A Jeri Review: Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Two Navy men, both damaged in similar but different ways while on the job. Afraid that no one will put up with them and their problems long term, they find each other.

Travis was a Naval pilot until he landed his plane in the ocean instead. Grounded to a desk job with chronic back pain, he just wants to get through his day. Clint was a drone pilot on a classified mission when something went wrong. To this day he is haunted by it and the fact that it is SO classified he cannot talk to anyone about it, not even a therapist. So while he is physically fine, the PTSD wakes him every night.

Some of the things I really liked about this book: that there are boring desk jobs in the military, that both main characters were closer to middle aged than “legal”, and that you can suffer from PTSD even if you weren’t on the front lines.

Travis does everything he can to not seem like he is in so much pain because even with a desk job, he can be given medical discharge from the Navy. And when you are way closer to 40 than to 18, starting a career over is not something you want to look forward to.

That being said, I felt that it was very repetitive and that Clint was almost too good. He never complains at all about how Travis’ pain rules everything. Including, and especially in the bedroom. Of course when you love someone you love who they are, but dealing with chronic pain like that can and does get to the partners as well. Trust me, I know from experience. I wanted Clint to get at least frustrated once about the situation. But he kept saying “It’s fine, I understand”.

A lot of times I see books with trigger warnings and I don’t worry about it because I didn’t think I was the type to be triggered. Even when something in a book hit a little to close to home (me). But chronic pain I think might have to be my trigger warning because I wanted to be upset and frustrated for Clint.

Another person could have a totally different take on this. Admittedly, my opinion is skewed because of real life.

Afraid to Fly is the sequel to Just Drive, but can very easily be read as a stand alone.

Cover art by L.C. Chase works perfectly for the story.

Sales Links

Riptide Publishing

Book Details:

ebook, 347 pages
Published January 16th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN 1626494991 (ISBN13: 9781626494992)
Series:Anchor Point #2

Brandon Witt on Writing and his new novel ‘Nachos & Hash (Mary’s Boys #1)'(guest blog and giveaway)

Nachos & Hash (Mary’s Boys #1) by Brandon Witt
Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 25, 2017

Cover Artist: AngstyG

Available for Purchase at

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Brandon Witt here today talking about writing and his latest story, Nachos & Hash. Welcome, Brandon!

My writing has always mimicked my own life. Maybe that’s true for all authors. Maybe it’s just me being self-absorbed. Let’s hope it’s all authors…

For me, my life is split into two separate parts. Actually, there’s way more than two, but in this sense, just the two. I grew up in a small farming Ozark town of 3,000. I moved to Denver, which I thought was the biggest city in the world at the time. I love Denver, but if it wasn’t for my nephew, I’d be moving again. It feels too small to me now. I want SanDiego, Seattle, New York, San Francisco! Though I’m an introvert who doesn’t want to talk to people, I do love living in a city.

My writing often follows that same path. My books are set either in small, rural towns or large cities. I’m fascinated with the difference between them. How the rules of society and interaction are so varied and distinct. They really are very separate worlds. And the people who adamantly prefer one over the other are typically very different types of people.

In Nachos & Hash, I wanted to play around with the two men who were relatively new to the ‘big city’ life of Denver. Both of whom are from small Midwestern towns. Both of the characters are young (Cody being 21 and making him my youngest character yet) and both are coming of age in very different ways. And believe me, coming of age in a city instead of small town is a dramatically different experience.

Cody and Darwin both capture different parts of me when I was coming out and coming of age, though both of them came out quicker than I did. Cody is 21, but a young 21 in a lot of ways, at times almost feeling childish. Darwin, at 24, is an old 24, at times making choices far beyond his years. If you put both of these men together, you get the mess that I was through my twenties. In so many ways younger and more naive than my peers. And scared shitless. But on the other hand, I was vastly more mature and ‘old acting’ than my peers. There was huge split in my experiences that made both of these things happen at the same time. I guarantee, at times, you’ll want to shake Cody for being too childish and likewise roll your eyes at Darwin for being such an old man. However, I firmly believe age is just a number and few of us fall into where we are supposed to be all of the time. It’s in that awkwardness, that transition from country-life to city-life, from childhood to adulthood, with all of it’s ugly twists and turns that I think will make you both relate to Cody and Darwin and allow you to fall in love with them.

