Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

A MelanieM Review: Bayou des Enfants (Rougaroux Social Club #4) by Lynn Lorenz

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Bayou Enfants coverA year has passed since Scott Dupree took Ted Canedo as his mate and assumed leadership of the St. Jerome pack.  They’ve moved in together into Scott’s house near the bayou, Ted’s private detective business is slowly getting off the ground as is Ted’s career as an artist.  Scott’s police department is solidly behind Scott so what could go wrong?

That would be Scott’s mother, Darlene Dupree. She’s not happy because she wants grandkids and she wants them now.  As she usually does, Maman, (as Scott and Ted call her) takes matters into her own hands.  A little spell or two in the middle of the night next to the bayou and Maman’s magic sets events in motion that has profound ramifications for all in the bayou.

What happens when two boys are suddenly in need of a home and parents?  Especially when Ted isn’t even sure kids are something he wants?  It’s chaos when change is forced upon everyone with just one accident.  Ted and Scott have a chance to become not just partners but parents and a family, if only they and everyone else can agree!

I have loved this series from Lynn Lorenz from the first story, Bayou Dreams (Rougaroux Social Club, #1).  It was a clever tweak by Lorenz that had Scott’s wolf being attracted to Ted before Scott was.  And throughout the story we watched as Ted tried to overcome his fear of involvement with a man who had been “straight” as well as Scott trying to adjust his ideas of sexuality to the needs of his wolf which soon becomes the needs of the man.  Plus there was the whole “and I’m a werewolf” thing to adjust to as well as a magical spell throwing Mama to contend with.  I fell in love with every bit of characterization and plot that Lorenz threw at me and then some.  And I have followed the series gleefully ever since, through three stories to arrive here at what is possibly the last story in the series, Bayou des Enfants.

Maman has been a strong character in every story and usually the impetus for events and relationship explosions that happen along the way.  See, Maman wants what she wants and uses magic to do it but her spells never go as planned, veering off onto another unexpected wild path to the end she wants and asked for.  I adore Maman and her raggedly black cat, she is straight out of the bayou, with a complicated religious outlook and dialog that rises right out of the swampy waters near her home.  One thing Maman has always wanted was first for Scott to get married (check, although not the way she planned) and now she wants grandchildren.  And yes, that doesn’t occur the way she wants either.  It never does.

The children that arrive at Scott and Ted’s home feel so real.  They are hurt, grieving, and troubled, well, at least one is troubled and more than a “handful” as they say.  Lorenz makes these children so believable and vulnerable that the reader becomes invested in their safety and future almost immediately.  Also just as authentic is the community’s reactions to a gay couple wanting children and the CPS involvement in everything that occurs.  While there was not be as much action as in the past stories here, the emotional adjustments that have to go on and the shifting of attitudes that must take place come so cautiously and slow that the suspense is enough to pull us in and keep our attention firmly focused on the people and events happening.

Did I love the ending? Absolutely.  I have been meaning to ask Lynn Lorenz if this is it for St. Jerome, Ted, Scott, Maman and all the rest.  I hope not.  I want many more tales to come just as surely Maman has more spells to cast to shake up any community.  Here’s hoping for more Rougaroux Bayou stories in the future.

If you are new to this series,  they really should be read in the order they were written.  Otherwise some of the people, events and relationship developments must not make sense.  I highly recommend this series to all lovers of romance, wolf shifters, and the bayou setting of Louisiana!

 

Cover Artist April Martinez has done a good job in branding the series with her covers, they belong together as a group.  I just wished the setting had a little larger place somewhere in the design.  It just doesn’t convey much about the story inside.

Sales Links:   Loose id LLC       All Romance (ARe)     Amazon    Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 25th 2014 by Loose Id (first published November 24th 2014)
original titleBayou des Enfants
edition languageEnglish
seriesRougaroux Social Club #4

Rougaroux Social Club Series in the order they were written and should be read:

 

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: The Burnt Toast B & B by Heidi Belleau & Rachel Haimowitz

Rating: 5 stars out of 5:BWBlogo_Web

The Burnt Toast B & B coverI know I keep saying this but it bears repeating—I LOVE this series! This story, in which injured stuntman Ginsburg Sloan seeks shelter at the B&B run by Derrick Richards, a laid-off logger who is trying to make a go of the business he inherited from his parents, is right at the top of the list of outstanding books in this series.

Ginsberg is temporarily out of work after he broke his arm on the set of Wolf’s Landing, the TV show being shot in Bluewater Bay, Washington. In an effort to save money, he heads for the B&B with the worst reputation and therefore cheapest rates, and there he encounters not only Derrick but a smoke-filled kitchen with a fire blazing both in the oven and on the stovetop. Thankfully, Ginsberg knows his way around a fire extinguisher, even with one arm, and after putting out the fire, he takes the time to assess his soon-to-be landlord.

Derrick has been out of work as a logger and was trying his hand at running the B&B he inherited when his parents were killed in an accident several years ago. He’s come to the conclusion that his clumsy efforts in the kitchen, his inability to do the necessary home repairs, and his lack of funds to do anything else equals “get out of business”. But before he can do that, he’s now going to have to find a way to get this guy to vacate the premises. So Derrick sets out to make him leave but it backfires when Ginsberg jumps in to help out. He manages to help so much that Derrick finds himself getting back into the business and enjoying it, despite his inherent objections to doing feminine work such as cooking and cleaning.

As they work together, both he and Ginsberg find themselves attracted to one another. But Ginsberg is feisty and opposed to any outdated notions Derrick expresses about roles for women and men and he won’t tolerate Derrick’s comments on what makes a man masculine. Ginsberg is transgender but, as he explains to Derrick, that has no impact on his opposition to Derrick’s comments and actions. Derrick’s ideas are just plain stupid and outdated, and Ginsberg sets out to help Derrick leave the macho bull behind while making a go of the business. Derrick finds himself enjoying the work and spending all his free time fighting his desire for Ginsberg. He wants him desperately and starts to daydream about every facet of this man—his body, his personality, his kindness, his energy, and his courage. But at the same time, Derrick is still hiding behind his gruff persona and still negative about whether or not his business can succeed in the long run, and he’s firmly convinced that Ginsberg will be leaving by the time his cast comes off and he goes back to work.

He’s so convinced of this, in fact, that he torpedoes their relationship just as it’s starting. They’d spend an amazing night together after which Ginsberg had to get up and get out the door to work and while he was away, Derrick convinced himself that this just couldn’t last. So when Ginsberg came home and presented Derrick with a special gift, it backfired and Derrick blew up, shaming Ginsberg and forcing him away.

This is just a simplified explanation for a complex plot that has more facets than a brilliant-cut diamond. Secondary characters were outstanding, especially Derrick’s ex-boyfriend Jim, and the revisit with Carter and Levi was much appreciated. The way this story evolved, the growth and learning experiences for the MCs, the heartbreak and despair they suffered, and the maturity and change in Derrick’s outlook as the story evolved all combined to make this story amazing and memorable.

I highly recommend this series to all lovers of M/M romance. I am amazed that every author in the series, though very different, has brought us characters which make me smile and leave me with a warm and fuzzy place in my heart each and every time. Don’t hesitate to invest your time in this one.

Cover art by LC Chase depicts both the gorgeous Ginsberg, complete with the typical Hollywood sunglasses, and the rugged Derrick, arms crossed in one of his perpetual scowls, standing in front of the B&B.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing     All Romance (ARe)     Amazon          Buy it here

Book Details:

book, 225 pages
Expected publication: January 12th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492165
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/burnt-toast-bb
seriesBluewater Bay #5

Bluewater Bay Series by book and author:WolfsLanding_transparent

A MelanieM Review: Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Cutting Out coverTransplanted Aussie Shane Cooper loves his job as a shearer and the home he’s made for himself in New Zealand.  For over 20 years Shane has climbed to the top to be recognized as one of New Zealand’s premier shearers in the Senior Division where the most experienced of them all compete.  Now 39, Shane has a house, good friends, and a life he loves.  He’s only missing out on having someone to share his passion for shearing and his life.

Lachlan “Lachie” Moore is an up and coming shearer.  Not yet good enough to compete in the Senior Division, he still loves to watch them shear, hoping to pick up on pointers to help him do a better job.  At 24, young, reckless and gay, Lachie spots the hot, older shearer immediately, and its not just for his skills at shearing sheep that catches Lachie’s gaze.  But Shane appears more than content to just look then act on the attraction each feels for the other.

Then the horrific Christchurch earthquake hits, and tragedy strikes Lachie’s family. Lachie deals with his traumatized family and takes up new responsibilities, ones that makes it impossible for Lachie to continue on with his dream of shearing as a profession.  A year later, a new opportunity arises for Lachie to pick up shearing once more if only he can find the confidence in himself that now he has lost.

The new job reunites Shane with Lachie, only now he finds the lad changed and uncertain.  Shane decides to help the struggling Lachie regain his skills and direction and the time together reignites old feelings between them.  But Lachie has secrets he is afraid to share with Shane and Shane’s seems to want more than Lachie can give.  What will it take to break up this barrier Lachie has created so both men can have what they so desperately desire?

I throughly enjoyed Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne.  I seem to be reading quite a few books lately from New Zealand and Australian authors and all of them make me want to get on a plane and go “walk about” down under.  Meredith Shayne’s story deals with professional shearers in New Zealand, a job that requires remarkable precision and care as well as speed if you are to make it to the top.  Handling large squirming animals and a pair of shears at the same time takes a passion and coordination that not every person has and Meredith Shayne takes us into the heart of these men and women and the almost vagabond life they lead going from farm to farm to shear large numbers of sheep at a time.

I particularly enjoyed the insight Shayne gives us into the different levels of shearers, from the junior divisions of shearers just learning their  profession (junior and senior refer not to the shearer’s age but experience) to the top Senior level and the sought after shearers that are asked to shear the top quality and much larger breed Merino sheep.  The author easily slides her information about the profession, from the “shearing teams” that tend to work together over and over again as well as the loosely aggregated bunch assembled at the last minute, into her story making it all feel as natural as their surroundings.  The camaraderie and the close community is strengthened by the bond of the Maori society that hovers like a benign parent over its members and families.

As the characters move from farm to farm and home locations, the reader is brought keenly home into the various cities and places of New Zealand, from Christchurch to Gisbourne, from the Queenstown Hill Time Walk to the Basket of Dreams statue.  I felt she made me really  see these place while also sending me to look up areas and places of interest in each town and park.  And again all this is neatly folded into the narrative in such a way that it enhances rather than impedes the flow of the plot and the character growth.

But those characters!  That’s the heart and joy of this story.  I loved the reticent, introspective Shane, older, more experienced at life and love at 39 he knows what he wants but isn’t sure about where he stands with others.  Shane has many facets to his personality and not all are compatible with the much younger Lachie’s 24 year old outlook that begins at cocky, free wheeling and exuberant.  Something that the devastating impact of the earthquake in Christchurch changes forever.  The author takes her time and theirs for the relationship to begin as a friendship and slowly turn into something deeper.  For some readers, this timeline will feel far too slow and unhurried, but I found it to be in keeping with the characters personalities and background the author has created for them.  And its makes the ending all that  much sweeter.

What did I wish had been enlarged?  Perhaps the Epilogue or the chapter preceding it.  I would have loved a little more of their life at the end and how it all came about.  But perhaps we can have that in another story, one that includes these characters and enlarges on others we meet inside this story.  I loved it enough that I hated to have it all end.  I think you will feel the same.  Looking for a new romance to read?  One with a spectacular setting and hot men to boot? Pick up Cutting Off and enter Meredith Shayne’s world of sheep shearers and their HEAs!  I absolutely recommend this to one and all!

Cover artist is from Mumson Designs.  They did a great job.  I love that cover and it works perfectly for one of the characters.

Note:  Use of Aussie/NZ English used.  There is also a wonderful vocabulary to refer to at the beginning!

Sales Links:  All Romance eBooks (ARe)  amazon    Cutting Out

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published October 11th 2014 by Bottom Drawer Publications
http://www.bottomdrawerpublications.net

ISBN139780994157232
edition languageEnglish

Down Under Day 16: Meet Meredith Shayne, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day and Contest Info!

DownUnder_badge

Welcome, Meredith Shayne!

 

Author Meredith Shayne is our Down Under Author of the Day.  Originally from Australia, Meredith now resides in New Zealand, so she’s Down Under times two!  For more about Meredith Shayne, her bio, her books, her interview, and, of course, her giveaway, visit her page coming up shortly.

Now for our Down Under Facts of the Day!

New Zealand Fact of the Day:kiwi and NZ country

Unlike Australia,  there are no dangerous plants or animals of any kind in New Zealand (excluding sharks that is)! The more common ones can create discomfort rather than pain or illness. If you’re tramping or hiking in New Zealand take a few simple precautions and any problems will be minor.  How minor?  Well, according to the official New Zealand animal page, the New Zealand Kea is mentioned.  Why? Check out the Kea!

Kea parrot i New Zealand

This is the New Zealand parrot, found in southern alpine regions of the South Island. This bird is not so much dangerous as a nuisance. It is quite cheeky and will attack your personal belongings if you leave them unattended. However, the biggest damage they cause is to cars. They have a particular taste for the rubber on windscreens, mirrors and car doors and can be quite destructive. They are not a threat to humans, however.

For more information about New Zealand’s wildlife, visit here!

 

 

 

 

AUS flag over countryAustralia Fact of the Day!

AUSTRALIA IS INFAMOUS FOR its dangerous animals, unlike New Zealand. With more deadly snakes than any other country worldwide ( 8 of the 10 most deadly snakes are found here), it isn’t surprising.  Think about the scenes in some of the stories from our  Australian authors,  Can you remember where and in which story some of these animals are mentioned?  I can.

Though sharks, spiders, and snakes get the majority of bad press, it is actually an awesome array of predators and venomous critters that have earned Australia its fearsome reputation.

Top 30 dangerous animals in Australia (This list was developed by the Australian Museum in Sydney. Museum staff rated animals out of 10 based on the threat they pose, combined with the likelihood of encountering one.)  For more information and pictures, visit Australia Geographic!

Danger rating: 10/10

1. Box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri)box-jellyfish_482_600x450

Danger rating: 9/10

2. Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
3. Irukandji (Carukia barnesi)

Danger rating: 8/10

4. Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)
5. Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
6. Saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
7. Sydney funnel web spider (Atrax robustus)

Danger rating: 7/10

8. Blue-ringed octopus (Genus Hapalochlaena)
9. Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)
10.Common death adder (Acanthopis antarticus)
11. Cone shells (Conus sp.)
12. Dugite or spotted brown snake (Pseudonaja affinis)
13. Mulga snake (Pseudechis australis)
14. Red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
15. Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
16. Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus)
17. Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) (low, yes, low on the list)
18. Yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis platurus)

Danger rating: 6/10

19. Bluebottle (Physalia physalis)
20. Common lionfish (Pterois volitans)
21. Collett’s snake (Pseudechis colletti)
22. Highland copperhead (Austrelaps ramsayi) not the same as ours!
23. Inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)
24. Redback spider (Lactodectus hasselti)
25. Reef stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)
26. Smooth toadfish (Tetractenos glaber)
27. Blue-bellied black snake (Pseudechis guttatus)

Danger rating: 5/10

28. Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus)
29. Bull ant (Myrmercia pilosula)
30. Giant centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes)

 

I’m having fun delivering these facts to you all, learning tons as I go.  How about you?  What has been the most interesting, unexpected fact from New Zealand and Australia to date?

 

While exploring our Down Under Authors and their books this month, don’t forget to visit the Down Under Author Showcase Page on the menu for Bottom Drawer Publications contest and link!

 

Now on to Meredith Shayne!  Have you read Cutting Out yet?

A Mika Review: Love Lies Bleeding by Remmy Duchene

Rating: 3 star out of 5 stars

Love Lies Bleeding CoverWhen literature professor Anderson Williams arrives late to a father/son date to find his father dead, his world collapses around him. Now, not only is he mourning his father, but he’s scared for his life while trying to make sure his father’s face doesn’t become one of the thousands of cold cases in some dusty room. Then he meets NYPD officer, Leo Sung Kim, and he isn’t prepared for his body’s reaction to the cop. 

Leo Sung Kim’s seen horrible things as a cop. But the latest serial killer is worse than anything he’s encountered. To make things worse, he’s instantly in lust with Anderson which makes staying professional almost impossible. 

Even as Leo fights his emotions, the killer gets bolder. When the smoke clears, Leo could not only lose his heart but his life.

This actually wasn’t a mystery to me. I kind of figured out the “who dun it” right in the middle. It just made sense, no other person was interest or remotely interrogated. If you put aside the mystery. I kind of liked both guys being inexperienced with this level of passion with each other. Anderson was so focused on his career that he didn’t see Leo coming a mile away. Leo I think had settled in his mind that being a detective in a 2 bedroom apartment was all he was getting for the rest of his life.

These two met at the most inopportune time ever. It was hard seeing them fall in love with tragedy all around them. I think Anderson was very lucky to have Leo in his life fighting with him so he wouldn’t drown in despair. I think Leo needed Anderson in his life so he could see he actually did want the happy household and partnership. I do think it was cliché to pronounce they felt some sort of love about each other when one was sick in the hospital. I wish it could have been longer and I would have loved to see an epilogue about these two, and their respective best friends relationships as well.
Wilde City Press created this cover. Besides the flower which plays a major part in the story, I don’t really know who the guy is suppose to be. One guy is Asian, the other is African American. I think it would have looked better with both of those guys with the flower.

Sales Links:  Wilde City Press

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published November 18th 2014 by Wilde City (first published January 2009)
original titleThe Orchid Murders

Previously published at Silver Publishing in 2009

STRW Reviews of Lisa Henry Books

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Book Reviews of Lisa Henry!

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words has read and reviewed so many Lisa Henry stories that I am linking some of them below.

No matter the reviewer, her stories, whether written alone or as a co author, always make an emotional impact and lasting impression.  My review of When All The World Sleeps is being reposted today.  Myself and so many others considered it one of the Best Books of 2014.Best Books of 2014

 

Here are some of her finest stories (in our opinion) and in no particular order:

Bliss (A Barb the Zany Old Lady review) by Lisa Henry

King of Dublin (A MelanieM Review)

The Two Gentlemen of Altoona (A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review)

The Merchant of Death (A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review) written with J.A. Rock, a long time co author

ARC fullcoverBlissTwoGentlemenOfAltona_400x600The merchant of Death cover

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a favorite Lisa Henry book?  Which one and why?

 

Lisa Henry is one of STRW Down Under Showcase Authors.

DownUnder_badge

A Sammy Review: A Clean Break (Gay Amish Romance #2) by Keira Andrews

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

A sense of power flowed through him. Isaac was splayed out—so trusting and vulnerable—and David wanted to keep him safe always. They may be sinners, but Isaac was still a gift from God.

A Clean Break coverA Clean Break picks up where A Forbidden Rumspringa left off. Isaac and David have fled from Zebulon, left behind the plain ways and entered a world completely new and different. It’s amazing and freeing, but somehow so constraining all at the same time.

They thought they knew what they were getting into, but life outside their small community in Minnesota is far more complicated than either of them imagined. More than that, they still have to deal with the guilt that comes with leaving behind not only your family and the only life you’ve ever known, but also turning your back to God.

San Francisco may be their destination, but they still have a long way to go.

The thought of having a workshop again—the scratch of pencil on pad as he sketched, the grind of sandpaper, and the resistance of the lumber as he sawed and shaped it to his will—it filled the spaces in him like water around rocks. Yet when he imagined it now, working alone somewhere in the maze of the city, he ached.

A Clean Break is told from David’s point of view, providing a deeply saddening view into what comes with the freedom of an English world. Keira Andrews does a great job of conveying the doubts that linger and the guilt that continues to fester within David, as well as balancing a small sense of hope that this new life with Isaac is somehow all going to work out.

A lot of the story, to me, was about trying to find yourself when everything is so completely foreign. It was a journey for David, and it struck me how alone he felt at times, even when surrounded by people. It’s easy for people to say that this is a great thing – the boys leaving the Amish lifestyle and coming to San Francisco, but there’s so much more to it, and that’s what this is all about.

I really appreciated that the transition was made to be realistic. There was no super smooth, easy fix. I think it also helped that things were different for David and Isaac. Isaac dealt with things in his own ways, and David his. They had to find their own ways – together.

I did miss a bit of the strengthening of the relationship, or growth in general, but I think we began to get more of it toward the middle/end. I felt like David was keeping so much of himself from Isaac and it made me a bit uncomfortable to know all those things, like I was invading some private space.

I also loved the brief bits with Anna and June. It was great that we weren’t just left to wonder what was happening back at Zebulon, we got some answers.

There was just a special spark that existed in the first book and seemed to be a bit dimmer here. Still, it was a great book and I really (no, really) can’t wait for the next.

The cover art by Dar Albert is quite lovely. I’m glad that it includes the water and the bridge, which both seem symbolic to me in this story – a sign of freedom, but also the journey yet to come.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe)        Amazon        Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 245 pages
Expected publication: February 3rd 2015 by KA Books
ISBN139780993859861
seriesGay Amish Romance #2

Series Includes in the order they were written and should be read: