Take a Closer Look: L.A. Somerton’s Picturing Lysander Book Tour/Contest!

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

L.M Somerton has a new story out! It’s Picturing Lysander, one of Totally Bound’s new What’s His Passion? Imprint line. To help celebrate its launch, Totally Bound and L.M. Somerton have brought a terrific contest to enter, a few musings from the author about the story and book details below. Happy Reading and Good luck on the contest!

Contest: To celebrate the launch of What’s his Passion? Totally Bound Publishing are giving away a bundle of great prizes. Enter HERE for your chance to win. Must be 18 years of age to enter. Contest open world wide.

Testing Limits by L.M. Somerton

The strapline for Picturing Lysander is “Photography, like love, should have no limits.” This is really a combination of the philosophies of the two main characters. Lysander Brock treats photography like an extreme sport. His profession is an adventure fuelled by passion. Kyle Dawson is a dominant and he wants to push Brock to a different kind of limit.

It was interesting to explore the connection between characters that in some ways are very similar – they both thrive on adventure and can’t resist a challenge; they both initially have doubts about whether a relationship would work for them. Physical attraction is not in question. It’s the psychological dilemma that makes the dynamics between them interesting. Brock is submissive but has great strength of character. Kyle is dominant but cautious of Brock’s indecision. I wanted to draw a parallel between the dangerous mission they face and the risks they accept by being together.

Of course, you’ll have to read the full novel next year to find out if either side of the story has a HEA!

Blurb for Picturing Lysander:

Photography, like love, should have no limits.

Lysander Brock is a talented photographer and capturing the perfect picture is his passion. His work takes him all over the world and he is famous for his willingness to take risks for the perfect image.

Kyle Dawson is tasked by his mysterious employer to obtain Brock’s services for a dangerous job and he’s prepared to use any method to ensure that the young photographer does as he’s told. Breaking and entering and blackmail are just tools of his trade.

Despite the circumstances, the spark of attraction between Brock and Kyle is strong. Brock’s addiction to adrenaline-fuelled adventure holds him captive, just as much as Kyle’s brooding dominant appeal. As a fragile trust builds between them, Kyle takes a gamble and tells Brock the truth about his mission. Can Brock accept the challenges ahead—as a photographer and as a man?

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Buy Picturing Lysander here!
Author Bio:
Lucinda lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

Author link at Totally Bound.

Review: Second Helpings by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When Stuart Collins’s partner Mark died in a car crash the previous year, he thought his life had ended too. But life has a funny way of letting you recover and heal, while showing you the path to your future. Stuart’s mother died five years ago, a wonderful woman whose loss was deeply mourned by husband and son. Now a new woman, Isabel Franklin, has come into Stuart’s father life, the only one since his mother passed away.

When a still grieving Stuart was called in by his father to meet the new woman his dad has been dating, Stuart finds himself liking her as well. It turns out she has a gay son Stuart’s age who has just returned from assignment in the States. So Stuart was not totally surprised to get a call from Paul Franklin who wants to vet the man (and the man’s son) who has turned his mother’s head.

Paul Franklin considers himself taken. His lover, Ben, has remained back in the States but Ben is curiously unavailable when Paul has tried to contact him. Unsettled by his lover’s absence and silence, Paul, is startled to find himself attracted to the sad, gentle man who agrees to meet him to discuss their parents. Paul’s not the only one shocked by their mutual attraction. Stuart feels like he is betraying Mark’s memory by the emotions meeting Paul has engendered.

Two men tied by their parents relationship , guilt and uncertainty. Can they move forward together? Can they trust the emotions each makes the other feel? When life offers a second chance at love, will they take it or let it pass by?

Second Helpings is a gentle tale of loss and love by Charlie Cochrane, a favorite m/m historical author of mine. A contemporary tale, Second Helpings, charts the pain of losing your partner and relationship and the struggle to move forward when you have a chance to live and love once more. Both main characters have a similar love situations and family histories but with an important difference. Stuart Collins lost his loving partner in a car crash and his adored mother to cancer. His home life and coming out were supportive and without drama. The loss of Mark as well as his Mother have cut into him deeply. Paul’s romance is on hold, a loss of immediacy and of contact. His lover, Ben, has remained behind in the US and has been out of contact with Paul, not answering emails, phone messages and what have you. Paul lost his father years prior but without the same sense of loss as his family situation and upbringing were vastly difference from Stuart’s. That variance in family life has left both men with strikingly different viewpoints about relationships and partners.

I love Charlie Cochrane’s ability to bring forth portraits of real human beings under stressful conditions. There is no explosive drama to be found here other than that of two men floundering about in their personal lives, each stymied by emotional blockades and miscommunications. Oh and pride as well. Cochrane has Stuart and Paul making such tentative steps forward, then one huge tumultuous one that shakes everyone up. What is so lovely and recognizable about this story and Cochrane’s writing is that all the missed steps and romantic blinders these men have put on seem familiar and true. And when they make a hash of it in the bargain, whether it be arguments or self delusional shielding, we get that too. We might not like it, but we certainly can understand the all too real authenticity of the snaps and cracks at each other.

There are certainly moments here that let you know this is a British author and story. I had to look up what a secondment actually meant (it’s a transfer). There is the usual biscuit for cookies and the utterly charming way the British put their phones on Discreet instead of the American blunt term of Mute. Those touches makes me smile and appreciate our differences as well as our similarities.

What might throw you off the story? The oddly formal narrative at the beginning of the story. It almost feels as though it came from another author and book as the language and flow is dramatically different from the main body of the story. Move past that and you are into the narrative and able to enjoy a lovely beginning to a romance between two men in desperate need of a new future for them both. There is no case of “instant love” thankfully. That would be a disservice to the emotional back history Cochrane has given to both men. What the author delivers feels as painful and down to earth as life makes it. She gives them hope and a chance at love and families that adore them in a story that makes for a terrific read. Who could want for more?

Cover artist: Amber Shah. I like the cover. The blue tone is certainly in keeping with the storyline and characters.

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Second Helpings

Book Details:

ebook, 140 pages
Published July 21st 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491526
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/second-helpings

In the Author Spotlight: Mickie B. Ashling on her Polo Series, the Forget Me Not Tour! (contest)

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Mickie B. Ashling has stopped by ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords today as part of her Forget Me Not Book Tour and happily stayed to answer a few, ok more than a few questions.

In addition, Mickie is giving away a digital copy of either Fire Horse or Ride-Off to one lucky commenter; winner gets to choose book and format. To enter to win leave a comment below with an email address where you can be reached if chosen. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Contest ends July 30th at midnight EDT.

Here is our interview!

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to appear on your blog to talk about the novels that make up my Polo Series: Fire Horse, and the sequel, Ride-Off.

STRW: Both Fire Horse and Ride-Off are centered in the world of Polo. Why this sport?

Mickie:
I grew up in the Philippines where the sport was, and continues to be, popular amongst a small segment of society. Brothers and cousins of classmates played the game, and I became involved through association. I wore the fancy outfits, attended the victory parties, and listened to the gossip accompanying each win. High goal players from all over the world flew in for the tournaments, and it was my good fortune to be in the vicinity for some memorable matches. A lot of the famous folk I mentioned in Fire Horse (i.e. Sultan of Brunei) were regular visitors. Like my character Flea (Preston), I became enthralled with the sport and the men who played it.

STRW: A love of horses is apparent in both stories. Where did that come from?

Mickie:

Horses have always fascinated me. Unfortunately, my mother had an irrational fear of horseback riding, and horses in general, and she was positively convinced I would have an accident and be crippled for life if I ever sat on one. Fortunately for me, my first husband didn’t share her opinion, and he encouraged me to take riding lessons early in our marriage. I soon realized that some of my mother’s anxieties had rubbed off, and I wasn’t confident on horseback, but my love for the animals never wavered.

STRW: There are intergenerational love stories here. How did that come about? Why was that important to the series?

Mickie:

Polo players start young, but the majority of high goal players, who travel the world to compete, are usually more mature. They’ve earned their rankings through years of sacrifice, and I wanted to write about such a man—someone who’d jumped through hoops to get to the top of his game. Like any sport, it takes perseverance, dedication, and practice, but, unlike other sports, maintaining a string of ponies, and the accompanying lifestyle, is impossible without a solid financial base. It wouldn’t have been realistic to have a penniless twenty-something year-old become the main character. That being said, I wanted my MCs to be weathered and carry the scars of their journey to the top; a love story spanning decades.

STRW: There are many locations abroad used in these stories. How much research went into your novels? Did you visit those places?

Mickie:

I’ve been to many of the cities I included in these two novels, but I didn’t grow up in Texas and have yet to visit Hungary. There was a lot of research involved in trying to make these novels as realistic as possible, but I consider that a part of my job as a writer. Weaving my own life experience with research is what makes the literary journey so exciting—I can go anywhere and be whoever I want—if I query the right people and dig through the proper archives.

STRW: How many novels are planned for this series or is it open ended?

Mickie:

I have one more novel planned, but in truth, I never say never. There are many story arcs to be explored. Sasha and Jeremy, Ned and Bandy, Paloma and God only knows at this point. Pres and Kon continue to be the favorites, and I’ve been asked why they didn’t have more on-page time in Ride-Off, but after their excruciating journey to happiness in Fire Horse, I wanted to show them in a reasonably happy place.
STRW: Do you have favorite characters in this series?

Mickie:

Preston is my favorite character, and Jeremy, from Ride-Off is a close second.

STRW: Hero or antihero? Which do you find more interesting?

Mickie:

Definitely antihero. I’ve always enjoyed writing broken characters. A hot mess is far preferable to a perfectly good boy, because the payoff at the end is much more rewarding and a heck of a lot more fun.

STRW: How long have you been writing M/M romance?

Mickie:

Like many other writers in this genre, I got my start in fan fiction. My first online stories appeared in 2007. Horizons was my first published novel and that released in 2009. Since then, I’m proud to say I have published fifteen full-length novels, and that doesn’t include the foreign translations of Taste and Daddio.

STRW: Why this contemporary fiction as opposed to other genres?

