Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

Can Forgiveness Be A Path to Love? Find out with Black & Blühe (Out of the Blue #2) by RJ Jones

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Black & Blühe (Out of the Blue #2) by RJ Jones
Release Date: July 31, 2015

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: Vivid Blue Press
Cover Artist: Meredith Russell

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Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Smashwords | Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Grayson Black has never forgiven himself for not saving his identical twin brother, Jet, from a savage beating at their father’s hands ten years ago. Jet’s near-death never would have happened if Gray hadn’t been so focused on his boyfriend at the time. He has sworn to take care of his brother ever since. Gray can’t afford a distraction from his self-imposed mission, the type of distraction presented by the gorgeous blond showing up at their gigs.

Kris Larson is a firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Department. Since splitting from his girlfriend, his favorite way to spend nights off is watching the Black Brothers play in the bars of the Bay Area, especially the guitarist. But it’s not until the brothers are left homeless after a fire at their apartment building that Kris has the opportunity to know the real person behind the brooding façade.

Gray fights his attraction to Kris, but with a meddlesome twin who just wants him to be happy, it’s a losing battle. Before Gray and Kris can have a lasting relationship, though, Gray must learn to forgive himself, let go of the past, and lay more than one demon to rest.

Pages or Words: 57,000 words

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, M/M Romance, Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

I DOZED most of the way back to Richmond, Kris waking me up every now and then to check on me. I woke once and saw the exit to a local hospital, but when we didn’t take it, I looked at Kris and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not taking you to a hospital. I’m having the hospital come to you.” This confused me for a second, but all I could focus on was the fact I wasn’t going to an emergency department. After spending so much time in one with Jet, there was no way I was ever going to voluntarily go to one myself. Between having Kris next to me and the gentle rocking of the truck, not to mention a throbbing head, it was hard to stay awake.
We pulled into the drive of the Larson home and Kris was quick to exit the truck and pick me up once more. Carrying me through the front door, we were immediately bombarded with my brother’s concerned voice.
“Oh. My. God. What the hell happened? Holy shit, Gray, are you okay? What… what…?” I grabbed Jet’s hand to reassure him as Kris placed me on the couch.
“Ease up, bro, I’m fine. Twisted my ankle is all.”
“And he smacked his head and has a concussion.”
“Ugh, thanks, Kris.”
“You’re welcome.”
Carol came in and made a fuss, grabbing a bag of peas and easing my foot onto an ottoman. Jet and Carol were making a palaver, talking about hospitals and why I wasn’t already at one. I heard Kris mention something about a Dr. Nichols arriving soon, but with the madness going on around me, I tuned them out. Carol seemed relieved upon hearing the doctor’s name and stopped fussing, then went into the kitchen and returned with a bag of corn for my head.
A minute later there was a knock at the door and I heard someone being ushered inside, muttering something about an idiot who was “always slipping on the same damn rock.”
“Oh, my apologies. I thought it was Kris I was seeing.” Dr. Nichols chuckled as he crouched on the floor next to me. He pulled a penlight out of his black doctor’s bag and waved it in my eyes. I squinted at the intrusion to my pupils while he peppered me with questions.
I was aware of everyone standing around, watching. Kris stood off to the side, and out of my peripheral vision I could see the strained look on his face. I sensed he was staying out of the way, not wanting to encroach on what the doctor was doing, but close enough to keep an eye on me. The doctor continued to prod and poke my head, flash the penlight at me some more and ask the same questions. I guess he just wanted to be sure. I insisted I felt fine, just a headache, no nausea or dizziness, but my ankle hurt the worst.
I shouldn’t have mentioned my ankle, because next thing I knew, the doctor was poking that too, and it hurt like a bitch. After he wrote a prescription for some pain meds, a note for work, and bandaged my ankle, the doctor turned his attention to Kris.
“You know what to look for, don’t you, Kris?”
Kris nodded once. “I do.”
“Excellent, he has a mild concussion and a sprained ankle. I expect his ankle is going to give him the most pain, but keep an eye on his head just to be on the safe side. You can never be too careful with head injuries.”
After a few minutes of the doctor talking with Doug and Carol and making Kris promise to take me to the ER if my condition worsened, he waved goodbye and saw himself out the door. Jet was immediately next me, looking all concerned and flustered, his own injury probably at the forefront of his mind.

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

RJ Jones

RJ started as a reader and eventually made the progression to reviewing. It wasn’t until two men popped into her thoughts, insisting on telling her their story that she started to write. It started with one scene. A hot and dirty one in the shower.
RJ’s initial thought was if she could write their scene then they’d shut up and allow her to concentrate on other aspects of the day. That shower scene was 3000 words long and three hours of work.  But they didn’t shut up.  They told her their entire story and she didn’t sleep for days.  Sometimes she couldn’t keep up with what they were telling her and she had to keep a notebook by the bed.

Whilst RJ was writing their story a side character decided he needed his story told too. Then other characters followed suit.
You see the problem? If RJ ever wants to sleep again then she needs to write.

RJ is a wife and a mother to two boys. Even her dog is a boy.

She is surrounded by males.

RJ writes emotionally charged, character driven romances. Her guys will always get their HEA, but it will never be easy.

Where to find me

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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Tour Dates & Stops:
27-Jul
Prism Book Alliance
28-Jul
Hearts on Fire
Bayou Book Junkie
29-Jul
Jessie G. Books
30-Jul
Carly’s Book Reviews
The Hat Party
31-Jul
Love Bytes
3-Aug
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
4-Aug
My Fiction Nook
5-Aug
The Novel Approach
6-Aug
Just Love Romance
7-Aug
Molly Lolly
Parker Williams

In the Book Spotlight: The Camp by Victoria Zagar (excerpt and giveaway)

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The Camp by Victoria Zagar
Release Date: August 5, 2015

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: Prizm Books
Cover Artist: BSClay

Sales Links:   Torquere Books  | Amazon

Blurb:

Jesse Harvan comes home from school one day to find his parents have discovered the gay pornographic magazine hidden under his bed. Disgusted, they decide to send Jesse to Camp Grady, a summer camp which prides itself on converting people’s sexuality.

Once at the camp, Jesse meets the other inmates: Charlie, a disabled African-American gay teenager, Natalie, a transgender girl, her sister Lita, Japanese lesbian Sakura, and last of all, Minister Grady’s son Jacob, who works for the camp under duress. These teens must learn to bridge their differences and get along if they’re to beat their common enemy and keep their identities–and sanity–intact.

Pages or Words: 27,600 words

Categories: Contemporary, LGBT Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Transexual, Lesbian Romance, M/M Romance

Excerpt:

I sit in the back of an old school bus that has been converted for the camp’s use. It rankles that I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Sam. Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me near him. I tried to send him an e-mail, but it was blocked. I didn’t have time to figure out how their new family-filter software worked. The next morning, I was on a plane to Pennsylvania, Mom and Dad accompanying me like this was some kind of family vacation. They left me at the airport and went their own way, transferring me directly to camp custody so that I wouldn’t get infected with any gay on the way.

I know I’ll be going back home eventually, but it doesn’t feel like it right now. I feel like Camp Grady will go on forever. My greatest fear is that the me who goes home won’t be the same as the one sitting here right now.

What if they can change me? What if they do have the power to fix me? That thought in my head argues with its natural opposite: I’m not broken. I won’t change. There’s nothing they can do to change who I am.

Last night I scared myself. I went onto the Internet and looked up ex-gay camps, which surprisingly were not filtered out. There are people who claim that they work. That they’ve thrown away partners, friends, and husbands because they’ve been ‘cured’. I read reports of abuse and beatings that made my stomach clench. I cried myself to sleep for the first time in a long time. I’m genuinely scared. How can something like this be legal? Apparently in California it isn’t. I wish I was a San Francisco kid. Maybe then my parents would be cool, and I wouldn’t feel so alone in the world.

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About the author:

Victoria was born in the United Kingdom but emigrated to the United States at age 21. She’s bisexual, genderqueer, happily married, and still shouts in a British accent. She lives with her husband in Pennsylvania where she spends a lot of time playing and talking about video games, especially Japanese role-playing games.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synthesislandale
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/infinitelovefiction
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/landale
Website http://victoriazagar.com


Tour Dates & Stops: August 3, 2015
Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Just Love Romance, Jessie G. Books, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Molly Lolly, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Full Moon Dreaming, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, My Fiction Nook, Ogitchida Book Blog, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘The Camp’ by Victoria Zagar Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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In the Book Spotlight: The Homecoming by J. Scott Coatsworth (author interview and giveaway)

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The Homecoming by  J. Scott Coatsworth
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Cover Artist: London Burden
Release Date: 7/29
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Sales Link:  Less Than Three Press

My Interview with Author J. Scott Coatsworth on writing, The Homecoming and Much More

  • Tell me a little about you and your writing:

Thanks for inviting me on the blog again! I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was a kid in elementary school in Tucson, Arizona. I wrote my first (longhand, illustrated in crayon) short story in fourth grade – and won a writing contest. In junior high, I graduated to an old manual typewriter, and eventually to an old IBM PC.

I’ve always been fascinated with Fantasy and Sci Fi and the intersection of the two. Most of my stories have revolved around those things; but lately, I’ve added a third thing to the mix – a little MM romance/interaction.

  • You have a new novella coming out – The Homecoming. What’s it about, and how does it fit into that scheme?

The homecoming was a story I started years ago. I wrote maybe three or four scenes, but never finished it. Then I saw a call for stories about the forest, and thought this piece would be perfect. But I had to give it a mixed-genre twist.

There is a romance in the story, but it’s not the main aspect. I call “The Homecoming” my wolfman-spaceman story, and it really does blend some aspects of sci fi with some aspects of shifter wolves. So it hits upon all three of my current writing interests.

  • Are you a full-time writer?

Oh, I wish. I have so many ideas I want to explore. But my husband Mark and I run our own little internet company, and that takes most of our time. I do try to sneak in an hour or hour and a half to write each day.

What other projects do you have going, writing-wise?

Hmmm, let’s see. I’ve finished two other novellas that are awaiting possible publication – one of them is a marriage equality love story set in my old home town of Tucson; the other is an elf in post-climate change San Francisco piece.

But I’m also working on a novel in four parts – basically four connected novellas – that will serve as the prequel to another novel I wrote in my twenties, but never published – I plan to go back to that one and rework it, eventually.

I also have an MM sci fi trilogy I’m working on called Oberon.

  • One more question – what do you do when you need to relax?

Relax? I don’t understand the question. *grin*

Thanks, Scott, for dropping in.  Now more about Scott’s new novel, The Homecoming.

STRW Author BookSynopsis

When his own world is destroyed, Aldiss and his crew barely manage to escape, leaving friends and lovers behind. What was meant to be an exploratory trip back to the home world turns into a mad dash for survival.

When they awaken from stasis on Earth, which was abandoned by humanity five centuries before, they must quickly learn about their new home. While exploring the region around the ship, Aldiss meets Hari, a shape-changer, whose people harbor secrets that might cost the crew their lives.

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STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Hari reached the edge of the woods just in time to see Neru crouching to leap at the two-legs. Young fool.

He gathered himself and jumped after Neru, knocking him aside as his teeth reached for the two-legs’ throat.

Neru turned and snarled at him, backing away toward the woods.

Hari stood firm, ears back, hackles raised, and drew the corners of his mouth back to reveal his teeth. Back off, Neru.

The whelp shook his head and grinned with the brashness of youth, until Hari leaped at him and nipped his ear. With a surprised yelp, Neru turned his head, deferring to Hari’s strength. As you say, brother. There was a cockiness to Neru’s look that unsettled him.

The other wolf backed up slowly then turned to disappear into the woods.

Hari caught a glimpse of Mavi watching from the shadows. The old wolf snarled, and slunk off after her son.

What do you seek, old mother? Hari wondered, watching Mavi’s silver-tipped tail flicker into the darkness. It was clear where Neru’s courage and cunning had come from.

Hari turned back toward the two-legs. He was holding a strange stick, not unlike the one that Hari’s grandmother had shown him in the wolf dream.

But it was his face that caught Hari’s eye. He knew that face. The two-legs’ eyes were white-gray, and his jet-black hair was swept to the side.

Despite the danger, he shifted in the manner only a few of the clan are able to do in the cold. He grew quickly taller and less hairy but no less muscled, and stood naked before the two-legs.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Hari felt an immense attraction washing over him. He saw in his summer form that this two-legs was beautiful. His own body responded to this… man… in an unexpected way, seeing and feeling things his winter form could not. Hari leaned forward and sniffed the stranger, drinking in his musk. It smelled enticing. Strangely familiar.

He sensed the two-legs stiffen, and to reassure, him, Hari licked the man’s neck.

The two-legs was trembling now like a young whelp, so he tried something else. He took the stranger’s face in his hands and kissed him.

The shaking slowed, and then the man was kissing him back. Hari was hungry for him, like a starving wolf at the end of a long, hard winter.

It is not the time for this, the keh whispered in his ear.

He broke contact and turned away, ashamed that he was betraying his Clan, and for lust. An emotion of his summer form.

“I’m sorry,” he said to the two-legs, without looking back. “It won’t happen again.” Even he was not sure if he meant Neru’s attack, or the kiss.

He shifted back into his winter form and loped off into the woods after his pack mates.

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Scott has been writing since elementary school, when he and won a University of Arizona writing contest in 4th grade for his first sci fi story (with illustrations!). He finished his first novel in his mid twenties, but after seeing it rejected by ten publishers, he gave up on writing for a while.j-scott-coatsworth

Over the ensuing years, he came back to it periodically, but it never stuck. Then one day, he was complaining to Mark, his husband, early last year about how he had been derailed yet again by the death of a family member, and Mark said to him “the only one stopping you from writing is you.”

Since then, Scott has gone back to writing in a big way, finishing more than a dozen short stories – some new, some that he had started years before – and seeing his first sale. He’s embarking on a new trilogy, and also runs the Queer Sci Fi (http://www.queerscifi.com) site, a support group for writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and supernatural fiction.

Website: http://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth

STRW Spotlight Contest Header

Scott is giving away one copy of The Homecoming.  To enter to win you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link to enter and make sure we have your email address to reach you if you are chosen.  Contest runs from July 22 to August 5th, at midnight.

Cover Reveal Time for Eden Winter’s Redemption (Diversion #5) (excerpt and giveaway)

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Redemption (Diversion #5) by Eden Winters
Release Date: August 8, 2015

Goodreads Link (Add to your shelf)
Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

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Sales Links:   Amazon

(Bonus link: Check http://www.rockyridgebooks.com/334/
to get Diversion, the first book of the series, for .99!)

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Living is the easy part.

Agent Lucky Lucklighter and his partner escaped Mexico alive, only to plunge into bureaucratic fallout from their mission. Hell, maybe Lucky should have stayed south of the border. Especially when the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau places Bo into rehab, and Lucky’s facing both therapy and an inquiry into a fatal shooting. Watching over his shoulder for a vengeful drug lord or a cartel don calling in favors leaves him scarcely able to imagine a future for them as agents, or as a couple.

Bo Schollenberger once had a vision for their life together, but he’s bowed beneath the weight of his undercover work. Lucky’s hanging on by his deeply chewed fingernails, clinging to hope by making Bo’s dreams of a home into reality. The last thing he needs is a phone call from a dangerous man who knows too much, summoning him back to Mexico for “an early Christmas present.”
Not when the SNB brass asks tough questions, like “How well do you know your partner?”

Pages or Words: 73,000 words

Categories: Crime fiction, Fiction, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Mystery, Thriller

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

“What’s your current credit rating?”

Lucky didn’t often use credit. After getting out of prison to work for Walter, he’d bought his car from a police auction for cash, and lived a low-key lifestyle. Before that, Victor Mangiardi had taken care of him. A nice way to live, but other than a car stereo in his teens, he’d never made payments on anything. And he’d been Richmond Lucklighter then. He’d only been Simon Harrison for a short time, and although he’d used credit cards to make expense reporting easier when on assignment, he paid them off every month. “I’m not sure.”

“Then let’s see.” The woman tapped on her laptop and whistled. “Mr. Harrison, I don’t think we’ll have a problem getting you the loan.”

He owed Walter one hell of a lot of those frou-frou coffee drinks from Starbucks for giving him a credit score to make a loan officer whistle.

An hour later Lucky fought to hide a grin from a woman who’d put the Energizer Bunny to shame. “Now, I’m familiar with the house you’re considering. Offer 180. Trust me.” She winked and handed him the phone.

He pulled a dog-eared card from his wallet and dialed.

“Mr. Harrison?” The Realtor didn’t sound too happy to hear from him, not that he blamed her. She’d been working hard for her commission. That’s why she got commission.

“Is that house still available? The fixer-upper in the gated neighborhood?”

“Y… yes.”

“I want to make an offer.”

Now what was he gonna tell Bo?

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family’s pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.

She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, “We could do this, you know.” Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ characters; hello plots and sex scenes.

Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad Thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she’s a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.
Find Eden’s other works at http://edenwinters.com or contact her at edenwinters@gmail.com

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdenWinters
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eden-Winters/300380906658065
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdenWinters1
Blog: http://www.edenwinters.com
E-mail:edenwinters@gmail.com

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Tour Dates & Stops: August 1, 2015
Parker Williams, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, BFD Book Blog, Mikky’s World of Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, Jessie G. Books, The Jena Wade, Christy Loves 2 Read, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly, TTC Books and More, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Iyana Jenna, Andrew Q. Gordon, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Ogitchida Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Reviews by Jessewave, Velvet Panic

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Redemption’.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Prizes and link provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Books in the Diversion Series in the order they were written and should be read for character development, and plot development (not standalone stories):

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A MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Playground: Four of Clubs Three (Pulp Friction 2015: Altered States Book 9) by Parker Williams

Rating:  4.75 stars out of 5

The Devil's Playground CoverThey say the course of true love never runs smooth, and Detective Ben Nelson is learning the truth of that adage in a big way. Two months ago, his lover Artie Middleton was tortured by demons determined to claim the psychic’s special gifts for their own. Now the same friends who helped Ben with the rescue are making a strong case that something about Artie isn’t right. When Artie verbally attacks his best friend, Ben is forced to acknowledge the unbreakable barriers surrounding Artie’s mind.

Searching for someone with the right gifts to help, Ben encounters a woman who insists there’s only one way—and one person—who stands a chance at saving Artie. What Ben finds when he goes on his solo rescue mission may very well mean both of their deaths, as they confront the evil that has made Artie’s mind the Devil’s playground.

Round Three stories are always a joy to read! Although not my favorite ones (that would be Round 5 and the finale), it comes close.  There’s always a mini explosion or three, and somewhere within the plot, the readers will get a small, yet so satisfying emotional payoff for all the angst and heartbreak that has  gone before.  That’s The Devil’s Playground by Parker Williams, book three in his Four of Clubs series in the Pulp Friction Altered States Universe.

When last we left our heroes, Artie and Ben, things were dark and getting darker.  Artie was behaving strangely, asking for help and yet repudiating any that came his way.  And he was mean, deeply, hurtfully, vindictive.  Every the opposite of the character we have come to love.  Ben, his partner and lover, was distraught and at a loss for answers.  In The Devil’s Playground we finally get some answers, and they’re as ugly as we had anticipated.

Demons, a nefarious, unknown plan and a close circle of friends imploding from the inside.  That’s the heartbreak, the suspense and the element that  provides so many emotional layers to this story and series.  Parker Williams continues to remain true to the pulp friction format with a writing style that’s crisp, descriptions that make his characters and situations feel real and a plot that keeps the suspense and angst ratcheted up to high levels. .  He gives us moments of happiness and then  proceeds to break our hearts and that of his characters.  And of course, there’s a cliffhanger as well.  Be still my heart!

I consider this Pulp Friction series one of the top reads this year and that includes all the interconnected series that goes along with it. I have them listed below.  Put them all on your TBR  list!  I highly recommend them all.

Cover art by Laura Harner.  Simple, perhaps too simple.  I wish more elements of this story had been included to give it a punch its lacking now.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition
Published July 13th 2015
ASIN B011K2DZSU
edition language English

 

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About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.
Round One:
Drawing Dead (Jack of Spades: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blind Stud (King of Hearts: 1) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs: 1) by Parker Williams
Diamonds and Dust (Ace of Diamonds: 1) by Laura Harner

Round Two:
Dead Blind (Jack of Spades: 2) by Lee Brazil
Stud Player (King of Hearts: 2) by Havan Fellow
Up the Ante (Four of Clubs: 2 ) by Parker Williams
Diamond Draw (Ace of Diamonds: 2) by Laura Harner

Round Three:

Dead Button (Jack of Spades #3) by Lee Brazil
Blind Man’s Bluff (King of Hearts #3) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Playground (Four of Clubs #3) by Parker Williams

A Paul B Review: Kissed by Death (Kissed by an Immortal #1) by Andi Anderson

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Kissed by Death coverHaving fallen for an angel of death when he almost died at fourteen, Gregory awaits to see his angel again. Will he find a way to be with his man?

Fourteen year old Gregory Harris had just hit the winning home run in his baseball game. As he is rounding the bases, he notices that is having trouble breathing. Thinking he is just tired from the game he runs harder. Just before he reaches home plate, he collapses.

Thanatos is an angel of death. His duty as the Grim Reaper is to escort souls to the final reward. When he meets young Gregory, he is bewildered that the young man is not afraid of him. When Thanatos asks Gregory why his isn’t afraid, Gregory replies that he is more sad than afraid. He believes that is parents are not prepared to lose their son yet. Gregory asks the Reaper if he could have some more time with his parents. Thanatos warns Gregory that is life will not be easy. The damage to his heart is too great that there will never be a cure. He will face pain and suffering. Gregory agrees to the terms.

Seven years have passed and Gregory is on his deathbed. He sees the Reaper once again and knows his time is at an end. After saying good-bye to his parents, Gregory has one last favor of the angel of death. As his health never permitted him to have a boyfriend, he asks Thanatos to grant him one last wish. Thanatos agrees, stating that the two days for the wish’s completion, Gregory will be in a coma and then he will die at the end of that time. Gregory wishes that he be able to join Thanatos in the afterlife.

The two of them spend the next two days in a tropical paradise. After attending a party hosted by one of Thanatos’ brothers, they realize that their time is coming to an end. Will they find a way to be able to stay together forever or must they part company when Thanatos delivers Gregory into the afterlife?

While I enjoyed the story the characters really did not connect with me as other stories by author Andi Anderson have. The romance seems a bit forced. I would have preferred maybe having several interactions between their first meeting and Gregory’s eventual death. That might have put more gravitas in the relationship. This is a decent book, just not my favorite from the author.

This is a reprint from an earlier publication. The publisher has changed but the book has remained the same.

The cover art by Latrisha Waters has two young men; one leaning in to kiss the other’s neck it appears. It’s a decent cover but makes no use of one of the main character’s being the Grim Reaper.

Sales Links:  eXtasy Books | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details
Ebook, 98 pages
ISBN: 978-14874-02998-3
Published: June 15, 2015 by Extasy Books
Edition: English
Series: Kissed by an Immortal
Kissed by Death (Kissed by an Immortal #1)

A Paul B Review: Sharing a Demon’s Bond (A Loving Nip #5) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Sharing a Demon's Bond coverPeople have been found dead with a smile on their face. Rumors of a demon being in the area have the local vampire coven nervous. When Peter Connelly, human blood donor and protectorate of the coven goes missing, the search to find him begins.

Peter Connelly has lived in a vampire coven since he was six years old. He has spent the past 20 years in the company of different paranormal species. Surely, he knows all there is to know about other beings. When he meets a sexy man in a diner, he feels an instant attraction to him. He begins to wonder if this man might be a paranormal and he might be his mate. After all, he has seen all the signs when members of the vampire coven have found the beloved.

Balthazar is a demon. He has spent the past millennium serving his master bringing him souls. After such a length of service, a demon may find his amina, his soul. He must complete his bonding within a three day period before he must wait another thousand years for the chance to find his mate. Balthazar spots Peter in a local diner. He follows Peter in the restroom. Knowing that Peter is at least aware of vampires from his smell, Balthazar informs Peter that he is his amina. He convinces Peter to offer himself and whisks him away to his cabin in the woods.
Toni Bastille has been Peter’s lover for the past 7 years. Although they are quite close, Toni knows that Peter is not his beloved. So they keep their relationship open in order to allow each of them to find their mate. When Toni realizes that Peter has not returned from his errand, he begins to worry. With the possibility of a demon on the loose, he wants to find Peter as soon as possible.

After the vampire coven has found the hideout and the three men come to an understanding as to what will happen in the future, outside forces kidnap Peter. Balthazar, who knows he must complete the bonding ceremony soon or else lose his chance forever with Peter, seeks the aid of the vampire coven. Will they find Peter in time for Balthazar to find his soul?

This is the fifth book in the Loving Nip series by Charlie Richards. This series focuses on the various vampires that have been introduced into her Stone Ridge universe. I like the introduction of demons into the series. It could give Ms Richard’s an avenue of another series within her universe. I found myself pleased that Peter has finally found his mate yet ache for Toni as he has lost his companion for the last few years through no fault of his own. I hope that Toni will soon find his own beloved to soothe his broken heart.

Carmen Waters’ cover once again strikes the right tone for the book. It shows a shirtless Peter in the foreground with what looks like Balthazar’s demon in the doorway of the local vampire coven or his cottage in the woods.

Sales Links: eXtasy Books | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details
Ebook: 87 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0437-6
Published: July 1, 2015 by Extasy Books
Edition: English

Series: A Loving Nip
• A Nip of Good Cheer (Loving Nip #1)
• A Rose for Paul’s Protector (Loving Nip #2)
• An Unforgettable Bite (Loving Nip #3)
• More than Patient (Loving Nip #4)
• Sharing a Demon’s Bond (Loving Nip #5)