A Sammy Review: Nothing Ventured by Jay Northcote

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

There’s usually less mud in a rom com.

One night and too much tequila lands Aiden in a peculiar situation. He’s promised his best friend that he’ll run a twelve-mile long course, aptly named Mad Mucker.

But it’s not enough that he’s going to run it, but he also has to train. The course is strenuous, but then again, trudging through mud and ice water sounds like it’d be a bit rough going for anyone less than fit.

Aiden finds a bit of… extra inspiration in the form of his friend’s cousin, Matt. At first they clash, an awkward not-so-keen kind of personality mesh, but as they begin to train together and open up, they find they have more in common than either bargained for.

The real question is, though, how long can no strings attached exist without said strings? After all, this is a messy race.

Two people who had feelings for each other, but both fighting against them for different reasons.

This story had one of my favorite themes, and one that’s hard to find done right. One night stand/fuck buddies/no strings attached to more. And this, it was done right. There was no illusion to feelings at any point in the beginning of the relationship. It was a true emotional evolution for them, and for that I was super excited.

I also thought that the idea of the story was pretty fun and different. I have a friend who does a lot of physical training, and we’ve talked about him doing Tough Mudder, so I was familiar with this type of race and how intense it actually is. The cover, created by Anna Sikorska fits the story well, as much of Matt and Aiden’s time is spent training, particularly running, and the atmosphere of the cover fits the book.

Furthermore, it’s easy for books to fall into a repetitive rhythm of doing what’s already been done, but Nothing Ventured takes on a new idea, one that I’ve personally never read before in M/M books, so I appreciated that, and the training was an interesting gateway here into their relationship.

One particular aspect I enjoyed for the majority of the book was the subtle growth into something more for Matt and Aiden. Unfortunately, the end lost that when it rushed to make a resolution and suddenly everything was magically okay. It was a big change and I didn’t think it was given the attention it needed, and with it didn’t do the rest of the story justice.

I would certainly like to see more of them, as I still think they have a lot of room to grow as a couple. Overall, this was book was a quick, easy read that just could’ve done for a little more TLC.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook All Romance (ARe) amazon Nothing Ventured

Book Details:

ISBN-13 978-1-63216-423-0
Dreamspinner Press, Pages 142
Cover Artist Anna Sikorska
Categories Novellas Contemporary Jay Northcote

Its Time for AF Henley’s The Chase and The Catch Blog Tour‏ (contest)

AF Henley is here with The Chase and The Catch! Check out the blurb and red hot excerpt below! And don’t forget to enter the contest. Welcome, AF Henley!

The Chase and The Catch by AF Henley

Blurb

After one of his fans committed suicide, John lost everything: lover, confidence, drive. When he is given a chance to get back on his feet, he is happy to take it—even if it’s just writing an actor’s biography. It might not be romance, or even fiction, but it’s something, and there are worse people to work for than the charming, successful Parker Chase.

That doesn’t mean working for Parker is easy, however. A staunch supporter of living for the moment, Parker goes against everything John believes in. He feels out of place in every moment of Parker’s Hollywood life, stuck in a game of wits that at times seems almost contrived…

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

So, we’ve finally come to our last stop on the tour, and I have to begin this post by offering my appreciation to those who have followed along from the very first blog, a warm welcome to those stepping in for the first time, and a heartfelt and sincere thank you to Melanie and the crew for welcoming me to the site. Don’t forget to check out the giveaway at the bottom of the post as these will be the final hours to get your shot at the prize!

*~*~*

Purchasing Links: Less Than Three Amazon

Please note: Novel contains some explicit content.

Now for the giveaway!

On behalf of the tour, I’d like to invite you to join my giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a Swarovski crystal spider clip, a $20 gift certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market, and a signed, print copy of The Chase and The Catch (when available). Click through for terms and conditions, further details, and your chance to win!

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one awarded winner for the entire event.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again, my thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me today. It’s a pleasure and an honour to be a guest on your site. 😀

~*~*~

AF Henley ❤

Author Bio: Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica.

A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly working with LT3 since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

Find more here:
Website: http://afhenley.com/
Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/A.-F.-Henley/e/B00FIODWSK/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/author-a-f-henley/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AFHenley
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AFHenley

Excerpt is definitely NSFW, Now… let’s end this tour with some fireworks, shall we?

(Please note: excerpt contains some sexual content.Must be 18 yrs of age to continue)

The Chase and The Catch by AF Henley

Excerpt

Parker’s smile faded, and Parker swallowed hard enough that John could watch the process travel through Parker’s throat. He envied Parker the ability. His own throat was dry, tight, and all but useless as Parker peeled wet nylon off wet skin with the concentration of a surgeon.

Okay, John told himself. Yes, he’d been telling Parker to back the hell off. Yes, he’d been insistent that he wasn’t into sex for sex’s sake. No, it probably wasn’t going to be emotionally fulfilling, or help him find the next step on the journey towards romantic involvement. But if the way that Parker was looking at his cock was any indication, it was going to be damn good. Maybe that was okay. Maybe it didn’t have to be anything more than that. Maybe Parker was right.

He reached for Parker’s face, touched Parker’s mouth, and teased Parker’s lower lip with a touch that would be way too light to do anything but tickle.

“Like that?” Parker asked, and John could only assume Parker was asking if John liked his mouth. Which would be a ridiculous question. Who wouldn’t? Perfect fucking shape and design. Perfectly fucking supple and smooth. John nodded, doing his best not to appear as slow and captivated as he felt.

Continue reading “Its Time for AF Henley’s The Chase and The Catch Blog Tour‏ (contest)” →

A MelanieM Review: Cranberry Pi (Linwood Academy #1) by Lee Brazil

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Saving for a down payment on a house of his own has caused artist Cecil Trace to make a few hard decisions. He has moved back into his parents house and taken a temporary job as the Art Director job at the exclusive Linwood Academy. And while Cecil is trying to figure out his students, assistants and life at Linwood, he is also trying to work on a scheduled art show of his own. To top it all off, Cecil finds out that he is to put on a series of holiday pageants…with the first one celebrating Thanksgiving just three short weeks away. Cecil needs all the help he can get, whether its from students, parents, and even other teachers. Except for that cute mathematician. Everything Cecil does seems to rub that teacher the wrong way, which is a shame because if Cecil was looking for a boyfriend, Reese is cute and different, perfect in many ways except he seems to dislike Cecil. Good thing Cecil isn’t looking for a boyfriend or relationship of any type.

Brilliant, introspective and socially inept math instructor Reese Cavelli’s world has been turned upside down the moment he saw the gorgeous, long-haired, Art Director Cecil Trace. Reese is a man who has always colored within the lines and Cecil? Well, lines and rules clearly have little meaning for this man. He is a source of endless frustration, of many types, for Reese. To hide his growing fascination, Reese has been abrupt even rude, he just can’t seem to help it. Reese is quiet about being gay and has little in the way of relationships in his past. But he just can’t ignore the impact Cecil is having on him. Good thing Cecil’s position is only temporary. Or is it?

Conflicts over the Thanksgiving pageant and an all important Math Contest bring the two men together and the sparks are about to fly. Will their Thanksgiving wishes be answered?

This was such a sweet, heartwarming story, a perfect read for the holidays. Lee Brazil has captured the stress and strain of the approaching holidays at a influential private school, the Linwood Academy. Some mysterious goings on have forced the resignation of a popular Art Director right at pageant time and the resentment and confusion is apparent everywhere in the halls and classrooms.

Into this tumultuous mess, Brazil dumps free wheeling artist, Cecil Trace. I loved Cecil, with his long flowing hair which matches his faded, painted on jeans and artsy shirts. He’s thoughtful, exuberant, and overwhelmed by the needs of his students and new situation as Art Director. Cecil also has a limited time frame to get everything accomplished, including setting up his art show. Brazil completes Cecil’s character by giving him a family anyone would want to be a part of. They are as warm and welcoming as you could hope for without being saccharine sweet or fake. But the character who will break your heart a little is Reese. The more his history and upbringing is revealed, the more his actions become understandable as does his vulnerability. Reese’s mother is quite the creation, all the more upsetting because the author made her believable although never likable. We get the impact her actions and behavior has had and continues to have upon her son, even if she will never be able to understand it herself.

Brazil manages to combine the holidays, school pageants and math contests, families of all sorts from the dysfunctional to the loving, and a romance that you will root for between two men you will adore. I look forward to more stories from the Linwood Academy, so will you. A perfectly heartwarming story for the holidays, one you will want to put on your TBR list or one to give to someone you love. Cranberry Pi is a Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Warmhearted Recommended Read! Pick it up today.

Cover Art by Laura Harner. I’m not sure who that model is supposed to be? Student or either Reese? Eye catching but sort of confusing because that’s just not my mental image of the math instructor.

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

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 21st 2014 by Lime Time Press
edition languageEnglish
series Linwood Academy #1

A MelanieM Review: Work in Progress (Belladonna Arms #2) by John Inman

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Writer Harlie Rose is dumped by his lover, it precipitates a cross country journey to mend his broken heart. Now four months later, Harlie is ready to settle down and start writing again. When Harlie finds himself on the doorstep of the Belladonna Arms, a quirky, perhaps even seedy apartment building on the only hill in San Diego, he knows he’s found home. What he doesn’t know is that the Belladonna Arms has a reputation for romance—and Harlie is about to become its next victim.

Needing a job to pay the rent, Harlie finds a job as a baker’s apprentice at the bakery just up the street. The grumpy but gorgeous baker is the owner’s son, Milan, and Harlie finds himself attracted to the man despite Milan’s attempts to push him away. Why? Milan too is nursing a broken heart. Soon the men find themselves hopelessly attracted to each other, despite their histories and internal walls.

The Belladonna Arms cupid has its work cut out for it, but luckily there’s plenty of help from the other residents, from Sylvia, on the verge of her final surgery to become a woman, Charley and PJ- the kleptos in 3C, to Arthur, the aging drag queen who is about to discover a romance of his own, and Stanley and Roger, the handsome young couple in 5C who lead by example, Harlie soon learns that at the Belladonna Arms, love is always just around the corner waiting to pounce. Whether you want it to or not.

I loved Work in Progress by John Inman. It is a heartwarming, wonderful sequel to another favorite of mine, Serenading Stanley (Belladonna Arms #1) by John Inman. That story was our first introduction to this shabby, delightfully quirky apartment building on a hilltop in San Diego and its eccentric, almost bizarre inhabitants. After obseving the Belladonna Arms’ owner, Arthur, in full drag taking out the trash, these are the thoughts running through Harlie’s head:

Yep. It was time to finally settle down and pull those notes together. And time to somehow squeeze The Great American Novel out of them. I was home now to do exactly that, or I would be home as soon as I found a home to settle in.

That’s why I was standing in the rain in front of the Belladonna Arms. The old sign had caught my attention while I was tooling aimlessly down Broadway looking for a place to light. Broadway, by the by, is San Diego’s main thoroughfare. It bisects the city from east to west, and at the moment I could see it a bit down the hill from where I stood.

But back to the sign. When I first spotted it, I had immediately liked the cheesy orange lettering on the rattletrap neon contraption. I even liked the way it stood slightly askew atop the boxy, less than elegant 1940s-era apartment building the old drag queen had ducked into. The whole misaligned package of tattered neon and weathered construction, perched one upon the other on this out-of-place hill on the southernmost tip of the California coast, somehow shrieked home to me. Go figure.

Even Arthur realizes immediately that Harlie belongs there and hauls him in to live in Apartment 2A. By then a love affair has started between the reader and these characters, including the Belladonna Arms, a romance that gets better, deeper and more memorable as the story progresses.

Truthfully, all I would have to do to get you to pick up this story is quote Chapter 1 over and over again. It’s hilarious, and touching, and downright addicting. John Inman’s descriptions are so wildly funny that you will find yourself laughing until the tears flow. Yet those same colorful descriptions, while perhaps being blunt and containing truthful observations of everyone involved, are never cruel or stoop to cheap shots at the characters expense. No, John Inman loves and understands these unconventional people who have all the same hopes and dreams for themselves as everyone else, despite their outlook, outward appearances and even their kleptomania. And he makes you love and understand them as well.

The title appears to be about Harlie’s ongoing attempts to “butch” up drag queen Arthur so Arthur can finally find true love. So initially it appears that Arthur is Harlie’s work in progress. But nothing is ever that simple at the Belladonna Arms, for everyone there is in transition of one sort or another, including all the people we met in Serenading Stanley as well as the new characters too. There’s the fragile, beautiful Sylvia completing her transition to female with her devoted fiance Pete at her side, Stanley and Roger (the main romance in Serenading Stanley) more deeply in love and looking towards the future, kleptomaniacs Charley and P.J. now happily together whether stealing or on their meds, Chi Chi and Ramon who provide the fire as well as the pathos, even the Belladonna Arms cat whose name changes depending upon whose apartment he’s visiting at the time. This tight family of people are all so important to the story that no one really feels like a secondary character. That’s because the Belladonna Arms is a sum of all its parts and we need them all in order for this story to work its magic. And believe me it does. Magic, tacky, glittery, over the top, sort of dusty, magic, is scattered throughout this story like the feathers from a boa tossed in the wind.

John Inman’s comedic narratives always make me smile if not outright guffaw. Believably, those laughs come attached to some of life’s hallmark moments. Some scenes are realistically painful. They will bring up memories of being dumped, sometimes for no discernible reason at all. Or make you remember feeling that you will never find someone to love you for your true self. The sadness and the feeling of loneliness that is part of living…its here as it needs to be. And just as quickly as the poignancy sets in, up pops scenes out of everyday ordinary moments that are rendered touching, affectionate, and somehow very precious. Trust me, I have never looked at Toll House cookies in the same way after Sylvia. Now just a mention brings a smile to my face.

Inman’s new characters are as strongly crafted and layered as the ones we were already fond of. Milan, his father Mr. Berger, each new person fills a void for someone within the Belladonna Arms. And yes, with all the love and laughter that bubbles off these pages, the author balances it with life’s loss and pain. This element is real, raw, and very necessary in order to appreciate the glow and radiance achieved at the end.

Could you read Work in Progress as a stand alone? Sure, but please don’t. Part of the satisfaction and joy contained within this story is finding out how all the relationships of the people we met in Serenading Stanley have progressed. Meet them in that story and then join up with them again here. It will feel like a homecoming, an especially happy one, complete with Toll House Cookies and a disco ball.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that I love and recommend this book (ok, yes, I just did that), it should be obvious. So instead I will leave you with another short excerpt, still from Chapter 1. Harley has just settled in and is heading out for a grocery run.

Lives don’t write themselves any more than WIPs do. Nosirree. Might as well get started living mine right now. And to live it, I needed food.

I locked the apartment door behind me, taking a moment to brush my fingertips fondly over the 2A screwed onto the front of the door in something that resembled copper but probably wasn’t. I trotted my way down the one flight of stairs to the front door, wondering if I’d see Arthur along the way, which I didn’t.

I had a feeling I was going to like the Belladonna Arms. I wasn’t sure why. The place was actually kind of a dump. But hey, I thought, popping open the umbrella and ducking underneath it as I strolled out the door and into the rain, it’s kind of a happy dump. And happy is exactly what I need right now. Christ knows I’ve been morose long enough.

By the time I sloshed my way to the car, I was surprised to hear myself whistling. And wasn’t that a stunning revelation.

You will find yourself whistling along with him. Perhaps even doing a little dance step or two. These characters and this story will have that effect on you. Make your acquaintance with John Inman today and pick up both stories! Happy Reading.

Cover artist: Aaron Anderson. I feel this cover is a bit of a miss. There were so many elements to choose from for this cover and yet this is the content?

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published October 6th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632161966 (ISBN13: 9781632161963)
edition languageEnglish
seriesBelladonna Arms #2

Belladonna Arms series:

Serenading Stanley

Work In Progress

‘Shifting Weight’ by Tina Blenke (Book tour and contest)

Book Name: Shifting Weight
Book one of a series
Author Name: Tina Blenke

Author Bio:

Tina is a retired Air Force brat and has lived in several states as well as a handful of countries. She has always had a soft spot for literature and is a voracious reader. When she isn’t writing, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. Though Tina adores a thrilling novel with sappy lovesick heroes, she is terrified of things that go bump in the night. This makes for quite a complicated relationship with zombies, something that she just can’t get enough of.

Author Contact:

Facebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tinablenke
LinkedIn: Tina Blenke
Instagram: tinablenke
WordPress: http://tinablenke.wordpress.com/
Website: http://tinablenke.wix.com/author
Tumblr: tinablenke

Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist: Latisha Waters
Sales Links; eXtasy Books amazon

Shifting Weight Blurb:

Jason is a West Coast wolf Shifter who leaves his native Pack Lands to search for his destined mate. When he finds the large muscled man working out a local gym, Jason is ecstatic and apprehensive. Eric is a Changeless human and there are tense sides to the politically heated debate around the integration of Shifters and Changeless. Jason is at risk of losing control of his wolf without bonding with his destined mate. But, will Eric accept that Jason is a Shifter? And can Eric trust Jason after his heart has been left shattered from a previously failed relationship.

Categories: Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

Shifting Weight Excerpt:

Jason allowed himself to run that night. Elation filled him making it easier to relax and allow his wolf to flow into his mind and body. The shift was seamless, years of transitioning helped his wolf to take control in under a few painless minutes. Jason knew of wolves who could never shift because the pain was so intense. It was unknown what the cause was but some insisted that it was because the Shifter’s true mate had never been found and the man could not control the beast inside of him.

The old wives’ tale had haunted Jason especially as years passed without locating his mate. Now that he knew Eric existed, it was one less thing to worry about. Now he could focus on worrying about Eric finding out he was a Shifter. Eric’s acceptance. If the two would find love and happiness despite fate playing a factor, then, and only then, could Jason think about starting a family with Eric. Maybe he was jumping the gun, but he had always wanted a man to love and a family to care for. Was it too much to want? Shouldn’t he be satisfied with finding a mate? All of this thinking and stress was weighing him down. Yes, he had found his mate, but would Eric want Jason?

His legs pumped harder as he made his way across hills and through forests with large trees reaching up towards the skies. It was not the familiar woods of his home on the Pack Lands but it felt good to stretch his limbs, pull deep pulls of fresh air into his lungs, and feel the wind tickling through his fur all over his body. With a grin, he imagined his large bear of a mate with sexual wants that matched his own.
Pages: 60 pages

Tour Dates:

Tour Stops:

17-Nov

Decadent Delights

24-Nov

Parker Williams

1-Dec

MM Good Book Reviews

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

8-Dec

Carly’s Book Reviews

Queer Town Abbey

Molly Lolly

15-Dec

Prism Book Alliance

Amanda C. Stone

22-Dec

Multitasking Mommas

Kimi-Chan

Hearts on Fire

29-Dec

Cate Ashwood

5-Jan

Dawn’s Reading Nook

BFD Book Blog

12-Jan

Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

Love Bytes

19-Jan

Inked Rainbow Reads

My Fiction Nook

26-Jan

Crystal’s Many Reviewers

2-Feb

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Shifting Weight and a gift certificate. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link provided to enter and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter the Holiday Spirit with Share the Love and Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (book tour and charity contest)

Its Share the Love…the third time’s the charm with Sydney Croft and her story, Three the Hard Way! The holidays are a time of joy and giving. Riptide Publishing and authors Jane Davitt, Kelly Jamieson, and Sydney Croft have combined their efforts in the Share The Love 2014 Collection for Charity.

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Check out Sydney Croft’s story, Three the Hard Way and then read the details how YOU can help choose the LGBTQ Charity to receive the 2015 collection proceeds! This year’s Share the Love collection Charity is It Gets Better organization. Pick up a copy of Share the Love 2014 and get a head start on the holiday giving,, and then help out your favorite local LGBTQ charity as well!

Three the Hard Way Blurb:

This title is part of the ACRO universe.

Lovers Taggart Brody and Justice McKinney possess special abilities that make them valuable to agencies who employ—or enslave—people with extraordinary talents. When tragedy tears them apart, Justice finds purpose working for the good guys: ACRO, the super-secret Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. But he never forgets Taggart or the past they once shared.

Heartbroken, Taggart runs from who he is . . . right into the arms of Ian Bridges. But Ian, battling his own demons, betrays Tag to the terrorist organization Itor. After months of torture, Tag manages to escape, but kills an ACRO agent in the process.

With nowhere left to turn, Tag disappears into the Alaskan wilderness, but it’s only a matter of time before his enemies track him down. He reaches out to Justice, and somehow Ian finds him too, hoping to right his wrongs. With ACRO and Itor both bearing down, the three men must figure out how to forgive, how to work together, and how to love each other—or the coming battle will destroy them all.

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Each year, Riptide Publishing releases a holiday collection in support of an LGBTQ charity. Twenty percent of all proceeds from the Share the Love collection will be donated to the It Gets Better Project.

This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

• Three of Hearts by Kelly Jamieson (releasing November 17)
• Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt (releasing November 24)
• Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (releasing December 1)

About Sydney Croft:

Sydney Croft is the alter-ego of two published authors who came together to blend their very different writing interests into adventurous tales of erotic paranormal fiction. Together, they developed a world where people with extraordinary abilities, like the power to control storms, could live and work with others like them. The series has been described as “Erotica meets the X-Men,” and is unique in its own “erotic super hero romance” niche.

The authors behind Sydney Croft live in different states and communicate almost entirely through email, though they often get together for conferences and book signings.
Stephanie Tyler
Larissa Ione

Contest and Giveaway:
Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $25 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 7. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Every year, Riptide Publishing releases a Holiday charity bundle with themed stories by bestselling authors. Twenty percent of the net proceeds of each bundle goes to a charity that serves the LGBTQ population.

Royalties from Riptide’s 2013 Home for the Holidays charity collection have raised over $14,000 in nine months for the Ali Forney Center, and continue to yield several hundred dollars per month in royalties donations. Our 2014 Share the Love charity collection will be raising money for the It Gets Better Project, and we hope to report even better results than in 2013.

For 2015, the theme will be Holiday Surprises, and we’ll have stories by HelenKay Dimon, Christine d’Abo, and Marie Sexton. But we don’t have a charity yet.

We need YOUR help to choose the 2015 charity.

Nominate your favorite LGBTQ charity below and Riptide might choose it as the 2015 Holiday bundle charity!

The chosen charity for 2015 will immediately receive a $5,000 advance against royalties (paid in 2015 on announcement of the award recipient). The charity will continue to receive 20% of all lifetime net sales income from the 2015 holiday charity collection, in the form of a monthly royalty check.

Three honorable mention charities will each receive a $250 donation.

Click here to nominate a charity. Both supporters and representatives of a charity can submit a nomination.

And now for December and the Week Ahead At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

It’s December!

Snowflakes, Snow Angels, and Icicles…Oh My!

The end of the year is coming and December is full of holidays, family, love, and ok…tons of stuff to do! Riptide’s Share the Love Charity Contest continues. Look for the link on the Share the Love cover and click to vote for your LGBTQ charity of choice!

There is so much going on that I had to slide our November Summary of Reviews and Best of Lists into the middle of the week! Its been that crazy!

Here is a sneak peak at some of those covers sure to be on our November and, well probably, Best of 2014 lists. In no particular order:

What were some of your favorite covers last month?

Winner Announcements:

Winner of Haley Walsh’s contest is Peaches

Winner of Keira Andrews “Semper Fi” contest is Jeffrey Owens

Congratulations! Happy Reading

Now for the Week Ahead:

Monday, December 1:

Excerpt Tour: A Spartan Love by Kayla Jameth (contest)
Tina Klemke’s Shifting Weight Book tour and Contest
Groom of Convenience by Vicktor Alexander Book Tour and Contest
Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft – Share the Love Tour and Contest

Tuesday, December 2:

Book Blast: Murder in Torbaydos by Ian James Krender‏ (tour and contest)
Kayla Jameth ‘A Spartan Love‘ Book Tour and Contest
A MelanieM Review: Work in Progress by John Inman
A MelanieM Review: Craberry Pi by Lee Brazil

Wednesday, December 3:

The Chase and The Catch Blog Tour‏ by AF Henley
A Sammy Review: Nothing Ventured by Jay Northcote
A MelanieM Review: Fever Pitch (Love Lessons #2) by Heidi Cullinan
November Summary of Reviews and Best of Lists

Thursday, December 4:

Derrick Knight – Miracle on Mistletoe Lane Virtual Book Tour and contest
Out of CTRL by SA Welsh – Exclusive excerpt tour and contest
A Mika Review: Teaching Professor Grayson by Kade Boehme & Allison Cassatta
A PaulB Review: Desert Foxe by Haley Walsh

Friday, December 5:

Finding Matt by JD Ruskin Book Blast and contest
Love Lane Book Tours: Jack Frost by Meredith Russell(contest)
ZA Maxfield’s Hell On Wheels Book Tour and contest
A MelanieM Review: Darach’s Cariad by RJ Scott

Saturday, December 6:

A MelanieM Review: The Merman and the Barbarian Pirate by Kay Berresford

It’s Back! The Texans Are Back in RJ Scott’s Texas Fall! (book tour and contest)

RJ Scott’s heartwarming Texas family is back in Texas Fall! There’s a wonderful excerpt to read and a contest to enter. Check it out!

Texas Fall by RJ Scott

Book six in the Texas series

For all buy links when they become available click here:

http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/texas-fall.html

Jack is focusing on building an equine therapy school for children with special needs and works hard along side his normal horse training and breeding program. He and Riley have settled into a softer, quieter, kind of family life, but that doesn’t stop them using the barn with the door to the fullest!

But the lull comes before the storm.

Riley and his new assistant travel to Laredo, and across the border into Nuevo León as part of an exploratory team and things very quickly go to hell. Riley is caught in some serious Cartel problems and suddenly everything Jack holds dear is threatened.

Add in Vaughn and Darren’s story, revisiting Robbie, Eli, Liam and Marcus, alongside Sean and Eden and the wedding that never was, and this story promises you everything you want from a Texas series book.

Author Bio:

RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.

As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.

With over sixty titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.

Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

Contact RJ Scott via:

Contest: Win a $15 gift card and free e-books, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for all additional contest details and for the entry form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway oR http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f922301b41/

Texas Fall Excerpt 1

“You can’t hide the whole night,” Riley said from behind him. Jack turned to face his husband, leaning back against the stable door and waiting for the lecture. Riley was happy as a pig in shit right in the middle of it all: juggling babies, catering, socializing, and hell, everything that Jack was avoiding right about now. “People asked where you were,” Riley added.

Riley sure looked good tonight, his blond hair just this side of bed-head spiky, his long legs in black pants, the dark green shirt so perfect against his warm skin tones, and his hazel eyes sparkling with enthusiasm for life. Sexy. Very sexy, all toned and slim and hard and hot. Jack cleared the thoughts of kissing the life out of Riley from his head. He’d need all his faculties to deal with Riley when Riley wanted him to go back inside and host the party.

Anyway, he was suspicious that anyone really worried where he’d gone. “Who asked?”

Riley stepped right up into his space, close enough so that Jack could inhale the scent of his man. The combination of familiar citrus was underscored by deeper notes of mulled spices from the kitchen and some punch concoction Eden had made.

“Actually, no one asked,” Riley admitted. “Josh mentioned that he was impressed you’d lasted an hour.”

Jack huffed a laugh. He was surprised his brother hadn’t come out and hidden right next to him. Seemed that enjoying socializing skipped the male Campbell line entirely.

“So,” Jack began slowly. “What are you doing out here?”

Riley placed his hands on Jack’s hips, then slid his fingers through belt loops to tug Jack away from the door and flush up to him.

“I was asking myself,” he explained, “just where would my husband be when it’s only ten at night and he was looking for peace. I tried everywhere.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips, then smiled down at him, that few inches in height he had just enough to force Jack to lean his head back a little. “Actually that’s a lie. I looked in the twins’ room, checked in on Max, then came here.”

Share in the Love Collection Tour with Jane Davitt’s Lucky Strike (charity tour and contest)

It’s Share the Love Collection Tour – Part Deux! The holidays are a time of joy and giving. Riptide Publishing and authors Jane Davitt, Kelly Jamieson, and Sydney Croft have combined their efforts in the Share The Love 2014 Collection for Charity.

Check out Jane Davitt’s story, Lucky Strike and then read the details how YOU can help choose the LGBTQ Charity to receive the 2015 collection proceeds! This year’s Share the Love collection Charity is It Gets Better organization. Pick up a copy of Share the Love 2014 and get a head start on the holiday giving,, and then help out your favorite local LGBTQ charity as well!

Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt

Death’s a heartbeat away, but love is even closer.

Flying a traveler to Leap celebrations on the luxury planet Crestal is no problem for intrepid partners Jake and Rill, even if they have to navigate a deadly meteor shower to get there. But their fresh-faced, privileged passenger is carrying more than Leap gifts: Lian has a message to deliver, treachery and murder to avenge, and a killer close on his heels.

Lian thought he was ready for independence from his overbearing extended family, but his first solo trip off-planet has landed him in a nightmare of deadly intrigue. Though he’s devastated by betrayal, and no longer able to tell friend from foe, he’s fascinated by the gruff pilot and scorchingly handsome first mate who’ve become his reluctant rescuers.

With a dazzling fortune at stake and the fate of the United Protectorate of Planets in their hands, there’s no time for the three men to fall in love. But with their future measured in hours, crew and passenger may have just enough time to discover that three can become one, and that together they are strong enough to beat any odds.

This collection would not be possible without the talent and generosity of its authors, who have brought us the following holiday stories:

• Three of Hearts by Kelly Jamieson (releasing November 17)
• Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt (releasing November 24)
• Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft (releasing December 1)

About Jane Davitt:

Jane Davitt is English, and has been living in Canada with her husband, two children, and two cats, since 1997. Writing and reading are her main occupations but if she ever had any spare time she might spend it gardening, walking, or doing cross stitch. She’s recently taken up yoga and loves discovering her ability to bend.

Jane has been writing since 2002 and wishes she’d started earlier. She is a huge fan of SF, fantasy, erotica, and mystery novels and has a tendency to get addicted to TV shows that get cancelled all too soon.

She owns over 4,000 books, rarely gives any away, but is happy to loan them, and is of the firm opinion that there is no such thing as ‘too many books’.

Contest and Giveaway:

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a $25 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 7. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

(If you can’t or would rather not include this whole text, here is the link to our website. Feel free to include as much or as little as you would like: http://riptidepublishing.com/help-us-choose-charity)  Help us choose a charity!

Royalties from Riptide’s 2013 Home for the Holidays charity collection have raised over $14,000 in nine months for the Ali Forney Center, and continue to yield several hundred dollars per month in royalties donations. Our 2014 Share the Love charity collection will be raising money for the It Gets Better Project, and we hope to report even better results than in 2013.

For 2015, the theme will be Holiday Surprises, and we’ll have stories by HelenKay Dimon, Christine d’Abo, and Marie Sexton. But we don’t have a charity yet.

We need YOUR help to choose the 2015 charity.

Nominate your favorite LGBTQ charity below and Riptide might choose it as the 2015 Holiday bundle charity!

Three honorable mention charities will each receive a $250 donation.

Click here to nominate a charity. Both supporters and representatives of a charity can submit a nomination.

In the Book Spotlight: Slippery Slope by Iyana Jenna (blog tour and contest)

Book Name: Slippery Slope
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Iyana Jenna

Author Bio:

Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.

Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.

Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.

Connect with Iyana:
Twitter: @IyanaJenna
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/books.by.iyanajenna
LinkedIn

Publisher: JMS Books
Author: Iyana Jenna
Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Sales Links: JMS Books Amazon US Amazon UK Smashwords All Romance (ARe) Bookstrand

Slippery Slope Blurb:

Actors Ethan Grey and Alex Haynes are gay, but in Hollywood, they can’t be open unless they’re willing to be typecast in future movies or they’re dating prominent gay producers. Since neither are willing to become stereotypes, and neither have studio boyfriends, they take another path — hiding their relationship under the cover of a pretend girlfriend.

What works for Ethan, though, doesn’t work for Alex, who screws up to the point of losing his job and the chance to get another. His manager finally finds him another job across the pond, where he meets Nathan Wells.  Nathan can be the prominent producer Alex needs to further his career, but there’s something Alex doesn’t know about the man.

Soon Wells grows obsessed with Alex, and he’ll do anything to keep Alex from getting away.  Though Nathan wants Alex for himself, there’s still Ethan to think about. Is the love story between Alex and Ethan really over? Or will Ethan find a way to get his boyfriend back?

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Words: 20,000

Excerpt:

“Come on, Ethan. You don’t have to pretend. I’m in love with you, but I’m not blind. There’s clearly someone else you’d rather be with right now instead of me.” Lea wrapped herself up in the silky coverlet, leaving Ethan staring at her, shocked, as he sat back on his heels.

Feeling ashamed yet not totally guilty, Ethan backed away from the bed and put on his jeans.

“Who is it that you want, Ethan? It’s Alex, isn’t it?”

Ethan just looked out of the window. The setting sun was golden on the horizon.

“I—I need to do something,” he mumbled then, and left the room. He felt Lea’s eyes boring into his back but Ethan just couldn’t make himself turn around. He’d been unfair to her from the very beginning.

Ethan sank into the chair and turned on his notebook. He hadn’t checked his email for too long. This might be the best time to do so. Time to find out what was hot in the world right now.

His eyes fell to the first mail, and Ethan’s heart started to pound. It was a Google alert he had for Alex. It had been months since he’d heard anything about Alex. Ethan felt like crying.

Tour Dates/Tour Stops:

24-Nov

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

The Hat Party

25-Nov

BFD Book Blog

25-Nov

Bayou Book Junkie

26-Nov

Up All Night, Read All Day

MM Good Book Reviews

27-Nov

Parker Williams

3 Chicks After Dark

28-Nov

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Love Bytes

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Slippery Slope. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided below for all contest details and for the entry form.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Chase and The Catch by AF Henley

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The Chase and The Catch by AF Henley

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Book Name: Shifting Weight Book one of a series Author Name: Tina Blenke

Author Bio:

Shifting Weight Blurb:

Shifting Weight Excerpt:

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It’s December!

Snowflakes, Snow Angels, and Icicles…Oh My!

What were some of your favorite covers last month?

Winner Announcements:

Now for the Week Ahead:

Monday, December 1:

Tuesday, December 2:

Wednesday, December 3:

Thursday, December 4:

Friday, December 5:

Saturday, December 6:

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Texas Fall by RJ Scott

Book six in the Texas series

Texas Fall Excerpt 1

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It’s Share the Love Collection Tour – Part Deux! The holidays are a time of joy and giving. Riptide Publishing and authors Jane Davitt, Kelly Jamieson, and Sydney Croft have combined their efforts in the Share The Love 2014 Collection for Charity.

Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt

Contest and Giveaway:

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Slippery Slope Blurb:

Excerpt:

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Book Name: Shifting Weight
Book one of a series
Author Name: Tina Blenke