One random person who comments will receive a $5 Amazon gift card!

Please come along to Joyfully Jay on the 23^rd to get a sneak peak at the entire series.

Nachos & Hash Blurb

Darwin Michaels is living his dreams in the Mile High City. While Denver offers the perfect job, scrumptious dining, and whirlwind dating options, Darwin is losing hope he’ll find the right man to spark his interest for more than a one-night stand—until he sets eyes on Cody Russell.

Cody has just accomplished his life’s goal—get the hell out of Kansas. In one fell swoop, he lands a job at Hamburger Mary’s and gets a newfound family and the chance to be with other gay people! All that’s missing is someone special. But when Darwin shows his interest, Cody is sure it’s too good to be true. After all, what can Darwin possibly see in the high school dropout serving him nachos?

As Darwin falls in love, Cody struggles to realize his worth. When his past threatens the fragile life he is building, Cody spirals into a moment of dark desperation. But Darwin is determined to show Cody that love and family and home are there “for him… will Cody accept what is offered?

About Brandon Witt

Brandon Witt’s outlook on life is greatly impacted by his first eighteen years of growing up gay in a small town in the Ozarks, as well as fifteen years as a counselor and special education teacher for students with severe emotional disabilities. Add to that his obsession with corgis and mermaids, then factor in an unhealthy love affair with cheeseburgers, and you realize that with all those issues, he’s got plenty to write about….

Website: http://www.brandonwitt.com
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/wittauthor/
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/brandon-witt
Brandon’s Patreon Support page: http://bit.ly/2j58PdQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wittauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wittauthor/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brandon-Witt/e/B008FV6Y4M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1454952325&sr=8-1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4896623.Brandon_Witt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO5cFqYKyNyDCxExAonFPRA

Nachos & Hash Links

Giveaway

One random person who comments will receive a $5 Amazon gift card! Don’t forget to leave your email address should you be the one who Brandon chooses. Contest ends January 27, 2017 at midnight. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Blog Tour Schedule:

Jan 5- The Novel Approach

Jan 9- Tam’s Two Cents

Jan 11-Mary Newman’s Blog

Jan 12- SusanMacnicol.net

Jan 19- Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Jan 23- Joyfully Jay

Jan 24-Love Bytes

Jan 25 – (Release Day!)

Jan 25- Divine Magazine

Jan 26- Prism Book Alliance

In Our New Release Spotlight: Quarry (The Vampire Guard #2) by Elizabeth Noble (author interview and special excerpt)

Quarry (The Vampire Guard #2) by Elizabeth Noble
DSP Publications

Available for Purchase at

DSP Publications

and Google Play

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Elizabeth Noble here today. Welcome, Elizabeth. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your latest novel.

Thank you for having me on your blog today! I loved the questions you sent.

Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why?

The short answer to the first question is yes. I do a bit of a combination and my story planning is something akin to chaos. Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how I pull it all together to create a book. I know there are authors who have detailed outlines for every chapter.

I’m not one of them.

Generally, I start out with a few scene ideas that turns into a plot. Then I’ll complete a rough story synopsis and general outline for the book as a whole. My outlines or story overviews are mostly a few lines of this, that, and something else that needs to happen somewhere begin Chapter 1 and The End. I take those few scene ideas and write a story around them. No one is more surprised than I am at how I interconnect those scenes. It’s a discovery and journey I love taking with each and every book.

As to the second question, the why…I really have no idea. I’ve accepted that’s simply the way my mind works. I’ve tried various method of detailed outlines or mind maps and they turn into a log jam every time.

How early in your life did you begin writing?

Honestly? Before I could write. I remember when I was very little making up and telling stories to anyone and everyone who’d listen. I think at that time in my life I was a constant chatterer and probably drove those around me nuts. I lived with my grandparents and though I have siblings I spent very little of my life with them. So, in essence, I grew up an only child. My grandparents, particularly my grandfather, loved books and encouraged my storytelling. I think they were happy when I learned how to write, however. I was always gifted with pads of paper and pencils!

