Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Roped In by Marie Sexton and L.A. Witt

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Roped InGraham has been riding the rodeo circuit for years, and he and his partner, Jackson, have won the calf-roping championship and set high standards for competitors many times. But this year is different. This year, there’s a complication—a group of animal rights protestors are creating a commotion outside the arena, and more specifically, outside the barn where Graham and Jackson house their horses and Graham intends to stop them. But when he gets face to face with them, he’s halted in his tracks by his sudden attraction to one of the young men. Kaz is a college student, vegan, activist, and gay, and he’s stunned by his attraction to the cowboy who comes out to confront his group. He couldn’t be gay too, could he?

Unwilling to act on his desires for men, Graham keeps them hidden from all but Jackson and now, Kaz. Last year, during the regionals, his long-time love for Jackson led him to accept Jackson’s drunken advances one night, but at the last minute, he chickened out and ran. Now, though he’s still attracted to Jackson, his attraction to Kaz is stronger. And when he bumps into Kaz one night at a local bar, the two go home together after Kaz indicates he’d like to show Graham something. What he shows him is a night of pleasure as Graham submits to being tied with rope and allowing Kaz more than he’s ever allowed another man. But the next morning, after Kaz leaves, Jackson confronts him, and it’s the beginning of the end of their partnership when Graham learns what Jackson has to say about their past encounter and Jackson’s opinion of Graham’s attraction to Kaz.

This is an enjoyable story, and it’s fairly short, though it would have been nice if it was longer. I love both of these authors, and the two together were making those ropes smoke! If you like enemies-to-lovers stories, or you like a little mild bondage in your MM romance, you should enjoy this one. And unlike some novellas with a similar theme, there’s much more here than the romance and sex. The story does a good job of highlighting both sides in the protests about cruelty to rodeo animals and even touches on equine rescue efforts.

Considering the length of the story, I found the characters well-developed—both MCs and Jackson.  In fact, I was hoping there was a follow-up story about Jackson, but there doesn’t appear to be one as this isn’t listed as being the beginning of a series. However, if the authors or publishers are taking votes, count my vote in for a Jackson sequel. I’d love much more of this world, and I’d certainly love to see Jackson emerge from the closet and “rope in” his own man.

Cover art by L.C. Chase is perfect for the story.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd edition, 155 pages
Published June 20th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 20th 2014)
Original TitleRoped In
ISBN 1626494614 (ISBN13: 9781626494619)
Edition LanguageEnglish

L.A. Witt Talks “Research vs Real World Experience” in ‘Roped In’ by Marie Sexton and L.A. Witt( Giveaway)

Roped In

Roped In by Marie Sexton and L.A. Witt
Riptide Publishing
Cover by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words has the pleasure of having the authors of Roped In here today to talk about the issue of research and writing.  Welcome Marie Sexton and L.A. Witt.

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Research vs Real World Experience

Roped In is one of those books that required some research, but also tapped into some of my real world experience. No, I’m not talking about the BDSM side of things.

See, I was raised around horses. Some of my earliest memories are of horse shows. I actually have a horse show ribbon of my own from a couple of months before I turned three (my mom was leading the horse), and that isn’t the first horse show I remember. As a teenager, I rode competitively in Washington state, mostly on the Morgan horse circuit. Even though I haven’t competed in a while (really really really need to get back into that…), everything horse is pretty much in my blood.

So… you could say I have some experience with the hooved ones.  More often than not, if my characters are interacting with horses, it’s at least some personal experience talking. I would like to say that isn’t true about the scene in one of my hetero books where a character is trapped inside a trailer with a panicking horse, but no, that scene came from real life. Not really a good way to spend an afternoon, would not do again, 0/5 stars.

Anyway, when it came time to write Roped In, there was also some research needed. After all, I’ve never ridden in a rodeo in my life. I’ve never done roping or anything like it (y’all I can barely tie my shoes). I’ve watched it, and I have friends who do it, but firsthand experience? Not so much. So, I hunted down some of my rodeo-inclined friends, watched some videos online, read what I could get my hands on. (As did Marie, of course!)  For scenes like when Kaz and Graham are trying to rescue a scared and neglected horse, that mostly came from real-world experience.

And writing that book, just like writing After the Fall, only made the “OMG I WANT A HORSE” voice get that much louder in my head. Hopefully that voice will be getting its wish sometime next year. After all, I’ve always wanted an Andalusian horse, and I do live in Andalusia…

About Roped In

Graham and his roping partner, Jackson, have been friends since they were boys. They’ve ruled the rodeo scene for ten years running, but lately, Graham’s heart isn’t in the game. He’s tired of the bruises, the cowboy mentality, and the animal rights activists who picket every event. He’s also tired of being in love with Jackson, and nothing’s been the same between them since their disastrous drunken encounter the year before.

Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. But he’s also a know-it-all, animal-loving vegan, bent on saving the world one cow at a time. They have next to nothing in common, but Graham can’t stop thinking about what might happen if they can stop butting heads long enough to give it a try. Unfortunately, no matter how attracted Graham is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off. But Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.

All they need is a bit of rope.

(Note: This is a re-edited second edition of a previously published title.)

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Connect with Marie:

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 . . .

Connect with L.A.:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Roped In, Marie and L.A. are giving away $20 in Riptide Publishing credit plus one ebook from each of their backlists. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on June 25, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Pre-Release Tour for Picked Fresh by Posy Robert (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: Picked Fresh
Series: Naked Organics #2
Author: Posy Roberts 
Genre: M/M Romance
Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press
Hudson Oliva loves stability. He was a throwaway teen before finding Kaleidoscope Gardens, but has since thrived at the commune. When Jude Garrity moves in, life gets even better, but Hudson still craves more. He knows he has to be satisfied with their exclusive status being temporary and that Jude will eventually navigate his full sexual awakening with their other housemates.

Hudson has a journey of his own to make. It might only require going home to settle his grandmother’s estate, but he plans to use his time away to figure out how to temper his feelings for Jude and bury his jealousy once and for all. But when Jude joins him on his trip, Hudson falls even deeper in love, especially after Jude stands by his side when he finally confronts his mother for rejecting him.

However, it’s not all hearts and flowers while they travel. They’re over two thousand miles from home when Hudson learns a ruthless corporate farm threatens the commune they both love. In order to save their way of life, Hudson must ask his mother for help. And if he wants a chance at a stable future with Jude, he has to tell him the truth about his feelings, no matter if it ruins the harmony he’s tried so hard to preserve.

 


Jude shifted in his seat and stared at Hudson. Hudson couldn’t take his eyes off the road, but the desire to turn toward Jude and mirror him was overwhelming. “What was your first impression of me when I met you at the farmers market?”

“Should I be diplomatic or honest?”

“Honest.”

Hudson ran that day over in his mind. It was crystal clear, still, even though it had been more than nine months ago. Jude had meandered from stand to stand. He initially stood out from the crowd because of what he was wearing: a bright blue, almost turquoise wool coat over a black turtleneck and tight black jeans. In the blur of quilted plaid flannel and fleece hoodies in various shades of drab, olive, and Carhartt, Jude was all Hudson could see.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. You were… stunning.” He shook his head. “I don’t know another word for it. I was talking to some customer about how we raised our chickens, and when I saw you, I stopped midsentence. I stared, felt like a dirty old man because you looked so young, and when I turned back to the woman to carry on our conversation, I had no idea what we’d been talking about. Literally none. It was like looking at you sucked the words out of my throat and the thoughts right out of my head.”

Jude chuckled. “Seriously? Was it the coat?”

“It made you stand out, but no, it wasn’t the coat. It was everything about you. Your broad shoulders and your hair and your eyes and your fucking lips.”

“You like my lips?” Jude pulled his rose-flavored lip stuff out of his front pocket and made a show of smearing it across the bottom one. Then he rubbed his lips together and licked them, all while staring at Hudson with soft bedroom eyes.

The bus vibrated, a jagged noise piercing Hudson’s ears as he drove too far to the right, edging his tires onto the rumble strip. “¡Coño!” He maneuvered back into the center of his lane.

Jude laughed. Hudson’s heart thundered against his rib cage.

“You’re evil,” Hudson said. “Evil, I tell you!”

“Maybe.” Jude bit at his bottom lip.

“Stop. Stop tempting me with your fucking gorgeous mouth. I can’t have you doing that shit while I’m driving.”

“Okay.” Jude smirked but kept his tongue and teeth from doing anything else. He put away those hazel sex-eyes too. “So, how did you see this trip going down?”

“Just like that?” Hudson was incredulous.

“What?”

“You can just turn it on and off like a switch?”

“With you, sure.”

“Well, I can’t.” Hudson gestured to his crotch, where his dick was obvious, thick, and quickly moving on its way to fully hard, even though Jude had stopped the licking and the biting.

“Want me to touch you?” Jude’s voice was breathy as he slid his warm palm up Hudson’s inner thigh. He thumbed over the head of Hudson’s cock, and Hudson got harder. Jude played with just the head, moving back and forth, his touch light and delicious.

“Want me to drive off the road?” Hudson managed not to sound choked off.

“No.” Jude pulled his hand away and smiled like the devil. “I want you to drive. And I want you to tell me about what you want to do on this trip besides the obvious. And for the record, turning it off doesn’t happen like a switch. Turning me on with one look, easy!”

“You’re dangerous.”

“Damn right I am.”
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Interested in reading how Hudson ended up living at Kaleidoscope Gardens? Read Naked Origins—Hudson for free. This is not a romance, but for those who want to dig a little deeper, this story covers much of Hudson’s history that is hinted at in Picked Fresh. Visit https://posyroberts.com/2016/02/02/free-read-naked-origins/ to read the summary and download it.
Title: Farm Fresh
Series: Naked Organics #1
Author: Posy Roberts 
Genre: M/M Romance
Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press 
Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Wet Heat by R.D. Hero

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

WetHeat_600x900Lee Aung is an omega werewolf who refuses to follow tradition. Omegas are expected to mate with an alpha and produce children, which they would then nourish and cherish until the child is of age to move on. Homebodies, omegas are happiest when serving their alphas. Lee is far from that! In fact, at forty-two, he’s past the age of going into heat, so alphas would no longer be attracted to him. But he has a secret weapon—he uses Wet Heat, an experimental spray-on fragrance that simulates the scent of an omega in heat, thereby giving Lee all the hookups he can manage.

Too bad he’s lost his job, and the landlord wants to evict him, because now he can’t afford to buy Wet Heat. He knows how to scam free samples and does so, but he’s also participating in research conducted by the lab that makes Wet Heat, so he knows his supply is stable That is, until a bad week gets worse, and his research handler—geeky, introverted Cain—informs Lee that his lying and cheating is over. Cain has found out that, contrary to what Lee told him when he signed up for the program, he is not a mated omega, and his stories about his alpha have been nothing but lies.

But what Cain doesn’t tell Lee is that Cain is attracted to him even without the scent of Wet Heat. In fact, if half the stories Lee has related about sex with his fake alpha are based on truth, Cain is willing to put aside his own reticence to take an omega mate and pursue Lee instead. But Lee leads him on a merry chase, and it’s not quite so easy to land the omega as Cain thought. Interfering moms looking to get their children settled, a nephew who is experimenting with a dangerous version of Wet Heat, and a tough alpha scientist who will go to any length to get Lee’s nephew—even if it means getting Lee out of the way permanently—all contrive to keep Cain from Lee.

This is the first story I’ve read from this author, and I enjoyed it very much. It was humorous, with Lee making sometimes snarky commentary both directly and indirectly via parenthesis. The concept of the werewolf universe with alphas, betas, and omegas having certain roles was a new one and certainly believable. Both main and secondary characters were well developed, and the drama surrounding the distribution of the “bad batch” of Wet Heat was well done.

I’m looking forward to more from this author. I recommend this to those who enjoy paranormal stories in the werewolf universe, especially to those who like a little humor and mystery thrown in.

~~~~~

Cover art by L.C. Chase leads the eye to the right forefront of the cover where a dark blue perfume bottle is clearly marked with a wolf paw, and the shadow of a wolf takes up the left side background of the cover. Done in gray tones, with the blue bottle, it is very clean, attention-getting, and pertinent to the story.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 107 pages
Published June 20th 2016 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626494077
Edition LanguageEnglish

Blood & Milk by N.R. Walker Pre OrderTour and Giveaway

Title: Blood & Milk
Author: N.R. Walker
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: June 23, 2016
Heath Crowley is an Australian man, born with two different coloured eyes and the gift—or curse—of having premonition dreams. He also has nothing left to live for. Twelve months after having his life upended, his dreams tell him where he needs to be. So with nothing―and no one―to keep him in Sydney, he simply boards a plane for Tanzania. Not caring if he lives or dies, Heath walks into a tribe of Maasai and asks to stay. Granted permission, he leaves behind the name and heartbreak of Heath and starts over with the new Maasai name of Alé.


 From the day of his birth, Damu has always been an outcast. The son of the chief and brother to the great warrior leader, Damu is reminded constantly that he’s not good enough to be considered a man in the eyes of his people. Ordered to take responsibility for Alé, Damu shares with him the ways of the Maasai, just as Alé shares with Damu the world outside the acacia thorn fence. But it’s more than just a cultural exchange. It’s about trust and acceptance, finding themselves, and a true sense of purpose.

 Under the African sky on the plains of the Serengeti, Heath finds more than just a reason to live. He finds a man like no other, and a reason to love.



PROLOGUE

It was twelve months on. A full year had passed, yet my world had stopped completely. The men who stole my life were charged and would serve time for their crime. No one called it a hate crime, but that’s what it was. If I was expecting some sort of finality to come with the court findings, I didn’t get it. 
I was still hollow. I was still numb to the world, and I was still alone. 
I was also awarded damages, civilian victim and medical.
A nice healthy sum that meant I could pay off my debts after not working for twelve months, and more. Though no amount of money would make this right. No amount of money would bring him back.
My mother came along for the final hearing, though I could only guess why. I had barely spoken two words to her in the last year. Maybe she came so she could vie for the sympathy card with her friends. Or maybe she thought she could have one last twist of the knife…
“Now it’s all over,” she said, nodding her head like her words were wise and final. “You can put all this homosexual nonsense behind you.”
I looked at my mother and smiled. I fucking smiled. I raged inside with a fury to burn the world, and maybe she saw something in my eyes―maybe it was a ferocity she’d never seen before, maybe it was madness―and my words were whisper quiet.
“You are a despicable, bitter human being, and you are a disgrace to mothers everywhere. So, when you go to your church group, instead of praying for my soul, you should be praying for yours. You have only hate and judgement in your heart, and you are doomed to an eternity in hell.” I leaned in close and sneered at her. “And I hope you fucking burn.” I stood up and stared down at her. She was pale and shocked, and I did not care. “If you think my words are cold and cruel,” I added, “I want you to know I learned them from you.”
I walked away, for the final time. I knew I’d never see her again, and I had made my peace with that. 
I didn’t care for the money. I didn’t care for anything. I longed for sleep, because in my dreams, I saw him. And that night, almost one year to the day since he was gone, in our too-big bed, in our too-quiet flat, in my too-alone life, I dreamed of Jarrod.
He sat on our bed and grinned. I longed to hear his voice, just once. It’d been a year and I craved the sound of his voice, his touch. But when I reached out for him, even in my dream, as in my waking nightmares, he was gone. I sat up in our bed, reaching out for nothing but air. He was gone, really gone. 
But in this dream, on the bed were he’d sat, was a plane ticket. Mr Heath Crowley, it said. One way ticket to Tanzania.

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

 

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

 

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

 

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

 

She’s been writing ever since…  

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Wet Heat by RD Hero—Blog Tour—Riptide

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Wet Heat by R.D. Hero
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have R. D. Hero here today to talk about Wet Heat, her latest release. Welcome, R. D.!
 WetHeat_TourBanner

Hello! I’m R.D. Hero, the author of Wet Heat, a book about werewolf menopause, nefarious alphas, and party-boy omegas. I’d like to thank the blogs hosting this tour. Follow along to read more about the world and characters of Wet Heat!

About Wet Heat

Most omega werewolves want a mate and pups, but Lee Aung prefers an unconventional party-boy lifestyle. Yet at forty-two, he’s stopped going into heat, which means he’s expired goods—no longer a fertile, young omega that alpha wolves drool over. So Lee uses Wet Heat, a synthetic pheromone, to reel in the alpha hookups.

After losing his job at the bank, Lee can’t afford to keep up his Wet Heat habit. His solution: scam free samples by pretending to be a happily mated test subject at Wet Heat headquarters. There, Lee spends two years being interviewed by the reserved alpha scientist, Cain, who at thirty-two is unmated and—up until this point—content with that.

Cain never really felt his alpha instincts, nor took part in the usual alpha/beta/omega social dynamics. But after discovering that Lee has been lying about his unmated status for two years, Cain finally admits that for the first time, he wants to court an omega. Unfortunately, he’s picked the one omega who doesn’t want to be courted.

About R. D. Hero

R.D. Hero bombed out of art school. After that, she admitted writing might be the best course of action, and hopped to it. She likes writing about people who shouldn’t fall in love, which she’s been doing for about eight years. Starting with online serial fiction, R.D. developed her favorite tropes and dynamics, writing what she wanted to read.

Aside from that, she loves spicy food, boxer dogs, camping, and photography.

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Wet Heat, R. D. is giving away $15 in Riptide Publishing credit. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on June 25, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

In the Spotlight: Blood Lines by A.L. Bates (special excerpt and giveaway)

Blood Lines Tour Banner

Title: Blood Lines
Author: A.L. Bates
Genre: Gay Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller
Length: Novella
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis

Mark Thomas owns his own “New York”-themed bar on an off-world colony.

Nate Fox is an ex-con gone straight.

He’s also Mark’s best friend and brother-in-law.

Mark has feelings for Nate. Nate has feelings for Mark.

But neither man is prepared to compromise their friendship or Mark’s relationship with Danny.

Blood Lines is a story about fidelity, trust, and respect. It’s a story about honesty and learning from mistakes.

And it’s a story about second chances.

Blood Lines AL Bates Cover

Excerpt

He spat at Nate’s feet as he left. Nate ignored him. The bar curled around to a discreet desert garden. Mark was sitting in a concealed alcove by the fire exit. He’d found a small bench, set in a garden of cigarette butts and empty bottles. His eyes were closed, his face tight and in pain. From where he was seated, it was impossible not to have heard the altercation, and yet he still seemed surprised when he opened his eyes and saw Nate there.

Nate sat beside him, wishing he’d brought a beer to keep his hands occupied. He struggled to think of something to say, but like before, nothing could make it right. I’m sorry my brother has given you a death sentence. I’m sorry he got you attacked. I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.

“Why did you send him away?” Mark said.

“He wasn’t the type of guy you want to be meeting in this sort of place.”

“Why? Because he was going to fuck me?”

“Because he wouldn’t have treated you nicely.”

“Danny doesn’t treat me nicely. You didn’t step in then.”

Nate paused. “Maybe I should have.”

“What are you doing here, Nate? This isn’t your mess, it’s Danny’s.”

“Don’t you want my help?”

“I want a lot of things,” Mark said with a disgusted little chuckle. “You should go. It’s only gonna end badly.”

“I’m not going to leave you.”

“Even though I’m going to die?”

“You’re not going to die. I won’t let you.”

Mark rolled his head back to look at Nate. It was the same look he’d given Nate when his dad had died. But there was more there: a longing, a desperation. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Nate’s, hesitant at first and then gaining in confidence. He pulled back, keeping his face close to Nate’s. “Always wanted to do that.”

Buy Links

Don’t miss the release discounts at all retailers and get your copy up to 48 hours after release.

WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/?p=2080
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodlines-2055134-145.html

Book Trailer

Giveaway

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About the author

A.L. BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid writer, Deep is the first published novella by A.L. Bates.

A.L. Bates can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralbates