In Our Contemporary Spotlight: Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Title:  Every Breath You Take

Author: Robert Winter

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: May 5, 2017

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 221 pages

Genre: Romance, Thriller/Suspense

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

When Zachary Hall leaves Utah for a job in Washington, it’s finally his chance to live as a gay man and maybe find someone special. In a bar he meets Thomas Scarborough, a man who seems perfect in and out of the bedroom. But Thomas never dates. He never even sleeps with the same man twice. Despite their instant connection, he can offer Zachary only his friendship, and Zachary is looking for more.

Thomas is tempted to break his own rules, but years before, he became the victim of a stalker who nearly destroyed his life. Even though his stalker died, Thomas obsessively keeps others at a distance. Despite his fascination with Zachary, he is unable to lower his barriers. Frustrated, Zachary accepts he will never have what he wants with Thomas and soon finds it with another man.

But young gay men in Washington, DC are being murdered, and the victims all have a connection to Thomas. Once again someone is watching Thomas’s every move. Can it be a coincidence? When the depraved killer turns his attention toward Zachary, Thomas must face the demons of his past—or lose his chance to open his heart to Zachary forever.

Excerpt

Across the street the man with the silver-framed glasses stood back in the shadows and stared at the front window of the garden apartment. He could see the back of his quarry’s head as he watched a small flat-screen TV.

Time passed.

Eventually the head nodded forward and then jerked up. When it happened a second time, the creature turned off the TV and then the lamp and headed to bed.

The man waited for another half hour with his back pressed against an alcove formed where two brownstones met. The street was quiet. Almost no one walked by, and the lone person who came down the street failed to notice him in the shadows.

The man felt his breath grow hoarse, and blood rushed in his ears as his heart began to pound. He cultivated that sensation as he reached into his coat pocket for the screwdriver that rested there and made himself imagine the creature’s hands touching the Beloved’s face. Stroking his body. He curled his fingers around the screwdriver and then clenched and unclenched rhythmically. Its thick handle felt rough against his palm because of the grooves and sharp edges he had chiseled into it. He had ideas for other implements that would serve his purpose, but for now, this would do just fine. This would make his point.

His throat was dry, and his eyes burned from focusing on the darkened window, but he felt invincible. The tension in his body climbed exquisitely, and when he could take no more, he slipped across the street and stepped down to the locked gate. It opened easily with his small set of picks. The gate made no noise when the creature went through it earlier, so he was confident and quick and didn’t bother to lock it behind him. Child’s play, he thought as he worked the lock on the apartment door.

The tumblers clicked into place.

He stored his lockpicks, slipped inside the darkened apartment, and then closed the door behind him as silently as he could. Streetlight came through the slatted blinds the boy had failed to close completely. He waited quietly until he heard a faint snore from the back and then removed his glasses and tucked them in an inside pocket of his jacket. The scarf his quarry had been wearing caught his eye, and the man bared his teeth as he lifted it off the coat tree and tugged it tightly between his hands. It was well made. It would hold. He smiled.

He slid through the gloom toward the room where the creature lay sleeping. He was hard, and the blood in his erection pulsed in time to the pounding of his heart. That boy had dared to touch his Beloved. He had probably even been fucked by him. But that wasn’t enough—oh no. He came back for more.

It had taken the man so long to find his Beloved and interpret his subtle clues. He finally understood what was required of him. The undeserving gnat must be chastised, and he would be the Beloved’s angel of retribution. He was conscious of the weight of the screwdriver in his pocket, the scratch of the wool scarf in his hands, and the power in his arms.

He reached for the boy on the bed.

Purchase

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Meet the Author

Robert Winter is a recovering lawyer who likes writing about hot men in love much more than drafting a legal brief. He left behind the (allegedly) glamorous world of an international law firm to sit in his home office and dream up ways to torment his characters until they realize they are perfect for each other. When he isn’t writing, Robert likes to cook Indian food and explore new restaurants.

Robert divides his time between Washington, DC, and Provincetown, MA. He splits his attention between Andy, his partner of sixteen years, and Ling the Adventure Cat, who likes to fly in airplanes and explore the backyard jungle as long as the temperature and humidity are just right.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Goodreads
| eMail

Blitz Schedule

Hoards Jumble
Bayou Book Junkie
Happily Ever Chapter
Babbling About Books and More
Books, Dreams, Life
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Dawn’s Reading Nook
DirtyBooksObsession
It’s About The Book
Booklover Sue
Out Of My Head

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Blog Button 2

A VVivacious Review: Hijacked Love by Ethan Stone

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
 
Special Agent Zachary Pomeroy starts his first day at the Portland FBI Office with a bang. It’s the day of the plane hijacking by a man nicknamed by the media as D. B. Cooper. As Cooper pulls off the perfect crime, Zachary can’t help but pick up clues that might look like nothing to an uninclined eye. But as evidence starts pointing in a new direction, Zachary finds himself exposed in a whole new way. Will Zachary ever be able to answer the question of the century or will the answer continue to elude him?
 
This was a fantastic read. I have never heard about the plane hijacking by Dan aka D. B. Cooper but after reading the story I read up on the legend and I have got to say this story is interesting both ways, but I loved how the author come up with a possible solution for the problem. It was really amazing. This book makes for a very enjoyable read.
 
I loved how the story is written, the author manages to merge a lot different strands of content into this story and the story was richer for it. The author manages to work in the prejudice against gays, a love story, the D. B. Cooper case as well as a perfectly plausible explanation for how it went down (though it might not be consistent with the facts of the case). I loved how the author spun out the story, how there were little details incorporated all over the story making it work and making it such an interesting read.
 
I really liked Zachary and his story, especially how he solves the case. I was a little disappointed by the love story, it felt a little contrived like how Zachary comes off as especially happy about being in an open relationship and then the next second he turns to Phillip, his lover and confesses his wish to be exclusive. The sentiment didn’t ring true especially if you take the former statement to be sacrosanct. That was a bit of a glitch.
 
Otherwise I loved the story. It makes for an excellent read. It is a very good mystery and the story is very well told.
 
I also liked how the author was able to merge the prejudice homosexuals faced at that time into the story line in such an effortless manner. I loved how her explanation seemed so in sync with the attitudes of that time but more than anything the clues leading up to the big reveal were amazing.
 
This book is was so worth my time. I really want to check out more books by this author given how much I loved this one.
 
Cover Art:. The cover seems perfect for the storyline.
Sales Links:  GoodReads ~ Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 54 pages
Published April 15th 2017 by Stone Publishing
Original TitleHijacked Love
ASINB06Y5MLDCJ
Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Wake up Call by Becky Black

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

When you live beside a cat café, it’s inevitable the fur will start flying eventually. Derek “Dez” Walker, a police officer wounded in a shooting, feels adrift and isolated as he makes a slow recovery. Others call him a hero, but it’s a title he doesn’t think he deserves.

 

When Dez intervenes in a burglary at the cat café near his apartment, he meets the owner, Francis “Fran” Green. Though he’s a hero to Fran for his intervention in the burglary, it’s Fran who becomes a strong source of support for Dez. Fran offers friendship to his vulnerable neighbour and, as they spend more time together, Dez comes to rely on Fran … and his cats.

 

He begins to find the way out of his isolation, but does he deserve everything Fran offers?

 

I thought this was such a cute story.  Dez has pretty much been living his life on pause since he was wounded, avoiding others and moving on.  Being awoken by the sound of a burglary and the new friendship he develops with Fran is just the wake-up call he needs to get his life back on track.

 

Fran wants to show Dez that he is worthy of affection let alone the friendship he is offering, having helped a brother with PTSD he knows he has to be patient but also push at the same time.  Dez knows he needs to try to get better to be the man he thinks Fran deserves and gains a new cat, Riley, in the process.  We see this story from through Dez’s eyes but Fran is so open and loving that you can easily how he is feeling too.  These two complement each other wonderfully and I loved seeing them together.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is adorable and gives a great visual of Dez and his new cat, Riley.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 56 pages

Published: April 8, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634863957

Edition Language: English

 

A Jeri Review: Beach Balls (Balls to the Wall #3) by Tara Lain

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Adam is a workaholic lawyer firmly entrenched in the closet. The only time he gets to “be gay” is when his friend throws parties that allow other men like himself to be free. He meets Sky during one of those weekends, but quite by accident. Even though on the surface neither is the other’s type- they have crazy chemistry. Until uber environmentalist Sky finds out that Adam is a lawyer working for a developer and they are fighting over the same parcel of land.

Book three was a bit of a departure from the other two in the series. Not that that is a bad thing, but is just didn’t flow with the vibe of the others. The character connection between this one and previous seemed as an afterthought.

While this was a decent story, it really needed to be fleshed out a bit more. I have nothing against short novels (this one clocks in at just over 100 pages) but it all plays out over a short time frame. Too short for ideologies to change as they did. And they were together so few times, it just didn’t make sense to change so much.

There were parts I really enjoyed, parts that made me roll my eyes a bit and parts that were smoking hot. Ultimately, I needed more. Their connection just wasn’t there for me.

Cover Artist: Reese Dante.  Eye catching cover and font definitely draws you to the book.

Sales Links

AMAZON | iBooks | Kobo  | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 115 pages
Expected publication: May 8th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 4th 2012)
ISBN 1634773659 (ISBN13: 9781634773652)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBalls to the Wall #3 settingCalifornia (United States)
Newport Beach, California (United States)

Check Out the Latest New Romance! Faking It (Ringside Romance #2) by Christine d’Abo (guest post and giveaway)

 

Faking It (Ringside Romance #2) by Christine d’Abo
R
iptide Publishing
Cover by: L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Purchase it here at Riptide Publishing

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Christine d’Abo here today taking about  her latest novel, Faking It (Ringside Romance #2). Welcome, Christine!

✒︎

Hello, my name is Christine d’Abo and I’m so happy to be here today.

I’m a firm believer that the good friends are the family members that we get to choose. The get us on a level that sometimes our biological family doesn’t. When I came up with the idea of Ringside Gym and the men who were involved with it, I wanted to make sure that their relationships reflected that feeling.

Max would be the “middle” child of the trio of heroes. He’s my peacemaker, the one who wants to make sure everyone and everything is okay. But Max has a problem – he doesn’t know what to do when he’s not needed. Zack no longer needs him now that he has Noland in his life, and their other friend Eli has been MIA due to his MMA career. Max’s life begins to drift and he questions not only what he wants, but also who he wants in it.

When Grady Barnes shows up on the scene, Max is equal parts intrigued and annoyed. Here is a man who seems to have it all, but is seemingly at the whim of his father.  When Grady asks Max for help, he takes a leap of faith and agrees. What Max doesn’t anticipate is how quickly Grady will work his way into his heart.

All Max needs to do is find a way to prevent Grady from being forced into a marriage he doesn’t want, while not giving in to his impulse to sweep Grady into his arm.

Simple, right?

You can visit Christine at her website www.christinedabo.com, and chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. Want to keep up with Christine’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!

About Faking It

Max Tremblay should be happy. His nightclub, Frantic, is one of the most popular gay clubs in Toronto, and his childhood refuge, Ringside Gym, is well on the way to reopening. But when he finds yet another drunk in the alley beside the bar, Max isn’t sure this is the life he truly wants.

Grady Barnes has it all. He’s rich, famous, and wants for nothing. Well, nothing but a good relationship with his father. When he discovers that his father is going to force him into an arranged marriage, Grady has had enough. He tracks down Max, the man who got him to safety after a night of overindulgence, and makes him a proposal: pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks and he’ll invest in Ringside Gym.

When the pair travel to Vancouver to attend a family wedding, the flames of their mutual attraction ignite, and they discover that the only difference between pretend and reality is how well they can fake it.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/faking-it

About the Ringside Romance Universe

Deep in the heart of Toronto lies Ringside Gym. Once a safe haven for troubled teens, Ringside has gone derelict, a forgotten memory of past days. Until a group of friends set out to do what they can to bring life back to the ring and create a new home for LGBT youths.