Were you an early reader or were you read to and what childhood books had an impact on you as a child that you remember to this day and why?

I don’t remember being read to, but I’m sure I was. I do remember reading books even before I started school, and I remember my grandmother teaching me to read. She used to get frustrated when I was in early grade school and only brought home books on birds and wildlife from the library instead of storybooks.

The books I loved the most as a child were ones like Black Beauty, King of the Wind, Call of the Wild and Lassie. After those I loved books by Jules Verne and read all of them.

Blurb

The members of the Vampire Guard—Jonas Forge, spy and soldier turned cop; computer hacker extraordinaire Blair Turner; Declan, thief, con man, and ex-pirate; and medical examiner and werewolf Dr. Lucas Coate—face a dangerous and elusive enemy.

And this time, it’s personal.

Over the course of three hundred years, a man has touched each of their lives in ways they are only just realizing. When a hunt for a psychotic killer in the present resurrects memories and clues from the past, they discover how they have been affected and are bound by the existence of a ruthless vampire criminal. Now, while preventing a heist at a high-tech art show and thwarting several large-scale explosions, the team must employ their unique blend of science and supernatural abilities to put an end to the machinations of the man toying with their lives.

This time, he won’t slip through their fingers.

This time, it’s more than a case. It’s a hunt, and Forge, Blair, Declan, and Lucas won’t stop until they’ve captured their quarry.

Excerpt (this was one of those scenes that lead to the rest of the book):

Jonas laid his hand on Declan’s shoulder for a few beats. “It’s okay.” He settled on the ground beside Blair and pulled him close. “You’ll be fine.”

Blair reached over and ran two fingers down Jonas’s cheek. “You’ll do okay without me.”

Jonas sighed and shook his head. He shifted his weight so he squatted as much as possible behind Blair instead of beside him and slipped his hands under Blair’s arms.

“Ready?” Declan asked. Jonas nodded.

“We can do this,” Lucas said. He, along with Ori and Kai, positioned themselves with Declan at various points along the chunk of concrete pinning and trapping Blair. Even with all four of them, it was a strain lifting what had at one time been a wall. They got it up far enough so Jonas could haul Blair out.

Blair shouted through clenched teeth and shuddered. He reached around and gripped Jonas’s shirt with one hand. Shifting him carefully, Jonas hefted Blair up and held him in his arms.

“I don’t want you to die,” Blair whispered. He rested his head on Jonas’s shoulder and ran his fingertips over Jonas’s cheek again. “Declan promised he’d take care of you.”

Jonas raised his eyebrows and sighed. Declan pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds and said, “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

Jonas leaned to the side and stared down at the dark puddle under the chunk of concrete. “I see.”

Blair gasped a few times and touched Jonas’s face again. “Don’t die. You don’t have to die if I do.”

“I have no plans on dying, and you’re not going to either. Not today anyway,” Jonas said softly.

“Normal folks die from blood loss. You vamps are cool. All you do is become delirious.” Lucas patted Jonas’s arm. “Get him on the stretcher so I can see what we need to do.”

Once Blair was on the stretcher, Lucas ripped the material covering his leg. Bones stuck out in places they shouldn’t have, and his leg bent sideways right below his knee.

Lucas reached up and put his hand on the side of Blair’s neck. “The good news is, you’re a vampire, and this will be healed in a week or two. The bad news is, you’re a vampire, and there isn’t a lot I can do about painkillers.”

Blair licked his lips and nodded. “Quick. Do it quick.”

About the Author

Elizabeth Noble lives by the adage “I can’t not write”. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t make up stories and eventually she learned how to write them down. A part of every day is spent living in worlds she created that are filled with intrigue and espionage. Using a real love of scifi and urban fantasy highlighted by twisty plots she crafts stories taking place in a slightly altered version of our world.

When she’s not chronicling the adventures of her many characters Elizabeth is a veterinary nurse living in her native Cleveland, Ohio. She shares her little brick house with an adorable canine princess and her tabby cat side-kick. Elizabeth is a fan of baseball, basketball (go Cavs and Indians!) and gardening. She can often be found working in her ‘outside office’ listening to classic rock and plotting her next novel waiting for it to be dark enough to gaze at the stars.

