Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is wishing you and yours
a wonderful and happy Holiday, whatever you may celebrate.
From all of us to all of you Happy Holidays!
Category: m/m holiday stories
An Alisa Review: The Detective’s Angel by J.B. Buell
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Brian Callahan has been a NYPD detective for a long time, and he’s been inside a strip club before to interview persons of interest. No big deal.
Then a new case sends him to a different club to interview a male stripper. Brian knows he’s a goner the moment he lays eyes on Angel.
This was nice but I really had hoped there would be more to it and I’ve got to say it was a bit strange that Brian didn’t even know that male strippers existed. Brian and Angel seemed to connect well, and I guess they better have since Angel basically moved in after one night together. The story felt very superficial and on the surface without any connection to the characters.
I think the cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice and works well for the story.
Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N
Book Details:
ebook, 12,700 words
Published: October 23, 2019 by JMS Books
ISBN: 9781646561407
Edition Language: English
In Our Holiday Spotlight: A Christmas Yarn by CC Bridges
A Christmas Yarn
by
CC Bridges
Published December 11th 2019
Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | All Vendors
Blurb:
Librarian Gavin MacCauley isn’t expecting any surprises this holiday season. It’s the usual rush of helping patrons, and knitting items to donate to the local hospital. But his world is turned upside down by the cutie who walks into knitting club looking to learn how to crochet a scarf.
Jonathan Mercier has just moved to town and is desperate to find a new craft for his traditional, handmade gift for the aunt who adopted him. When his elderly neighbor strong-arms him into attending the library’s knitting and crochet club, he falls hard for the kind (and hot!) librarian running the class.
But with Christmas coming, and time running out to finish the gift, will these two find the time for each other?
About the Author
CC Bridges spent her childhood visiting other worlds in books, comics, and the starship Enterprise. It’s no surprise that she ended up a librarian, being surrounded by the books she loves so much. She writes about amazing worlds with honorable heroes.
She is the author of 3 novels: The Heaven Corp series, and many novellas and short stories. Angel 1089 won a Rainbow Award in 2010, and Angels Rising received an honorable mention.
Her hobbies include paying money to get locked in a room for an hour so she can solve puzzles to escape, along with the aforementioned reading. She is currently pursuing an MFA from Southern New Hampshire University.
An Alisa Review: Let Your Heart Be Light by J.R. Lawrie
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
FOR SERVICES RENDERED
Dr. David Christmas has heard every joke in the book when it comes to his name. Weary of the festive season and from his long shifts in the emergency room, David is also tired of his lonely single life. His only hope for Christmas is a glimpse of the shy but gorgeous neighbour who lives above him.
Christmas-loving Julian has nurtured a crush on the grumpy man downstairs for years now. Still hurting from his ex-boyfriend’s cruelty, he hasn’t yet dared to say hello. When an injury on Christmas Eve puts Julian directly into David’s careful hands, a little healing might be on the way.
KIND OF A BIG DEAL
and
THE FARRINGDON CLUB
Up-and-coming comedian Zack Wynn splits his time between the stage and the London pizza restaurant where he works, until life hands him one hell of a Christmas present. Richard Garston is the handsome and clever older man of Zack’s dreams, but what exactly is it that Richard does?
Soon, Zack learns the truth: Richard’s classified role in the British government makes him a much bigger deal than he claimed.
Is Zack ready for the politics and power of Richard’s world?
And is Richard’s world ready for him?
These were a couple of nice stories. I liked meeting Zack and Richard and then seeing them again another Christmas down the road. David and Julian were both adorably awkward together.
I thought Zack was great, he is himself and doesn’t apologize and I loved that Richard saw that in him from the beginning and didn’t want him to change. I love how he can turn Richard’s world around and Richard would just smile indulgently. They are great together and it was nice seeing them both being part of each other’s lives and making it all work out.
I loved that Julian and David had both been admiring each other from afar. A small accident brings them into each other’s focus even more and they are both so sweet and connect wonderfully. They have a nice HFN but it looks promising for their future.
Cover art is cute and I like how it ties in both couples.
Sales Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Book Details:
ebook, 199 pages
Published: December 13, 2019
Edition Language: English
Join Us for the Release Blitz and Giveaway for Four Christmases by Nell Iris
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | JMS Books | Universal Link
Length: 23,740 words
Publisher: JMS Books
Blurb
Will a decade-old family feud and long held secrets stand in the way of love?
Auden Whipple is searching for a bit of peace and quiet from his loud family when he stumbles across the neighbor, Porter Eldin. Porter is scorching hot on a freezing Christmas Day, and nothing like Auden expected. A moment shared by the creek begins a relationship that surprises them both.
As the Christmases pass, Auden and Porter’s relationship deepens. But the obstacle of the unresolved conflict between the Whipples and the Eldins makes Auden worried. Worried to tell his family of his new-found love, worried that the conflict will come between them.
Can two men truly in love help mend fences that have been broken for too long? Can the holiday spirit help Auden and Porter find their happily ever after?
Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along but, let’s face it, she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (“Make it so”). She loves words, poetry, wine, and Sudoku, and absolutely adores elephants!
Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.
Nell is a forty-something bisexual Swedish woman, married to the love of her life, and a proud mama of a grown daughter. She left the Scandinavian cold and darkness for warmer and sunnier Malaysia a few years ago, and now spends her days writing, surfing the Internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food. One day she decided to chase her lifelong dream of being a writer, sat down in front of her laptop, and wrote a story about two men falling in love.
Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angst, and wants to write diverse and different characters.
Email contact@nelliris.com
Web www.nelliris.com
Twitter @nellirisauthor
Facebook page www.facebook.com/nellirisauthor
Facebook profile www.facebook.com/nell.iris.12
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/nelliris
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nell_iris/
QueeRomance Ink https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/nell-iris/
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Review Tour and Giveaway for Let Your Heart Be Light by J. R. Lawrie
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Length: 49,000 words approx.
Publisher: Carnation Books
This holiday season, celebrate with a trio of festive gay romances by debut author J. R. Lawrie. This anthology features three stories sure to warm the heart and captivate the senses. Full of romance, humor, sweetness, and the perfect amount of heat, this collection is perfect for an evening by the fire.
FOR SERVICES RENDERED
Dr. David Christmas has heard every joke in the book when it comes to his name. Weary of the festive season and from his long shifts in the emergency room, David is also tired of his lonely single life. His only hope for Christmas is a glimpse of the shy but gorgeous neighbour who lives above him.
Christmas-loving Julian has nurtured a crush on the grumpy man downstairs for years now. Still hurting from his ex-boyfriend’s cruelty, he hasn’t yet dared to say hello. When an injury on Christmas Eve puts Julian directly into David’s careful hands, a little healing might be on the way.
KIND OF A BIG DEAL
and
THE FARRINGDON CLUB
Up-and-coming comedian Zack Wynn splits his time between the stage and the London pizza restaurant where he works, until life hands him one hell of a Christmas present. Richard Garston is the handsome and clever older man of Zack’s dreams, but what exactly is it that Richard does?
Soon, Zack learns the truth: Richard’s classified role in the British government makes him a much bigger deal than he claimed.
Is Zack ready for the politics and power of Richard’s world?
And is Richard’s world ready for him?
Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here. We love and recommend it.
J. R. Lawrie graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in English Language and Literature in 2011. She believes queer readers deserve a wealth of interesting stories, not just familiar tales of self-loathing. She practices what she preaches in York, UK, with her wife and their three spoiled guinea pigs.
For news and updates, you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook
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Announcements, Best of 2019 Lists, and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Announcements, Best of 2019 Lists, and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
I am pushing back the announcements I intended to make until next Sunday. Time, RL, and the holidays got away with me as they have been doing so often lately. We will be posting a reduced schedule to allow everyone here to enjoy all their holidays, whatever they may be.
We will be sharing our Best of Lists through the end of December and all through January, starting with our reviewer Lucy’s. See how her list compares with yours, and do you see some that you can add from hers to yours? I hope so. Let us know what you think we should be on our Best of Lists too. We love and value your input.
Best of 2019 Lists
From Lucy:
In no particular order:
Yuletide Treasure by Eliot Grayson
Hidden Hearts by Clare London
Made for You by Anyta Sunday
Reluctant Husband by Eliot Grayson
Finders Keepers Audio by NR Walker, Narrated by Joel Leslie
Twice Shy by Sally Malcolm
Puzzle Me This by Eli Easton
Happy for You by Anyta Sunday
Team Luker by Nell Iris
Nothing Ventured Audio by Jay Northcote
Full Bodied by Shea Balik
Love Around the Corner by Sally Malcolm
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, December 22:
- Announcements, Best of 2019 Lists, and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Monday, December 23:
- Review Tour – J. R. Lawrie – Let Your Heart Be Light
- Release Blitz – Nell Iris – Four Christmases
- A Stella Review Model Christmas by Jaime Samms
- An Alisa Review : Let Your Heart Be Light by J. R. Lawrie
Tuesday, December 24:
- A Christmas Yarn by CC Bridges AUTHOR TOUR
- BLITZ Forbidden Bond by Lee Colgin
- A MelanieM Review: Earnest Ink by Alex Hall
- An Alisa Review The Detective’s Angel by J.B. Buell
Wednesday, December 25:
- BLITZ Life Minus Me by Sara Codair
Thursday, December 26:
- Review Tour – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey – Christmas Lights (Owatonna U Hockey #4)
- Release Blitz – Sam Burns – Wren and Oak (Rowan Harbor Cycle #9)
- Release Blitz Unexpected by KM Neuhold
- A MelanieM Review: Christmas Lights (Owatonna U Hockey #4) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
- A Chaos Moondrawn Review A Christmas Yarn by CC Bridges
Friday, December 27:
- 99c Book Blast – Little Red (Big Bad Wolves Book One) by Queenie Wise
- A ;MelanieM Review: Window Dressing by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga
- A Stella Review Socks for an Otter by Posy Roberts
Saturday, December 28:
- A MelanieM Audio Review: RDH3 by NR Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)
Important Announcement! Help B.A. Tortuga Get Well!
Help B.A. Tortuga Get Well! (Organized by Kieran Kelly)
If you love this author and her stories like I do, then she needs our help. Please click on the link below and get involved.
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Kiernan Kelly Help B.A. Tortuga Get Well! BA Tortuga has been a vital part of the m/m writing and publishing community for well over a decade. Together with h
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A Stella Review: A Boyfriend For Christmas by Jay Northcote
RATING 4 out of 5 stars
Archie’s posh parents want him to meet a nice girl–how can he tell them he’s fallen for a bad boy instead?
Closeted, innocent and lonely, Archie Arandale longs for someone special in his life. A Christmas party organised by his wealth management company is the last place he expects to meet the man of his dreams.
With his leather jacket, tattoos, and piercings, Cal Turner turns heads the moment he walks through the door. He definitely isn’t looking for a boyfriend, but Archie’s hesitant charm captures his attention, and sneaking off during the party to have a little fun can only make a dull evening more interesting.
After their reckless and thrilling encounter, Archie is keen for more experience and Cal is happy to oblige. The need for secrecy means this can only be a casual fling, yet as they spend time together in the run up to Christmas, their feelings become more intense than either of them had bargained for. How can Archie find the courage to tell his family about Cal, when Cal’s the exact opposite of the ‘nice girl’ they’ve been hoping for?
Contains: A closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).
It was actually some time since I read a Jay Northcote title, not sure why, so I jumped at the chance of having this new release on my hands and as every other book I read from this author, I enjoyed A Boyfriend for Christmas a lot.
The story between Archie and Cal is nothing special, the plot is simple and surely alread seen and read around in the mm genre and not only. That said what truly make a difference were the writing and the characters cast. Jay is an awesome writer, I always found his stories easy to read and well developed, sometimes more complicate, others more easy, every time with well delined characters, hard to not love. In this new novel I have to say I fell in love with both Cal and Archie, sure they are like day and night, on the apparence they have nothing in common, it doesn’t seem to be a shared ground to build a solid relationship. Still these two young men are so simil, their souls are so aliked they are almost destined to be together. Cal and Archie took their time to know each other well and the time they spent was truly memorable.
If you’re a fan like me of holiday stories, you can’t miss A Boyfriend for Christmas, it’s sweet and sexy, with a couple of very hot scenes that I adored. Don’t miss it!
The cover art by Garrett Leigh is well done, I like this artist style a lot.
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
BOOK DETAILS
Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 218 pages
Published November 26th 2019 by Jaybird Press Ltd
ASIN B081S7RK42
Edition Language English
Release Blitz and Giveaway for Christmas Lights (An Owatonna U Novella) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Length: 26,000 words approx.
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
Owatonna U Series
Book #1 – Ryker – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Book #2 – Scott – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Blurb
Under the Christmas lights strung outside a snowy Minnesota cabin, Ryker and Jacob face a future where nothing will be the same again.
Fortunate timing means that Ryker and Jacob can spend a few days together over Christmas in a cabin on the family farm. What’s better is that Scott and Ben are coming as well, with Hayne and Ethan in tow. Ryker can’t imagine a better way to spend time with the man he loves, and the friends he misses, and somehow he knows that this Christmas will be the best one ever. Hockey on a frozen pond, kisses under Christmas lights, and sharing time with Jacob are the best gifts he could ever receive.
Long distance relationships are brutal, Jacob can attest to that fact. So, when Ryker gets a few days off over the Raptors’ Christmas break, the hard-working Minnesota farmer is beyond thrilled. When they find out that their buddies from Owatonna U. are making the trip as well, the holidays are looking to be just about perfect. Jacob has a question for Ryker burning in his heart, and he isn’t asking for much—just a few fun-filled days with old friends and a yes from the man of his dreams.
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.
RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:
ChristmasLights
USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.
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