Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

An Alisa Review: Dirty Angel by Barbara Elsborg

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Art profile portrait of beautiful man with body of athlete. Photo.
Art profile portrait of beautiful man with body of athlete. Photo.

Dying Sucks

Particularly when you discover there really is a hell. Aden thinks there’s no way he can avoid going down, but when an angel and demon can’t agree over his fate, Aden is given one more month to gain redemption. He doubts he can find a way to become a better man in so short a time. But it’s worth a try, right?

Living sucks

Particularly when you can’t shake free of an obsessive ex. Brody might be managing to hold down his job as a vet, but his personal life is a mess. If he doesn’t pull himself together soon, he’s going to be sliding downhill too fast to stop.

One wet night, on a dark country lane, two worlds collide and destinies change forever.

Barbara Elsborg did a great job with this story.  Aden is getting a second chance to try and be a better person by living up to his potential.  Brody is ready to give up and doesn’t know if it’s worth it to pull himself together.

 

Aden has had the worst luck when it comes to his life, his parents didn’t love him and he was constantly abused by others when they died.  He was never loved and doesn’t know how to or why you would want to love someone.  Brody thought he loved his ex and when things go too far he finally breaks free only to have him come back to try and get him back.

 

Both Aden and Brody have heartbreaking back stories that greatly affect their lives.  They both connect with each other and the reader quickly.  They don’t hold back their emotions and are willing to just let everything out which makes understanding the characters easy.  There is a great HFN ending looking a bit in the future which gives hope for both of the characters.

 

Cover art Joe Raven is perfect for this book.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 255 pages
Published: June 1, 2016 by Barbara Elsborg
ISBN: 9781682521274
Edition Language: English

 

In Our Spotlight: Set Me Free by Kitty Stephens (Author Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway)

Set Me Free 1600px FRONT (Smashwords, Amazon)

Set Me Free by Kitty Stephens
 Release Date: June 9, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: C.B. Messer

Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is very lucky to be interviewing Kitty Stephens, author of Set Me Free. Hi Kitty, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

My name Kitty Stephens. I currently reside in Ohio, with my husband, my son, and our three guinea pigs. I’ve been an avid reader since I was very young and started writing when I was around nine or ten. Once I had internet access, I became active in fan communities and started posting my work on various fan sites. Set Me Free is my first book.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  When I was a child and got asked this question, I had one answer; I wanted to be a writer. Actually, I said “novelist”, possibly because it sounded more professional to my ears (but in retrospect probably made me sound pretentious). This answer was the only answer I had, all the way until I graduated high school and even into the few years I attended college. My mother even used to tell people that I was going to publish a book and make enough money to buy her a nice house to retire in.

Even though life got in the way and took me on a few detours, I never stopped wanting to write my own books and have them published. It’s taken me a lot longer than I could have anticipated, but publishing Set Me Free is the culmination of a lifelong dream for me.

Blurb

When an affluent college-bound boy falls for a young artist, he must choose between the life that’s been mapped out for him and the chance at true love.

 

Pages or Words: 63,000 words
 Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

They found a secluded spot to sit off the main drag and scarfed down pieces of pizza and people-watched. Aaron had been full of nerves earlier, but Lucky put him at ease. He had that way about him.

“I’ve got a few minutes left,” Lucky said when they finished their food.

They got up, sipping at their drinks as they made their way through the crowd back toward Lucky’s booth. It was now or never. He had to ask, had to get the words out, or miss his shot.

“Can I ask you something?” Lucky spoke up before Aaron could. Maybe Lucky would… Aaron held his breath, nodding. “It might sound weird.”

“Sure,” Aaron replied, his heart beating a little faster. He had no idea what was coming now; what could Lucky possibly want from him? A kiss?

“Can you take your picture for me?”

Aaron blinked at him. Lucky tilted his head off to one side and Aaron turned his head the same direction. His gaze landed on a photo booth, realization sinking in. His mouth fell open, unsure what to say. It was a little weird because they barely knew each other, but also flattering.

“I’d really like to draw you again.” Lucky seemed slightly embarrassed. “I mean, I could take pictures on my phone if that’s better for you, but that seemed creepier somehow.”

Aaron couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped at Lucky’s words, even as the idea of Lucky drawing him again and again left him breathless. “Um,” he managed to get out, glancing around at the crowd. A familiar blonde head caught his eye and he nearly choked.

Was Lyn at the carnival? Wasn’t she supposed to be with their mothers?

Aaron pulled Lucky by the hand into the photo booth and slid the curtain shut.

Lucky slid money into the slot as they sat down. His breath caught as Lucky’s hands touched his face gently. “Like this,” Lucky whispered, turning his head to the side. The camera flashed. Lucky’s fingers turned his head to the front, pulling away just in time for the camera to go off again. Once again, Lucky’s fingers turned his head to the side, only now he was facing Lucky, staring deeply into his eyes.

Aaron tried not to hyperventilate as he held Lucky’s gaze. The camera flashed for the last time but neither of them moved.

“Go out with me?” Aaron suddenly blurted out. He had to do something or he might do something even more insane, like kiss Lucky. Aaron so wasn’t ready for that yet. Lucky’s eyes widened and he smiled.

“Sure,” Lucky drawled after a moment. “When?”

Buy the book:

 

 

Meet the author

Kitty Stephens’ writing aspirations date back to her childhood, when she and her brother would make up stories about characters in their favorite books. She eventually started writing stories in online fan communities, and majored in English at Ohio State University. She lives in Ohio with her husband and son. Set Me Free is her first novel.

Get to know the author on tumblr at @kittystephenswrites and on Twitter at @KittyStephensWr

Where to find the author:

Twitter: @KittyStephensWr

Tumblr: kittystephenswrites.tumblr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KittyStephensWrites?fref=ts

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

9-Jun

Happily Ever Chapter, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Book Lovers 4Ever, Havan Fellows

10-Jun

Oh My Shelves, Bonkers About Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

13-Jun

Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Unquietly Me, A.M. Leibowitz

14-Jun

BFD Book Blog, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook

15-Jun

Anna Butler Fiction, Three Books Over The Rainbow, MM Good Book Reviews

16-Jun

Making It Happen, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Open Skye Book Reviews

17-Jun

The Novel Approach, V’s Reads, Prism Book Alliance

20-Jun

Up All Night, Read All Day, Bayou Book Junkie

21-Jun

Nephy Hart, Love Bytes

22-Jun

Alpha Book Club, Molly Lolly, Divine Magazine

Final Set Me Free

Giveaway

Must be  18 years of age or older.

 

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Love Can Show You that There’s ‘Always Another Side’ by Annabelle Jacobs (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 

Author: Annabelle Jacobs

 

 

 

Release Date: June 3 2016

 

 

 

Length: 60,000 words

 

Buy Link: myBook.to/Always_Another_Side

 

Price:  3.99

 

Blurb

 

Starting over at forty is hard work for landscape architect Jack Bowman. His long-term partner hurt him badly. With his self-esteem dented by the break up, trusting a new lover is going to take time.

Tyler Freeman is equally unlucky when it comes to love. Now that he’s over thirty-five, he’s tired of getting played. All he wants is someone special. How hard can it be to meet a man who’s honest, with no hidden surprises?

Being set up on a blind date might be a classic cliché, but it’s a stroke of good luck for Jack and Tyler. They have a lot in common, including previous relationships steeped in deceit, but it’s worth navigating their trust issues if it means laying those ghosts to rest.

Making it work finally seems possible—until an accidental discovery threatens their newfound happiness.

 

Excerpt

 

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Jack tried not to notice the blatant, knowing looks being passed around. He had no doubt he’d be getting some nosy texts later. On the plus side, at least he wouldn’t be the only one.

 

Now it was only the two of them, they wandered into the bar area and snagged a small table by the fireplace. It wasn’t lit—the late-April weather had been far too mild to warrant an open fire. The Saturday-night crowd from earlier had clearly moved on to somewhere else, and the room had quietened considerably.

 

“Thanks for offering me a lift.” Tyler smiled and took a sip of his drink. “I wasn’t ready to leave yet.”

 

“Me neither.” Jack had bought another Coke, and he ran his finger down through the condensation on the outside of the glass. “I have to admit I was a bit—a lot sceptical about whether or not this was a good idea.”

 

Tyler glanced up and met his gaze. “Meeting me?”

 

Jack’s smile was wry. “I was talking about the whole blind date thing, but yeah… I guess it was meeting you in general.” He cringed as he said it, perhaps not the best thing to say to someone whom you were hoping to go out with again. And despite Jack’s misgivings and preconceptions, he liked Tyler.

 

Tyler cocked his head to one side and frowned, as though he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

 

Jack had probably offended him, because no one liked to hear that sort of thing. But then, he’d offered to drive Tyler home so they could spend more time together—alone—so Tyler must realise Jack wanted to get to know him better. Or maybe not. If Jack had learned one thing from his breakup with Simon, it was that communication was key. Never assume someone knew what you meant or what you were thinking.

 

“I know that sounds bad, and it’s nothing personal. Christ, I’m pulling out all the clichés tonight, but it really was a case of it being me and not you.” Jack laughed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. Just when it was going so well. I’ve managed to fuck it up, haven’t I?”

 

Author Bio

 

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats.

 

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Author Links

A BJ Audiobook Review: Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall ~Narrated by Alexander Doddy

Rating:     3 out of 5 stars

Waiting for the Flood audioPeople come as well as go.

Twelve years ago, Edwin Tully came to Oxford and fell in love with a boy named Marius. He was brilliant. An artist. It was going to be forever.

Two years ago, it ended.

Now Edwin lives alone in the house they used to share. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to a build a future from the fragments of the past.

Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwin’s quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons, but he offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again.

As the two men grow closer in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin learns he can’t protect himself from everything—and sometimes he doesn’t need to try.

This is my third book by this author. I adored For Real, abso-freaking-lutely loved it. But the other one I’d read not so much, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with a third one. Even after listening to it, I’m wasn’t sure and had to really think about it. There were parts that I found quite slow, where my attention drifted away and I had to struggle to make myself focus on the story. But then there were other parts that I found to be deep and poignant, that jerked at my heart in the way they felt so raw and real. The writing was lyrical, slow-paced, contemplative.

The premise of two men meeting during a storm/flood appealed to me, as I usually adore such stories. But there were many times that I was confused by the words and conversation, which may have been part of why my mind often wandered. I enjoyed Adam’s character quite a lot, but Edwin not so much. He seemed so very hung up on his old relationship even though a few years had past, that he let it influence him to the point that he cut himself off from life, and he very nearly let it get in the way of something good several times.

I’ve not listened to too many audios narrated with a UK accent, so it took me a tiny bit to get used to it. Not that it wasn’t lovely, as it certainly was, just that it was a little bit harder to understand for me at first until my ears got attuned to it. I felt that he did a stellar job at handling Edwin’s speech impediment.

Beautiful cover… I adore rain and these guys walking hand in hand in it totally did it for me.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon


Book Details:

Audible Audio, 3 pages, Listening Length: 2 hours and 51 minutes
Published May 23rd 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published February 21st 2015)
ASINB01FXZ0FX8
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSpires Universe

A BJ Audiobook Review: Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1) by L.A. Witt ~ Narrated by Iggy Toma

 

Rating:     3.5 out of 5 stars

Where Nerves End audiobookJason Davis can handle a breakup. And an overwhelming mortgage. And a struggling business. And the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. But all of it at once? Not so much. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, Jason takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try.

Acupuncturist Michael Whitman is a single dad struggling to make ends meet. When a mutual friend refers Jason as a patient, and Jason suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.

But Jason soon finds himself regretting it—he’s too damn attracted to Michael, and living with him is harder than he thought it’d be. In fact, the temptation to act on his feelings would almost be too much if not for the fact that Michael is straight. Or at least, that’s what their mutual friend claims.

This book began well for me. I liked Jason, felt for him and what he was going through, and was very eager to see him find the help he needed to get his life on track. When he met Michael and not only was he able to help him with his pain, but with his financial problems, that was working for me. I enjoyed Michael and his son for the healthy lifestyle and his caring. I felt the chemistry of Jason’s immediate attraction and his frustration at Michael being straight.  I also enjoyed all the stuff on the eastern medicine, acupuncture, cupping, etc. Very interesting.

Midway through I begin to not enjoy it quite as much. First the characters have a talk and Michael has the perfect opportunity to say something to Jason that he chooses not to reveal. The next thing we know, the whole story changed for me. I’m not a fan of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and of MC having sex with other people in my books. In this book, we get all three, I’m sad to say. And nope, I didn’t enjoy that part at all. Why did that have to happen? It left me pouting. Later, after he pursues Jason and they have an interlude, Michael does explain his reasoning, and it actually made sense a bit until the next thing he turns around and does is deny the whole thing and suddenly it makes no sense at all. Michael’s complete denial to everyone, even though he admitted he’d knew for years and years and even thought he’d grown up with a close gay friend who he never confided in bugged me as well.

So while I enjoyed how the story ultimately ended, the storyline itself lost its glow for me after that. However, Iggy Toma is a wonderful narrator and did a great job of keeping me engaged. He brought the characters to life and gave them dimension. I enjoyed the distinct voices he used, and the emotion he put into each scene. I’d give the narrator 4 stars and the story 3 stars for an average of 3.5.

The cover  by L.C. Chase ties in with the rest of the series and does an adequate job of representing the guys and the town although I didn’t find it sexy or particularly appealing.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes


Book Details:

Audible Audio, 7 pages, 6 hrs 55 mins
Published December 20th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published June 3rd 2012)
ASINB019NHFKC8
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTucker Springs #1 settingTucker Springs, Colorado (United States

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North ~ Audiobook narrated by Tobias Silversmith

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Blueberry Boys audioWhen Connor Graham returns to the town where his lived with his uncle, mom, and brother, the last thing he expects is to meet a man who attracts him like a magnet. His uncle has passed away and Connor and his brother have inherited the family blueberry farm that has a tenant farmer working the land. The farmer is Jed Jones—a very shy, very sexy man with a severe stutter, making speech difficult for him.

But Jed’s stutter makes no difference to Connor as the two get to know each other. And though the brothers are selling the farm, Jed’s place is secure for at least the next two years due to his lease, so the sale isn’t an impediment to their attraction. What is an obstacle is Jed’s religious upbringing, his firm place in the closet, and the distance between the farm and Connor’s job as a well-known fashion photographer who is based in New York City but travels the globe.

With Jed’s permission, Connor decides to use the farm as the backdrop for his next fashion shoot, buying the men more time to get to know one another. It’s time well invested, but there’s an expiration date, and as they reach the end, Jed breaks it off with Connor. He’s not the type for a long distance relationship, and though Connor tries to make him see reason, he eventually returns to New York.

Circumstances combine to allow Jed to come out to his family and to reconcile his church’s teachings with his homosexuality and life goes on. Jed and Connor ultimately get together, and it’s likely not in the way many readers would expect, but it does leave the men with their HEA.

I was disappointed in this story, the first I’ve read from this author. It was a sweet tale, but I didn’t feel the spark. The romance between the two men was more of a sexual chemistry and less of a bonding of two hearts. To be fair, I don’t have the book to go back to revisit some of the scenes I felt were choppy or where there was a disconnect between the guys, so I can’t get into detail. This is an audiobook review, and that is too difficult to do.

The narrator, Tobias Silversmith, was a fast reader; so much so, that at times I had difficulty catching what he said. The story felt rushed, and I don’t know if it was the story as written, or if the speed was set by the pace of the narrator. But it wasn’t appealing. I didn’t hurry to get back to the story when I was occupied with other tasks, and I didn’t look forward to what the characters would do next. They were just waiting there for me to get back to them. I felt like there was not much happening in their lives anyway, so why not wait? Needless to say, I don’t recommend this in audiobook format.

~~~~

I loved the bright, colorful cover art by LC Chase that prominently features a spilled bucket of blueberries superimposed on a background of a farm field with two young men holding hands.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible |Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 5 pages, 4 hrs 22 mins
Published May 20th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 28th 2015)
Original TitleBlueberry Boys
ASINB01FWBX0PS
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Lila Review: Crashing Blue by Della Boynton

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Crashing BlueFrancisco Cabot is an undercover narc for the police. Having lived his entire life on the underbelly of society, he’s the perfect man to infiltrate hardcore gangs, gather bulletproof evidence against them, and make certain their bosses spend a lifetime behind bars. He hides a dark secret, though, that causes him to harbor a ravening hunger for revenge that not even his long list of successes can quench. But a man can only live with revenge and the refuse of humanity for so long, before not even his fantasies of innocents and his ideals are enough to light the growing darkness in his soul.

The last man Cabot expects to save him from that darkness is Christopher Caldwell, the son of the biggest drug king in the city and the man Cabot has been sent to destroy. Falling in love with the enemy was never the plan, but when Christopher begs Cabot to leave everything behind to be with him, Cabot finds himself longing to do just that. His life of violence, gangs, and slums can’t be left behind so easily, though; they’ll be lucky to make it out alive.

Crashing Blue works as a suspense story, but the romance between the main characters become secondary to the drama/case and Snow. The story was originally published under the title Snow, which seems more fitting taking into consideration Chris’s and Cisco’s HFN.

Francisco Cabot’s undercover work shaped his life and his need for justice. He moves from case to case without much trouble until an assignment goes wrong and he’s transferred to a new precinct. From that moment on, everything he was and knew about himself starts changing until he had trouble walking the line between good and bad. His relationship with Christopher Caldwell was unexpected, but at the same time, it was something both of them needed. The

Their relationship, the case, and the suspense were done well. The story keeps the reader engaged, wanting more with every page. Unfortunately, the answers we get along the way only served to bait the reader into an incorrect guess. I don’t mind the wait, but I don’t like to be misled just to find in the end that I was right to start with.

The characters and settings were interesting, as well as the main plot. Some of the wording, especially during the sex scenes seems out of place and takes the reader out of the story. Overall, it was a good story, just not for me.

The cover by Syneca Featherstone has two shirtless men with a window in the background. They seem distant, but it’s hard to place them in the story. The wave in the font is the only thing pertinent to the book. The cover is, perhaps, too generic.

Sale Links: Loose Id | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 172 pages
Published: January 26, 2016, by Loose Id
ISBN: 9781682520734
Edition Language: English