But when their lives threaten to pull down their dreams, each man must turn to others to help make it a reality. Winners take all—but there are no losers in love.

Check out Ringside Romance. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/universe/ringside-romance

About Christine d’Abo

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

Connect with Christine:

 

Giveaway

 

To celebrate the release of Faking It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 13, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

The Rites of May, Free Dreamer’s Answers Your Questions and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

The Rites of May and Free Dreamer’s Answers Your Questions!

The first of May, which, yes we’ve left behind, has meaning for many rites and celebrations.  This includes one I remember from my childhood, dancing around the Maypole.  No I wasn’t in England, believe it or not, it was in a small town in New Jersey.  Why did we do this?  To celebrate May Day!  May Day is an ancient Northern Hemisphere festival which traditionally marked the return of spring. It is believed that the celebrations originated in agricultural rituals intended to ensure fertility for crops, held by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

Other seasonal celebrations of this time included the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. Today, many customs still celebrate this ancient festival, including the gathering of wildflowers and the setting up of a decorated May tree or Maypole, around which people dance, although I’m not sure how many school children in the US are skipping around a pole.  Somehow I just don’t think this would get through these days.

Maypole dancing continues to be one of the most popular May Day customs in Europe. Participants dance around a wooden Maypole, holding colourful ribbons that become decoratively intertwined. The dancers then change direction and repeat the steps in reverse, causing the ribbons to unwind. This is said to symbolize the lengthening of the days as summer begins.  That’s the organized version.  I wish you could have seen the chaos that ensued when us children were unleashed to run madly with our ribbons around each other and that pole.  Fun yes, but we were the very opposite of anything that could be described as “decoratively intertwined.”

May Day celebrations these days include singers, dancers including Morris Dancing, May King and Queens, but almost never in the US, where such goings on were frowned upon by the Puritans and May Day  celebrations never really took hold.  Makes me wonder now about that small town in NJ where I grew up.  Did you celebrate any Rites of May in your town?  Let us know!  How about books that include celebrations?  Write us and let us know.

One of my favorite stories revolve around a Morris Dancer.  That would be Alex Beecroft’s Blue Eyed Stranger from her Trowchester Blues series, an excellent story in an outstanding series.  Can you think of others?

While we are waiting as promised, here is  Free Dreamer with her answers to your questions and the winners of her Book Adventures contest!

Hey there! It’s Free Dreamer! Here are my answers to the readers’ questions:

✍🏼

From Jen: Which books did you take photos of and end up getting free copies when you got home?

There were only two books that really caught my attention. I picked up an excerpt for “The Blackthorn Key” by Kevin Sands, a Fantasy YA novel. I have yet to read the excerpt, though. And then I discovered the German version of “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzie Lee. Also YA, but historical with a gay protagonist this time. I successfully begged for a free copy of that and already read it. Or should I say devoured it? It was utterly brilliant and I’ve already lent it to a co-worker! You can look forward to a review of it sometime in the near future. 😉
 
 
✍🏼

From Purple Reader: For your fair, as a dreamer, what did you anticipate or expect the most from going, and how did that go? Were your expectations met or exceeded? (I hope they were). I know what you’re saying about Sanderson. I read his concluding 3 vols. in the Wheel of Time series, and thought they picked the quality back up to what I saw in the first 3 vols. But I’ve since gravitated to gay fiction, so haven’t read anything of his since. Do any of his stories involve a gay protagonist?

The thing I anticipated the most was easily the meeting with Brandon Sanderson. I’m so glad he turned out to be a nice guy. He was really patient with the signing and everything. In hindsight, I could’ve been a bit braver. I’ve always been wondering how he feels about religion. In every one of his books I’ve read so far religion is an important topic and the religions he comes up with are really fascinating. But I was too cowardly to ask that. It seemed too personal, somehow. And since he promised to come to my Vienna one day, my expectations were definitely exceeded. Can’t wait for that!!
I have to admit I haven’t yet managed to read the Wheel of Time series. There are just soooo many books in that series. Sadly, none of his book feature a gay protagonist. If it helps, there’s little to no romance in his books.
 
