy ending, but never quite complete. In BOJ, they are finally mature, and though they face problems and scares, the main focus is the way they grow their love outward, as they adopt a little girl and make a family. I love the men the characters grew into, I love the world they make for themselves in this book, and I love their little girl. More than that, it makes my heart sing a little that I finally got to give them a true happy ever after, which they so richly deserved.

Anne: Choosing a favorite story is like choosing a favorite child, but one of my favorites would have to be my Echoes Rising series. This series has been a part of my life for well over a decade, and when I started writing the first book—Shadowboxing—it was the first time I knew that what I was working on was a novel. It actually turned out to be three novels, but these books and their characters will always have a soft spot in my heart.

What’s next for you as an author?

Anne: Comes a Horseman, which is the 3rd and final book of my WWII Echoes Rising series releases from DSP Publications on 1st August. After that, One Word, which is book 3 of my contemporary fantasy series Hidden Places is being published by Dreamspinner Press in November/December this year. Writing wise, I’m finishing up Prelude to Love which is a contemporary romance set in New Zealand. After that I’m heading into another co-written book with Lou called The Harp and the Sea, which is a historical set in 17th century Scotland with a touch of magic realism. While she’s working on her side of that, I’ll be writing A Sword to Rule, the 2nd and final book of my fantasy series Dragons of Austria.

Lou: I’m re-working the first two books and writing the third in a series that spun off from Vasquez and James, and making some decisions about the series future. Anne and I have a novel in progress (the Scottish historical/fantasy mentioned above), and I’ve got a couple of novellas in the early stages. So, I’m busy, and hopefully will have more specific news soon. Thanks for asking!

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Lou and Anne: Thank you again, readers. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment (and get another giveaway entry in the process). We also hope to see you along the way throughout the tour.

Just click here

for the complete schedule and links!

Blurb:

Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.

Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago. Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy façade. An earthquake, sex in the bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a slippery slope that just might land them in love.

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

Book info:

Novella
Pages: 129
Words: 48,703
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN-13 978-1-63533-520-0
ASIN: B071LHK72M

About the Authors

Anne Barwell

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She works in a library, is an avid reader and watcher across genres, and is constantly on the lookout for more hours in her day. Music often plays a part in her stories, and although she denies being a romantic at heart, the men in her books definitely are. Anne has written in several genres—contemporary, fantasy, historical, and SF— and believes in making her characters work for their happy endings.

Lou Sylvre

Lou Sylvre loves romance with all its ups and downs, and likes to conjure it into books. The romantics on her pages are men who fall hard for each other, end up deeply in love, and often save each other from unspeakable danger. It’s all pretty crazy and very sexy. Among other things, Lou is the creator of the popular Vasquez and James series, which can be found at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, and many other online vendors.

Contact links:

Anne:

Website: http://annebarwell.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annebarwell
Email: darthanne@gmail.com

Lou:

Website: http://www.sylvre.rainbow-gate.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLouSylvre/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sylvre
Email: lou.sylvre@gmail.com

Lou and Anne’s shared Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sylvrebarwellhoffmann/

Giveaway

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Jaime Samms on Families, Kinship and her latest story ‘Off Stage: Beyond the Footlights (Off Stage #3)’ (author guest post)

Off Stage: Beyond the Footlights (Off Stage #3) by Jaime Samms
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Jaime Samms here today on her Off Stage: Beyond the Footlights tour. Welcome, Jaime!

Life rarely turns out how we think it will. It throws curves at us and when the curves drive us down bumpy, pot-holed, muddy roads, that’s often the time we find out who we can count on to come with a shovel and help dig us out of the mire.

One thing I noticed as I was writing this series, is that sometimes, family is stronger than blood. The family you make isn’t always the one you share DNA with. The strongest bonds can break, and forgiveness never has to be off the table if you’re willing to do the work.

Coming from a gigantic, strongly bonded family filled with diverse opinions, personalities and ideas, I know that kinship is highly malleable. On day, the sibling you’ve always thought you were tightest with is the one you can’t even fathom, and the one you had nothing in common with is the one who gets you, out of the blue. It happens. And the next day, it changes again.

I think even when you’re related to the ones you call family, you still have to spend the time and do the work to make them the family you choose. So as I was writing these books and it came time to fix the damaged family bonds between band mates and brothers of the heart, I enjoyed creating and strengthening those ties. Because family is something you never stop creating, no matter where you find them along your road in life.

Blurb:

Kilmer and Jacko’s relationship has been foundering for a long time. With the end in sight and despairing that he might never find a Dom who suits him, Kilmer heads to a local bar to drown his sorrows—and meets country singer Tanner.

Tanner feels oddly protective of the broken man and eventually convinces Kilmer to hire him to help remodel the small, sad house Kilmer once shared with Jacko. As Tanner and Kilmer get to know each other, Kilmer regains his lost independence and Tanner’s dominant streak rises to the surface. But will it be a help or a hindrance to the trust they’re trying to build?

The answer might lie in the music Kilmer gave up not long after he met Jacko. Music always granted him solace, clarity, and an outlet for his emotions, and with Tanner’s encouragement, he picks up where he left off. Playing together eases them into honest communication, and though a happily ever after will still take patience and work, taking a chance on each other sounds sweeter with every note.

About Jaime:

Jaime has been writing for various publishers since the fall of 2008, although she’s been writing for herself far longer. Often asked why men—what’s so fascinating about writing stories about men falling in love—she’s never come up with a clear answer. Just that these are the stories that she loves to read, so it seemed to make sense if she was going to write, they would also be the stories she wrote.

These days, you can find plenty of free reading on her website. She also writes for Various Publishers.

Spare time, when it can be found rolled into a ball at the back of the dryer or cavorting with the dust bunnies in the corners, is spent crocheting, drawing, gardening (weather permitting, of course, since she is Canadian!), or watching movies. She has a day job, as well, which she loves, and two kids, but thankfully, also a wonderful husband who shoulders more than his fair share of household and child-care responsibilities.

She graduated some time ago from college with a fine arts diploma, and a major in textile arts, which basically qualifies her to draw pictures and create things with string and fabric. One always needs an official slip of paper to fall back on after all . . .

Website: http://jaime-samms.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000982219151&ref=tn_tnmn

Livejournal:http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/

Deviantart: http://dontkickmycane.deviantart.com/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/JaimeSamms

Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/jaimesamms

Release Blitz for Accepting The Fall by Meg Harding (excerpt and giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 61,000 words

Cover: Black Jazz Design

Blurb

Confronting the past is never easy.

Cole Whitaker is happy. He has the job and boyfriend he always wanted. His heart’s in no danger of being broken, and he can’t ask for more from life. As a kindergarten teacher, he sees it all; however, one troublesome student has him reaching out to the parent, wanting to help. There’s something about Savanah that tugs at his heartstrings.

He never expected her father.

Zander Brooks hasn’t had an easy life, and he’s made some mistakes. Freshly retired from the military and working as a firefighter, Zander thought he’d left Cole in the rearview mirror. He’s not expecting him to appear in St. Petersburg, Florida, of all places, teaching his daughter’s kindergarten class. Suddenly, his biggest mistake is being shoved in his face.

This is Zander’s chance to close a door he’d never fully shut, but time with his former flame might change his mind.

Excerpt

Time had done nothing to dull Cole’s memories of Zander Brooks, though he wished it had. His stomach rolled, and he had to lock his knees to keep upright. Breathe, Cole, you’re being dramatic. Of all the places for them to see each other after nearly two decades…. It was some consolation, a very small amount, that Zander appeared equally as shocked to see Cole. He stood in the doorway, unmoving and silent, his lips parted. Cole could feel Zander,s gaze on him like a physical touch. It made his skin prickle, his heart skip a beat. He was supposed to be over this.

