Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

Celebrate the Paperback Release of ‘Blue’ by D.P. Denman (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: Blue
Series: Blue Series #2
Author: D.P. Denman
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 12, 2016
Format: Paperback
He escaped a program designed to cure him. Instead, it left him near death with nothing to rely on but the generosity of a stranger. Hostile and headstrong, Blue needs a calmer influence to balance his fury. Someone to save him from himself.


Brady’s life was quiet and orderly until fate sent him a blue-eyed hurricane. Bursts of temper and flashes of despair batter his efforts to quiet the storm in a man he doubts he can tame, one drowning in the wreckage of his past.

With a head full of lies and a body full of scars, Blue works to rebuild his life with the help of a man determined to prove sometimes trust is worth the risk.

Blue features one of the most popular characters of the Saving Liam saga! Destined for greatness, he reveals the past that made him the scarred bad boy readers love.

Blue folded arms across his chest, shoulder-length, dark hair framing his face, dangling in his eyes. The scowl returned with a distinct brooding quality.
 
“We’re talking about me being insane, and you waiting another few years while I get my head together,” Blue said. “You’re going to explode — or find someone else.”
 
“You’re too hot when you’re pouting for me to consider anyone else.”
 
“I’m not pouting.”
 
“Sulking?”
 
“I’m trying to be serious, and you’re being an ass.”
 
“No, you’re trying to create a problem where there isn’t one.” Brady got up from his chair. “I don’t mind waiting, though I doubt it will take years. Dr. Geist is too good at her job.”
 
“And what happens when you get tired of waiting anyway?”
 
He stepped to the edge of Blue’s exaggerated personal space. “I won’t.”
 
“Yes, you will.”
 
He saw the pain of imagined betrayal fluttering in Blue’s annoyance and stepped closer.
 
“I won’t get tired because this isn’t a game.” He caressed Blue’s cheek. “I love you, Cub. Unlike certain people in your past, that means something to me.”
 
The words slid out before he realized what he was saying and he gave himself a mental slap. He hadn’t wanted to admit that to Blue yet.
 
Blue blinked away the shimmer of tears. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
 
“I didn’t.”
 
“How can you say you love me? You barely know me,” Blue said.
 
“Why would you say that? We’ve spent close to eight months under the same roof. That’s plenty of time to get to know you.”
 
“You don’t know everything,” Blue said.
 
He smiled and took one of Blue’s hands. “Probably not, but I know more of your secrets than they ever did — and I’m still here, Jeremy.”
 
He’d never called Blue by his real name before and didn’t intend to do it again. Jeremy was dead, murdered by a sadist, but he was making a point. Blue was a new persona with a new life. He was happy to let him grow into it. That didn’t mean he didn’t remember the kid he used to be and what that kid had been through.
 
“Don’t call me that,” Blue said and pulled the hand from his grasp.
 
“My point is I know you as well as anyone and I still want you. If we take longer than some people to get to the part where you don’t sleep down the hall anymore, I guess that’s what happens.”
 
Blue swiped at his nose.
 
“Would it be too mushy to say I’m positive you’ll be worth the wait?” Brady asked.
 
“God, yes.” Blue rolled his eyes and marched toward the door. “I’m going to find a Kleenex.”
 
Brady smiled after him.

Award winning author DP Denman writes character-driven contemporary romance about gay men. Her stories are real and intense, but resolve in endings that make people want to read the book all over again. She lives among the moss and trees of the Pacific Northwest with a rambunctious pair of fur babies.
In her spare time, she is a dedicated LGBTQIA rights activist with a special focus on the thousands of rejected and abandoned kids who end up on the street every year. To support the cause, 25% of the royalties from every book go to LGBT charities.

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A BJ Audio Review: Never a Hero (Tucker Springs #5) by Marie Sexton, Narrated by Iggy Toma

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

NeverAHero_AudiobookEveryone deserves a hero.

Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Nick is sexy and confident, and makes Owen comfortable with himself in a way nobody ever has. He also introduces Owen to his firecracker of a little sister, who was born with a similar congenital amputation but never let it stand in her way. When she signs the two of them up for piano lessons—and insists that they play together in a recital—Owen can’t find a way to say no. Especially since it gives him a good excuse to spend more time with Nick.

Owen knows he’s falling hard for his neighbor, but every time he gets close, Nick inexplicably pulls away. Battling his mother’s scorn and Nick’s secrets, Owen soon realizes that instead of waiting for a hero, it’s time to be one—for himself and for Nick.

Although this is book five of the series, it’s the first one that I read or listened to, and I can vouch that it works wonderfully as a standalone. It’s my third read by this author, and I enjoyed it as much as prior experiences. I really need to remember and read more from her in future.

Although there was some angst, this story wasn’t dark despite that both characters had issues to deal with. It was well-written and thoroughly enjoyable story with characters caught my interest right away and made me care.

With one exception at the very end, I adored and felt so intensely for Owen. While some may feel that Owen’s mother was too over the top negative to be real, trust me, she’s not. I have had similar people in my life, so I recognized the type immediately and wanted to hug Owen. At least he had his father, and although it would have been nice if he’d been more of a shield, I could mostly understand. Listening to the story of Owen slowly coming out of his shell and blossoming into the person he should have been was beautiful. His story spoke to me because it showed so clearly how it isn’t only abuse that can have lasting effects on our lives, but that the words said to us as a child can affect our confidences and how we perceive ourselves and our abilities for the rest of our lives. Another thing I know first hand and struggle with each day myself.

As for Nick, I loved because he’s a vet and fellow dog lover as well as how good he was for Owen. How he showed him acceptance and helped him to find out he was a worthwhile person with no reason to hide away. But being one who isn’t a fan of secrets, his keeping one did bother me, especially in how long he let it go on despite his obvious attraction to Owen. Yes, he should have shared sooner, but none of us are perfect, and so I forgave him.

The secondary characters were well done and have made me interested in reading more of this series to learn their stories. But when I realized that all of the books are narrated by Iggy Toma, who narrated this one, I’ve decided that it’s the audios format I want to experience. He definitely brought another level to the experience. His voice is extremely easy to listen to, and he did an exceptional job of creating the sense of the various characters as well as putting emotion into the words he read.

If there was one thing that kept it from being a full on five stars for me, it was the ending of the epilogue. It just seemed so out of character to me, and what I believe was supposed to be humor, fell flat for me.

Nice cover by L.C. Chase with subdued pleasant colors and enough of the story woven into it through the images while at the same time consistent to the style of the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes


Book Details:  

Audiobook
Published April 29th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published May 13th 2013)
Original TitleNever a Hero
SeriesTucker Springs #5
CharactersOwen Meade, Nick Reynolds settingTucker Springs, Colorado (United States)

An Ali Audio Review: Starstruck by L.A. Witt and Narrated by Nick J. Russo

Rating:  5 stars out of 5      ★★★★★

Starstruck_AudiobookHollywood is full of dirty secrets, but Carter refuses to be Levi’s.

Retired action star Levi Pritchard has made a quiet life for himself in the sleepy logging town of Bluewater Bay, Washington. But then Hollywood comes to film the wildly popular television series Wolf’s Landing, and Bluewater Bay isn’t so sleepy anymore. His retirement doesn’t stick, either, because he’s offered a part on the show—exactly the kind of complex role he’d always wanted, one that would prove him more than a glorified stuntman. The only catch? He has to stay in the closet—no matter how attractive he finds his co-star.

Carter Samuels is the critically-acclaimed male lead on Wolf’s Landing. And now, the man who inspired him to take up acting—and made him realize he’s gay—is joining the cast, and sparks fly between them instantly. But Carter is out and proud and determined to stay true to himself.

Remaining just friends is the only thing to do, as both the studio and Levi’s disapproving, dysfunctional family keep reminding them. Except their friendship deepens by the day, tempting them with what they can’t have but both desperately need.

I loved this story.  Levi has spent so much of his life denying who he is to the world he doesn’t know how to change it.  When he meets Carter it gets harder and harder to deny what he desires.  Carter’s teenage fantasy was to be with Levi, when he gets to meet him in person it just solidifies his feelings.  As they become friends, determined to keep their desires separate, they can’t help but fall in love.

This story is told from both Levi and Carter’s points of view, which really helps understand the characters and what they are going through.  Levi is constantly fighting with what he wants and what he should do to make his family happy.  Carter loves his friendship with Levi, but won’t deny himself for anyone.

Nick Russo did a wonderful job narrating this story.  I could feel the characters emotions in how he spoke and their different voices helped me keep up with what was going on easier.

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

Sales Links:  Riptide | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 7 hrs 1 min
Published: April 26, 2016 (ebook first published November 3, 2014)
Edition Language: English

Series: Bluewater Bay 

A Jeri Review: The Sweet Spot (Homeruns #4) By Sloan Johnson

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

4 ½ Home runs!

The Sweet Spot coverI love baseball. Therefore I love books with baseball and baseball players. I really enjoyed the first three in this series, but I think this one might be my favorite. The previous books all revolved around MLB players at different places in their careers. In this installment, we get to see the side we don’t often see- a guy trying to make it up from the minors to the majors. Think Bull Durham. But gay. And without the cocky attitude of Nuke Laloosh.

Not only is Nick playing in the minors and fighting for a spot in the big show, he is also fighting to distance himself from his father- himself a former MLB player and current general manager for the team he plays in the minors for. He doesn’t want any preferential treatment. He is also harboring a secret- he doesn’t want anyone to know he is gay. Which is just so silly. Not only is his team very open and accepting of gay players- several have come before him and still play. But he doesn’t want that label. So while he is having a hot and heavy fling with Cody, he abruptly ends it to focus more on his career.

Fast forward a few years. Nick is still playing in the minors, but Cody is taken on as a social media intern. He doesn’t expect to run into Nick the first day, but he does.

What I loved about this book. Nick is in the proverbial closet, but he doesn’t end things with Cody because of that- even though that is what Cody thinks. He ends it because he doesn’t want distractions. He wants to make it to the majors.

Ms. Johnson also shines a light on what minor league players go through. It is hardly the glamorous life of a big leaguer. They have to play as a team while battling for the few MLB roster spots. They often travel by bus. They make very little money. They are constantly traded away and rarely get to be with their families. And the politics of baseball could almost put Washington to shame.

I also loved how Cody really came into his own. We met him in a previous book when a couple of players took him in. At the beginning of the book he was a high school senior struggling with life. When we meet him again he is finishing up college and has his eyes firmly on what he wants to do with his life. And although he still loves Nick, he does not immediately jump into his arms.

This book was a roller coaster ride. It was great storytelling from Nick’s point of view. I don’t want to spoil things in the book- because you really need to read it- but the range of highs and lows that he experiences rings so true. Through it all though is Cody.

We get some glimpses and scenes of players from past books, which I always love. You don’t have to read their books to know them in this book. But don’t miss those books, because they are really good.

Great book without the typical cliché angst, it was sweet and although there were struggles, the pay off is totally worth it.

Cover art is terrific, spot on with the sport.

Sales links:  Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

Book details:

ebook
Published May 9th 2016
SeriesHomeruns #4

Homeruns Series:

Amelia C. Gormley On Research, Characters and ‘Risk Aware’, her latest Novel (giveaway)

RiskAware_600x900

Risk Aware by Amelia C. Gormley
Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist L.C. Chase
Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Amelia C. Gormley here today to share her thoughts and inspiration behind her latest novel, Risk Aware.  Welcome, Amelia.

✍✍✍✍✍

Hi, and welcome to the RISK AWARE blog tour!

RISK AWARE is probably the longest single writing project I’ve ever undertaken. I started working on the concept in the spring of 2013, not long after I finished writing SAUGATUCK SUMMER. Geoff and Robin first appeared as minor characters—already in an established relationship—in SAUGATUCK SUMMER and I wanted to pursue their backstory.

Disabled people aren’t generally featured in BDSM fiction, and the sorts of BDSM usually portrayed is largely focused on activities that could be injurious—if not actually fatal—to something with Geoff’s condition. The story concept gave me an opportunity to examine several things we don’t often see in erotic romance. But it also meant I had to step far outside my own personal sphere of knowledge and experience on multiple levels. Which meant research was required.

Lots and lots of research.

The upshot is that the book took me over two years to write. If you’ve followed my posts on other blog tours in the past, you’ll know that’s highly unusual for me. I wrote SAUGATUCK SUMMER—a longer book—in about fifteen days. A lot of this is because I kept setting the manuscript aside to work on other projects and then taking a while to get back into things. But most of it is that getting it right required so much effort. So it’s particularly gratifying to finally get to share it with everyone who has been waiting for Geoff and Robin’s story, and also with people who may just be coming into the Saugatuck universe.

So thank you for being here!

About Risk Aware

Tattoo artist Geoff Gilchrest is convinced his life is some sort of cosmic joke. Why else would a hemophiliac also be a masochist? He’s given himself more than one elbow bleed since puberty just doing what guys do when alone and bored, so forget about whips and chains. How many partners would contemplate playing with someone even a mild flogging could kill?

Gallery owner Robin Brady knows he can deliver what Geoff needs: to be taken to the edge of danger but never beyond. But Robin came to Saugatuck to get away from the leather scene and heal from a betrayal by his former sub, so he’s not sure he should get involved with Geoff. His ambivalence isn’t helped by the fact that Geoff’s unwillingness to communicate about his well-being hits Robin in some very raw places.

Geoff’s hemophilia isn’t the obstacle he thinks it is. Instead, a lack of trust—on both their parts—is what could end them before they have a chance to begin.

About Amelia C. Gormley

Amelia C. Gormley published her first short story in the school newspaper in the 4th grade, and since then has suffered the persistent delusion that enabling other people to hear the voices in her head might be a worthwhile endeavor. She’s even convinced her hapless spouse that it could be a lucrative one as well, especially when coupled with her real-life interest in angst, kink, social justice issues, and pretty men.

When her husband and son aren’t interacting with the back of her head as she stares at the computer, they rely on her to feed them, maintain their domicile, and keep some semblance of order in their lives (all very, very bad ideas—they really should know better by now.) She can also be found playing video games and ranting on Tumblr, seeing as how she’s one of those horrid social justice warriors out to destroy free speech, gaming, geek culture, and everything else that’s fun everywhere.

Connect with Amelia:

RiskAware_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Risk Aware, Amelia is giving away an ebook copy of the Strain series. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 14, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

A MelanieM Review: MCB Quarterly Vol. 4

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

The MCB Quarterly Vol 4The Quarterly series: A quarterly eMagazine featuring queer short stories, interviews and artist/author features.

The Quarterly is an eMagazine of LGBTQ fiction – of all kinds. This volume features four short stories:
Finishing Touches by Rebecca Cohen
Repetition by J. Scott Coatsworth
Outpost by Dominick Domingo
The Wish Granter by L. Bellamy
It also includes an Interview with Brandilyn Carpenter talking about “What’s in a Review”, and a Featured Author section with Carole Cummings. And our very own Angel Martinez offers an Op-Ed on “Rehoming Lost Books.”

If you are not familiar with either this press or the eMagazine that Mischief Corner Press puts out, then its high time you make its acquaintance.  Full of fascinating articles, great interviews and stories that will send you running to seek out more by the authors (if they aren’t already on your TBR list).  This volume is no exception.

The first article is my Angel Martinez, full of advice to authors and future writers on what happens when publishing houses close and you are left without homes for your stories.  Its a fascinating glimpse into a situation that occurring often now sadly, and no matter what side of the page you are on,  it will leave you thinking.

And then the stories…those wonderful stories.  Four of them here, with the first being my favorite. That would be Finishing Touches by Rebecca Cohen, a author I love.

Finishing Touches, (5 Stars), tells the ‘touching’ story of an inventor and his assistant.  The descriptions of the shop were so imaginative and so perfect, that I was there in my mind from the beginning of the story.  But it was William and Marcus that really drew me in, plus the detailed lovely little mechanisms that one created that drew not only Marcus to them but me as well.  I felt myself leaning forward as though that could let me see further into them as though that was possible. I wanted more of everything of this world, workshop and this couple.  It was magical, in a totally non magical way.  Loved it.

Repetition by J. Scott Coatsworth (4 stars) A mind twister with no romantic plot lines so don’t expect any.  A shocker but a wonderful Moebius plot that will keep you  thinking involving time travel.  The less said about it the better.  No  spoilers.

Outpost by Dominick Domingo (5 stars)  Such a beautifully written story of a man full of regrets, a drifter who find that one place will finally lets him come to terms with parts of his past and allows him to move forward.  Again its the descriptions of the rundown old mining town in the Mojave Desert in 1965, the drifter Jake Preston,  old  Mabel Robins looking after her dying husband, and the rest of the dusty inhabitants of Cold Lake Lodge.  Its haunting, timeless, and the pain of these people stretches across the pages like the thin dry air they are breathing.

But here even the broken can find solace and mending.  Its believable, beautiful and memorable in every way.  Ok, two favorite stories.

The Wish Granter by L. Bellamy (3 stars)  A djinn in a bottle story.  I liked the characterizations just thought the ending felt rushed and the romances doubly so.  In fact I loved the first half of the story so much that when the second came about it felt as though I was reading two different tales.  Perhaps it was me.  Not sure, just didn’t connect with the turn about and the romance.

There was a bonus story buried within the Featured Author section with Carole Cummings, another favorite author of mine.  Cummings talks about speculative fiction, its history, what it means and then gives us ‘Fates Written In Indelible Ink’.  Yes, dragons.  Loved it.

Also a neat interview with a fellow reviewer, Brandilyn Carpenter talking about “What’s in a Review”, which I loved.

All that in one Quarterly  eMagazine.  No, you really can’t pass this up.  Stop by Mischief Corner Books and pick up a copy and check out their authors while you are there!

Cover art is perfect.  

Sales Links:  Mischief Corner Books LLC

Magazine Details:

ebook, First
Published April 13th 2016 by Mischief Corner Books, LLC
ISBN139781311536679
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Quarterly #4

A BJ Audio Review: Tempest (Playing the Fool #3) by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, Narrated by Nick J. Russo

Rating:  3.75 stars out of 5

Tempest_AudiobookSomething wicked this way comes.

FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness and con man Henry Page are on the run again. This time they’re headed back to where it all began: Altona, Indiana. Population: some goats. Henry’s not happy about lying low at the McGuinness family farm, but they’ve got nowhere else to go.

While Mac fights to clear his name and Henry struggles with whose side he’s really on, a ghost from the past threatens to destroy everything. And those aren’t the only storms on the radar. Cut off from both sides of the law, Mac and Henry must rely on their tenuous partnership to survive.

If Henry can convince himself to let Mac see the man behind the disguises, they’ll stand a chance of beating the forces that conspire against them. The course of true love never did run smooth, but for the two of them, it might be their only hope.

The finale of this three part serialized humorous romantic suspense was worth the wait. This installment was not as light as the first two, which I actually liked. Most of the banter and humor this time came towards the end. For those that love that sort of thing, it should be just what you are looking forward to as an ending. For me, I could have done without so much of that at the end. I’d hoped for Henry finally dropping all the banter and joking and letting his guard completely down with Mac but was disappointed there.

Lots of fast and furious action in the last third of that was sometimes a bit over the top. We finally have a resolution to the suspense and a romance, finally got to see the depth of Henry/Sebastian’s hurt and motivations, and Mac. Well, I just loved him through all of the stories. And also in this one we get to meet his family, and they are just as awesome! Viola and Mac young niece, Cory, rather stole the show for me at parts of this book, and I was totally on board with that. Loved them.

While there was no cliffhanger in this one, there were a few things left hanging (for me anyway). I wish there’d been more closure of Viola’s story, more than the one sentence comment that alluded to her possible fate. And something that bugged me to distraction was… what happened to Door Bell? Did they just abandon the poor dog there along with the apartment? If so, that is so sad. Certainly Henry didn’t take him and there was no mention when we see Stacy again that she did. I just really needed to know that he was okay, cuz yeah, I’m a dog household.

Nick J. Russo’s narration throughout this series was a highlight. All the voices were defined, the delivery of the humor was spot on, and the angsty bits were captivating. Overall, his narration was perhaps my favorite experience of the story.

Another simple cover design by L.C. Chase that works refreshingly well to set the tone of the book.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes


Book Details:  

 Audible Audio
Published (first published March 9th 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesPlaying the Fool #3 settingIndiana (United States)