✍🏼

From Didi: I always want to go and see an int’l book fair! How much plan did you do prior to going (you’re not take “we’ll just see what’s interesting there” tactic and go with it, surely? What’s your most favorite “souvenir” from the event (books purchased incl.)? 

🙂


I didn’t really plan all that much, tbh. I took a look at the program online a couple of weeks before the fair. And I really only did that because our teacher wanted us to give her a list of at least three events we were planning to visit. I’m not much of a planner at the best of times. 😉
Since I’m a bookseller, I get a discount on books I buy at work, so I didn’t actually buy any books at the fair itself. So I only bought postcards (I’ve taken up writing postcards to people all over the world as a hobby – the site’s called Postcrossing). My favourite souvenir though is a free bookmark from the Swiss publisher Diogenes. It shows an owl in a bird’s house made of books. The house is covered in snow and it’s snowing. The heading says “Diogenes reading weather”. It’s so cute. ❤
✍🏼

From H.B.: Did you get to attend many discussions and if you did which ones were your favorite(s)? It’s great you got to meet Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t read one of his books yet although I have my eye on a few of his stories. In general what book of his would you suggest I start with?

I only got to attend two discussions, sadly. One about queer literature and one about all age books. I didn’t really like either of those.
I’d recommend you start with the “Mistborn” series, “The Final Empire” being part one. There are currently 7 books in the series, but the first three work as an individual series. The other parts are set in the same universe, but hundreds of years later. So it’s actually his only completed series so far, even though there are more books on their way. “The Final Empire” was also how I got hooked on his works.

📚Winner Announcements!📚

Thanks, everyone for following Free Dreamer on her Leipzig Book Adventures!  The contest winners of the Gift Certificates are Didi and Purple Reader!  Congratulations to you both!  Stella will be in contact with you about your gift certs!

Announcement – New Reviewer at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

We have another reviewer starting at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  In just a few weeks start to look for the reviews of Alessandro, our newest reviewer.    I’ll let Alessandro tell you all about himself.  Please give him a warm welcome.

Meet Alessandro!

Hello there. My name is Alessandro and I’m currently 25 years old and I live in Germany. When I’m not working as a hairdresser, one can always find me reading, literally everywhere I go. My kindle is my best friend and it’s always safely tucked into my rucksack. And my smartphone with my audible app isn’t far away either.

I really got into reading almost a year ago, around May 2016. Of course I’ve read before, but not as excessively as I do nowadays. My current schedule is one book each day. If its a book over 200 pages, maybe ill take about 2 days. I don’t even watch TV or Netflix anymore. When I started reading again, I started with fantasy books mostly. But recently, about 75 books ago I started reading M/M books and now I’m totally obsessed with it and I can’t really get into anything else. Of course there are some releases I just have to read in M/F, but I will return to M/M definitely. I’m reading English literature because it is just more fun to read in another language than your own mother language, at least that’s the case for me. I’ve got like 2 books in German on my TBR list, if ill read them though I don’t really know. I can’t really remember what my first M/M books was, I think it was years ago, because every now and then when I had my reading phase, there would be at least one M/M book in there somewhere.

My favourite sub-genre in the M/M genre would be fantasy and contemporary.

Other hobbies would be, meeting with friends and maybe some shopping? 😃

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, May 7:

  • The Rites of May and Free Dreamer’s Answers Your Questions!
    This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, May 8:

  • BLOG TOUR Addict by Matt Doyle
  • RIPTIDE TOUR Faking It by Christine d’Abo
  • A Jeri Release Day Review: Beach Balls by Tara Lain
  • A VVivacious Review: Hijacked Love by Ethan Stone
  • An Alisa Review: Wake up Call by Becky Black

Tuesday, May 9:

  • BLOG TOUR The Simplicity of Being Normal by James Stryker
  • Spotlight Tour: Beach Balls by Tara Lain
  • Blog Tour Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
  • An Ali Audio Review: Everyday History by Alice Archer and Daan Stone (Narrator)
  • A Julia Review: Addict by Matt Doyle
  • An Alisa Review: Turn Up the Heat by Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Practice Makes Perfect (Housemates #3) by Jay Northcote

Wednesday, May 10:

  • Cover Reveal for By the Book By Maria Vickers
  • A Melanie Release Day Review:Hearts in Ireland (World of Love) by J.C. Long
  • A Caryn Review: Urgent Care (Book #3) by DJ Jamison
  • A Caryn Review: Heart Trouble (Book #1) by DJ Jamison
  • A Kai Release Day Review: Runaway Rock Star (States of Love) by C.J. Anthony

Thursday, May 11:

  • BLOG TOUR Believe in the Wish by Christi Snow
  • DSP PUBLICATIONS GUEST POST Amy Rae Durreson
  • Release Blitz & Giveaway: Garrett Leigh’s Bones (Blue Boy Studio #2)
  • RIPTIDE TOUR Bend by Nancy J. Hedin
  • A Stella Review The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
  • A VVivacious Review: Positive Reinforcement by Tamryn Eradani
  • An Alisa Review: Louder Than Words by Siryn Sueng
  • An Ali Audiobook Review: Wedding Favors (Bluewater Bay #7) by Anne Tenino and Nick J. Russo (Narrator)

Friday, May 12:

  • Blog Tour Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
  • DSP GUEST POST C. J. Anthony on Runaway Rock Star
  • DSP GUEST POST Lucie Archer on Past the Breakers
  • A Julia Review: The Rest is Illusion by Eric Arvin
  • A Kai Review: Nate And The New Yorker (Nate and Cameron #1) by Kevin Klehr
  • An Ali Review: Bones (Blue Boy #2) by Garrett Leigh
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Liar, Liar by TA Moore

Saturday, May 13:

  • A MelanieM Review:Nine 10 ths of the Law by LA Witt
  • Review Tour – LA Witt – Nine 10ths of the Law
  • Release Blitz for The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles  (giveaway)

A MelanieM Review: Wolf in King’s Clothing by Parker Foye

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

An exiled shifter. His alpha mate. And a desire so intense it could be the death of them…

York, England, 1912

Kent was a pack outcast. His shifter instincts cruelly muted, he was collared and kept as a stray. Until he was offered his freedom—for something in return. He must rescue Hadrian, an alpha held hostage in the wolf highlands. It’s a pleasure for Kent to follow the captive’s scent, one so wild and virile it gives him a rush. Though he despises being treated like a mutt called to heel, he’ll gladly fall to his knees for an alpha like Hadrian.

Hadrian has never met anyone like this damaged wolf warrior. His savior who licks the blood from his wounds and who arouses in him feelings he doesn’t understand or want to control. But Hadrian suspects that more than desire binds them. It’s betrayal. Pawns in an elaborate and feral deceit, they’re now caught in the deepening maze of a vengeful shifter world, where navigating the mysteries of the heart could prove just as unpredictable and dangerous as the enemies they face.

I thought Wolf in King’s Clothing by Parker Foye had many terrific elements to it.  Foye’s  writing was able to engage me in Kent’s situation and his need for Hadrian.  In fact, Kent is the best thing about the story.   He’s almost feral, a wild being yet one we are able to connect with.  Foye’s decision to make him a berserker was a good one that plays out against his size and constant state of disorder and more.  We feel compassion for Kent and that allows us to come to his side of the story and remain there.

Hadrian is more of a shadow character, elusive as we don’t have as much background on him and honestly, I didn’t believe in his character as I did Kent’s.  Or the ugly people and beings that surrounded Kent, they were very much alive.

I found it odd that  Foye decided to place his story in York, England, 1912.  There didn’t seem to be any firm reason for that.  This could have been any fantasy world or alternate world, there was nothing or no real reason other than to bring the Titanic into it (and that was sort of absurd).  Anything else, avalanche, earthquake, bomb, could have been used to the same effect…get rid of a bunch of leaders in one place.  Because the reference disappears and you really don’t care when the story is placed again.  It’s merely an oddity and a jarring one at that.

The pathos at the end of the real is real.  It tugged at my heart.  I felt for both characters.  But again, with the good comes the bad.  I was also let down because there was no comeuppance for the person who put Kent through all that.  It was “oh well, that happens”.  I’m all about the revenge here.   Ah well.

As I said, there were some good elements here, enough that overrode the bad that I’m giving it 3 stars.  The writing made me connect to one of the main characters, enough to pull at me at the end when it looked like he was going to die.  I only wish the author had built on the  good elements they had going, and scattered the others away.

 

Cover art is just so so.  Doesn’t speak to the era or  show the interesting characteristics of the MC’s. Could be any book.

Sales Links  

Carina Press – Amazon: CA / COM / UK – Kobo

Book Details:

This book is approximately 32,000 words\ebook

Expected publication: May 15th 2017 by Carina Press
Original TitleWolf in King’s Clothing
ISBN139781488078521
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Pre-Release Review: Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

* Novel-length expansion of original short story found in Charmed & Dangerous anthology. *

Welcome to Dim Sum Asylum: a San Francisco where it’s a ho-hum kind of case when a cop has to chase down an enchanted two-foot-tall shrine god statue with an impressive Fu Manchu mustache that’s running around Chinatown, trolling sex magic and chaos in its wake.

Senior Inspector Roku MacCormick of the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division faces a pile of challenges far beyond his human-faerie heritage, snarling dragons guarding C-Town’s multiple gates, and exploding noodle factories. After a case goes sideways, Roku is saddled with Trent Leonard, a new partner he can’t trust, to add to the crime syndicate family he doesn’t want and a spell-casting serial killer he desperately needs to find.

While Roku would rather stay home with Bob the Cat and whiskey himself to sleep, he puts on his badge and gun every day, determined to serve and protect the city he loves. When Chinatown’s dark mystical underworld makes his life hell and the case turns deadly, Trent guards Roku’s back and, if Trent can be believed, his heart… even if from what Roku can see, Trent is as dangerous as the monsters and criminals they’re sworn to bring down.

Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford is an ‘glued to your seat~ that just did not happen”great action-packed urban fantasy.  What makes it so intriguing and darkly addicting are her labyrinthine character relationships and dynamics built into the story.  Some are revealed immediately, some are built up throughout the story as the characters get to know one another and a level of trust is achieved.  Then there are the convoluted, messy tapestry of lives that Ford has been surreptitiously weaving throughout Dim Sum Asylum that explodes like narrative grenades at certain points at the story that just leaves you and the characters totally astonished and sometimes  shattered.  Ah, I love it when that happens!

Roku MacCormick is a tortured soul as he has lost so much.  His background and history is dark and pain filled yet he works for order as a police officer in the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division, an unusual division all its own.  He’s about to get a new partner under circumstances you will need to read for yourself.  Trent is someone who will grow on you as he does on Roku.  He is also a reason (well one of them anyway) that I would love for Rhys Ford to write a sequel. I will let you discover the puzzle that is Roku and Trent together.  I will say that I love Roku and the character grows, healing a bit by the end of the novel. Together?  Roku and Trent start to form something extraordinary.

Roku is half fae/half human in a world that still considers anything fae something that should be “put down” because of the wars and their “insect” strangeness.  Yes, these aren’t your usual fae which I adored.  Ford has gone to species of insects for Fae Clans, from Mantids to Dragonflies, for her fae and it works beautifully.  This universe is so unusual and so appealing in its strangeness that I really need to know more. Especially about the “splices”, those genetically created beings made from fae and human DNA, think parents who wanted kids with wings, or some such nonsense.  No not Roku as he will tell anyone that asks, and yes, people ask him all the time. He was made the “normal” way. Rhys Ford has a universe here that cries out for a series as it full of magic and mysteries for ten novels, maybe more (that includes characters too).

Extraordinary world building, Odonata Fae, Mantid Fae, Crime lords, Ford’s magical, messy maze like relationships,  love, and characters I can never get enough of…Dim Sum Asylum is all that and so much more.  There’s mysteries, hate, love and romance.  And now if I can figure out how to bribe this author, I need a sequel because this is so much bigger than just one story.  It’s amazing!

And yes, it’s one I highly recommend you pick up and start reading when it’s out in June!

Cover art is wonderful.  Works for the story and characters.

Links coming soon

Book Details

Kindle Edition, 240 pages
Expected publication: June 9th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB06XBCN3R9
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersRoku MacCormick, Trent Leonard

settingChinatown, San Francisco, California (United States)

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Poppy’s Secret by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Pat Corrigan loves his daughter, Poppy, with all his heart. It’s too bad he has to raise her alone. Nine years ago, just as she was conceived with his partner’s sperm, his partner, Edge Winters, walked out on him and hasn’t looked back—until he just now showed up on Pat’s doorstep. The thing is that Pat never told Edge that the surrogate was pregnant already when he left. Pat had just found out and was unable to tell Edge before he came home one day to find Edge packed and ready to relocate for a new job—without Pat.

So now he’s in a quandary—tell him or not. The thing is that Pat is starting to fall for Edge again, and his little girl seems to be in love with “Mr. Edge” as well. Add to his troubles and worries about this, the fact that his mother is diagnosed with cancer and Pat doesn’t know which way to turn.

This is a sweet story, along the lines of the old-time romances being retold as Dreamspun Desires books. Add to that, Andrew Grey’s inherent goodness and sweetness and you get the picture. Yes, there’s trauma, and yes there was a cover-up, but it’s highly likely all will work out by the end. The warm and fuzzy feeling I get when I read or listen to a story like this is exactly what I need for a pick-me-up when I’m a little down. John Solo did a great job narrating, and the story is only five hours long so pick this one up for a car trip or trail hike. I hope it makes everyone feel as good as it made me feel. And, yes—there’s a very definite and sweet HEA.

~~~

Cover by Bree Archer is a great picture of a little girl with her arms flung around the neck of her (handsome) daddy’s shoulders. Colorful and cute, it’s attention-getting.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published March 24th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published February 15th 2017)
Original TitlePoppy’s Secret
ASINB06XRVLQL2
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL

A Kai Review: Anything For You (A Middleton Romance #1) by Ethan Day

Rating: 3,5 stars out of 5
 
Jason Miller was still in the closet and didn’t see himself coming out anytime soon (or ever). He was accommodated with his situation and just the thought of what his parents, sister, and co-workers could say about his sexuality put him hiding everything he was from almost everybody.
He had never found a reason to kick the door open, walk into the light of day, and tell the world he was gay. At least that’s what he kept telling himself — along with a multitude of other solid arguments.
When Jason met Chad Wellington, an ex gay-rights activist/coming out guru, he was immediately attracted. Chad was the one thing Jason never saw coming and like a moth to a flame, these two opposites ignited.  Jason didn’t count with the feelings he started to have for Chad. He was in love for the first time. How could he give up on it? But Chad wouldn’t hide forever, so would he man up and coming out? Would he do it for Chad?
Well, guys, I started hating Jason in this book. He was a nonsense bitch guy. I didn’t pick up on the the real reason he was in the closet. I mean, his sister was an out and proud lesbian and his parents loved her anyway. So, what was his problem? He was a coward. And the worse was that he bitched at gay couples who were out, just because he wasn’t. Can you understand that? I know he was jealous, but it was irrational and even he knew it.
Thankfully after he met Chad he grew a little on me. He was yet a coward, but he was also funny and became nicer through the book.
I loved Chad and his power. He knew what he wanted and he wasn’t shy about it.
When they first met I didn’t buy their connection. I felt like it had happened too fast. But along the story, I started cheering for them and connecting with them. Plus seeing them fighting for their relationship was great.
The story was centered around the coming out question and how it can affect a relationship.  I liked how it was written: fluid and with humor. I loved the funny parts, and I literally laugh out loud reading it.
Well, the only thing I really didn’t like about this book was how fast paced it was. I mean, it could have been more elaborate and a little more lengthy. I just wanted more. Lol
This book was a light, funny, and quick reading. It didn’t wow me or anything, but I really enjoyed it.
Sales Links  Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition
Published February 19th 2017 (first published March 13th 2011)
Original TitleAnything for You
ASINB06X1F3WM5
SeriesA Middleton Romance #1