Cole needed to find his words. He was a professional, and whatever personal history they’d had, it was just that. History. It was irrelevant in this room. He played pretend with his class sometimes. He could do that now. He cleared his throat, feeling a bit like a cat with a hairball. “Hello, Mr… Emerson?” It was less confident than he’d been going for, but it would have to do. Zander took a minute to noticeably reorient himself. He walked into the classroom slowly. His pace could even be considered hesitant. Cole tried to ignore the observation, the nagging surge of satisfaction that he wasn’t alone in being off kilter.

From behind him, Savanah snorted. Cole glommed onto the excuse to look away from Zander and turned to her. Savanah’s pert nose was scrunched. “Can I play outside?” she asked, gaze darting between Cole and her father.

Jesus. Zander was a father. Zander was the father who Cole had been wanting to meet. If Cole didn’t regulate his breathing, he was going to have a full blown panic attack. He’d been in love with one of his student’s fathers. He’d had his heart broken for the first time by him. Seventeen years later and it somehow still stung. “No, but you can use one of the stations,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too strangled. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, damp from sweat. He thought it was possible he’d had a nightmare like this before.

Savanah pouted but went in silence to the reading corner. She made sure to scuff her shoes over the carpet on the way.

“It’s Mr. Brooks,” said Zander, sounding much closer. His voice was the same, deep and smooth like velvet. It sent parts of Cole’s insides fluttering in a way he hadn’t experienced in years.

Cole retreated under the guise of picking the workbook and pencil off the floor. Savanah had Goldfish crumbs littered around the legs of her desk. “Ah, I see. My apologies.” He aligned the book and pencil symmetrically on the scarred desktop. A few of the workbook’s pages were crinkled now, folding in on themselves. He tried to smooth them down and noticed in the process that Savanah had been working ahead. He made a mental note of it.

He was going to have to stop delaying and face Zander eventually. Could he play this off like he hadn’t recognized Zander or was that cat long out of the bag? “Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll be right with you.” He cupped his hand at the edge of Savanah’s desk and used his other to sweep eraser crumbs into his palm.

“Uh.” Zander coughed, shuffling his feet and rustling his jeans in the process. “Here?”

Cole managed to look at Zander at last. His lips even twitched into a half-smirk of their own accord at the picture of Zander squeezed into a child-sized seat. The smirk didn’t last long. Zander was too close. Cole could make out the nearly golden striations in his irises, could see the slow progression of his pupil taking over the brown. He had a scar at his temple now, a jagged slash from hairline to the arch of his eyebrow. Stress lines looked to be permanently etched in the dark brown skin at the corners of his eyes and mouth. If Cole didn’t know better, he’d have said he was staring at someone in their forties. The years they’d been apart had not been overly kind to Zander.

Strangely the realization left Cole with a hollow feeling, a tinge of… disappointment, maybe. He’d been angry with Zander with every fiber of his teenage being, but buried underneath had always been a quiet hope that Zander would figure out how to be happy.

Clearly he’d not.

Author Bio

Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF, and recently completed a masters program for Publishing in the UK. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes. In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

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A MelanieM Release Day Review: Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

So many things about this book pulled me to it from the authors and that gorgeous cover to that idea of people meeting in an airport and making a special connection. Yes, I know….but overdone or not, the idea is magic and possible. Here the location, takes it that next step further. The story is located in Wellington, New Zealand so the authors take advantage of the many incredible sights including the Orongorongos during a camping sequence and the coast. We even get a small taste of an earthquake. But mostly we get two men making a personal exploration of each other, physically, mentally and emotionally.

And something like that can be wearing at times. Mind you this is a quick trip for one and a unfortunate delay for the other. And Nate comes off pretty awful at times in this story, argumentative and irritating. Sometimes Rusty is right behind him. Each time they work through their various issues, which is nicely adult of them no matter they are strangers strongly attracted to one another. Both Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell write great characters and I see that both in Rusty and Nate. One man is still grieving the loss of his husband, the other trying to recover from a bad relationship; not the best foundation when meeting someone you find hugely attractive with a limited timeframe. So there is a lot of talking, stress, working things through internally and out. The story is told from both points of view and third person, necessary to get everything in the authors are trying to accomplish. However, when you are trying to do that in only 129 pages you might not be giving yourself (and the men) the time needed to let the reader in and really get to know these men and take them to heart. One aspect I adored? The fact that the men acknowledged they felt “something” more, maybe not love exactly, but something strong enough that they wanted to explore it further. I liked that realism and appreciated it. That was another factor that elevated this story for me.

I have to admit one of my favorite things about this story was the ending before the epilogue. It takes place in the airport. It has the right last minute romantic touch I just love in a story. Perfectly done! The Epilogue was even better. Still I wished for more length, more time spent with both men to get to know a bit more about them, their histories and maybe a little less of Nate “going off”. But this is a lovely romance, sweet and heartwarming with a great location. I definitely recommend Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell.

Cover Artist: Reese Dante. What a gorgeous cover. Caught my eye and kept it there, romantic and pertinent to the story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 129 pages
Expected publication: June 7th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781635335200
Series World of Love setting New Zealand
World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

An Alisa Review: Human Instincts (Roguefalls #1) by April Kelley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

A human soldier and an omega wolf shifter find out they’re mates in a world where segregation between humans and paranormals is standard operating procedure.

Dylan Kole knows how to do one thing, and that’s to be a soldier in the human army. He doesn’t know how to fit in with a bunch of paranormal beings, and he certainly doesn’t know how to be a mate to Rudy Malone, the only omega wolf shifter on Roguefalls Island. One thing Dylan does have going for him is his ability to follow his instincts.

This was an interesting and entertaining story. Dylan and his buddy, Christian, are selected to become a part of the paranormal army. Both know some things but are a bit unprepared for everything that comes up, especially the whole mate thing. Rudy is so happy to find his mate while Dylan is confused by his reaction to the man and tries to take a step back. But he can’t resist for long.

The world is a bit different with humans living in family groups or as singles (which are usually criminals) and paranormals living in clans so they don’t feel as if they get many choices on what they want to do with their life; Dylan was kicked out of his family group and joined the human army to avoid becoming a single. He is so puzzled by his instincts to protect and love on Rudy; he has always believed that he will be alone since he was kicked out. Rudy came to Roguefalls to provide a calming presence but to also get some distance from his over protective brother and he will not let his mate do the same thing to him.

We get to see both of these characters working through their thoughts and coming to terms with how they feel for each other. These two know how they feel but are a bit lost on what to do and do end up taking time to get to know each other a bit before a claiming. I can’t wait to see what happens between Christian and Ward in the next story.

The cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill is nice and a typical romance cover with the view of a man’s midsection.

Sales Links: Extasy Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 98 pages

Published: May 5, 2017 by Extasy Books

ISBN: 9781487412395

Edition Language: English

Series: Roguefalls #1

A Lila Audiobook Review: Perfect Alignment (Thorne and Dash #3) by Silvia Violet and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Thorne proposed to Riley. Riley accepted.

Thorne thought that was that. They’d take a nice trip, get married, and spend a week luxuriating in a five-star hotel with occasional excursions to fabulous restaurants.

Riley imagined a traditional wedding with all the trappings. With all their friends and family. At Christmas.

Thorne concedes reluctantly, and a flurry of wedding planning ensues. At the same time, Thorne is wrestling with a recalcitrant client, and Riley and his business partner, Susan, are consumed with renovations and planning for the opening of their bakery. Stress on top of stress makes both Riley and Thorne doubt their relationship, and a major misunderstanding nearly silences the wedding bells.

By the time they reach their happily ever after, they’re both going to deserve all the romance they’ve been dreaming of.

