Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

Holiday Book Spotlight Continues with Home For the Holiday M/M Anthology (excerpts/contests)

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Home for the Holidays

M/M Romance Anthology

SJ Himes

 Jenna Kendrick

Heather C. Leigh

Liv Rancourt

Felice Stevens

 HomeForTheHolidaysCover

Cover Design: LateNite Designs

Cover Photo: StockPhoto

Release Date: 11.29.15

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1lOHE4h

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1OvvQ0e

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1lOHPN5

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1OkPsWI

BLURB

Home can be a person as well as a place. Everyone deserves a home for the holidays, as the stories in this collection affirm.

 Proceeds from Home for the Holidays are being donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York City to help homeless LGBTQ youth.

 

 

*The Eighth Night by Jenna Kendrick

BLURB

Going home for the holiday only to find his parents have made other plans, Kai Meyers is thrilled to reunite with an old friend. Disowned by his religious family, Ari Fisher is used to being treated like a boy toy rather than a boyfriend, and now he only has eight days to reveal his secrets to Kai.

 

 TEASER

 JennaFinal

 

EXCERPT

The last thing Ari saw as the lights went out and the elevator jolted to a stop was Kai stumbling forward. Ari started to move closer to help him up, but his foot bumped into a piece of fruit or something, so he pulled back. Kelev barked, clearly upset by the chaos, while Kai called to the dog to make sure he was okay.

Ari, felt something sniffing at his pants leg. “Kelev, c’mere boy. Good boy.” He bent over to scratch his head. He was happy to see the dog was still alive; he had to be going on twelve or thirteen by now.

“You know Kelev? Well, obviously. I suppose you know my parents, then.”

Ari chuckled. “You could say that. But I know you even better. Well, I used to.” Apparently the dog remembered Ari better than his owner. He wished he could get a look at Kai’s face as he connected the dots. When he’d first spotted Kai in the corner, he’d been relieved to see the guy was too weighed down with Kelev and a metric crap-ton of grocery bags to notice him. He’d known there was always the chance of running into Kai. Ari might have even hoped for it subconsciously. Otherwise, he could have avoided the possibility by insisting Prescott and Thomas meet him at a hotel, as he did with some of his other clients.

“Wait a minute… Ari?”

“Long time, no see, Kai.”

“I can’t see you now, either.” Kai’s voice had matured over the past eight years, familiar and new at the same time. “Sorry, I was in my own world and didn’t notice you before the lights went out.”

“Hope you’re not still afraid of the dark.” Ari remembered them leaving a lamp on when they had sleepovers, but only until they’d hit middle school.

“Probably a hard sell after screaming like a teenage girl, but no, not generally.” Kai must’ve set the rest of the groceries down because Ari heard bags rustling and felt a can roll into the side of his shoe. “I don’t suppose you want to join me here on the floor. I’d try to get up, but I have a feeling I’d wind up tripping over an avocado and inadvertently turning it into guacamole.”

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Kendrick writes male/male new adult and contemporary romance, her favorite genre to read. She lives in Upstate New York, where she spends the better part of the year trying to stay warm and dry. When she’s not writing, she reads, watches The Princess Bride and The Avengers far too often, spends time with her husband and friends, and drinks more coffee and tea than she’d care to admit. She shares her home office with her dog, Tally, and her cats, Loki and Tamiris.

Jenna spent most of her class time in high school writing bad poetry and short stories in which her teachers were the villains. She began writing in earnest in college, putting it aside for a few years to work as a teacher and product manager for several online services. In addition to writing fiction, Jenna also writes nonfiction technical books under another name.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/jennakendrickauthor

Twitter — https://twitter.com/jennakendauth

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jennakendrickauthor/

Tumblr — http://jennakendrickauthor.tumblr.com

 

 

*24-Hour Hold by Heather C. Leigh

BLURB

Detectives Damon Porter and Anderson Malloy are now partners at Denver’s Major Case Unit. The problem is, they used to be boyfriends, and now they’re feeling anything but friendly towards each other.

TEASER 

HeatherCLEigh 

 

EXCERPT

“Still drinking enough coffee each day to keep Seattle’s coffee houses running for a year?” I ask, leaning back on the counter while Damon turns on the tap, rinsing his hands and attempting to wipe off the spill on his shirt with a wet paper towel.

He scowls, his dark brown eyes locking on mine. “Fuck you, Anderson.” Thoroughly annoyed with me, I watch, fascinated, as my ex-lover’s hands clench into tight fists. Damon tosses the used paper towel into the garbage can before whirling back around in my direction. His mouth opens, no doubt to tell me off, then snaps back shut.

My eyes drop to that full, red mouth—a mouth I’ve tasted hundreds, maybe thousands of times before—and molten heat spreads out from my groin.

I’m in the middle of imagining a detailed scenario that involves kneeling down on the hideous linoleum of the kitchenette and yanking down his perfectly pressed dress pants to suck on his cock when I realize he’s gone.

Shit.

It takes me a few minutes, but I finally find Damon in the conference room, quietly stewing while he sets up his laptop. He has the files open on the table.

“So,” I close the door behind me and his head of brown hair twitches as he ignores me. “Show me what you’ve got.” I drop into the swivel chair closest to him and snap my gum while spinning back and forth.

“Do you mind not doing that?” Porter scowls and turns away, fiddling with his computer. Fascinated, I watch the muscles of his back tense up under his starched button-down.

“Doing what?” I ask innocently, popping the gum again. Nothing turns me on more than riling up Damon Porter. Watching him go from cool and collected to hot and bothered makes my dick hard.

“Listen, D. I—”

The beautiful man beside me jerks around, practically snarling in my face. “Don’t. Call. Me. That.”

“Whoa!” I hold my hands up defensively, noting the way his hands are fisted at his sides. “Calm down, Porter.”

“Fuck you.”

“Jesus, Porter. Hold a grudge much?”

His eyes close and I recognize the way his entire body shudders. Damon Porter is close to losing his carefully crafted control.

“Sorry,” I mumble. “I didn’t expect this,” I motion between the two of us, “to be so uncomfortable.”

Those big brown eyes of his pop open, dark lashes fluttering wide as my words sink in. “Wait,” he says. “You knew I worked here?” Oops. I can practically see his sharp mind working to quickly put the pieces together. “Did you… Did you come to Denver, to this department specifically, knowing you would be working with me?”

My skin heats up from his dead-on conclusion. Damon leans close, the familiar scent of his aftershave hitting me hard. “What’s your game, Anderson?”

I can feel the heat coming off of him, even through the multiple layers of both his perfect white dress shirt and my rumpled old blue one. My throat is tight and I have to work to swallow in order to speak. “I don’t have a game. I moved back to Denver, applied for a job, they assigned me to your department. It’s temporary, so don’t get your starched boxers in a bunch.”

It’s the truth. Stretched, but the truth nonetheless.

Damon’s molten brown eyes narrow, his nostrils flare in anger. When he speaks, the formal, uptight man I know does the unthinkable. He cracks a joke.

“Still chewing that shitty gum, huh?”

I swallow again when his gaze drops to my mouth. Desire rushes through me, sending blood pulsing to my groin. “Yeah.”

He nods, as if confirming some thought in his own head, before turning to face his laptop. His professional façade slams into place like a thick steel door. With one long, elegant finger, Damon points at the files in front of me. “I guess you’ll have to start at the beginning. You read the reports and familiarize yourself with the cases, I’ll continue trying to find a link between the robberies.”

“Sure, D. Whatever you say.”

Porter’s mouth twitches, but he doesn’t correct me for calling him D. That little victory gives me enough confidence to grin, snapping my gum as I pull open the first file.

If I can just get past the four hundred fifty-three other layers of protection my ex has put up to keep me out, I’m golden.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather C. Leigh is the author of the Amazon bestselling Famous series. She likes to write about the ‘dark’ side of fame. The part that the public doesn’t get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.

Heather was born and raised in New England and currently lives outside Atlanta, GA with her husband, 2 kids, and French Bulldog, Shelby.

She loves the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything chocolate (but not white chocolate, everyone knows it’s not real chocolate so it doesn’t count) and has left explicit instructions in her will to have her ashes snuck into Fenway Park and sneakily sprinkled all over while her family enjoys beer, hot dogs, and a wicked good time.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website: https://www.heatherleighauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherCLeighAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomHeather_Leigh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherLeigh_8

Instagram: http://instagram.com/heatherleighauthor/

 

 

*Learning to Love by Felice Stevens

BLURB

Returning home for the holiday, caterer Gideon Marks tried hard to push away his high school crush. But Rabbi Jonah Fine wouldn’t let him run again, or keep the secret Gideon’s tried so desperately to hide.

TEASER

LearningToLoveFinal 

EXCERPT

The bells above the shop tinkled and Sean glanced over my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, sir but we’re closed.”

“I’m not here to buy anything, I came to talk to Gideon.”

I spun around to face Jonah. “I’ve got nothing to say to you.” I walked behind the register, putting the expanse of the counter between us. Jonah had changed from this morning and now wore a heavy sweater, corduroy pants and a black leather motorcycle jacket. He looked tired, windblown and utterly desirable. Despite my words, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his face.

Ten years away hadn’t changed the irrevocable fact that I still wanted Jonah, now more than ever. There were some people who got under your skin and no matter what you did to erase them from your mind and heart, they remained, clinging to your soul.

“Gideon, please.” He darted a quick look at Sean who’d apparently forgotten about his hot date and was intent on having a ringside seat to my sex life. “Can we please go somewhere and talk?”

“Go ahead, boss. I’ll close up.”

Rico leaned against the doorway, his dark eyes fixated on Jonah. I knew my obvious attraction wouldn’t bother Rico; we hadn’t been together in years. The deep friendship and mutual respect between us was rock solid.

Jonah hadn’t taken his eyes off of me, his face an unreadable mask. If I said nothing, I could let him think Rico and I were lovers and he would no doubt leave me alone.

“Gid, go on, man. Give the guy a break.”

Rico’s urging broke me out of my deep thoughts. “Okay,” I said begrudgingly. “Let me get my jacket and I’ll be right back.”

I hurried to my office, pulled on my jacket and shoved the contracts Rico had worked on earlier into my backpack. By the time I’d returned, Sean had finally left and Rico and Jonah were discussing the demise of the kosher deli in New York City.

“Have a good one, guys.” Rico shook Jonah’s hand and gave me a swift hug. “Don’t fuck it up man.” His breath tickled my ear. “I got a feeling this one’s for real.”

I pushed him away, giving him a funny smile and a shake of my head. “See you tomorrow. We need to plan the wait-staff for the party and then go through the other orders. Plus I need to contact some of the people I met last night, who said they wanted to maybe hire us for their small dinner parties.”

“Will you get out of here already and stop talking business?” Rico shoved me toward Jonah. “Take him and feed him so he’ll shut up.”

Jonah held the door for me and side by side we walked down the block. Christmas lights had already gone up on the lampposts and in store windows and happy people walked with bright red and green shopping bags stuffed with their purchases. The entire city was seized with holiday cheer, yet all I felt was depressed.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

We stopped at a corner waiting for the traffic light to change. “No, but it’s Saturday night. Why aren’t you out on a date or something?”

Jonah’s sweet smile disarmed me. “Um, I thought I was.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. While life is tough, she believes there is a happy ending for everyone. She started reading traditional historical romances as a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until she picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that her interest in romance novels was renewed.

But somewhere along the way, her reading shifted to stories of men falling in love. Once she picked up her first gay romance, she became so enamored of the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion there was no turning back.

Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. Although she practices law, she daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be some angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Twitter:https://twitter.com/FeliceStevens1

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/felicestevens/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8432880.Felice_Stevens

Instagram: https://instagram.com/FeliceStevens

Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/felicestevensauthor?ref=hl

*Saving Silas by SJ Himes

Paramedic Gael Dominic wasn’t expecting much from the holidays. Blood, death, and loneliness were constants. So when tragedy puts a wounded Silas in his path, Gael takes a chance on his alleyway angel and love.

TEASER

SJHime

EXCERPT

“Find my son! He was shot, for Christ’s sake, he can’t make it too far. Does this place even have security? Morris, call the local department, I want my son found.” Warner sounded mad, but there wasn’t a frantic component to his tone that most worried parents had when their kids got hurt. He sounded…aggravated.

Gael looked up, eyes searching. This was a split in the Recovery level, the hall to the right swinging around to more patient rooms, the hall to the left leading to the surgery suites, exam rooms, and x-ray….and the elevator to the staff exit. It emptied out in the sequestered lot the doctors and staff used.

He headed in that direction, eyes peeled, making swift work of his search. He kept his actions subtle, not wanting to clue anyone in to the fact he was looking for someone. He smiled at the people he knew but kept going, and passed a cart full of clean scrubs, the plastic lid ajar. The pressed piles made it apparent that a pair of pants and a shirt were missing. Someone took them before the cart made it back down the hall to the doctor’s lounge.

Gael stopped at the elevator, and was about to hit the button, but the staircase several feet away was the better option. No one used the stairs in a hospital.

He entered the stairwell, letting the door swing shut soundlessly behind him. Gael listened, eyes shut, head tilted to the side. A scuffle, the faintest hint of a quivering breath, just below him.

Gael opened his eyes and took the stairs down fast, keeping his footfalls as quiet as he could. He found his quarry the next level down, huddled against the wall, tears running down his bone-white cheeks, hands shaking as he tried to push the door open. He was wearing the purloined scrubs, and the dark blue color merely accentuated the pallor of the young man’s skin. Gael moved just as Silas started to fall over, and he caught him about his waist, holding his angel to his side, keeping him upright.

Silas’ head fell back on his shoulder, and Gael found himself forgetting what he was about to say when a pair of the truest green eyes locked on to his. Every muscle in his body thrummed with electricity, and Gael held him tighter, taking his whole weight.

“Hi, handsome,” Silas breathed out, giving him a tiny twist of a smile, eyes watering. “I’d love to make out in the staircase with you, but I kinda need to escape right now.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m a thirty something bisexual cisgendered woman with way too big an imagination, but that comes in handy when I’m writing. I have been writing since I was a child, when I took a four page assignment on what I was going to do on summer vacation and turned it into a 100 page fantasy epic all written by hand…in crayons. No joke.

I work a day job, but I can’t share for who, since the Old Man isn’t as liberated as the people who read my books. I’m married, I have furbabies, and I live with loved ones. I adore a certain show about a British consulting detective and his grumpy army doctor, and that spawned an addiction to Johnlock fanfiction, which then evolved into me writing it. Gawd, that’s embarrassing. Put this down in the TMI section of my Bio, okay? I enjoy martial arts, movies where things blow up, and I wish I lived in a Marvel movie.

I live in the beautiful and lonely Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and I see way more wildlife than I care to on a daily basis (bears!). My perfect day is reading surrounded by friends and family who don’t think it’s odd I want to hang out but not talk, and my favorite scent of all time is a cool fall evening with leaves burning….less a scent, and more of an experience.
My writing is focused on gay and lesbian people, who are more than interesting side characters that hang out with the heterosexual MCs. My wish for the future is that when people ask me what I do for a living, I can say, “I write gay romance,” and NOT get weird looks.  Also write under pen name Revella Hawthorne.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Amazon/SJ Himes: http://amzn.to/210nIeU

Amazon/Revella Hawthorne: http://amzn.to/210nW5P

Blog as SJ Himes: http://www.wherethewolvesrun.blogspot.com/

Twitter : @WriterSJHimes

Facebook/SJ Himes: https://www.facebook.com/SJHimes/

Facebook/Revella Hawthorne: https://www.facebook.com/Revella-Hawthorne-742177039236198/

*Christmas in LaLa Land by Liv Rancourt

For a Danaan sidhe like Aron, touching a human has consequences, while Damian’s hiding some serious scars behind his smile. A holiday trip to LA forces them to choose between acting on their attraction or giving up on love because of the past.

TEASER

Liv Rav 2

EXCERPT

“I’m sorry. The hotel is closed for a private party.” Blondie stalked over, making the most of her Heels from Hell. The huge lobby had a high arched ceiling and fabric drapes covering the walls. And every possible surface was hung or draped or covered with something red, green, or glittering.

“Um, Ophelia?”

The ploofy redhead almost dropped the string of stars she’d been draping over an enormous pearl chandelier. “I’m Ophelia.”

Her eyes were the same gray as the murk rolling in off San Francisco Bay before the sun rose. Soft, but cold. Spooky. I took a couple steps further in, trying not to let my hopes get ahead of me. “I’m Aron, Connealagh’s younger brother.”

“No shit!? Are you as big a bitch as she is?” The blonde’s shriek immediately turned into laughter.

Ophelia scrambled down off the ladder, freezing me with her ice-vision. “Connie has a brother?” She came at me fast. No time to duck. Only my face offered bare skin, so that’s what she reached for, cupping my cheek with her palm. “Aron.” Her whisper held confirmation, as if she’d been able to verify my story with a touch.

“Oh.” I started to giggle. Her fingertips held so much joy she fizzed. I turned into her, inhaling a hippie-princess mix of roses and patchouli and sweat. Love ran under the fizz, heavy and deep, the emotion tempered by danger and fear. Thoughtlessly I reached out, finding a firm, pregnant belly under her swirling, embroidered caftan. “She’s beautiful.” I smiled into my cousin’s frightening eyes. “Your Leah is a lovely little girl.”

“Um…” She raised an eyebrow. ““Not born yet.”

“Crap. I’m sorry.” I eased out of her grasp. “I can feel emotions and stuff. Sometimes. I didn’t know…”

She exhaled, puffing out her cheeks and shaking her head. “How ’bout you let me tell Gabriel we’re having a girl before sharing, okay?” Without breaking our connection, she pointed at Blondie. “Shut up, you. My cheeks will not freeze that way.”

Behind us, Damian made a choked sound. The jewel-tone fabric on the walls seemed to dim, though that had to be my imagination.

“Who’s your friend?” Ophelia took hold of my gloved hand.

Grateful for even that little display of support, I suddenly didn’t think I could deal with the say-goodbye-to-Damian thing.

“Damian Jones.” He crossed the tile floor, coming closer. I didn’t turn around. Ophelia didn’t leave my side.

His hand, extended to shake, crossed the corner of my vision.

“Sorry Damian,” Ophelia said, wrapping a protective arm around me. “It’s nice to meet you, but I don’t shake hands, okay?”

“Must be a family thing.” His footsteps retreated, and I wanted to whip myself for driving all the sunlight out of his voice.

Gathering as much courage as I could muster, I pivoted, staying within Ophelia’s circle of safety. “Thank you, Damian, for giving me a ride down here, and I’m sorry…” For knowing my limits? For caring too much to entrap you? For being afraid? If I didn’t like him so much, I’d treat him like that poor sucker in the night club bathroom. If I didn’t respect him so much, I’d try to explain. “Just, sorry.”

“Yeah? Well, all your stuff’s out on the steps. You have a happy holiday, okay?”

Ophelia’s gaze was positively balmy compared with the deep freeze in his tone.

He disappeared, leaving me with my cousin and her freakishly blond friend.

“Well, fuck if I don’t suddenly have a taste for chocolate.” Blondie squealed. She had tiny star tattoos and glitter sprinkles down one cheek and a skirt so short it should be illegal. Something triggered my memory of Ophelia’s only visit to Mari-Elle’s. Her friend, a serpent deity named Suzie or Sandy or something, had been shot on our doorstep. Nothing really kills a deity, though, so maybe this was the same girl.

“Shut up, Sally,” Ophelia said.

Yep, serpent deity.

“No way, sister-mine.” A man appeared on the other side of the ladder. Just, like, appeared. “That cocoa crisp plays for my team.” He disappeared before his voice trailed away.

My face must have asked what the fuck without words because Ophelia started to laugh.

“You have the ghost of Jason Patrick living in your lobby?” I asked.

“Jason Patrick is not dead.” The man appeared on the near side of the ladder. “But thank you, sweetie.”

“No living with him,” Sally muttered.

Ophelia left off laughing long enough to introduce me to Jimmy. “You had the ghost part right, anyway.”

“Aren’t you a pretty little fruit.” Jimmy appeared right next to me. He draped his arm around my shoulders, cool and surprisingly peaceful. “Did you invite him specially for me to play with, Ophie?”

“I didn’t invite him at all.” Keeping hold of my hand, Ophelia drew me over to an antique love seat that could have belonged to Marie Antoinette. She and I sat, and Jimmy perched on the arm next to me. Sally scooted her butt onto a large mahogany desk right across from us.

None of them looked particularly threatening. In fact, staying here could be fun. I grappled my twittering nerves and dove in. “It started because Mari-Elle and I—”

“Oh yeah, how is Mother?” For the first time since I’d met her, Ophelia’s effervescence dampened.

“Gorgeous, frightening, and kind of mean.” Wow! Did I just say that? Because slandering someone’s mother is such a great lead-in to a favor.

Ophelia snickered. “You’re giving her too much credit.”

Well at least my cousin didn’t act insulted. I relaxed against the couch. “I decided I wanted a break from the life for … reasons, and I’ve always wanted to visit L.A.” The next part was the scariest, so I spit it out fast. “I’m hoping I can crash here for a while.” I clasped my hands so tightly the leather on my palms squeaked. “I mean, I know it’s rude to just show up, but I kinda hoped I could rent a room here in the hotel.”

Sally hissed a laugh. “It’s not that kind of hotel.”

“He can totally stay,” Jimmy said. Between his square chin, curly mullet, and micro-skinny tie, he really did look like ‘80s-era Jason Patrick. “How ’bout 312? It’s right at the top of the stairs.”

A broad staircase curled up from one corner of the room, opposite a double set of very black doors.

Ophelia finger-combed red ringlets away from her face. “You know, I think that’ll work.” She fixed me in her cold-slate gaze. “You know what this place is, right? I’m not kidding when I say it’s a gateway to Hell. Couple times an hour Hell’s escorts bring in the souls of the damned, and I send them down. You can’t freak out when that happens, and you absolutely cannot go through those doors.” She pointed at the black doors, and while I generally love a good dare, this seemed like a stupid time to take up a challenge.

“You got it. I’ll even help”—I glanced around at the Christmas insanity “—decorate.”

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire … or sometimes demon … I lean more towards funny than angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at home or at work. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog’s cuteness is legendary, and we share the homestead with three ferrets. Who steal things. Because they’re brats.

For sneak peeks and previews and other assorted freebies, go HERE to sign up for my mailing list.

Come find me. We’ll have fun!

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Blog: www.liv-rancourt.blogspot.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/liv.rancourt

Twitter www.twitter.com/LivRancourt

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A Stella Review: Boys Who Go Bump in the Night (Mad About the Brit Boys #2) by J.L. Merrow and Josephine Myles

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Boys Who Go Bump In the NightWhen boy meets (supernatural) boy.

Buckle up as two queens of British gay romance take you on a whistlestop tour of all things paranormal. Vampires, genies, ghosts, magicians and shifters all get their chance for a bit of boy on boy action, in five erotic stories that span the range from the humorous to the sublime.

Will you seek to make your fortune with magic and ritual, or pin your hopes on a genie’s power to grant wishes? Discover a shifty young man on a Scottish shoreline, meet a hapless garlic farmer who’s been turned into one of the undead–and if you dare to venture into the cellar, gird your loins for a horny ghost!

These stories have all been previously published, but are now available exclusively in this anthology.

I go into fan mode each time I see something new by JL Merrow, it’s not a news I’m her biggest supporter. So I couldn’t pass this  anthology by JL Merrow and Josephine Myles.  Plus, I haven’t read anything by Josephine so I was curious.

If you want to give a chance to Boys Who Go Bump in the Night you got a nice anthology made of really short stories, all of them interesting and well done. And well written too.  I can’t say a lot about them because they are all so short I don’t want to spoil them for you.

One of the shorter ones is Something Queer by Josephine Myles (3 stars), where Pete, the new barman, meets “something queer” down in the wine cellar. The sexual encounter with a ghost hungry for seed is surreal but so hot. I’m pretty sure Pete wasn’t scared at all.

The funniest one is Leeches and Layabouts by JL Merrow (4 stars), in perfect JL style, the hilarious story of the new vampire Crispin, a garlic grower, one of the best in the South of England. But garlic isn’t a friend of the undead so he absolutely need an assistant. He just need to convince Art and his unbelievable stubbornness in not wanting a job.

Sacrifice by JL Merrow (3 stars) left me a little staggering, the plot was unusual and smart but I think I missed something and I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the mystery aspect and the unexpected ending.

The last two stories are my favorites, for different reasons.

Et in Orcadia by JL Merrow (4 stars) is the story of David who has just lost his lover Kyle and the young Runi. It’s about magic and myth, about loss. I shed some tears cause it was a sad reading but it left me craving for so much more of the main characters together. And the writing was superb and evocative.

One Last Wish by Josephine Myles (4 stars) is the lighter and easier short. A genie and a generous young man meet in a cute and sweet story. It was fresh and it left me with a smile on my face. I need a sequel now!

The COVER ART by Lou Harper is good but not my preferred one. And I’m confused about the wings I’m seeing behind the man on the lower part of the cover. An angel maybe? But there are no angels as characters.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 85 pages
Published November 12th 2015 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (first published November 10th 2015)
original titleBoys Who Go Bump in the Night
ASINB017V0VNWU
edition languageEnglish
series Mad About the Brit Boys

Mad About the Brit Boys series is A series of MM and MMF erotic romance anthologies from JL Merrow and Josephine Myles

Mad About the Boys #1

Boys who Go Bump in the Night #2

A Paul B Review: Branding An Icy Heart (Wolves of Stone Ridge #32) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Branding An Icy HeartWhen a self described homophobic asshole vampire meets his beloved, a man who is still recovering from a gay bashing a couple of years ago, can the men work through their pasts to get to their happily ever after?

Aleksei Kuznetsov decided to stay in Europe instead of following his family’s coven when they moved to America.  It was bad enough when his brother Tullion found his beloved in a male.  But his older brother and coven leader Borscht then found his beloved in the form of a male fruit bat shifter.  Missing his family/coven, he decides that a trip stateside was in order.  Having come so far, Aleksei begins to leave the bar to see his family when a man using a cane enters the bar.  He is alarmed when he recognizes that this man might actually be his beloved.

Remy Smithson is out with his friends.  After attending the trial that put the man who beat him to within an inch of his death, they decide to commemorate the guilty verdict.  However, his leg that was severely smashed in the incident is acting up on him.  So, he decides to get away from the dance floor and go to a local pub.  A strange man with a foreign accent chats him up while he is sitting at the bar.  Remy explains that he is in pain due to a gay bashing incident a couple of years back and that he and is friends were out celebrating the end of the basher’s trail and guilty verdict.  When this handsome stranger finds this out, it appears that the stranger cannot leave fast enough.  When Remy relays what has happened at the bar, they suggest that they could set him up with one of Tullion’s single brothers.   So they arrange a party to do just that.

At the party, Remy is introduced to Vadim, one of the Kuznetsov brothers.  They seem to be hitting it off when Aleksei comes over and informs them that he believes that Remy is his beloved.  Remy does not know how to react finding out that he is the fated mate of a man who has shown homophobic tendencies in the short time he has know Aleksei. Aleksei must wrap his head around that just like Borscht and Tullion, his mate is male.  To complicate matters further, Remy has been receiving harassing letters saying that next time he will die.  Can both men move beyond their pasts to prevent Remy from being hurt again?

In this thirty-second book in the Wolves of Stone Ridge series, Ms. Richards brings some history in the series back to the present.  The bashing that is referenced in this book actually occurred twenty books ago in this series.  I have always enjoyed the author’s ability to bring in new characters to this series and tie then to others that have been mention maybe two or three years previously.  It is another enjoyable story in the series.

The cover art by Angel Waters depicts our vampire Aleksei standing in front of a forest filled with fall foliage.  It is a good solid cover for an autumn book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books  |Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details

EBook 108 pages

Published November 15, 2015 by eXtasy Books

ISBN:  978-1-4874-0552-6

Edition Language:  English

Series:  Wolves of Stone Ridge

https://www.goodreads.com/series/63445-wolves-of-stone-ridge

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Winter Oranges coverJason Walker, former child star and now B-movie regular is sick and tired of Hollywood and the paparazzi cameras that seem to be present wherever he goes, so he buys a ranch in Idaho in the hopes of finding peace and serenity. That may have worked, except for the ghost haunting his guest house who can’t be seen by anyone but Jason.

He nearly passes out when he discovers that the young man, dressed in 19th century clothing, is actually trapped in a snow globe. It seems that the only person who has seen him in over 150 years is Jason, and they eventually discover that it’s likely that Jason is a descendent, and decide that’s the only possible reason for it. Benjamin Ward would have been nearly twenty-one when his sister put a spell on him and trapped him in the globe. She was trying to keep him from enlisting in the Confederate Army when the Civil War began, but before she could let him out, the globe was stolen, and he’s been trapped ever since.

He’s sweet and funny and loves discussing just about everything. He’s been manifesting outside the globe for years, usually in an empty room because he’s confined to the room where the globe is located, but occasionally he’s in a room where someone is watching TV, so he’s hooked on sitcoms, especially those from the eighties when he spent a lot of time living with an elderly woman who loved to watch TV. When Jason accidentally winds the globe in Ben’s presence, they discover that he can also be heard by Jason. He keeps Jason company, helping him work through the issues of feeling lonely and abandoned by his family and the best friend he loves but can’t have. Dylan has been Jason’s best friend and on-again-off-again lover for years, but he’s not interested in commitment, and it breaks Jason’s heart to see him with other men and women when he longs to be the man’s only companion. But he slowly discovers that by spending all his time with Ben, he’s formed a stronger bond with him, and it soon occurs to him that he’s falling in love with the young man.

When they discover a way for Jason to enter the globe and be with Ben sexually, it’s not a simple solution because on his return to the real world, Jason suffers traumatic headaches and severe nausea and vomiting, which when witnessed by the local police chief, lands him in the hospital. Ben is frantic, not knowing where Jason has been taken and even if he’s alive, so when he returns, they decide to stop trying to find a way to be together in the globe. In the meantime, Dylan has also discovered that Jason seems to be talking to himself a lot and that he’s extremely possessive of the snow globe. Fearing his friend is losing his mind, he takes steps to separate Jason from the globe.

There’s so much drama in this story that I wanted to read it with one eye closed. As it was, I had to put it down and walk away a few times because my nerves were shot. I was very afraid for both Jason and Ben, both individually and as a couple. Jason appeared to be losing his grip on sanity, and I thought he was going to be taken from Ben, but the culminating action of the story was even more dramatic and traumatic than I envisioned, and I thought I was going to scream before the finale. I can’t begin to describe the tension I felt and the fear I had for both men, and I honestly could not figure out how the author could possibly resolve this drama. But resolve it she did, and in a most spectacular and satisfying way.

I actually had to wait a few days before writing this review because I was concerned that the stress I felt while reading was going to negatively influence my rating of the story. Now that I’ve had time to breathe and relax, I can only sit back and admire the mind of an author who can be so ingeniously creative. This was a wonderful love story and a unique one at that. If you like paranormal or even just a creative twist to your MM romances, you should love this one. Don’t hesitate to buy it.

~~~~~

Cover Art by LC Chase depicts a winter scene with a young man inside a snow globe. It’s beautifully done and very attention-getting, though it doesn’t quite represent the snow globe described in the story that contained only a log cabin in the woods.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 325 pages
Published November 28th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
original titleWinter Oranges
ISBN 162649357X (ISBN13: 9781626493575)
edition languageEnglish

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website: http://www.glbthotline.org/

A Very Special Charity Spotlight: A Intimate Look at Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton (guest post and giveaway)

Winter Oranges cover

Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist:  L.C. Chase

This title is part of the Love for the Holidays: A Charity Bundle Benefiting
the GLBT National Help Center collection. 
You can purchase it and learn more about the charity bundle here.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is so happy to have  Marie Sexton here today to talk about the inspiration behind her Christmas novel, Winter Oranges.  Marie is sharing some of her photos from her Pinterest board and thoughts behind her characters.  Winter Oranges is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Novels.

Hello, everybody! This is Marie Sexton, and I’m thrilled to be here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words today talking about my Christmas novel, Winter Oranges. I thought I’d share some photos that helped inspire the novel.

First things first: I started with the house. I originally planned to set the book in rural West Virginia, so I started out researching older homes. Later, I decided to move the story to Idaho, and I ended up making the house a “revival” built in the 1980s, which meant there was no “servant’s room” on the ground floor. I rearranged the entire dining room/kitchen setup, and added a Winter Oranges House Planspantry/mudroom. The other problem was, I kept picturing the garage on the left side of the property (the left when facing the house, that is). I tried over and over to flip that image in my mind, but it didn’t work. And why would the garage be on the family room side of the property rather than the mudroom side? It didn’t make sense. So I flipped the entire bottom floor. But for the most part, this is Jason’s house. (I’m sure he paid more than $1548 for it, though!)

The next step was the snow globe. Yes, I could have just made it up, but I wanted a photo. It needed to look old-fashioned and have a cottage. So I settled on this one:Winter Oranges_Snow Globe

Now, for the characters.

Winter Oranges_Tom HughesIn my brain, Ben looks like Tom Hughes, minus the bad boy attitude.

Ben’s clothes were based largely on this picture:Winter Oranges_civil war men

And Jason… well, I wasn’t entirely sure what Jason looked like. I was pretty sure he was blond, and I knew he was in his late 20s. That was good enough, until I got to a line where somebody says to him, “You look familiar.” Jason hates his semi-celebrity status, so rather than telling her who he really is, he says, “Some people say I look like [some other celebrity].” The problem was, who did he look like? I spent a stupid amount of time googling actors, but I finally decided on William Moseley.Winter Oranges_William Mosely

That’s it for my primary sources of inspiration, but for more pictures, check out my  Winter Oranges Pinterest Board. Have an image you’d like to add? Leave your Pinterest user name in the comments, and I’ll send you an invitation to add to the board.

And be sure to check out Winter Oranges! 20% of the proceeds go to the GLBT National Help Center.

About the Book

Jason Walker is a child star turned teen heartthrob turned reluctant B-movie regular who’s sick of his failing career. So he gives up Hollywood for northern Idaho, far away from the press, the drama of LA, and the best friend he’s secretly been in love with for years.

There’s only one problem with his new life: a strange young man only he can see is haunting his guesthouse. Except Benjamin Ward isn’t a ghost. He’s a man caught out of time, trapped since the Civil War in a magical prison where he can only watch the lives of those around him. He’s also sweet, funny, and cute as hell, with an affinity for cheesy ’80s TV shows. And he’s thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.

But Jason quickly discovers that spending all his time with a man nobody else can see or hear isn’t without its problems—especially when the tabloids find him again and make him front-page news. The local sheriff thinks he’s on drugs, and his best friend thinks he’s crazy. But Jason knows he hasn’t lost his mind. Too bad he can’t say the same thing about his heart.

Winter Oranges is one of Riptide’s 2015 charity titles.

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website:  “http://www.glbthotline.org/“

HYPERLINK “http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/winter-oranges“http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/winter-oranges

About the Author

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Connect with Marie:

WinterOranges_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Winter Oranges, Marie Sexton is giving away two titles from her backlist and a $50 Amazon gift card! Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 5, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway! Don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Happy Reading and Good luck!

Paranormal Shifter Dentists are Back in Jackie Nacht: ‘Hot on a Chipmunk’s Tail’ (excerpt and giveaway)

WhitePineChipmunkInvasion_432

 

 Hot On A Chipmunk’s Tail
(Paranormal Dentistry For The Fanged and Friendly #5) by Jackie Nacht
 Release Date: November 20, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: MLR Press
Cover Artist: Winterheart Designs

Banner300x250

Blurb

This mountain lion is out to chase his skittish chipmunk down.

Jason has always lived under the protection of his twenty brothers and sisters. Even though he cares for his neighbor, Will, when a chance to leave the home he’s lived in forever, Jason takes the chance and runs to White Pine. Unfortunately, some of his brothers are coming along for the ride.

Will can’t believe his shy chipmunk just up and moved. Through the meddling of Jason’s sisters and a best friend who lives in White Pine, Will chases Jason to White Pine. Will they be able find the connection in White Pine where they couldn’t at home?

Pages or Words: 13,000
 Categories: Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

Excerpt

Chapter One

This absolutely, positively sucks, Jason thought as he stood in front of Livingston’s tiny rental with his three brothers. The snow was coming down heavy and he tucked his chin into his jacket to keep his face from freezing. If he didn’t have to meet this Livingston person for the first time, he would have shifted and saved himself the pain. Someone had to be civil for this introduction; it sure as hell wasn’t going to be his brothers.

A few minutes later, Jason saw a man running the last few yards before he got to the snow-covered sidewalk near them on the porch. The guy wasn’t paying attention in the least because he almost ran face-first into Nikko. Damn, this guy was going to have to grow a better set of eyes if he was willing to open his home to his brothers.

“Shit, Nikko, sorry about that.” Livingston stared down at his friend, then over at the chipmunks sitting on each of Nikko’s shoulders. Jason cringed, anticipating some antic from his brothers. They were… well, they were… hell, he just hoped White Pine didn’t have a prison or Winslow and Sparks would have a frequent flyer card there.

“Where are you running to so fast?” Nikko chuckled…and why was he acting so damn nervous? Did Nikko not tell his friend who he was saddling him with? Jason’s eyes widened. The hell he didn’t. This was an epic party foul in the making.

“Just… cold. Who are these guys?” Livingston leaned toward one of the chipmunks, reaching for one with his index finger when the little sucker hissed and spread out his tiny arms at him. Jason smacked his forehead. Oh hell… here it comes.

“What the…?” Livingston shouted, jumping back, nearly falling on his ass. “He almost bit my damn finger off!”

The chipmunk started making little squeaking noises before it fell off and shifted in midair. Sparks lay naked on the ground before Livingston, laughing his ass off, holding his stomach.

“Oh shit! It’s cold. Did you see him? Scared the fuck out of him.” Sparks cackled like a deranged man. Jason shook his head. There was no way this was going to work.

Nikko pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re naked in the snow. Nice first impression, Sparks.”

Sparks didn’t give a damn. Everyone knew that as he continued to chuckle, then stood up before sauntering up the steps. “Damn, I love me some nuts, but mine are moving up into my body. It’s freezing here.”

The other chipmunk, Winslow, squeaked on Nikko’s shoulder, and Jason could tell his damn brother was laughing.

Nikko snorted.

Not you too, Nikko. It’s all fun and games, Nikko, until we live with you in that tiny fucking den of yours. Dallas will kill the lot of us!

“I’m… Jason,” Jason said quietly. There was no need to add to the bizarreness of the situation. Best to be like always, go unnoticed.

However, someone had noticed him once. And he’d run. Fucking ran, terrified, and now his chance at being with that special person was lost. Jason glanced down at his boots as he toed the cold snow. He wasn’t used to seeing so much of the stuff and wondered if he made the right decision. After Christmas, he’d had a chance to move up there with his brothers. Jason had been confused about Will and confessed it all to Nikko. Nikko’s suggestion rang clear in his head, Take a break and see other places. If you miss him, you can move back home. You need to figure it out and make a decision. We all know that Will has feelings for you, but do you have feelings for him?

God, he did, but saying that to Will, the mountain lion shifter, was a whole other story.

How could Jason tell his brother he missed Will before they even got on the plane to Michigan? It was just that Will… was so much. Every time the guy tried to talk to him, Jason clammed up, locked down, and then fucking ran, hauling ass for the family barn.

Fuck, he was confused, and he needed to figure everything out. He could go back. He could see Will again. Hell, he should be paying attention to see if his brothers were going to cause more shit.

Livingston jumped to and ran to open the door, only to stumble as the other chipmunk zipped past him. Jason ran up the steps and held out his arms as if he was going to catch the deer but was five feet behind Livingston. He ended up following Livingston in, trailed by Nikko. Livingston began removing his gloves, then dropped a backpack. Winslow shifted and, Jesus, stood face to face in front of everyone with his naked twin brother. Jason blinked, then blinked again before shuddering. This was disastrous.

Now, it was pretty typical to shift and be naked, but his brothers just stood there, no hiding, no shielding, and letting it all hang out so to speak. Right in front of Livingston! Someone they didn’t know!

Livingston murmured to Nikko, “I know I’m damn shy, but even now I’m trying everything I can not to look south and make sure they aren’t absolutely identical in all things.”

Jason’s jaw dropped. Oh hell… the deer was just as nuts!

“Winslow and Sparks, here are your clothes,” Nikko said as he pulled out two pairs of jeans from the backpack.

The twins dressed before walking, shirtless, into the living room.

No fucking way. His twin brothers walked right into Livingston’s living room and put their feet on his coffee table, grabbed a remote, and then turned on the television. Just like that, they made themselves quite comfortable.

“Nikko, can I talk to you in the kitchen?” Livingston’s eyes widened as he stared at Nikko and Jason.

Livingston grabbed Nikko by the arm and pulled him into the kitchen area, and Jason followed behind, leaning in the entryway door. Nikko had the audacity to look guilty. Nikko never felt guilt. He was an evil chipmunk that shared his plots with Livingston here and with Theresa when he was back home. Sure, Nikko, just let your buddy the deer here know he’s about to be a victim of one of your devilish plans.

Nikko leaned his ass against the island. “I need a favor from you. Well, Philip and I need a favor from you.”

“Does it…” Livingston paused as Winslow walked in and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out the milk carton, drank from it, and put it back in the refrigerator where he’d gotten it. Winslow left with a milk mustache on his face and a shit-eating grin. Winslow even winked at him as he left.

“What the hell was that?” Livingston pointed his finger past Jason. “I just bought that milk, dammit!”

“That’s Winslow, my brother. Ugh… he always does that. Look…” Nikko began. Jesus, Nikko was really struggling here. “Wow, this is harder than I thought.”

“What?” Livingston asked. Was Nikko finally going to come clean? Ha!

“I have this problem…” Nikko covered his mouth with his hand as he mumbled something.

“Buddy, look, I know you’re a hoarder and I still love you.” Livingston went over to hug his friend.

Nikko pushed him away. “I am not a hoarder. I store, dammit.”

Says every damn chipmunk in our hoarding family.

“Oh,” Livingston murmured. “Are you sure, because when we lived together, you had the left side of the cupboard stuffed top to bottom full of every kind of nut and peanut butter you could imagine. Hell, some even seemed to tip on my side, which continually got smaller and smaller the longer we lived together.” Livingston held up his hands in defense as Nikko growled. “Not that I minded.”

Jason mumbled, “He minded. Give the man his space. Walk away, Nikko. Walk away.”

“Jason,” Nikko chided. “He’s a true friend and well… you know I’m moving in with Dallas.” Nikko rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah,” Livingston frowned.

“I think I found someone to cover my side of the rent. Well… if they can find jobs.” Nikko chuckled nervously.

Anyone would be out of their fucking minds to hire them.

“Wait.” Livingston’s eyes bulged as he pointed to the living room, “Them? As in all of them? No way.”

“No… uh… just the twins.” Nikko shoved his finger through his unruly hair. Unfortunately, Nikko had nothing on him when it came to crazy looking hair; he lived with hair that looked like he stuck his finger in a light socket.

Sparks walked in at that very moment and opened a cupboard. He spotted a jar of peanut butter, unscrewed it, then dipped his finger in. He brought the scoop to his mouth and sucked on it slowly while eyeing Livingston. Was he hitting on the guy? Was that supposed to be sexy? It wasn’t. Not. At. All.

Livingston opened a drawer near him and pulled out a spoon, then handed it to Sparks.

“What? You don’t like peanut butter?” Sparks winked.

“Sparks,” Jason groaned.

“I… eww.” Livingston eyed Sparks like he had lost his mind.

Jason was in some damn nightmare.

“What do you mean eww?” Sparks acted insulted. It would go a long way if he didn’t have a smudge of peanut butter on the corner of his mouth.

“I mean, your hands were just on the ground. Did you run here in shifter form? Did you wash your hands? You contaminated that whole jar.” Livingston waved his hand at the peanut butter.

“Oh that’s the chefy prep guy in you.” Sparks chuckled as he walked by and patted Livingston on the ass like he was some damn teammate instead of a stranger. Jason cringed as he noticed a smudge of peanut butter on Livingston’s jeans.

“Chefy guy? Is he for real?” Livingston asked Nikko.

“They take some getting used to, but you’ll never be bored,” Nikko chuckled.

“I can’t live with those guys,” Livingston hissed. “Why can’t I have him?” Livingston pointed to Jason.

Jason jumped and pointed to his chest. “Me?”

“Yeah, you… you seem… well, quiet.” Livingston waved at him.

Jason glanced over at Nikko as he began to tremble a little. Livingston seemed like a nice enough guy but being removed from all his family would be all kinds of hell for him.

“You can’t have Jason. He’s… well, he needs to be close to his family. Jason’s going to live with Gunner and Phillip.”

I believe the word you are looking for, dear brother, is introverted.

Nikko actually appeared a bit sheepish before continuing. “It won’t be that long, I promise. We just need a bit of time until something in town opens up.”

Livingston’s mouth dropped open. “That could be months. Why don’t they live with you and Dallas?”

“They can’t. You know why. It’s only one bedroom, we have no room. Look, I know you’re looking for a roommate and need the help with the other half of rent. They’re a bit crazy, but I promise you they are nice guys. You’ll fall in love with Winslow and Sparks.” Nikko approached him and hugged him. “Plus I don’t like you living here all alone.”

Livingston sighed. “I do hate living here alone. I’m talking to the walls, and it hasn’t even been that long. You know me. You think this will be good for me?”

“Just try it. If they become too much trouble for you, I’ll talk to Phillip and Gunner. I think in time they’ll settle and you three will get along. They’ve never been outside of Atlanta and well… well, never mind. They’ll be hellish,” Nikko murmured.

“You were trouble, and I liked living with you.” Livingston sighed as he hugged Nikko.

Jason watched. It was clear that Livingston and Nikko were best friends, that his brother had developed a lasting friendship in this town. He hadn’t seen any of his family interact with other shifters, outside their mates at Christmas. Is this what it was going to be like living in White Pine? Jason’s body trembled. God, he wanted a friend, but the idea of approaching new people about made his heart jump out of his chest.

Nikko chuckled, breaking Jason’s thoughts. “Yep, and they’re me times two. You’ll be good for them too. Hey, look what came out of us living together.” Nikko winked at him.

“Okay, I’ll give them a try,” Livingston breathed out.

Livingston pulled back and smiled at Nikko just as the twins came scurrying by in chipmunk form. They ran around all their legs a couple of times. One took off while the other stopped, patted Livingston on the leg with his tiny paw, and zipped back out.

Jason laughed. “Nikko, you better make sure to start looking fast.”

It certainly was going to be interesting. Now Jason just had to figure out where he was going to fit in this town.

Buy the book: MLR | Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

WhitePineChipmunkInvasion_432

Meet the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter—yeah, right—Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

BFD Book Blog, Jessie G. Books, Divine Magazine, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter,

SiK Reviews, Havan Fellows, MM Good Book Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Velvet Panic, Open Skye Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

2-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Parker Williams

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A Paul B Review: Deep Dive (Tidal Crest #1) by Jeff Erno

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Deep Dive coverSam Lewis is a former Olympic diving champion who now works at Water World, an aquatic park similar to the real life Sea World.  He entertains the park visitors a couple of times a day doing dives that he would normally use as warm up from his competition past.  At the age of thirty-two, Sam knows his glory days as a competitive diver are long past but these shows give him some of his past glory.  His one wish is that now that he is no longer under judges’ scrutiny is to fins someone to share his life.  The one perk at working at the park is to see the other attractions.  He is particularly fascinated with the real life robotic merpeople, especially the merman.

Percy is a special effects designer at the same park that Sam works at.  One of the perks of his job is to watch his favorite Olympic diver perform at the park.  He is sitting at a bar when Sam approaches him.  Sam is surprised when Percy recognizes him, saying that he is a has been.  Percy states that is not the case at Water World where they both work.  When Percy reveals that he works with the animation of the mermaids, Sam comments how the merman looks exactly like Percy.  As things begin to heat up, Percy suddenly leaves.  Sam is left high and dry.

Sam begins to wonder what is wrong.  Is there something about himself that drives Percy off?  Or is there something wrong with Percy himself?  And what about this man Todd who seems to be a threat to the growing relationship of Percy and Sam?

I usually enjoy most things that Jeff Erno writes and this is not an exception.  This is the author’s first foray into the world of shape shifters and it appears that he is off to a good start.  The author does a good job at describing the pressures both of the main characters have faced in finding someone to have a relationship with.  He does not follow the fated mate route that is often used in these types of books in the normal sense, which is refreshing to see.    The main reason that I did not rate the book higher is that the ending seemed a bit rushed and the meeting with Percy’s parents was rather anti-climatic.  However, the twist with Percy’s mother almost makes up for it.  I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series.

The cover art by Angela Waters shows a well-built man surrounded by water.  He is shown in his merman form on the cover.  It is a well-executed cover for the story.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

ebook, 114 pages
Published November 15th 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487405823
edition languageEnglish
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A MelanieM Review: Travels Through the Scarlet Equinox (Mischief Corner Anthologies #6) by Toni Griffin , J. Scott Coatsworth , Angel Martinez , Freddy MacKay

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Travels Through the Scarlet EquinoxThe Autumnal equinox—when the trees dress in their formal scarlet and gold and the crisp air whispers of chance and change, when bright days turn into sudden storms and the veil between reality and imagination thins. Join the Mischief Corner authors as they share stories evoking this often unpredictable time of year.

I’m really hooked on these seasonal anthologies that Mischief Corner Books is rolling out each year.  The stories they contain spark the imagination, pull up memories of old mythologies forgotten, and just plain entertain.  And sometimes they bring that twinge of something more, something a little painful, joyful and unexpected.  That was certainly Travels Through The Scarlet Equinox, a more surprising mixup of stories that, upon reflection, works together for four tales of change.  Ah, the Autumnal equinox…

A Bear’s Bear by Toni Griffin   Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Matthew Warner’s been a Chicago Bears fan as far back as he can remember. What other team was a young bear shifter from the Smokey Mountains supposed to root for? When his college friend gets tickets to the next home game, Matthew jumps at the chance for a holiday. It’s his favorite time of year and Nic promises him pumpkin carving and a visit to the world’s largest corn maze, what more could he want?

What Matthew doesn’t expect is finding out the defensive tackle for the Bears is his mate. Between fainting at the realization, meeting family, and dealing with the media fallout of his mate’s coming out Matthew is in for a hell of a rocky Halloween.

Toni Griffin’s bear shifters have really won me over.  I can’t believe I’m saying this but this story is the “most normal” of the group.  A young, shy bear shifter travels to see friends in Chicago and carry out a service for his Alpha at the same time.  When those two elements combine into a meeting with his Alpha’s best friend in Chicago, the unexpected happens and not just for Matthew.  I loved the author’s descriptions of Matthew and Hudson, they definitely exhibit bear-like tendencies, the emotions flowing between them feel real and the story exudes a lot of heart and warmth.

The Autumn Lands by J. Scott Coatsworth.  Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Jerrith is running. Kissed by an elf, he can’t remain in his hometown of Althos anymore. Not that he wanted to stay.

Caspian still hasn’t figured out why he kissed Jerrith, but he’s running too. Since he was exiled from the Autumn Lands, his past has been hazy, and his future uncertain. But when a stray memory brings things into focus, the two decide to run toward something together. What they uncover will change how they see the world, and themselves, forever.

I loved this story.  I felt Coatsworth’s world building was amazing as was his characterization.  It was so close to perfect, hurt only by the short length.  It cried out for a longer novel so certain elements, which needed to be expanded, could be more fully told.  The author’s use of certain standard elements pertaining to physiology in a non conventional way was unexpected and quite wonderful (no spoilers here, sorry).

And then there is the romance between Cas and Jerrith which is touching and so sweet.  Almost a Romeo and Juliet or Jules if you prefer.  I thought the ending was in keeping with the mythology the author had established and worked so well within the framework of the story.  However, I can hear some of you now.  You won’t be pleased.  Sigh.

Beside a Black Tarn by Angel Martinez   Rating: 5 stars out of 5

When Shax stumbles across rumors of an experimental house that responds to the occupant’s brain functions, creating scenarios to please and delight, naturally he wants to steal it. But with the return of a troubled and hunted Julian Parallax and an overabundance of Poe references, even Shax’s scheming may not be enough to get the Brimstone crew out alive this time.

Of course, Angel Martinez had me at Shax.  But then she brought back Julian Parallax and my happiness was complete.

Once again the crew of the Brimstone is off on a misadventure but this time the stakes are unexpectedly high…their lives and sanity.  Angel Martinez has always managed to find a way to combine humor and horror in her tales and here she has done it once more.

I loved Julian Parallax from the earlier story Potato Surprise and was thrilled to see him return. But of course trouble was not far behind, troubles of the demon prince scale, troubles of the sort that brought horrors that gave have me the shudders and shivers. To counter that Angel Martinez also gives us elements of humor and romance.  The author introduced a new crew member, Maximillian, the marvelous pink, opera singing millipede. And two crew members finally get their chance at love.

In between, things get blown up, there are imps getting ballet lessons, things go splat and there are Ron Perlman references.  Be still my heart!

I loved this story, especially the promise it hung out there of Julian and Shax and the crew working together sometime in the future.  What a tale that will be.

Eternity in the Tides by Freddy MacKay  Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Autumn has always been Zak’s favorite season for hiking and camping. Not to mention breathing in all that crisp fall air and sitting around toasty bonfires. That all changed year and a half ago when a rich prick high on prescription pills sideswiped Zak while he was out biking.

Now his days are filled with pain and limited mobility. No more camping. No more trails. Zak’s life as he knew it is gone forever.

Back at his beloved stomping grounds, Zak is ready to say hello and goodbye one last time. But when a cry from the frigid Lake Superior waters throws him into the role of a rescuer, more than just his life hangs in the balance. Little did Zak know how much one person giving a damn mattered to him.

It’s stories like these that make me want to kick myself.  It happened in the Chestnuts Roasting Anthology and now here again in Travels Through the Scarlet Equinox.  It seems to take an anthology for me to find Freddy MacKay all over again.  This time I’m making a ginormous post it note and sticking it on the monitor because this story exemplifies why she should never be forgotten.

The beginning of this tale is so haunting, so realistically painful I stayed up reliving it after the story was through, that and many other scenes throughout this moving story.  You flow into Zak’s life at what is possibly the lowest point of his life, where all the pain, frustration and rage has combined to let Zak decide to commit suicide by drowning himself.  Every dreadful moment of his decision, each pain-filled movement he makes in the boat, every memory from the day forward when his body was demolished, the author makes Zak real and his predicament immediate and heartbreaking.

Then in his boat, he hears a nearby splash and cries.  Then realizes someone is drowning.  And makes a decision that changes the course of his life forever when he cuts a man free of fish nets, saving him from drowning and putting off his own suicide.

We forget that most of the old fairytales were equal parts horror stories but not Freddy MacKay.  The author remembers that there is always a price to pay, that what one person may think is marvelous, another will covet, what one will want, another will reject or destroy. Eternity in the Tides pulls in Chinese mermaid mythology, old lore specifically (including some horrific elements), and mixes it with modern science of genetics and combines it all with a touching romance that teaches about hope and new possibilities, just not in the way you might think.

There is so much beauty here, beauty and blood.  Love and hate.  Forever happiness…just not what you might predict.  The ending and the epilogue will surprise you.  I did find myself sobbing more than once.  It was the perfect way to end this anthology.  And I promise myself, it won’t take another anthology to find Freddy MacKay again.

I highly recommend this collection of stories.  If you are expecting four stories of exactly the same thing, this is not the collection for you.  But if you love exploring, have a bit of the heart of a adventure lover in you, seek this one out, it won’t disappoint.  Startle you, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you start reading them all over again, certainly.  But never disappoint.

Cover art by Freddy MacKay is sort of perfect for this collection.

Sales Links: Mischief Corner Books | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, First, 485 pages
Published November 18th 2015 by Mischief Corner Books, LLC
original titleTravels Through the Scarlet Equinox
edition languageEnglish
url
seriesMischief Corner Anthologies #6