Elizabeth received several amateur writing awards. Since being published, several of her novels have received honorable mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Her novel Jewel Cave was a runner-up in the 2015 Rainbow Awards in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category. Ringed Love was a winner in the Gay Fantasy Romance category of the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

Please visit Elizabeth Noble at:

Emotion in Motion: http://www.elizabeth-noble.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.noble.77
Facebook group: On the Patio with Elizabeth Noble: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551582581800123/
Twitter: @elizabethnoble1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elizabethnoble1/
Elizabeth’s direct email is: elizabeth.noble19@gmail.com

Visit The Vampire Guard:

The Vampire Guard website: http://bit.ly/232TyHH
Email members of The Vampire Guard: jr.vampx@gmail.com

Other links:

Circles website: http://bit.ly/2aryKUQ
Dreamspinner page: http://bit.ly/1OiVC6j
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bqjwCc

Release Blitz & Review Tour for Anna Martin’s The Impossible Boy (giveaway)

The Impossible Boy – Anna Martin

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner

Publisher: Dreamspinner

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh

Length: 67,000 words

Blurb

This is not your average love story.

Ben Easton is not your average romantic hero. He’s a tattooed, badass, wannabe rock star, working in a perfectly horrible dive bar in Camden Town. His life is good, and he’s totally unprepared for how one man will turn it upside down.

Stan isn’t your average heroine. As a gender-fluid man, he proudly wears his blond hair long, his heels sky-high, and his make-up perfectly executed. A fashion industry prodigy, Stan is in London after stints working in Italy and New York City, and he quickly falls for Ben’s devil-may-care attitude and the warm, soft heart Ben hides behind it.

Beneath the perfect, elegant exterior, Stan has plenty of scars from teenage battles with anorexia. And it only takes the slightest slip for his demons to rush back in while Ben’s away touring with his band. With the band on the brink of a breakthrough, Ben is forced to find a way to balance the opportunity of a lifetime with caring for his beautiful boyfriend.

January 17 – Diverse Reader, BooksLaidBareBoys, Gay Book Reviews, The Written Voice Of Is

January 18 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books, Lustful Literature, Love Bytes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

January 21 – Urban Smoothie Read

January 23 – Bonkers About Books

January 25 – Keysmash, From Top To Bottom Reviews, Sarandipity

January 30 – Making It Happen, Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews

February 1 – Romantic Fanatic

February 3 – Bayou Book Junkie

February 6 – Hearts On Fire Reviews, PNR Book Lover Reviews, MM Book Escape, Alpha Book Club, G & T’s Indie Cafe

Author Bio

Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England and now lives in Bristol. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before turning her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), visiting friends who live in other countries, Marvel Comics, learning new things, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Although her most recent work is in the LGBT Adult Fiction genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen/ Young Adult genre, Romance, and Fantasy novels.

Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; “My favourite books,” she says, “are The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.” She also several well-read copies of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

http://www.facebook.com/annamartinfiction
http://www.pinterest.com/annamartinficti/
http://instagram.com/missannamartin
http://www.twitter.com/missannamartin

Giveaway

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A MelanieM Release Day Review: Cemeteries by Moonlight (States of Love) by Hunter Frost

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When a serious bout of writer’s block threatens to delay mystery author Drew Daniels’s newest book, his aunt offers her New Orleans apartment in the heart of the French Quarter as a writing retreat. She neglects to mention that it’s occupied by the enigmatic and sexy Finn Murphy, a cemetery tour guide with a penchant for Victorian attire and a Cajun accent.

A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.

Dreamspinner Press has a wonderful thing going with these new series (World of Love, States of Love, Perchance to Dream) its started featuring different authors and an umbrella theme. Here in Cemeteries by Moonlight (States of Love) by Hunter Frost its the States of Love series (a favorite of mine) and a new author, Hunter Frost. Hunter Frost is down in New Orleans and Louisiana for a tale of romance, mystery and yes, murder. All wrapped up in 108 pages. I have to admit I fell under this author’s spell quite easily.

Frost has a love for this lush, historic city and it oozes out of her tale, Cemeteries by Moonlight. Full of New Orleans places, and details, yet the story never feels like its encumbered by the City’s own past, more supported and embraced by it. Drew Daniels is certainly in need of it as he has writer’s block. He’s an interesting character, with a disability (Tourettes) I have only seen one other time in a M/M story. Its handled perfectly here, and you accept it and Drew as a complete whole as you should. Drew is so well drawn that he comes complete with a father you wish to get to know better as well as a home town of Baltimore. He’s the real deal. More of a shadow figure? Finn Murphy. I loved Finn, but parts of Finn remain nebulous all the way to the end. This was either due to the lack of length or perhaps Frost is intending to add on a sequel (my personal hope for this story). There were still so many questions in my mind about Finn and his history.

There is of course, a mystery or two that plays out here, a killer on the loose, and a relationship that’s evolving. Frost twines them all together using the streets and history of New Orleans and just the right hint of the paranormal to spice things up.

I loved the identity of the killer, made perfect sense. I just wished for a little more investigation, more phone calls from dad (a police connection), more aha! moments. This story really deserves them, its so good.

I hope that the author revisits this world and couple again. Why leave it at one mystery to solve? Why not more? I think Drew and Finn have something here…lets investigate it!

Cover art by AngstyG is perfection. This artist nails it every time.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 108 pages
Expected publication: January 18th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635332435 (ISBN13: 9781635332438)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesStates of Love settingLouisiana (United States)

A Stella Release Day Review: Permanent Ink by Jaime Samms

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Permanent Ink by Jaime Samms, released by Dreamspinner Press, is a second edition, I haven’t read the first one so I’m not sure how much or if it was revisited. I usually like what the author writes so I was really curious about this new to me novella. Plus “opposite attracts” is a trope I truly love in my books.

I found Permanent Ink to be a good story. The characters were well developed considering the length of the novella, just sixty pages. I particularly liked the secondary characters, Angel and Jack, the little scenes with Angel’s mum. All of them were what friends and family are supposed to be, the love they shared is pure and strong.

There were a couple of things that kept me from rating the story more than 3.25 stars. First of all I would have preferred to have Dwayne POV too. Eric’s one wasn’t enough. I struggled understanding what was going on in Dwayne mind and his POV would have helped me a lot. For example to actually see the desire they seemed to have for each other. In fact apart from the sexual parts, did they like each other? Did they want to be together? I had no idea what they were feeling. A couple of”I love you” spoken in the epilogue didn’t satisfy me at all. I wanted more from the MCs and sadly I didn’t get it.

That said, Permanent Ink is a good story, well written from one of my favorite authors. It just misses the fire that make me really love a book.

The cover art by AngstyG is awesome, it caught my attention and together to the author name, brought me to be interested in the story, I wasn’t even interested in the blurb.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 63 pages
Expected publication: January 18th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published February 1st 2011)
ISBN 1634777794 (ISBN13: 9781634777797)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A VVivacious Release Day Review: In Your Court (World of Love) by Reece Pine

Rating – 1 Star out of 5

Regan a.k.a Ray is in Ho Chi Minh City (a.ka. Saigon), Vietnam as a volunteer basketball coach at the Ho Chi Minh Central Crane School for a week. But this week is also Ray’s goodbye to a sport he has loved for too long but is now unable to play because of his crippling back ache. So for one week he is going to play through the pain and when the week ends he plans to curl up and pay for it. He has everything worked out but what he didn’t take into account was falling in love, unfortunately a distance as large as the Pacific Ocean isn’t going to be easy to ignore.

Have you read the blurb for this story? If you haven’t, read it, it is painfully accurate and also 80% of the story.

The book is written in a lingo which as the book is written entirely from Ray’s perspective translates into I have no idea why Ray thinks and talks like this.

This story is extremely disjointed and vague. It is so vague that having read it I still have no idea what Xin does for a living, why or how Ray was in Saigon and also who both these characters actually are. I mean yes the story does inform us about these things but if you stop and think about it you will be completely befuddled. Let’s take Xin’s job for example he tells us in many words that he is a glorified translator but later on we find out that he matches companies with tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities, makes connections, talks to a lot of people and since he speaks multiple languages he translates for his father, but in all this mess of words I still don’t know in any concrete sense what it was Xin does for a job and how that translated in him being in Vietnam coincidentally on the first day of Ray’s stay there. Also if volunteers other than Ray had been there in Crane School, why the hell did they need a translator for Ray when they had managed without one before?

Basically the story seems to make no sense. Things seem to happen just because they are planned to happen that way and the strings calling the shots are not so invisible. I couldn’t for the life of me understand Ray’s motivations or what he wanted from life and that is despite being in his head all the time so it was almost impossible to get a grasp on Xin, he might has well have been an alien. Also while Ray’s condition is one of the only things in this book that is spelt out, while the science made sense, I had no idea how the disease translated to Ray and his life.

One of the aspects of this book was the culture shock. The author talks about the differences in culture but the problem was that at no point in the story did the differences seem to end at no point in the story was there the realization that we are all just people no matter how different, in fact the differences just seemed to be building on till they became almost insurmountable.

The first half of the story which is the part in Crane School adds absolutely nothing to the story. The story actually doesn’t start till Ray’s obligations with the school are over so technically Ray and Xin fall in love over 3 days, the worst part is I would have accepted it if it was written in a convincing matter but yeah that never happened.

I just can’t understand why Xin and Ray fell in love. They have nothing together that would equate a good relationship and they have no chemistry. The first sex scene in this story is around the 60% mark and it was the slowest sex scene in history, the scene spans 10 plus pages and was just so boring, why, just why was this so long and so detailed. Unfortunately the subsequent sex scenes were no improvement.

One of the reasons I picked up this book was that I thought this book would focus more on the relationship between Xin and Ray and would centre around their decision to stay together despite odds and I was hoping we would get to see them take a leap of fate as they rearrange their lives around being together but that was a pitiful 5% of this book and the answer was a yes without any thought, planning, knowledge or understanding.

If you ask me just skip this book the only pleasure I got from this book was when I was pounding my frustration into this review. The characters are vague, they story makes no sense and the blurb reveals all there is to know.

Cover Art by Garrett Leigh. I liked the cover but the guy on the cover fits no description of Xin’s and I’m pretty sure that is not supposed to be Ray.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages
Expected publication: January 18th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635332249 (ISBN13: 9781635332247)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWorld of Love settingVietnam

A Caryn Release Day Review: The Mighty Have Fallen by Bonnie Dee

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The book opens up with Trevor Rowland quoting the Bible (because I am a nerd, I looked it up, Samuel 1:25, KJV) “How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle!” referring to himself. He had been a wealthy, celebrated stage actor when he suffered a stroke that left him completely blind. To add insult to injury, while he was still in rehabilitation his boyfriend ran away after emptying their bank accounts, and Trevor found that he had been swindling him all along. Trevor is feeling pretty low – he used to have it all, and now he’s disabled, poor, and feeling like an ass for not recognizing that his boyfriend was so shallow and dishonest. He is depressed, angry, bored, scared, and frustrated.

The same page introduces Jack Burrows, a blue-collar East Ender who moved in with Trevor one month ago mostly to split the rent, but partly to help Trevor out with household chores. He is almost annoyingly optimistic and cheery, and has decided it is his mission to get Trevor to find meaning in his new life. He does so by suggesting that Trevor look into doing voice-overs, and amateur drag queen performance. Which Trevor immediately does and his attitude and his life turn around almost instantly.

So at this point, I was already sitting back and considering the story very detachedly, because it felt forced and awkward. The reader is dropped into the story literally at the moment that Trevor is transforming his life, so the backstory is all told instead of shown and I wasn’t convinced. I also did not feel the realities of losing one’s sight as an adult was portrayed very realistically – Trevor usually acted like a sighted person, so when the cane actually was mentioned it seemed intrusive. I recently read Running Blind, by Kim Fielding and Venona Keyes, and that portrayal of a man who lost his sight (also from a stroke, imagine that) was much more credible. Then there was the insta-love aspect – I really hate insta-love because I think it is a cop-out so an author can avoid plot and characterization – although I know that is not unusual for this author. I was dubious about the whole business of Trevor doing a drag show, despite the extensive monologues about how it equated with his previous career and why the music he chose to lip-sync was so meaningful. Jack’s character was too perfect, and though the accent did help to bring his voice to life for me, it slipped frequently (for an amazing example of the accent done well, and the contrast between posh and uncultured voices, read Glitterland by Alexis Hall)

When I realized that I was comparing this book to others just to see how it fell short, I knew it was going to be a miss for me. The conflict before the happy ending was the usual misunderstanding blown out of proportion – so overused – and the drag show, which should have been a pinnacle of the story, was unimpressive.

Cover art by Bree Archer is nice but way too dramatic for this story.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 112 pages
Expected publication: January 18th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635332370 (ISBN13: 9781635332377)
Edition LanguageEnglish

In Our New Release Spotlight: Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt (excerpt and giveaway)

Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt
Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here At Riptide Publishing

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to be hosting L.A. Witt today on her Afraid to Fly tour. Welcome, L.A.!

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Afraid to Fly, the second book in the Anchor Point series!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Afraid to Fly) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 22^nd, and winners will be announced on January 23^rd. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Excerpt

(Clint)

Thanks to skipping lunch, I was able to slip out of the office around four thirty. Travis was held up for a while because he had a meeting with the CO, but about ten minutes before I got home, he texted me to let me know he was on his way.

While I waited for him, I couldn’t sit still. I’d showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and now all there was to do was wait. And wait. And try to keep myself calm and cool.

Why isn’t he here yet? He should’ve been here five minutes ago.

Did he remember how to get here? Wait, I’d given him my address, and his car had GPS. He’d find the place. Right? Did I need to text him with my apartment number?

What the hell is wrong with me?

And then . . .

Footsteps on the walkway.

The distinct sound of boots.

Fuck yes.

I opened the door right as he stepped onto the porch. Neither of us said a word. He hooked his fingers in my waistband and pulled me in close, and we were back in each other’s arms. We kissed. Stumbled. Somehow made it off the porch and into the apartment without falling on our asses, and I was so tangled up in him, I couldn’t even remember for sure if we’d closed the door.

I opened my eyes briefly. Glanced past him.

Yep. Door was closed.

Where were we?

I cradled the back of his head and kissed him even harder.

“Sorry I took so long,” he panted against my lips. “Fucking traffic through the gate.”

“’S’okay. You made it.”

“Finally.”

“Mm-hmm.”

His hands slid across my bare skin, emphasizing how dressed he still was. That wouldn’t do. This uniform needed to be on the floor right now.

He must’ve had the same idea, because we both started fumbling with buttons. One by one, they gave. I pushed the blouse off his shoulders.

“By the way,” I said as I ran my hands up the front of his snug T-shirt, “one more hour at work, and I would’ve run out of military bearing.”

“You and me both,” he said between kisses, and slid his hands down over my ass. “Today was killing me. Even before you showed up in my office.”

“Tell me about it.” I started kissing my way down his neck. “You didn’t have to stand up in front of a class and try not to get a hard-on.”

He laughed, tilting his head to the side as I inched toward his collarbone. “Maybe I should’ve teased you a bit more.”

“That wouldn’t have been a good idea.” I bit his shoulder through his clothes, and he responded with the most delicious groan.

“Not a good idea?” He pressed against my dick. “Why not? What would’ve happened?”

“All kinds of . . . court-martial-worthy . . . offenses.” I groaned softly. “On government property.”

“More than what we already did?”

“So much more.”

“Hmm. Scandalous.” He dipped his head and kissed my neck. “Might have to step up my game at work. See what happens when you lose all your—”

“Don’t you dare,” I growled.

“Or what?”

“I’ll tell the CO.” I curved my hands over his ass. “Tell her you seduced me in my office.” I kissed beneath his jaw and murmured, “Tell her I was . . . helpless to resist . . . your charm.”

We both broke out laughing.

“Go ahead and tell her,” he said. “I won’t deny it.”

“Shameless bastard.”

About Afraid to Fly

Once a fearless fighter pilot, Commander Travis Wilson is now confined to a desk. It’s been eight years since the near-fatal crash that grounded him, and it still rules his life thanks to relentless back pain.

Lieutenant Commander Clint Fraser almost drowned in a bottle after a highly classified catastrophe while piloting a drone. His downward spiral cost him his marriage and kids, but he’s sober now and getting his life back on track. He’s traded drones for a desk, and he’s determined to reconcile with his kids and navigate the choppy waters of PTSD.

Clint has been on Travis’s radar ever since he transferred to Anchor Point. When Clint comes out to his colleagues, it’s a disaster, but there’s a silver lining: now that Travis knows Clint is into men, the chemistry between them explodes.

It’s all fun and games until emotions get involved. Clint’s never been in love with a man before. Travis has, and a decade later, that tragic ending still haunts him. Clint needs to coax him past his fear of crashing and burning again, or their love will be grounded before takeoff.

Afraid to Fly is available January 16^th from Riptide Publishing.

This title is #2 of the Anchor Point series.

About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…

Website: http://www.gallagherwitt.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GallagherWitt

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Afraid to Fly, one lucky winner will receive $10 in Riptide Publishing credit and two books of choice from L.A. Witt’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 21, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Lila Review: Revolutionary Temptation by Silvia Violet

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

1777 New York City

The American colonists are fighting for their independence, but the battlefield is not the only place to wage war. When General Washington’s head of intelligence asks Captain Jack West to spy on the British in New York, Jack agrees, despite reservations about this ungentlemanly pursuit.

Jack’s contact in the city recruits bookshop owner Elias Ashfield, an impeccably dressed sensualist who flaunts his desire for both men and women and seeks a place in high society. Jack longs for a simple life guided by clear principles. Eli is a risk-taker who knows how to get what he wants. And he wants Jack in his bed.

Events in Jack’s past have made him fearful of acting on his secret craving for a man’s touch, but Eli intrigues Jack as much as he infuriates him. As Jack and Eli search for the information the rebel army needs, they realize there’s more between them than mere lust. But finding a way to be together may prove more difficult than defeating the British Empire.

Revolutionary Temptation is the first LGBTQ+ story I read taking place during the American Revolution. It was interesting to see the mix of fictional characters interacting with historical ones. The author did an excellent job placing the story, and getting the reader into its historical frame.

The book does start slow, but it’s necessary. We get to see Jack and Eli individually and interacting with Mrs. Sullivan–who acts as a third main character. And that, I think, is where my issue with the story starts. This book is a two in one–a romance & a literary fiction story.

I wish we got more of the fiction element than the romance, though. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Jack, Eli, and their love. I simply wanted that it to merge better with the overall arc. Sometimes, I expected to know more about their work for the rebels, just to have it interrupted by the romance; and vice-versa.

The emotions and intrigues in this story run high. There’s plenty of smexy scenes and page-turning moments. The amount of detail is up-to-par and most secondary and supporting characters had a point and a story to be part of the book. I’m looking forward to more about Eli’s, Jack’s, and Constance’s adventures. The author has a great fictional world to work with.

I’m sure it was hard to find models to fit the period and Jack’s & Eli’s characteristics, but Meredith Russell did a good job adjusting the cover to fit the story.

Sale Links: Smashwords | Amazon | Payhip

ebook, 254 pages
Published: January 17, 2017, Silvia Violet Books
ASIN: B01N2ZPANE
Edition Language: English

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Nachos & Hash (Mary’s Boys #1) by Brandon Witt Dreamspinner Press Release Date: January 25, 2017

Cover Artist: AngstyG

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Quarry (The Vampire Guard #2) by Elizabeth Noble DSP Publications

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Excerpt (this was one of those scenes that lead to the rest of the book):

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The Impossible Boy – Anna Martin

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Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt Riptide Publishing Cover Artist L.C. Chase

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About L.A. Witt

Giveaway

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Nachos & Hash (Mary’s Boys #1) by Brandon Witt
Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 25, 2017

Quarry (The Vampire Guard #2) by Elizabeth Noble
DSP Publications

Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt
Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist L.C. Chase