Perfect Alignment is a sweet, HEA ending to a well-established series that brings Thorne & Riley full circle. We are presented with highlights from their past–how they got together–and their hopes for their future as married men. Throughout all this, their relationship becomes stronger and the last of their insecurities come down.

Most of the conflict in this story comes from miscommunications and lack of openness from both MCs. They still hold their cards close in order to keep each other, but at the same time, they run the risk to lose all they had built together. Their relationship is evolving faster than they expected, bringing their uncertainties front and center.

As with the previous books, the secondary characters are excellent and relevant. The settings play a part and the love scenes advance the plot without losing its uniqueness or steam. Overall, this is a nice end to a series and the perfect way to set up the spinoff including Marc and Darius.

Greg Boudreaux delivers the right intensity for this story. We get to experience Thorne’s and Dash’s love, doubts, and jubilation throughout the book. The narration brings this characters to life.

LC Chase’s cover goes with the rest of the series, giving the reader a hint of the events to come in this installment.

Sales Links: Amazon | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Greg Boudreaux
Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
Published: May 4, 2017 (Audio Edition) by Silvia Violet Books
ASIN: B071VCM5RM
Edition Language: English

Series: Thorne & Dash
Book #1: Professional Distance
Book #2: Personal Entanglement
Book #3: Personal Alignment

An Ali Recent Release Review: Action (Murmur Inc. #2) by Quinn Anderson

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pete Griflow is the last person anyone would suspect of being a porn star. He’s quiet, gawky, and can’t even talk to guys without turning red. But on camera, he’s a different person. In the porn world, he’s Jaden Prime, a coquettish power bottom who’s been tantalizing fans for over a year now.

Pete is in a rut, though, and he knows it. And what’s worse, his boss knows it. If he can’t reignite his passion for the biz, he’s going to have trouble paying his none-too-cheap college tuition.

When Pete is given the opportunity to star in a huge summer production, sparks fly between him and his costar, Kyle Darko. Kyle is Pete’s opposite: he’s daring, achingly sexy, and in love with the sex industry. Their chemistry is palpable on and off screen, but dating on a porn set is tricky. Even pros struggle to separate fantasy from reality, especially with a script dictating their seduction. But what’s building between them can’t be ignored, and it’s so much more than getting some “action.”

This was a sweet story about two college aged guys falling in love. The story is told from Pete’s point of view. He works part time and goes to school but does porn on the side to pay for his education. It’s something he keeps as a closely guarded secret. He doesn’t really want to do the side job his boss offers him until he meets his sexy co-star Kyle. Kyle is everything Pete’s not, including being proud of his job in porn.

The chemistry between the two young men is instant and it burns bright. They’re not supposed to be together off set but they can’t seem to stay away from each other. In addition to his anxiety about a first love, Pete has to figure out what he’s going to do about dating a guy who is totally open about his porn career. This leads to a bit of conflict but it’s very minimal and is easily resolved with some good communication.

Overall I enjoyed this story. In a way I felt I was too old to be reading it. It was definitely a NA, coming of age and first love story. I think I’m a bit jaded to buy an almost instant love like these two had and the old, cynical part of me doesn’t see it working out in the long run. But, if you’re hearts not made of stone like mine is, you will probably find this sweet and a bit romantic. It was nice to see a story that is mostly angst free and doesn’t fall back on the over used, bad communication trope. This was a refreshing change.

This is the second book in the Mumur, Inc series but is fine as a standalone. These characters, except for the boss, are completely different than the characters in book one.

The cover was done by L.C. Chase and I really like it. The bright colors catch your eye and it fits both the plot and the cover for the first book. I like the uniqueness of the cover.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 366 pages
Published June 5th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleAction
ISBN 1626495726 (ISBN13: 9781626495722)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesMurmur Inc. #2

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Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Anne Cain

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Off Stage: Beyond the Footlights (Off Stage #3) by Jaime Samms Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

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Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Off Stage: Beyond the Footlights (Off Stage #3) by Jaime Samms
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson