Category: M/M Book Reviews

A Caryn Review: Out of My Mind (Browerton University #3) by A.J. Truman

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

out-of-my-mindMac is a college freshman who has been hiding his sexuality pretty much all through high school, but decides to start college out and proud, and has high hopes for dating.  Gideon is the first man he meets that he thinks might be interested, but after one kiss, Gideon basically runs away screaming, leaving Mac scarred for life.

Fast forward 2 years later, and Gideon has broken up with his girlfriend, but is stuck with the apartment.  Mac is in a similar situation having broken up with his boyfriend and is without housing.  Although they both remember the disastrous first meeting, and Gideon is still a little afraid that “the gay” will rub off on him, they move in together because they have no other options.

With that setup, the men are now clear to develop and act on their attraction.  Of course, Gideon is gay, but he’s hidden it so deep he doesn’t even acknowledge it to himself.  As the story progresses, it becomes clear why Gideon does this to himself, and we also find out about Mac’s history that leads to his own hang-ups.  Their path to a relationship is full of ups and downs, fueled of course by the usual lack of communication.

I think there was a lot to like about the book.  The Jewish humor, with the stereotypical Jewish mother and the magic of matzo ball soup, was especially entertaining.  Big Bird was hysterical (and you’ll have to read the book to know what that’s all about!)  The secondary characters were interesting, and supported the story and the MCs.  But overall, there were too many negatives, and while I was reading I found myself focusing on them instead of the story.  The point of view alternates between the two men, which became very confusing and periodically I would have to back up a sentence or two to figure out who was doing/saying what to whom.  There were character inconsistencies:  in the first chapter Mac seems to be the geek with OCD, but later on Gideon is.  Gideon is the excellent dancer, then Mac is.  From one sentence to the next Gideon drops his girlfriend but then she drops him.  They decide to have sex without a condom because they don’t have one, and then it appears in the scene.  All questions and conflicts are solved with sex.  There were a few points where there was some real drama and conflict (when extended families get involved), and I thought “Oh, it’s finally getting good!” but then it would devolve into the resolution via sex again.  I think with some tighter editing, the book could have been much better, because it certainly had potential.

Least favorite quote:

“Mac yanked him into a kiss that dared to suck his lips off”

Ugh.  Not sexy.

Cover art is cute.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Published September 19th 2016 by A.J. Truman
ASINB01KSL0Y0G
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBrowerton University #3

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Places in Time (Time Is Eternity) by Cardeno C. and John Solo (Narrator)

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

places-in-time-audiobookThis audiobook was very short but managed to pack a lot of the back story of the many years that best friends Ethan Baker and Jude Harrison have spent together by using a twist on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Ethan is a famous, award-winning actor, considered to be the “Sexiest Man Alive” and Jude is an extremely talented, but equally introverted, musician who prefers to stay well out of the limelight as he supports his friend’s career.

What Ethan learns late one night, as he’s on his way to Jude’s house, is the extent of just how much support Jude has given him over the years. It also finally dawns on him just how much Jude loves him and how much he loves Jude.

I enjoyed the way the author intertwined their lives together, allowing enough leeway for Ethan to be clueless while we readers were seeing what was really happening.  I also enjoyed the Dickens-like twist to the story.  And the narration of John Solo added to my enjoyment as he gave each of the characters a distinct voice. 

What I didn’t enjoy as much was the quick jump to anal sex by someone who didn’t realize he was in love with a man until a few hours before.  It just didn’t feel right. In fact, this is one of those stories that would have benefited from a fade to black sex scene.  And for someone who normally enjoys this writer’s way with words in the bedroom, that’s saying a lot.  She does hot and sizzling very well, but in this case, it didn’t click for me. 

However, if you are looking for a pleasant way to spend your day, by all means pick this one up. 

Cover art is eye catching and warm.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
Published June 27th 2016 by The Romance Authors, LLC (first published May 31st 2012)
ASINB01HIJ0F78
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTime Is Eternity

A MelanieM Review: Dragon Dilemma (Supernatural Consultant #3) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

dragon-dilemma-by-mell-eightDane doesn’t get along with his parents. He hasn’t spoken with his mother in years and he’s never met his father. Somehow his mother finds out about Mercury and the kits anyway, and it’s difficult to throw one’s mother out when she happens to be a powerful, dangerous witch.

She isn’t the only uninvited guest either, and these ones are even less likely to take no for an answer—and much more likely to leave everyone dead if they don’t get what they want.

Mell Eight’s Dragon family and its growing pains and mysteries is back in Dragon Dilemma, the third  in the Supernatural Consultant series.  Half god/half..well we aren’t exactly sure Dane (Dragon Consultant), his spouse Mercury, an investigative agent and their adopted group of dragon kits have had another  year of relative peace but that comes to an end when a letter from  Dane’s mother arrives, the powerful Isle Crone.  She’s come to make the acquaintance of her “grand kids” and her son in law and Dane is filled with trepidation.

But also arriving fast behind her is another mystery, one that will be another thread in the long running underplot, that of who has been kidnapping and experimenting on dragons and their kits?

I have always loved how Mell Eight has contrasted the family element here with the horrific scientific experimental one.  One light-hearted and full of love, the other dark and full of nightmares.  In Dragon Dilemma, the story is more heavily family oriented and I’m just fine with that.  I love the family dynamics here.  The children’s powers and personalities continue to grow and manifest themselves in various ways, whether its through daily chores or confronting evil at its worst.  So does  Dane’ and Mercury’s happy partnership/marriage.  It strengthens, surviving even the appearance of Dane’s imperious and powerful mother.

With each new story, the author adds to her world building, the circle of associates and friends that surround Dane, Mercury and their kits, and the bigger mystery of the evil behind the abduction and experimentation on the dragon children.  Eight both satisfies our needs to rediscover and enjoy meeting this family again but prods us towards the next in the series with a curiosity born a little out of fear for some of our favorite characters.  Its a perfect balancing act and one she accomplishes in a fairly  quick read.

Love dragons? Wizards, magic, and a big old mystery, romance and more?  Grab up the Supernatural Consultant series by Mell Eight.  Start at the beginning and work your way through.  I’m on my way to book four, Dragon Detective (Supernatural Consultant #4).  Watch for that review shortly. I highly recommend them all.

**
Cover  art by Alisha Akeju has elements from the story on it and matches with the others from the series.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

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Book Details:

ebook, 88 pages
Published June 1st 2016 by Less Than Three Press

A Free Dreamer Review: Pendulum (Kingdom of Night #1) by L.C. Davis

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
pendulum-by-l-c-davisRemus Black is still reeling from an abusive relationship that stripped him of everything — including his desire for love. Now all he wants is a fresh start halfway across the country, but his new roommate is determined to draw him into his strange world of chains, half-naked men and the infamous Lodge, a BDSM club as lavish as it is secretive.

When Remus is entered into the Lodge’s annual Alpha’s Pet contest against his will, he finds himself thrown to the Wolf Pack, the very type of men he needs to avoid. What’s worse is that the wolves immediately label him a submissive, something he swore he would never be again. Things get even stranger when “wolf” turns out to be far more literal than Remus ever imagined. When both the next-in-line for Alpha and his outcast brother claim Remus as their own, the entire pack is thrown into chaos.

Can Remus learn to embrace the power of submission and choose between the brothers before their rivalry tears the pack apart, or will the tension between them unravel his own sordid past?

I’m a bit torn about this book. I pretty much hated the first 40% or so. That part was something around 2 or 2.5 stars for me.

At first, Remus is a horribly annoying doormat. He has no spine and never, ever stands up for himself. It drove me nuts. At least Remus is aware of his lack of spine and we do get a good explanation later on. But at the time, I just want to shake some sense into the boy.

Then Sebastian shows up. He’s your typical badass, growly Alpha Dom. He got on my nerves pretty soon. I didn’t like how he coddled Remus. It seemed belittling to me, taking away all his choices and taking advantage of Remus’ lack of self-confidence.

Things got interesting when Victor, Sebastian’s twin, showed up. Where Sebastian seemed to be all muscle and little brain, Victor was a master at mind games. He was a very intriguing character. I think that’s about the time I started to get more invested in the story.

After a while, questions start getting answers and mysteries start unravelling, uncovering some very interesting world building. Everything became more and more intriguing and suddenly I really, really had to know what was going to happen next.

The ending is a very mean cliff-hanger, leaving us with even more questions. It’s a very open ending. I have a feeling there won’t be a real resolution until the end of the series.

Long story short, the beginning was very, very weak. It took about 40 or 50% for me to get invested in the story. The second half was really good, though, full of suspense and mysteries.

Cover art is fitting for the story and eye-catching.

Sales Link

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 434 pages
Published April 10th 2016
ASINB01E46Y2U4
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesKingdom of Night #1

Dive Into the Kinky Side of Romance with ‘Kinky Sprinkles’ by LA Witt

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Kinky Sprinkles by L.A. Witt
Riptide Publishing

Cover art by G.D. Leigh
Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Kinky Sprinkles!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Kinky Sprinkles) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 1st.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to leave your contact info, and thanks for following the tour!

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…

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

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Kinky Sprinkles Blurb:

Joel has finally walked away from his abusive ex and is ready to meet new people. But that isn’t easy for a guy who’s shy, self-conscious, and struggling with his body image.

Andre has wanted Joel since the first time he laid eyes on him, and finally Joel is single. But Andre is a Dom and a sadist, and Joel is unapologetically vanilla. There’s no happy medium—either Andre reins in the kinky side that took him years to accept, or Joel grits his teeth and subjects himself to kinks that aren’t his thing. No matter who bends, someone’s going to be unhappy.

They agree to walk away, but they keep circling back to each other. Though their kinks might not line up, the chemistry between them sizzles and the emotional connection keeps getting deeper. But none of that will get them anywhere if they can’t find some kind of middle ground in the bedroom.

Kinky Sprinkles is available September 26th from Riptide Publishing.

In the Release Day Spotlight: God of Jazz: Fugue, Concord by Varian Krylov (author interview and giveaway)

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AboutTheBook

 

goj-cover-600TITLE: The God of Jazz: Fugue, Concord

AUTHOR: Varian Krylov

COVER ARTIST: Bey Deckard

LENGTH: 117,450 words

RELEASE DATE: September 16, 2016

Thanks to Melanie and everyone here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me over for a visit! I’m excited to be here today, and to answer your questions about my latest novel, The God of Jazz.

Let’s start with the inspiration behind the story. Well, first, even though none of the characters are based on me or people I know, I put more of my own experiences into The God of Jazz than any of my previous books. In particular, Godard is an independent filmmaker, and this is a world I worked in for several years before I left the U.S. Godard also finds himself coming to Barcelona to shoot his first feature-length film, and I wanted to give the readers a vicarious holiday on Spain’s gorgeous Costa Brava, and also a little glimpse of what it’s like to explore life in Barcelona as an expat.

But the key inspiration that’s at the heart of the novel was me wanting to tell the story of someone who felt like they’d lost everything important to them both personally and professionally, and who overcomes the pain of failure and betrayal, and learns to love and trust again. I don’t just mean learning to love and trust another lover—though there is that—but also that Godard learns to love and believe in himself again. I think just about everyone can relate to being hurt in love, and to failing at life now and then. We all doubt ourselves, sometimes, we all feel unloved and isolated now and then, and I wanted to tell a story that reminds us that however cruelly we get knocked down or left behind, there’s something else out there for us. And sometimes there’s something out there that’s a thousand times better than what we lost.

Another important element of The God of Jazz is—surprise!—jazz music, and the Barcelona jazz scene. Of course, there are a lot of different styles under the expansive jazz genre. Some I adore, others I don’t care for so much. I dig bebop, and I’m mad for cool jazz, so I listen to artists like Chet Baker, Charlie Parker, The Modern Jazz Quartet, and Stan Getz. As a rule I prefer my jazz without vocals, but I love Nina Simone. I also love going out to the local jazz clubs. Barcelona has a thriving jazz scene, so there’s something on almost every night.

I hope everyone who reads the book enjoys the ride along with Godard as he discovers Barcelona and falls under the seductive sway of the beautiful and talented Ángel—or as Godard calls him, the god of jazz.

Thanks for reading! Besos from Barcelona!

BLURB: After years struggling to realize his dream of directing a feature film, on the final night of his fundraising campaign Godard is on the cusp of having everything he ever wanted. The man he loves is upstairs waiting for him, and he’s just a few dollars short of his GoFundYourself goal.

Then everything falls apart.

His personal and professional life in ruins, when his old nemesis from film school offers to fund his dream project if he’s willing to shoot it in Spain, Godard knows it’s a deal with the devil. But he also has nothing left to lose.

Among the labyrinthine streets of Barcelona’s Barrio Góthico, the city’s vibrant music scene, and the sun-gilt beaches of the Costa Brava, Godard begins making shooting his dream project and putting his life back together, largely under the domineering gaze and deft touch of Ángel, the god of jazz.

But Ángel is keeping a secret, and a deal with the devil always comes at a price.
Excerpt

 

“Bienvenidos…” After a glance back at his band mates, the trumpet player fixed his intense gaze on the audience and welcomed us in a low, smoky voice. Almost instantly the crowd went quiet, like everyone there was desperate not to miss a syllable. Of course, the remaining crumbs of my high school education in Spanish didn’t get me past the first word, except I did catch their names as he introduced his bandmates. Jaume on the drums. Alistair on bass.

The stunner with the trumpet and the arresting eyes that were the color of Amaretto di Saronno in the sun, but almost black in the hard shadow cast by the spotlight hitting his striking, upward angled eyebrows, was Ángel. He shot a glance at the drummer, who set a rhythm, brushes hissing over the heads. The low thrum of the bass came in as an electric smile spread over Alistair’s handsome face. The tempo of the music echoed faintly in Ángel’s subtly swaying body for a few measures as he let the music lull us out of the hectic pace of our day, the frenetic energy of the crowd that had been bantering and calling for drinks and jockeying for places to sit or stand, into the soothing rhythm. Then he brought the horn to his lips and kissed our souls.

Sultry, thick and sweet, tinges of melancholy. The notes stretched and yawned, curled around us like smoke. Slipped into the gaps in our broken, rusted armor and soothed our wounds.

I felt almost ashamed, in the midst of that transcendental rapture, that I couldn’t look at Ángel without conjuring the memory of his naked body, lax and faintly sheened with sweat as his broad shoulders flexed when he’d shifted his weight. The taunting temptation of his bare ass. Impossible to stop trying to imagine what he would look like, standing alone on that stage, under those lights, looking down at me, naked. Picturing his cock hanging, limp. Wondering if, when hard, it would stand up straight, jut off at an angle, or stick out from his groin.

At some point I had stopped looking at the other two sharing his stage, and just stared at him. The slight inward slope of his narrow nose. The delicate bow shape of his upper lip, slightly prominent, overshadowing his narrower bottom lip. Wanting him, almost willing him to turn those intense eyes on me again. Would it feel like a touch, the way it had at the beach? Was he caressing every man and woman in the bar with that gaze? Were they all secretly quivering and warming under his stare?

BuyLinks

Amazon US

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AuthorBio

 

Growing up near Los Angeles, I spent much of my time frolicking in the Pacific Ocean and penning angst-twisted poetry. Now I’m living in sunny Spain writing pathos-riddled fiction. Ironically, two of my favorite things are traveling, and swimming in the ocean, despite increasingly intense phobias of sharks and flying.

I’ve always loved the music and substance of words, always loved writing in well-worn notebooks by hand, tapping at the keys of the computer, and, of course, conjuring up stories.

And from my earliest memories, I’ve always been fascinated—maybe obsessed?—with sex and sexuality.

In my writing, sex is the medium, the expression, and the tool of discovery for my characters’ insecurities, the needs that drive them, the comfort they can’t live without, the joy and relish of life that makes each of them intense, strange, and alluring.

:: Facebook Page :: Twitter :: GR Page ::

Giveaway

The giveaway for this event is of an ecopy of the book to one lucky commenter, must be 18 years of age or older.  Contest ends September 29th at midnight, EDT.

Cover Reveal for Snow & Secrets (Stanford Creek #3) by RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott (giveaway)

Snow & Secrets (Stanford Creek #3) 

 RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott

Author: RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott
 
Publisher: OmniLit / All Romance eBooks, LLC


Release Date: November 15 2016
 
Length: 50,000 words
 
Blurb
 
Secrets could kill him. Will trusting another keep him alive?
 
Garrett Campbell is a man on the run. Wounded in the line of duty he returns to a town that is the only place he feels safe. When danger threatens to follow him there he has to run; only he appears to have picked up an unwanted guest.
 
Tyler Hart needs some down time, with the press hounding him after a failed relationship, he is desperate for peace. It seems like Stanford Creek may well be the place to go. After all, it worked for his friend Cody. Unfortunately, his timing is off, and he finds himself on the run with the very sexy Garrett Campbell.
 
First comes trust, and then comes love. Now they just have to stay alive.

Author Bio: 

RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. 
 
RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
 
The last time she had a weekís break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldnít defeat.
 
mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
www.rjscott.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/author.rjscott?ref=ts&fref=ts
www.goodreads.com/author/show/3432558.R_J_Scott
twitter.com/Rjscott_author
www.librarything.com/author/scottrj

Giveaway 

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A MelanieM Review: Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

wriggle-and-sparkleLynn is a kraken shifter in every way: detailed, tenacious, resilient, and hard-working. Also possessive, vain, arrogant, and demanding. It makes him an excellent agent for the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Security and Investigation—and impossible to work with, as the long list of partners who have transferred away from him will attest.

His newest partner is a unicorn, possibly the worst type of paranormal for work that often turns ugly and violent. Everyone knows unicorns are too delicate for such things. Then Anderson proves to be a unicorn like no other, the kind of partner Lynn has always wanted—the kind of partner he wishes was more. But if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that the only thing harder to keep than a partner is a lover.

Warning: Contains tentacle porn

I’ve read many different types of stories from Megan Derr but never a love story between a unicorn and a kraken. So Wriggle & Sparkle was a definite first.  But as expected Megan Derr delivers not only a wonderful offbeat romance but several unusual cases for these partners at the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Security and Investigation to solve.

Its all about the Wriggle and the Sparkle, as in Lynn the kraken and Anderson the unicorn.  Neither will fit your idea of what a typical kraken or unicorn should be,  In fact they don’t fit most of the paranormal world’s idea either.  Lynn is a gender shifter, sharp dressing, detail oriented crack detective…who can’t keep a partner for longer than a flick of a tentacle.  His newest matchup?  Anderson…a slutty, sparkly unicorn who goes against what most unicorns (and the paranormal world) think unicorns should be.  He’s also snarky, intelligent, and appreciates the finer points of the kraken in front of him.  Things start to spark and sizzle immediately between the two, but peculiar cases both pull them together while pushing them emotionally apart.

This is a collection of cases so it doesn’t always flow as naturally as I wanted it too from chapter to chapter but as I have a tendency to like that format it didn’t bother me as it might others.

I loved the natural history that Derr created for her kraken species.  Its fascinating and Lynn comes with a sibling who has an important role in his life and in this story. The fluidity and naturalness which with Derr folds her background and world building works so well here that I found myself believing in her krakens and unicorns wholeheartedly.  Even down to the tentacle sex.

This is not my first story with tentacle sex.  The way Derr handles it feels exactly right to the species involved and the body type they are in at the moment.  Yes, these are shapechangers with all that entails.  I have to admit most of the time with such disparate species I tend to roll my eyes a bit.  Not here.  Derr more than makes her case for interspecies love and then seals it with a resounding “hell yes”.

Along with layered characters, as I said there are some interesting paranormal cases to solve.  Some weird, some heartbreaking…but all will command your interest.  I easily could have had several more to read about.  But then again I feel that about about almost all of Megan Derr’s stories.

The reason why is here on display.  Its her attention to detail.  In compiling a natural history for her kraken, very little is left out, right down to offspring and incubation.  I loved that.  It pulled me in and let me connect emotionally to the couple and the events as they occur.  From the dialog to the clothes to the very hot sexy scenes, Lynn and Anderson were a couple I found I could fall in love with and root for.  Which I did all the way to the end of the page.

I think you will do the same.

I highly recommend Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr.  Its romantic, suspenseful, intriguing and fun.  And of course, sexy.  Check it out for yourself.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju works for the character of Lynn and the story.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

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Book Details:

ebook, 260 pages
Published August 10th 2016 by Less Than Three Press (first published January 2014)
Original TitleWriggle & Sparkle
ISBN139781620048221
Edition LanguageEnglish