Mickie:

M/M inspires me like nothing else, and to paraphrase so many female authors who write in this genre, why not? As Anne Rice has proven over and over, you don’t have to be a vampire to write a memorable bloodsucker. I may wake up tomorrow and decide to write an M/F novel (highly unlikely) or YA (improbable). My sons keep on hoping I’ll be respectable one day and write a bestseller like Fifty Shades of Grey. The first time I heard that suggestion from son #3 I laughed till I cried. I told him to pick up my BDSM novel Impacted if he had a thing for whips and chains. After seeing the cover of that particular book you can understand the look of horror I received. It was priceless.

I’d like to thank my publicist, Joleen, from Parenthetical Author Services for making my beautiful banner and setting up my blog tour. Self-promotion is a necessary evil that is time consuming and a little daunting to those of us who rarely stick their noses out of the writing cave. Joleen makes my life a lot easier, and for anyone out there who suffers from my affliction, I’d recommend a publicist to spare you time and anxiety. It’s been a joy to have her in my corner. You can contact her here: joleen@parentheticalauthorservices.com.

Thank you, Mickie, for that great interview. For your information, I have listed the blurbs and info from Fire Horse and Ride Off, the preceding novels in this series, after the author bio below.

Author Bio:
Mickie B. Ashling is the alter-ego of a multifaceted woman raised by a single mother who preferred reading over other forms of entertainment. She found a kindred spirit in her oldest child and encouraged her with a steady supply of dog-eared paperbacks. Romance was the preferred genre, and historical romances topped her favorites list.

By the time Mickie discovered her own talent for writing, real life had intruded, and the business of earning a living and raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing and the inevitable emptying nest, dreams were resurrected, and the storyteller was reborn.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.

Mickie loves to travel and has lived in the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East but currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

Contact/follow Mickie B. Ashling at:

Email: mailto:mickie.ashling@gmail.com”
Facebook
Website |
Blog |
Goodreads

Buy Links Dreamspinner Press Kobobooks Barnes and Noble All Romance Ebooks Amazon

Fire Horse Ride Off

Fire Horse (Polo #1):

PoloBook One

Preston Fawkes is ten the first time he meets fifteen-year-old Konrad Schnell at the San Antonio Polo Club. Captivated by the mystique surrounding the sport of kings, Pres vows to learn the game at the hands of his newly acquired friend and mentor. The hero worship soon grows into something deeper, but the friends are separated when Preston goes off to boarding school in England.

The relationship that follows is riddled with challenges―their age gap, physical distance, and parental pressure taking precedence over feelings yet to be explored. Although their bond goes deep, they deal with the reality of their situation differently: Preston is open and fearless while Konrad is reticent and all too aware of the social implications of making a public stand.

Their paths intersect and twine, binding them as tightly as a cowboy’s lasso, but fate may alter their plans. How will love overcome the divots in the turf as they gallop toward the future—one where obstacles no longer stand in their way?

Ride Off (Polo #2):

Polo: Book Two – Sequel to Fire Horse

Finally reunited, Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell put family and obligations aside, preferring to remain in seclusion on Ned’s estate to get reacquainted. Unfortunately, reality can only be held off for so long, and they return to Texas to reclaim the life they put on pause. Trying to strike the right balance between business, family, and romance requires ongoing effort, and the challenges begin shortly after they arrive.

At the top of the list is Bandi, Konrad’s son, and his desire to play polo. A close second is Conrad “Sasha” Fawkes, Preston’s actor son who’s struggling to succeed on Broadway. And last, but certainly not least, is Paloma, the fiery Argentinean beauty Preston sired after a passionate tango.

Blending the interests and needs of three grown children is difficult at best and almost impossible when agendas collide and old secrets are unearthed. The situation comes to a head when the family gathers in San Antonio for Thanksgiving, throwing Preston and Konrad into a maelstrom they must weather as best they can, or they’ll face a major ride-off that could throw the game before it even starts.

Review: Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) (Pulp Friction 2014 #11) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Rowen Smithe and Mick Rutger are men that come with their own special brand of complications and impressive set of problems attached to each of them. Rowen Smithe wears his some complexities and special issues like clothing. But not all. Rowen’s other problems, like the voice in his head, are more deeply buried and waiting to come out.

Mick Rutger’s sunny disposition and impetuous manner is hiding a past that he hoped he had buried when Mick came to Mountain Shadows. Rowen Smithe, his neighbor and new love interest, has finally agreed to a dinner cooked by Mick and that is all he has been thinking about. But the dinner and its aftermath have left a wake of new problems for them both.

While Mick is weighing his next move and Rowen is doing his best to hide, an old enemy arrives at the campground. The winds of change are blowing strong. Who will be left standing after the storm has passed?

In Rowen Smithe, Havan Fellows has created a character that continues to surprise me with each new layer of his persona that comes to the surface in the Whispering Winds series. A cruel and dismissive voice in his head? Check. Self appointed guardian of the woods who will use any means at his disposal to keep all safe? Check. An overwhelming need to hide from all but a few? Check. Paranoid, competant, intelligent, and gorgeous. But is he sane? Hmmm. Not sure. He is the gift of a conundrum that keeps on giving. And boy, does he do that in spades here. Do I love this character? Indeed I do.

Havan Fellows has then paired him up with as unlikely a fellow as could be. I often think of Mick Rutger as a human Golden Retriever. Affable, good hearted, loyal, and fun to have around, Mick’s impetuous nature can get him into trouble. Handsome, quick to laugh, too quick to act, and an attention span that….squirrel…..that wanders. He is almost impossible to dislike even when you are sighing in dismay over something that he has done or said. And of all things to grab his attention, that would be the dark question mark of Mountain Shadows, Rowen Smithe. It’s a fascinating, unlikely, and perilous combination that has made this series a compulsive read for me in every way.

For the last two stories, Fellows has kept these two unlikely mates in a fight and flee sort of pattern. Mostly with Rowen fleeing. Whether it is into his cabin, into the woods or up his tree or all three combined, Mick has had to make the decision to follow when Rowen leads or pursue where Rowen has fled. It’s been funny, sad, and totally entertaining. But now a tentative peace has been obtained and Rowen has made the huge commitment to each food someone else has cooked and attend a dinner/date at Mick’s cabin that has been especially prepared for him. To understand just how big a decision that is for Rowen, you have to read the preceding stories. That’s how Blown Hard starts off and then quickly turns into something totally unexpected and sort of shocking when yet another dimension of Rowen is revealed to Mick and the reader. And neither of us was prepared for it.

Fellow’s narrative is concise, taut, and it flows quickly from start to finish, barely pausing for us to gasp at the shocks along the way. This is the darkest of all the stories to date and the most compelling to read.

This is a story of the perceived cracks in people’s characters that become exposed for the deep and camouflaged crevices they always were. And it’s not just Rowen’s flaws and elements of his character that are exposed here but some of Mick’s as well. This story is so well titled because Havan Fellows’s hard winds blow through the plot, scrapping away superficial notions and assumptions you have made about these people (and ones that they have made about each other) to leave something very fundamental and naked exposed at the end. It will leave you in a state of disbelief and in immediate need for more.

I need more. Much, much more. So will you. This (and the whole Pulp Friction 2014 author series) is a must read. But please, dont’ start here. Go running to the first book in the series. Grab it and prepare yourself for a wonderful rollercoaster ride of emotions, romance and explosive secrets! I have listed all the stories, all the authors and their interconnected series for 2014 below. Use it as a check list, don’t miss out on any of them.

Definitely one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Highly Recommended Stories, and Series of the Year!

Cover art by Laura Harner. I love these covers and Laura Harner has done a beautiful job of branding not only the series and all the Pulp Friction 2014 Mountain Shadows interconnected series.

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Blown Hard

Book Details:

ebook, First, 58 pages
Published June 15th 2014 by Appleton Publishing Avenue
ASINB00L02WUR8
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #11, Whispering Winds

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

The Week Ahead at ScatteredThoughts!

So Germany won, Argentina lost. 2014 World Cup in Soccer that it. Marvel Comics is making Thor a women. And the Millennium Falcon officially got its Historic Tags from the Intergalactic DMV. Does that about cover it? So many things going on today. Sharknado 2: The Second One will be released soon. Can’t wait to hear what Twitterverse will have to say to that. And the Wil Wheaton Project has become “must see TV” for me. Yes, there is plenty of other news out there right now far more important, but that’s far too disheartening for me to address at the moment. So I shall stick to events and announcements that people are passionate about without sobbing buckets of tears over (ok, not you Brazilians, you can sob away).

What’s top on your light hearted list of things to talk about? The last season of True Blood (ugh). The return of Teen Wolf (yeay). What does it for you? See I’m working myself up to read TJ Klune’s latest release, John & Jackie. Just the blurb had me blubbering. Plus I still have the third BOATK book in line to read. Sigh. I am working my way through Lou Sylvre’s Luki and Sonny series (love it) and Rory Ni Coileain ‘s SoulShare series too. Why have I not heard about these authors before? It also looks to be a Pulp Friction 2014 sort of week here as I am getting caught up in the latest stories in that combined series and now so will you. Oh, and one of my favorite historical author’s is here with Second Helpings. It’s a light week but still plenty of books for all.

Have a great week. Let me know what things are making you do a double take or two. What’s on your calendar to watch or disregard this summer?

Winner Announcements:

Winners of RJ Scott’s blog contest are: Cornelia won 1st prize. 2nd Prize winner is Bronwyn Heeley

The Week Ahead in Reviews, Author Interviews and Contests:

Monday, July 21:

The Ragged Sword by R. D. Hero
Blown Hard by Havan Fellows

Tuesday, July 22:

In the Author’s Spotlight: Mickie B. Ashling and her Forget Me Not Tour/Contest
Semper Fae by Angel Martinez

Wednesday, July 23:

On Tour with Charlie Cochrane and Second Helping
Second Helping by Charlie Cochrane

Thursday, July 24:

TB Tour: Picturing Lysander By LM Somerton‏ (contest)
Taking Chances by Lee Brazil

Friday, July 25:

Tremors by T.A. Webb
Flare Up by Laura Harner

Saturday, July 26:

Loving Luki Vasquez by Lou Sylvre

Book Blast: Diana DeRicci’s Not Quite Broken Book Tour/Contest

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

On Tour with

Diana DeRicci’s Not Quite Broken

Diana DeRicci’s is here today with an excerpt and contest for her new release “Not Quite Broken”. To enter to win an eBook copy of Not Quite Broken and to read the blurb and excerpt, keep reading!

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Book Name: Not Quite Broken
Author Name: Diana DeRicci
Author Bio: Diana DeRicci is the sexy, flirty pen name of Diana Castilleja. A romance author at heart, DeRicci’s writing takes you into a saucier spectrum of sensuality and sexual adventure, where a happily-ever-after is still the key to any story. Diana lives in Central Texas with her husband, one son and a feisty little Chihuahua named Rascal. You can catch the latest news on all of Diana DeRicci’s writing and books on her website. Feel free to drop Diana an email. She’d love to hear from you.

Author Links:

Facebook –
Author Page –
Pinterest
Twitter: @DianaCastilleja

Cover Artist: Lex Valentine
Publisher: MLR Press

Sales Links: MLR Press LLC

“Not Quite Broken” Blurb:

Can Dex survive a nightmare that won’t let go?

Dex’s life has gone into a tailspin. One night that ruined his entire world. He can’t sleep, he can’t eat. He’s lost his job, and is about to lose the last of his sanity. When the world crashes down around him, he’s ready to let the world win.

Dex has friends, though, who are determined to not let him self-combust.

One man will be there to guide him through his nightmare, to hold him to keep the demons at bay, and still let him be strong enough to find the strength to love after his darkest hour.

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Excerpt:

Brian tempered his smile at Dex’s miffed tone. There was still a spark of the man he was before the night of his attack. He’d seen it in snatches for a few days when Dex was trying so hard to pretend that night hadn’t happened at all, especially when they were at Chad and Sonny’s. He knew with good insight Dex didn’t want either of them to worry. Then life started to return and invade and the nightmares began. Doctors, police, therapy. He couldn’t outrun them. The stress of it caused nightmares. He didn’t know if any of Dex’s other friends, who seemed to be sparse, were equipped to help him handle the aftermath.

That lack of family or friends in his life was partly why Brian had taken such a personal interest in Dex’s recovery.

He was being devious about it, taking Dex on these little errands, putting him in situations where he couldn’t evade. Brian wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt him, least of all Dex himself, by hiding.

He opened the glass entryway door and Dex obediently followed.

“Hi, Samantha,” Brian called to the girl behind the counter. He got a wave and smile, though he didn’t slow down to talk.

“It’s loud in here,” Dex complained.

“It’s a gym, not the ballet.”

 Tour Dates: 7/18/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Havan Fellows, Reviews and Ramblings, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Smoocher’s Voice, Prism Book Alliance, Tara Lain, Love Bytes, Hearts on Fire, Fallen Angel Reviews, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, It’s Raining Men, Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: E-book of Not Quite Broken. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link below for all the contest details and entry form. Contest and prizes provided by Pride Promotions and the author.

Rafflecopter Link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does Size Matter? Find Out with Sean Michael on his Size Matters Book Tour (contest)

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Prolific author and fan favorite Sean Michael is back with another release…Size Matters! Sean is talking about a day in his life, the new story and a contest from Totally Bound too! Don’t miss out on any of it!

Contest: To celebrate the launch of What’s his Passion? Totally Bound Publishing are giving away a bundle of great prizes. Enter for your chance to win here at Totally Bound!

A Day in the Life of Sean Michael

So it was suggested that a good blog topic might be a day in the life of Sean Michael. Truly, though, a day in the life of any of my characters would be more interesting. I write, you know? Especially in the summer – I don’t like the weather, so I hibernate indoors, and I write.

Now Trey, he also spends most of his days writing, but he also has his dog, has coffee at Earthscape Java, his local coffeeshop. He talks to his assistant, sometimes hashing out plot points or clearing up details that he just doesn’t know as a blind author. Then he meets Lucien and suddenly his days become very exciting.

Lucien is a people person and his days include a myriad of little things that come with running the gym, although he is very good at delegation and gets to concentrate on what he truly enjoys – being a personal trainer. Oh, and if he can get a few hours of reading in, too, he’s a happy guy. Then he meets Trey and again, things become more exciting and suddenly he’s making uh, interesting purchases to bring to Trey.

I imagine most folks, real or fictional, have routines that they follow day to day, and I and my characters are, for the most part, the same way. It’s when something unusual happens, like meeting the man of your dreams, that days become atypical and exciting.

Sean Michael
smut fixes everything
http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍
Blurb for Size Matters:

Trey is a natural submissive, but no one wants to take on a blind man. When Trey and Lucien hit it off, it could be the answer to Trey’s prayers.

When Lucien meets his favorite author at a book signing, he’s surprised to discover the man is not only blind, but much younger than he’d expected. He’s even more surprised to discover that Trey shares a passion of his—BDSM.

Trey loves his life as a horror mystery writer, but it is a lonely one. Immediately drawn to Lucien, he’s surprised and intrigued when Lucien ferrets out his interests in certain aspects of BDSM right from the start.

Is Lucien exactly who Trey’s been waiting for, or is it too good to be true?

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Buy Size Matters here at Totally Bound:

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍
Author Bio: Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organising his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channelling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to “Chicago”.

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Totally Bound Author link for Sean Michael.

Review: Running Wild (Havoc #1) by S.E. Jakes

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Sean Rush is a mess and he knows it. Born from a union between a sociopathic killer and a mother hooked on drugs and sex, Sean escaped his violent home life with his two best friends and their mutual love of cars. Too bad that included stealing cars and street racing them. Hauled before a judge atfter being caught, Sean and his friends chose the Army over jail and went to war. But that just piled more bad issues on top of a heap of bone deep problems Sean carries within him.

Now out of the Army, Sean’s energies are looking for an outlet and finds it at Bertha’s, a Havoc MC hangout. Trouble finds Sean in the form of Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant, a bad boy among bad boys. A gorgeous hot man, Ryker represents everything Sean wants and should stay away from. And not only does Sean want Ryker but Ryker wants him as well. Bad enough to break into Sean’s apartment night after night for 8 months for the best sex of Sean’s life. The problem is that Sean is starting to want more from Ryker and Sean doesn’t do relationships even if Ryker does. This leaves Sean feeling scared, edgy and more stressed out than ever.

Then his best friend Noah calls. Noah’s in bad trouble and needs Sean’s help to steal an expensive car to save Noah’s hide. Things go from bad to disastrous almost immediately. It’s Ryker who saves Sean but that act puts the Havoc MC and Ryker in danger. Cracks and crevices are appearing everywhere on the road ahead for Sean and happiness, including a relationship and love with Ryker. But first Sean has to save Noah, outrun the thugs after them, steal a few cars and maybe, just maybe save himself along the way.

Just the name S.E. Jakes is enough for me to buy a book. Jake’s stable of bruised, and damaged men always make for a memorable read and absorbing tale as her characters fight for love and a future for themselves and their lovers. You can count on their journey being a hard one, full of illegalities, covert operations and bloody fights. Running Wild, the first in Jakes new Havoc series, falls definitely along those standards for an S.E. Jakes action romance, starting with her main character and story narrator, Sean Rush.

What a perfect name for a character on the run from his past, his pain, and his desires. Sean is in a rush to get somewhere if only he knew where he was going. Sean’s is a voice of a man in constant pain and confusion. He fights against his impulses to steal and the adrenaline rush it provides. He fights against a need for love and stability, falling back on his old friends whose decision making processes are no better than his. Really, Sean is just one pretty mess of a man in need of help and more. The choice of making Sean Rush the “voice” of her story is a risky one. If you love Sean or can at least commiserate with a man haunted by his abusive background and how it impacted his teenage/adult years, then you are going to love this story. On the flip side, if you find that unapologetic thieves that keep making the same mistake over and over unappealing, then Running Wild will make you want to run the other way.

Much like Sean, I think it will be a love him or leave him attitude here for all readers. For me, I remain a little ambivalent about the character of Sean. Every part of Sean’s life is a sinkhole of problems. A father in jail for murder, guilt and PTSD over his Army experiences, a compulsion to steal that lies close to the surface, and a loyalty to a few who keep pulling him back into the world of thugs and car thefts. Sean is a realistically crafted character that you will want to shake some sense into at least every five minutes or so. He is that person you care about but are not sure you want to let him into your home. A little of him goes a long way and when he is the narrator of the story that becomes an impossibility. What saves Sean and the reader is the arrival of Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant who falls hard for Sean perhaps to the club’s detriment and his own.

Ryker is tender, brutal, and unwaveringly loyal to a club that took him in and raised him. Ryker made the story for me and he made Sean palatable. I have to admit that I would have loved viewing this story through Ryker’s eyes instead of Sean’s. Both came from turbulent, abusive backgrounds. Ryker was saved and Sean was not. That fact dictated the manner in which each boy developed, again another realistic plot choice from Jakes. But Sean’s voice is so out of control, so wild that he needs Ryker to rein him in narratively speaking and we don’t get enough of that control here. But what we get of Ryker, the Havoc MC family and his tenuous relationship with Sean smoothes out the clatter enough to make this a really enjoyable story.

Noah is a terrific side character as is Sweet, Casey, Jethro and others. Many, many others as there are two motorcycle clubs in town to deal with here. The love and rush of stealing and racing cars comes across perfectly. I totally got the appreciation of a finely crafted machine and the need to take it to its limits on the road (I am a fan of Top Gear British Edition after all). That element is telegraphed in scenes and descriptions that pulls in the reader and makes them understand the nature of Sean and Noah’s obsession with cars. Loved that about Running Wild!

Aside from Noah, I think my other real issue with Running Wild is that S.E. Jakes had a huge list of elements she wanted to include in this story in order to set the stage for her series. By trying to tie in numerous plot points, multiple complications from the characters pasts, side storylines that vied for top billing with the main plot…after a while it just felt a tad too ambitious and a little overwhelming for this story and characters. They have a lot thrown at them while already dealing with a plethora of pain and problems that would drown a superhero. At one point, I wanted to wave a flag to slow the action down and sort out the who, what and where. No matter, S.E. Jakes pulls it all together at the end for a resounding ending with a touch of the supernatural thrown in. I did say there were a ton of elements here didn’t I? That includes a supernatural or haunted hill with a mind of its own.

So. Running Wild and the Havoc MC series. Do I recommend it? Yes. It’s exciting, fast paced, and gripping. It may drive you a little nuts at times as will Sean. But stick with the story, finish the race with them and enjoy the outcome and the winner’s lap. See what I did there? Blame Top Gear!

Aside from Ryker and Sean, there are a number of characters I want to see get their HEA or at least HFN. So I will be waiting for the next Havoc story to arrive, along with new installments from the other S.E. Jakes series I am hooked on. If bad boys on bikes and sexy, angsty tales of love are your thing, grab up a copy of Running Wild and start reading. Let me know what you think of Sean and Ryker. Happy Trails!

Cover art by L.C. Chase. Love the cover and the motorcycle. Feel the need for a little Steppenwolf coming on…”like smoke and lightnin’,Heavy metal thunder,Racing in the wind, And the feeling that I’m under…”*

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance (ARe) Amazon Running Wild

Book Details:

ebook, 280 pages
Published June 28th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491533
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/running-wild
seriesHavoc #1

Who’s “Running Wild”? S.E. Jakes on Tour with Her Newest Story and Series! (contest)

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

A favorite author here at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords, S.E. Jakes, is stopping by today with a snippet from the first book in her Havoc series, Running Wild. What’s the series about? The Havoc Motorcycle Club! Sexy bikers….I can’t wait.

Contest: To help celebrate, Riptide and SE Jakes is offering the chance to win an $100 Riptide Gift Certificate to one lucky winner. To enter to win visit here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on July 20, and winners will be announced on July 21st. Contest is valid worldwide.

Here’s S.E. Jakes with some more teasers on the new story…

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Thanks so much to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for hosting me on the tour for Running Wild: Havoc Book 1. This is the start of a brand new series, with different heroes for each book and HEAs at the end of each book. Sean Rush and Ryker stole my heart a long time ago, and I’m excited for you guys to meet all of them.

***
Here’s a snippet from a scene toward the middle of the book. Ryker has just proved to Sean that he doesn’t mind his MC knowing they’re together — by kissing the hell out of him in front of everyone. And then he tells Sean to get on the back of his bike, so he can take Sean home. Sean has objections…

***

***
Still, I kept my voice down so no one could hear when I told him, “I’m not riding in the bitch seat.”

He was trying not to grin, but failing. “Why not?”

“I know exactly what it means when you ride on the back of a guy’s bike.”

“Really?”

“It means you fucking own me, Ryker.”

“Don’t I?”

His words were a low rumble that shot straight to my dick and holy fuck . . . I had no answer. Well, obviously I did, but I refused to put voice to it.
I was out—that wasn’t the issue. And obviously being out wasn’t an issue for him either. But the MC shit, we’d never talked about it, what it meant for us. All these men knew about our relationship, knew he was looking out for me. Knew he considered me his

I swear I had to remind myself to breathe.

“Get on the bike, Sean.”

This time, Ryker’s tone left no room for argument. If anything, it made me harder. I stopped thinking—par for the course when I was around Ryker—and I got on the bike behind him.

***

RUNNING WILD: Havoc Book 1

Embrace the danger…

Sean Rush is an adrenaline junkie. That’s why he was in the Army, why he steals and races classic muscle cars . . . and why he can’t stay away from bad boy Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant. Fortunately, Ryker can’t seem to stay away from Sean—he’s spent the last eight months breaking into Sean’s apartment and stealing into his bed, leaving Sean physically satisfied but increasingly restless.

Sean has always avoided relationships. He likes to come and go without being controlled. And Ryker is possibly the most controlling man he’s ever known. Still, he finds that he wants more from Ryker than their silent nighttime encounters.

Then one of Sean’s thefts goes bad, and Ryker’s protective instincts kick into overdrive. He takes Sean to the Havoc compound, determined to keep him safe. But Sean’s past threatens the safety of Havoc—and everything Ryker holds dear. Worse, Ryker’s hiding secrets of his own. Soon it’s obvious that the adrenaline rush can’t keep them together anymore. But maybe love can.

*Read an excerpt
*Order Running Wild

***
FYI, I’m also writing a m/f MC series under the Steph Tyler name—the first book of that series, Vipers Run is out now as well. And there’s a very light crossover in that you’ll see names of MCs that are main characters in my Vipers series—namely Vipers MC, along with the Heathens. Havoc’s friendly with Vipers, not so much with Heathens (they seem to be everyone’s enemy at the moment).
***
SE Jakes writes m/m romance. She believes in happy endings and fighting for what you want in both fiction and real life. She lives in New York with her family and most days, she can be found happily writing (in bed). No really…

You can contact her the following ways:

Website
You can email her at authorsejakes@gmail.com
Facebook Page Facebook.com/SEJakes
Twitter Twitter.com/authorsejakes
Goodreads Group Ask SE Jakes
Tumblr sejakes.tumblr.com
Instagram instagram.com/authorsejakes
Truth be told, the best way to contact her is by email or in blog comments.

She spends most of her time writing but she loves to hear from readers!

SE Jakes is the pen-name of New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Tyler (and half of Sydney Croft) — please go to my media kit to learn more!

Contest: Enter to win an $100 Riptide Gift Card. Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on July 20, and winners will be announced on July 21st. Contest is valid worldwide. Visit the link below to enter to win and for further contest details. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Winner Announcements and the Week Ahead at ScatteredThoughts

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

It’s the 13th already? How the time just flies by, it will be August before we know it and there is still so much I have to do. And that’s inside, outside and at my desk. Trying different things on the blog, so if you see bits appear and then disappear, you know I am tinkering, albeit in my Scatteredway.

❖And I have a question for you all. How important is it for you to have a review blog with one reviewer or multiple reviewers? When a review blog has more than one reviewer, do you remember the individual reviewers name or just the review? This inquiring mind wants to know….thanks.

I have several winner announcements to make. The winners of the following contests are (all have been notified):

Of Madeleine Ribbon’s “Faire Protector“Contest: the winner is JeanReads2
Of Mina MacLeod’s Swords,Sorcery and Sundry Contest: the winner is felinewyvern
Of B.A. Tortuga’s Wolf Run: the winner is JillP
Of Eden Winter’s Diversion Tour: the winner is Karen R.
Of Havan Fellows’ Hidden Needs Tour: the winner is Allison H.
Eric Thompson’s “Absolute” Book Tour & contest: the winner is Serena

More to come. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to everyone who left comments and participated. You rock my world! RJ Scott’s contest is still open so don’t forget to drop by and leave a comment to be entered into her terrific giveaway.

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

I have been reading lots of new authors, to me at any rate. Rory Ni Coiliean, Lou Sylvre, and Charley Descoteaux in advance of some upcoming book tours and I can’t wait to share some of their stories with you. I am also reading the next in Kendall McKenna’s Strength of the Pack series, Strength the Mate, and its blowing me away. Look for my review this Saturday.

What can’t I share? Riptide has made me promise not to talk about Aleksandr Voinov’s final story in the Scorpion series, A Taste For Poison. But do I love this story? Yes. Do I love this character and series? Absolutely. Not a romance by any means but that’s fine. That term doesn’t work for a story as brutal at times as this has been. But it is so outstanding that I would more readers would find it and spread the word. I am also reading, viewing, whatever you do with a photograph non fiction book, a book of photographs taken of different drag queens called, appropriately dr.a.g. (bookthefilm edition). The pictures by various photographers are glorious as are the drag performers inside. I can’t wait to share my review of that with you as well.

But enough of what’s still in progress, here is the week I have planned for you all this week:

Monday, July 14:

On Tour with SE Jakes and her latest release Running Wild (contest)
Book Blast with SA McAuley and “Damaged Package” Tour and Contest

Tuesday, July 15:

T.A. Chase’s Mountains to Climb “What’s His Passion?” Imprint Book Tour/Contest
Audio Book Tour: Tara Lain’s The Pack or the Panther Tour/Contest
Review: Running Wild by SE Jakes

Wednesday, July 16:

On Tour with L.A. Witt and Noble Metals, a Steampunk Romance (contest)
Review: Noble Metals by L.A. Witt

Thursday, July 17:

In the Author Spotlight: Angel Martinez and her Endangered Fae series (contest)
Book Blast: Jennifer Cie’s Down On The Other Street Story Collection (contest)

Friday, July 18:

Diana DeRicci’s “Not Quite Broken” Book Blast and Contest
Does Size Matter? Find out with Sean Michael’s Size Matters Book Tour/Contest

Saturday, July 19:

Review: Strength of the Mate by Kendall McKenna

I want to leave you all with two summer cocktails to drink if you are watching the World Soccer Cup in Brazil or just hanging out. Whether your teams lost or in the finals, here are two drinks for you:

Sangria Flora

Created by St. Germain

1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Dry White Wine
1 cup St-Germain
2 Fresh Peaches
5-6 Fresh Strawberries
6 Fresh Raspberries
1 bunch Fresh Grapes

Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Soak for approximately 15 minutes (or longer if desired). Serve in an ice-filled glass, then telephone your physician and regale him with stories of your exemplary fruit consumption. Serve with St-Germain spoon-straws to enjoy the fruit while drinking

MangoCarnivale SVEDKA Mango Carnivale
Created by SVEDKA

1 ½ oz. SVEDKA Mango Pineapple
½ oz. SVEDKA Vanilla
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
8-10 Mint Leaves
3-4 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Combine mint leaves, simple syrup and fresh lime juice in a Collins glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle. Fill three quarters of the glass with more crushed ice and add SVEDKA Mango Pineapple and SVEDKA Vanilla-then swizzle again. Top with crushed ice and then float a layer of bitters on top. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: