Category: m/m holiday stories

A Caryn Review: Silent Night by Erin E. Keller

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

silent-night-by-jms-booksEh, it was an OK holiday story.

Pete is an average guy with a crappy seasonal job dressed as Santa Clause and advertising for a book store in New York City.  While internally whining about said crappy job, he keeps noticing a homeless man with a book who is not very successful at begging in front of his store.  Although Pete thinks of himself as a jaded hardass who really doesn’t care about other people, he decided to give the man a whole dime (in present day NYC?  What good did he think that would do???), but the man’s response – or rather lack of – was unexpected.  And made him want to know more, especially when he saw how cute the homeless man was.

Lucas is deaf, mute, orphaned, friendless, and recently homeless when he refused to sell his body.  Despite circumstances, he has continued to try to find a job, and escapes into his book when life is just too hard.  He doesn’t really know how to beg, and is way too soft and naive to survive on the streets, but something about Pete just drew him in.  On Christmas eve, Pete came to find Lucas to offer him a meal.  An initial misunderstanding between them led to Lucas getting assaulted and losing what few possessions he had, so Pete, feeling responsible, took Lucas home.  Where the expected happened in a fade-to-black scene, which was actually very sweet.

This next paragraph will be a spoiler, so you may want to skip it!  After the meet-cute, there was a disconcerting jump to the next Christmas Eve, with a flashback from Pete telling how they got together and both found satisfying jobs, but Pete was over-protective, possessive, and an insensitive jackass who treated Lucas like a child, so Lucas left.  Now that it’s Christmas Eve, Pete needs to win him back.  Which he does, being a possessive and semi-violent jerk.  And though he recognizes what he did wrong, he seems helpless to do any better.  And Lucas goes back to him because he loves him despite how he acts sometimes.

Doesn’t this seem like a perfect set up for an abusive relationship?

And to cap things off, there were grammar and spelling mistakes, and I got the sense that this was written by someone who really isn’t all that familiar with American culture, and American English.

Cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice, and the photo captured the two men well.

Sales Links

JMS Books 

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 39 pages
Published December 3rd 2016 by JMS Books LLC (first published November 24th 2014)
ASINB01N97IR96
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Ali Audiobook Review: Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton and Tristan Wright (Narrator)

 Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
merry-christmas-mr-miggles-audiobookToby Kincaid loves being the junior librarian in his hometown of Sandy Lake, Ohio. He spends his days surrounded by books and chatting with the library patrons. He especially adores the head librarian, Mr. Miggles, who is kind, witty, knowlegable about everything, and hopelessly addicted to Christmas. Sean Miggles is also pretty cute—especially for an older guy who wears ties and suit pants every day.

But Sean keeps himself at a distance, and there’s a sadness about him that Toby can’t figure out. When Sean is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he gives up without a fight. Toby realizes that he alone can save the library—and their head librarian.

Toby will need to uncover the darkness in Sean’s past and prove to him that he deserves a second chance at life and at love too. And while Christmas miracles are being handed out, maybe Toby will get his own dearest wish—to love and be loved by Mr. Miggles.
This was a feel good holiday story.  The story is told from Toby’s point of view as he slowly learns his co-worker is a really great guy that does a lot for their small town.  After a crisis in which something bad happens to Sean, Toby steps up and tries to set things right.  And he enlists an assorted group of people he’s met through the library.  It’s that traditional holiday story where in the end everyone comes together to right the wrongs.  It’s one of those stories that helps you remember there are still a lot of good people in the world and it melts your heart just a bit.  I really enjoyed this part of the book.
My only complaint was the relationship between Toby and Sean.  Most of the book we’re told that Toby doesn’t know any side of Sean except his work side but then next thing you know they’re in love.  There isn’t any relationship building at all.  I think if this not been a Christmas story I would have been more bothered by this.  As it was, I just chalked it all up to the magic of Christmas and went with it.
This was narrated by Tristan Wright and I thought he did a good job.  I don’t think I’ve heard this narrator before.  He did a good job on both of the main characters and I never had a difficult time telling them apart.  He also did a good job on most of the side characters (and there were a lot of them).  There were a few women’s voices that didn’t work for me but they were not a huge part of the story so it wasn’t a problem.
I thought this was a well done and entertaining audiobook and a good addition to the holiday story genre.
Cover:  I like the cover.  It is simple but catches your eye right away.  (Probably because the model is so attractive.)
Sales Links
351e4-audible
Audiobook Details:
Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
Audible Audio
Published December 16th 2016 by Pinkerton Road (first published November 23rd 2016)
ASINB01N0QSJD9
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Review: Defrosting Jack by Susan Laine

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

defrosting-jackJack Frost has a problem. He’s the mythical power behind the elements of ice, snow, and frost, but his fame is being usurped by a fictional Frozen queen. So Jack’s the grumpiest man in Yuleland and is in need of a naughty distraction.

 

Rudolph Hreinn has a problem, as well. Rudy’s in high demand on Christmas, but the rest of the year he’s scorned by everyone for being different. So Rudy’s the saddest man in Yuleland and desperate for a nice diversion.

 

When the winter sprite and the reindeer shifter meet, after a rocky start, a friendship of like minds is born. Attraction soon follows. But then strange things start to happen. Odd omens warn them of dire consequences for Yuleland and for the winter holidays should they fall for each other.

 

Can love unite two lonely men and save Christmas? It’s the most wonderful time of the year—for some frosty reindeer games.

 

Jack gives off the impression he prefers to be solitary in defense to being continually pushed away.  Rudy has been ridiculed for his heredity and prefers to spend most of his time alone.  They both are tired of denying their attraction for the other and quickly realize they are the perfect counterpart to each other (hot to cold).

 

Jack and Rudy stand by each other through the whole situation, fighting for their love in spite of the consequences that have been foretold.  We see both of their emotions and feelings pretty plainly even though Jack holds his tight to his chest when with others.  I was rooting for these two to get everything worked out and continue building their connection to each other.

 

The cover art is very nice and gives a good visual for the characters.

 

Sales Links: Siren Publishing

 

Book Details:

ebook, 126 pages

Published: December 7, 2016 by Siren Publishing

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Under the Mistletoe (Happy Hollowdays) by Shawn Bailey

 

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

under-the-mistletoe-by-shawn-baileyBest friends Henry and Alan Grayling and Triston Lee decide to play a trick on Henry’s uptight younger brother Morgan, by having Triston kiss Morgan under the mistletoe at the yearly Christmas party. But the joke is on them when Morgan demands that Triston marry him and make an honest man out of him.

 

Triston has always been in love with Morgan, but Triston never wanted to ruin the friendship he had with Henry by putting the moves on the man’s brother. Triston never blinked when Morgan went away to college for four years, but now that he was back, all Triston wanted to do was get to know him better. Yet, he still hadn’t been prepared for Morgan to lay a heavy guilt trip on him just because he gave him a friendly peck on the lips.

 

So what if a couple of other drunken employees saw them kiss? Triston didn’t think any of them would remember the next day, and it certainly was a stupid reason for them to get married!

 

This was a nice short story, but I felt at times that I was missing something.  Triston is in love with his best friend’s brother, but has never told anyone and Morgan has always been attracted to Triston, but kept his secret also.  Both of them fight each other in their own ways, but it takes some time for them to see how they could work out.

 

I got confused by the characters actions in this story, one minute they were compassionate and then snippy and then acting spoiled.  It isn’t until the very end of the story that I could see them finally giving way to the other and not holding something back.  I had trouble connecting with these characters as it always felt like they were holding something back or there we other things going on in the background that I didn’t know about.

 

The cover art is nice, setting the Christmas setting with the decorations.

 

Sales Links: Dark Hollows Press | Amazon 

 

Book Details:

ebook, 41 pages

Published: December 3, 2016 by Dark Hollows Press

Edition Language: English

A Paul B Review: Interlude: First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5) by Tal Bauer

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

interlude-first-noelEthan Reichenbach has been demoted from lead of the Presidential protection detail in the Secret Service to the Des Moines, Iowa office.  Instead of leading a team sworn to protect the President at all cost, he now is tracking counterfeiters.  To make matters worse, his supervisor in no way wants the President’s boyfriend working in his office.  He tells Ethan to stay away from the press and to turn his cases over to another agent when evidence materializes.  His only salvation is his nightly video chats with Jack Spiers and his weekend trips to Washington to spend time with him.  However, as Jack is the President, those weekends are not always consistent. 

Jack is trying to enjoy his first Christmas in the White House but things seem to keep getting in the way.  Between international conferences to the rising problem of the Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East, it seems like he has no time to spend with Ethan.  Jack is also unhappy about Ethan’s situation in Des Moines, where he is pushed aside for agents who weren’t even in high school when Ethan joined the Service fifteen years ago.  Add in the tabloid press who basically have Jack and Ethan breaking up or making up depending on whether or not Ethan flies to Washington any given weekend just adds to the stress.  Jack counts the days until the two can be reunited.

I enjoyed this tale of Jack and Ethan as they prepare for their first Christmas together as a couple.  It was interesting to see the side of the Secret Service that most Americans forget that they are in charge of—catching counterfeiters.  Ethan’s demotion is made worse by a boss who thinks that Ethan will contaminate any case in which he is prominently involved in.  The only saving grace in Des Moines is a new agent who at first grudgingly partners with him but comes to an understanding that seems to help with the case they are working on together.  Along the way, Jack and Ethan must develop some sort of protocol for the various White House functions that come at Christmas time and deal with world problems at the same time.  This book nicely expands on the time that was covered briefly at the end of Enemies of the State. 

The cover art by Natasha Snow is perfect for the book.  The cover has the White House in a wintery scene surrounded by snow. 

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | NOOK

Book Details

EBook, 125 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published:  December 19, 2016 by NineStar Press

ISBN:  978-1-945952-30-2

Series:  The Executive Office

Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1)

First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5)

Enemy of My Enemy (The Executive Office #2)

A Lila Review: Interlude: First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5) by Tal Bauer

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

interlude-first-noelBefore Ethan returns to DC…

Before he becomes Jack’s first gentleman…
Jack and Ethan share their first Christmas together. Step back to Jack and Ethan’s first Christmas season and the tentative early months of their relationship under the world’s spotlight. Three months into Ethan’s transfer-in-exile in Des Moines, Iowa, the pressures of dating Jack, the president of the United States, start to wear Ethan down. His weeks are measured by the days he works in Iowa, chasing counterfeiters and financial crimes, and the weekends he manages to steal with Jack back in DC. The media stalks his every move, he’s isolated by his coworkers, and loneliness hammers at his heart.

In DC, Jack tries to piece together a global alliance to take down the Caliphate, while the world seems focused on tearing apart his personal life. Hostility surrounds him from all corners of the globe, but a surprise offer from President Sergey Puchkov may pave the way for a tentative alliance…and perhaps the beginning of a friendship.

As Ethan finds himself in the middle of an investigation that rubs too deeply against his soul and Jack tries to balance leading the free world and keeping his and Ethan’s relationship going, the two men must face what their love has become…and where they are heading together.

Interlude: First Noel is more than a Christmas short; it’s three stories in one. We get Ethan’s story in Des Moines. How his life as a Secret Service agent changed and the case he’s taking part of, even when no one wants him around. Then, we have Jack’s first Christmas in the White House. The impact of his job and the coalition he’s trying to form. And lastly, we see how those two stories intertwined with Ethan’s and Jack’s romance. Plus, how they deal with their long distance relationship.

More than a novella, this is a full length story. Just like the previous books in this series, the author gives the reader every detail necessary to experience this holiday short as much. We get a lot of characters back, and how they related to book one and book two. And we see important friendships starting to form for Ethan and Jack.

The way both main characters are treated by those they work with is similar even when they are in two different places and have two different job descriptions. How they managed to deal with this, plays an important part in the story. The book is as much about self-discovery as solving Ethan’s case, and Jack’s political issues. As bonus, we get to see Sergey in all his glory.

If you haven’t read Enemy of my Enemy, yet, I’d recommend you read this novella first. Not because it would make a difference in your enjoyment, but it would help you follow the timeline when the book mentions events from when Ethan was in Iowa. As always, my only complaint is the amount of details and additional information we get with each book, but that’s just me. And the best part, everything is wrapped on Christmas spirit.

At first glance, the cover by Natasha Snow seems gloomy. But, it fits the longing atmosphere of the story and the roughness of Ethan’s and Jack’s separation.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | NOOK

Book Details: 

ebook, 125 pages
Published: December 19, 2016, by NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952302
Edition Language: English

Series: The Executive Office
Book #1: Enemies of the State
Book #1.5: Interlude: First Noel
Book #2: Enemy of My Enemy

 

Out with 2016 and Hello 2017 and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

2016-2017-sign-posts

 

Out with 2016 and Hello 2017!

Yes, its that time again. First day of the new year.  Time to shut the door on the old year and prepare to welcome in the new.  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words turned 5 and got a whole new look!  We added reviewers and content hoping to provide more reviews as well as author and narrator interviews, giveaways and much more for all our readers.  I hope we’ve succeeded.

2016 held such promise.  LGBTQIA rights moved forward in the courts with marriage equality, transgender equality gaining ground in many states as laws were passed to protect peoples rights to live and love as they saw fit.  And so many of our stories reflected that hope and societal change.  It was wonderful and uplifting.  I loved reading about couples getting engaged and married while remembering stories reflected a reality not that long ago where that was not a possiblity.

Then came the elections.  Shock, disbelief, numbness,and so much more. Now we face an uncertain 2017 with a very different minded administration.  What will 2017 bring for the LGBTQIA community and the rest of us? And how quickly will we see that uncertainty and wide ranging emotions translated into our stories?  Will it be in our contemporary stories, science fiction, alternate universe or everything the authors can imagine and pour into their tales?  I can’t wait to read what 2017 will bring us with novels and short stories.

2016 saw the rapid rise of the audiobook as we mentioned during our month long series  where we interviewed audiobook narrators, authors and listeners.  This format is still rising in popularity and our reviews (and number of them) certainly reflect that.  We hope to be interviewing more narrators and talking more about this format in the coming year.  Do you have a favorite narrator?  Let us know and we’ll see if we can get them in for an interview!

We left off our Book Format series with the publishers view of  ebook publishing – how far its come, how its changed and where they think its going.  We hope to get back to that in 2017.

As we announced yesterday, several publishers are closing their houses.  All Romance is closed as of yesterday.  Torquere Press is closing but getting information about that is harder as all most people have is a message from the owners.  If you have more information, please let us  know so we can update our information to all our readers.  It would be greatly appreciated.

On the positive front, Samhain Publishing which once thought it would be closing, is staying open.  Great news for all.  Don’t forget to check them out as they now have over 2500 titles available to choose from.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words also started our Flash Fiction Writing Month.  That will continue in 2017, although not in contest form.  Look to see it again towards the end of the year as it was this time.

So many thoughts swirling and scattered about in my head….not unusual this first day of the year.  It will take more than a day to process it all.  Look for my ramblings to continue each Sunday this month as we reflect back and forward on 2016 and 2017.  STRW will also be taking a look at our favorite stories and covers, reviewer by reviewer.  Today we start off with Barb the Zany Old Lady’s favorite covers and stories of 2016.  How do they match up with yours?  Have you missed some?  Start  your TBRandMissed List now!

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2016

 From Our Reviewers!

 

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Barb the Zany Old Lady’s Top Ten of 2016 (in no particular order)

Empty Net by Avon GaleWolfsong980db-secondharvest255ba255dfsenjoy-the-dance-by-heidi-cullinan

Top 5 Covers:

  • Empty Net by Avon Gale– cover by Aaron Anderson
  • Wolfsong by T.J. Kllune – cover by Reese Dante
  • A Second Harvest by Eli Easton – cover by Bree Archer
  • Enjoy the Dance by Heidi Cullinan – cover by Kanaxa
  • Clickbait by E.J. Russell – cover by L.C. Chase

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*****

 Top Books & Audiobooks released in 2016:

Wolfsong by TJ Klune audiobook narrated by Kirt Graves

Absolution by Sloane Kennedy audiobook narrated by Joel Leslie

Dinner at Fiorelli’s by Rick R. Reed audiobook narrated by Joel Leslie

How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune audiobook narrated by Derrick McClain

A Second Harvest by Eli Easton

Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox

Beyond the Sea by Keira Andrews

Enjoy the Dance by Heidi Cullinan

Tied Up in Knots by Mary Calmes

Empty Net by Avon Gale

If you’re adding to your TBR pile, keep going with some of the books we’ve reviewed this week.   From Amy Lane’s The Virgin Manny to Tara Lain’s Death Dancer to Tal Bauer’s Interlude: First Noel in his outstanding series, The Executive Office, to Falling Down by Eli Easton, there’s something for everyone this week.  Have a happy New Year’s Day everyone!

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This Week in 2017 at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, January 1, 2017 🎉 Happy New Years!:

  • Out with 2016 and Hello 2017 and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • Release Blitz  Tour – Amelia Faulkner’s Lord of Ravens (giveaway)
  • A Free Dreamer Review:O/s by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Virgin Manny (The Mannies #1) by Amy Lane

Monday, January 2:

  • Release Day Blitz for A Collision with Reality by Storm Duffy
  • Tour: From the Ashes by Xen Sanders (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Release Day Blitz for Oops Caught by Alli Reshi
  • A Jeri Review: Wolf in League by AF Henley
  • A Lila Review: Interlude: First Noel by Tal Bauer
  • A PaulB  Review: Interlude: First Noel by Tal Bauer
  • An Alisa Review: Honey Trap by Fyn Alexander

Tuesday, January 3:

  • Release Blitz & Review Tour – Suki Fleet’s Light Up The Dark
  • DSP GUEST POST Avon Gale on “Whiskey Business“
  • A Jeri Review: Death Dancer (Dangerous Dancers #2) by Tara Lain
  • A MelanieM Review: The Next Competitor by Keira Andrews
  • A Paul B Review: Warrior Wolf and His Little Lamb (Pariah Pack #3) by Susan Laine
  • An Ali Review: A Collision with Reality by Storm Duffy

Wednesday, January 4:

  • Release Blitz Tour – Clare London’s Chase The Ace (London Lads #1)
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Crush by Caitlin Ricci
  • RIPTIDE TOUR: Assassins: Nemesis by Erica Cameron
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Saving Silas by S.J. Himes and Derrick McClain (Narrator)
  • A Jeri Review: Heart’s Gamble By S.J. Frost
  • A Lila Release Day Review: I Love You More Than Pierogi (World of Love) by K.A. Merikan
  • A Stella Review: Falling Down by Eli Easton
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: A Coal Miner’s Son by TA Chase

Thursday, January 5:

  • DSP GUEST POST C.L. Etta
  • DSP GUEST POST F.E. Feeley Jr on “The Haunting of Timber Manor“
  • A Lila Review: Tartan Candy by KC Burn
  • A Paul B Review: Henning Box Set by Hayden Thorne
  • A Stella Review:  Idlewild by Jude Sierra
  • An Alisa Review: Under the Mistletoe by Shawn Bailey

Friday, January 6:

  • Cover Reveal for Fireballs by Tara Lain
  • AE VIA BLOG SPOT on Nothing Special
  • DSP GUEST POST Taylor V. Donovan on “Six Degrees of Lust“
  • A Caryn Review:  Alpha Barman by Sue Brown
  • A Lila Review: Nothing Special V by AE Via
  • An Ali Release Day Review: Block & Strike by Kelly Jensen
  • An Alisa Review:  Defrosting Jack by Susan Laine

Saturday, January  7:

  • Release Blitz for Kayleigh Sky’s Doll Baby
  • DSP GUEST POST Thianna Durston on “Vespar“
  • An Ali Audiobook Review: Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton

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