Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

Review: Hero by Heidi Cullinan

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Hero coverHal Porter left his family and home believing that his large Catholic family would never accept his homosexuality.  In fact, Hal is not even sure he accepts it.  But he thought that a new city, new apartment and job would bring a new perspective.  Instead it brought more questions, long hours as a construction worker and loneliness.

Strange things are happening at the construction site Hal is working on.  There’s a huge empty lot in the middle of the job that all avoid.  A lot on which a strange bar appears and disappears at will.  And at times Hal swears he sees a crystal tower and a balcony on which stands the most beautiful man Hal has ever scene.  Something about that lonely figure calls to Hal like nothing ever has in his life.

When a strange fox like woman approaches Hal from the bar, she has a quest for Hal.  A long enchanted shape shifter needs saving, needs a hero…and Hal is that person chosen to save him.  But can Hal be the hero when all his life he has been told he is nothing special?  And when love approaches in the form of the shape shifter, will Hal be able to accept his homosexuality in time to save them both?

Hero is large in heart while short in length.   I loved so much about this story that I wished it was as large in length as it was in emotions and depth of storyline.  Heidi Cullinan took this “prince in a tower needing to be saved” story and gave it quite a few marvelous and fresh twerks, not the least of which is a prince instead of a princess who needs a hero.

Some of the wonderful surprises Heidi has in store for the reader are things that should be left as elements to wonder at when you come upon them in the course of the tale.  But others, like choosing the kitsune as the shape shifters and Japanese lore as a foundation for those magical beings are both charming and new.  I wish Cullinan had gone a little more in depth into the kitsune legends but what is here is marvelous and intriguing.

And then there is the bar/tower.  Such an amazing idea and construct.  This aspect of Hero almost made the entire story for me.  But the figure of Hal Porter must always remain at the top.  He is such a lovely, gentle man.  A Catholic who is wrestiling with the church’s idea of homosexuality versus his love of men, Hal is a man divided between the mother and family he loves and being true to himself.  Cullinan brings Hal and his internal monologues into sharp focus.  We love Hal for the decent, caring person he is and understand the insecurities and lack of self esteem his upbringing has caused.  Hal Porter is a wonderful character and we are happy to follow in his footsteps towards acceptance, bravery and love.

This book has not yet been released yet  (August 13) by Wilde City Press but when it is, grab it up and start reading.  I think you will be as charmed as I was by Hal Porter, the kitsune prince and the quest for love no matter where you find it.

Cover art by Wilde City Press.  That is an unbelievable cover.  One of the Best of 2014 for me.  And it works perfectly for the story in every way!

Buy Links:         Wilde City Press                  All Romance eBook (ARe)                        Amazon  – links to come

Book Details:

Sequel to MILES AND THE MAGIC FLUTE

Length: 60,000 words
Link: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-mainstream/hero/#.U9Mhys3OjFM
Release Date: August 13

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published May 27th 2014 by Wilde City Press (first published December 4th 2009)
original titleHero
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.com/books/hero

Review: Looking After Joey by David Pratt

Rating: 4,25 stars out of 5

Looking After Joey coverAccountant Calvin’s life is one that is littered with regrets and paths not taken.  His last boyfriend, Rafe, left him with the impression that he, Calvin, had failed Rafe utterly even as Rafe said” oh, its not you, its me”.  No, Calvin knew it was him. Currently Calvin has three important things in his life.  His exuberant best friend Peachy, his accountant job (ok only because of the income) and his love of hot gay porn, specifically the beautiful and sexy porn actor Joey Rhodes.

If Calvin is not at work or with Peachy, he can be found in front of his television engrossed in the latest porn movie featuring his beloved Joey.  Then one day Calvin’s life takes a bizarre and unexpected turn.  Calvin’s dream man Joey appears in the flesh, beautiful, gorgeous flesh, right in Calvin’s living room.  It seems that his latest video,a Joey Rhodes-Roddd Packer DVD called “Open the Door and Let Me In”, is something much more than it seems.

But what is Calvin to do with Joey?  Joey is a total innocent, he knows nothing about real life and Calvin doesn’t know how to return him to his.   Soon Calvin and Peachy find themselves looking after Joey, their “nephew”.  But Peaches has other ideas in mind…ones that include an upscale party in the Hamptons, a trip to Fire Island, and a gallery of rogues and misfits the like of which the island of Manhattan will never see again.   What happens when your fondest wishes come true and your life changes forever , just not in the way you expected? Calvin is about to find out.

 

Looking After Joey by David Pratt was one of the nicest surprises I’ve had all month.  From the book blurb to the story cover, I thought I was getting a fun, kind of raunchy and wild little tale.  I mean, just look at that premise!  A man’s favorite porn star steps out of the video and into his life, perfect for comedy and tons of hot sex, right?  Not exactly.  Because David Pratt takes that humerous theme, gives your the anticipated porn sex scenes and superficial comedy one expects and then deepens it all into a story of personal growth, faith, and love of all types. That’s the part I never saw coming and that’s the elements that made me love this book.

Calvin is leading an empty life and he know’s it. He has been using porn, particularly the videos featuring young, adorable Joey Rhodes, to fill up the emotional void inside.  And that use of porn has lost him his last boyfriend, who figured he could never “measure up” to the hunks Calvin is becoming emotionally invested in on the screen.  Even his few attempts to meet someone new lately have failed, know matter how hard Peachy tries to get Calvin to open up to new possibilities.  Calvin is even coasting along at his job.  He is good at it but nothing more.  David Pratt quickly delivers a portrait of a  man reducing his life down to a tv screen and a best friend and shows how hollow and desperate that feels.

Then in one miraculous night, everything changes.  And Calvin gets to meet Joey in his own “porn world” when he wakes up first inside the Joey Rhodes-Roddd Packer DVD called Open the Door and Let Me In.  Trust me, this is not only the only shocker here.  Being inside a porn world is both incredibly funny and terribly sad as Calvin finds out.  Between hot hookups from men “who aren’t gay their girlfriends are just away for the weekend” and endless pizza from hot pizza delivery boys, Calvin looks for Joey and then finds him.  Pratt must have had such a great time creating this timeless porn universe.  All the typical features of a porn film have been included.  The locations and sets where it is always sunny and never rains, where the delivery boys are always hot and ready to go, and the gym is full of available men no matter what time of the day.  But while Pratt is having fun, he is also showing how mind numbing and empty that world can be if that is all you have.

Then the situation is flipped and Joey ends up in Calvin’s world and things become heartbreakingly real and painful for all.  Yes, there is still plenty of comedy but it’s like a sexy Velveteen Rabbit who comes alive or a Pinnochio who becomes a real boy. The pathos is tangible.  Both of them to be real but unlike them, Joey has not idea of what a “real life” entails.  His fear and pain are palpable when reality sets in and the reader feels as hopeless as Calvin does about the situation.  Trust me, Joey sobbing away as reality sets in is going to break your heart.

Pratt delivers two very different type of characterizations here.  One is the layered, believably human characters like Joey, Calvin, Doug, and yes, even Peachy.  This list will grow to include a character called Jeffrey, but I will leave him as a surprise.  You absolutely believe in Joey’s vulnerability and innocence even when he is asking for sex.  Watching him mature is almost as edifying as watching Calvin do the same. You see, in so many ways both Calvin and Joey must trod the same path, but in totally different roles.  And we will be lucky enough to go along for what turns out to be both an educational and deeply emotional journey to adulthood and wisdom.  It will include discussions of faith and personal assumptions. That surprised me too.

The other type of characters found within Looking After Joey run along the line of your staple cartoon or stock characters.  Light on the nuances and heavy on the stereotypes and caricatures.  Those characters would include eternally sweaty publicist Bunce van den Troell; “theatrical investor Sir Desmond Norma; studly thespian Clive Tidwell-Smidgin; and evil lubricant king Fred Pflester “.  Oddly enough, it didn’t bother me that Pratt had both types of characters relating to each other.  Some situations almost called for it as they were as funny and contrived as the characters involved.  Other times, the scenes were gritty, painful and all too human.  And the balancing act needed to maintain both elements is a tricky one that Pratt was not always successful at.

Ultimately this story belongs to Calvin and Joey.  That’s the heart and soul here and that’s the reason to love this book.  There is plenty of romance to be found and most of the characters, the ones you are rooting for, get their HEA or the promise of one.   One surprise awaiting you is that the romances won’t be between the characters you anticipate.  That turns out to be not only an unexpected element but one of this story’s happy ones too.  It works out just the way it should or you hoped it would.

I see what David Pratt’s bio that he is the author of a book called Bob the Book.  If that is half as entertaining and emotionally rewarding as Looking After Joey, well, I can’t wait to find out and report back to you all.   I am putting this book on ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords’ list of book that are Must Rec’d Reads.  It will surprise and delight you as it did me.   Pick it up and start reading today.

Cover art by Wilde City Press.  It’s adorable and on the mark as is the character standing in for Joey.

 Book Details:

ebook, 255 pages
Published April 2nd 2014 by Wilde City Press
ISBN139781925031935
edition languageEnglish

Buy Links:    Wilde City Press        Amazon        ARe

Review: Haunted Halls by M. Raiya

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Haunted Halls coverEvan is away from home for the first time in his life as a freshman at Rove University.  He  should be excited about being independent and the prospect of meeting new people and making friends.  But  Evan is miserable.  Homesick and feeling more alone than he’s ever been, the only reason Evan is at Rove instead of a commuter college is due to his parents insistence.  Evan is trying but nothing is working.

Then Evan notices a young man sitting high above the courtyard where he is eating.  Long dark hair and lean, the student seems without fear as he leans far out over the ledge.  But at next glance the student is gone and Evan is left to wonder at exactly what he saw.  Then he spots him again when Evan walks down to the pond near the university.  The young man, Gabriel, warns Evan not to fall asleep on the rock,otherwise he might drown. Then with a smile, he vanishes once more.

Who Gabriel is Evan isn’t sure, he only knows that when he is at his most miserable and defeated, Gabriel  appears to talk and make him feel better at being away from home.  His classmates and some teachers say the university is haunted and that the ghost roams the campus at night, playing pranks and sometimes helping those in need.

Evan doesn’t believe in ghosts.  Maybe he should.

Haunted Halls by M Raiya is a sweet, unusual paranormal romance whose characters, especially that of Evan, are the real draw here.  Evan is that true homebody.  He adores his parents and the only place he wants to be is back home in his small town in Vermont.  But his parents worry about Evan limiting himself at this age so they send him off to Rove University hoping that this unwanted separation and independence will be good for him.  They extracted a promise that he will stay there a year.  If he toughs it out and still wants to come home after that then they will let him.  Such a normal situation and the parental concern is so very realistic.  I am a fan of this author and this set up is exactly the reason why.  A typical introverted teenager who is always on the outskirts of high school social circles and with very different interests from the popular kids is leery of the unknown that is Rove University. This starting point is one that almost everyone can relate to.  And then Even arrives at Rove and everything changes.

It’s hard to go into too much detail because of the chance of revealing story spoilers, but to say the least this is not exactly the ghost story  that you are expecting.  M Raiya has a few twists in store for the reader.  Just when you have anticipated the reveal, Raiya shows she have something very different in mind.  And that’s both the best and most frustrating aspect of this story.

Haunted Halls takes its name from the clever idea that a student marked through the words Hallowed on a plaque to change it to read Haunted Halls after the campus ghost that is said to haunt this university.  Raiya has two congruent plot threads going that will eventually converge as the story heads towards its dramatic resolution.  The first concerns Evan during the first weeks of his arrival at Rove.   Depressed and lonely, he is in a delicate mental and emotional place.  And that’s when he meets the mysterious Gabriel.  Each time Evan is at his lowest, the ever elusive Gabriel manages to appear, almost out of thin air, to bring Evan out of his dark place and make it better.  The second thread appears when Evan meets two students who are interested in the campus legends and together the three of them start to investigate in the ghostly appearances and past history of the university and town.  As the story draws down to a conclusion the closer the two threads become until they connect in one shattering moment.

I really loved this short story and only a couple of things kept it from being a perfect little gem.  The first is hard to explain but the reason behind Gabriel’s appearance and the ghostly rumors is one of the most interesting and least fleshed out elements of this story.  The fascinating idea behind it just begs for a deeper explanation for it as well as more plot time.  Raiya only gives out small bits of the past, the pivotal surprise at the heart of this story, and its nature.  So the idea is never framed out completely to the readers frustration, especially as it plays such an enormous role in its impact on all the major characters here.   One of the problems behind that lack of substance to this segment of the story is the word count.  The promise of this complicated story line would be hard to fulfill at a larger page count let alone 21,000 words.  And the fascinating concept here is such a great one that I wish Raiya had given it the spotlight in the story that it deserved.

But those issues aside, I throughly enjoyed Haunted Halls.  Growing up I grabbed up all the ghost stories I could find, and this short story brought back all those happy memories of romance, and ghosts and unlikely endings that would ever be my favorites.  It’s a quick, charming tale of love and the unexpected. Pick it up for a fun, fast read.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju who is quickly becoming one of my favorite new artists.  Great cover.  Its perfect for the story inside.

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: May 7th 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original titleHaunted Halls
ISBN139781620043554

Buy Link at LT3 Press
edition languageEnglish

March 2014 – Summary of Reviews and Best Covers

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books headers blk and white

March 2014 Review Summary

*Key:march1
S series
C contemporary
F-fantasy
SF-science fiction
PN-paranormal
SP-supernatural
H-historical
HR-horror
N-Nonfiction
YA-young adult

Rating Scale: 1 to 5, 5 stars is outstanding

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5 Star Rating:

Blown Away (Whispering Winds #1) by Havan Fellows (PF2014) C

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

Ball & Chain (Cut & Run #8) by Abigail Roux, (4.5) C, S
Come To Me by Megan Derr (4), F, S
Convergence by Talya Andor (4 stars) SP
Every Inch of the Way (The Professor’s Rule #4) by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley (4.5) C, S
Firestorm (Fighting Fire #1) by Laura Harner (4.5)PF2014, C
Free Falling (Extreme Escapes, LLD) by S.E. Jakes (4.75) C, S
Higher Ground (Earthquake #1) by T.A. Webb (4.75) PF2014, C
Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson (4.5) C
Song of the Spring Moon Waning by E.E. Ottoman (4.75) F,H
The Oracle’s Hatchling (The Oracle #2) by Mell Eight (4), F, S
To the Very Last Inch (The Professor’s Rule #5) by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley (4.5) C,S
3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Angel’s Hero (Angel #1) by Liz Borino (3.25) C, S
Artist’s Touch (Guild #1) by Kerry Adrienne (3.75 stars) C, S
King of Dublin by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau (3.75) SF
Riding Tall (The Fall #2) by Kate Sherwood (3.75)
The Oracle’s Flame (The Oracle #1) by Mell Eight (3.75) F, S

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

Hunter by Blood by Robin White (2.75) SN

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Best Covers of March 2014

???????????????????????????????????????FreeFalling_500x750Song of the Spring Moon Waning coverTo The Very Last InchBlown Away cover

Higher Ground coverCold SnapFirestorm by Laura Harner

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Ball & Chain, cover art by LC Chase
  • Free Falling, cover art by Croco Designs
  • Song of the Spring Moon Waning, artist Aisha Akeju
  • Know Not Why, artist unknown
  • To the Very Last Inch, cover artist LC Chase
  • Blown Away standing in for all the Pulp Friction 2014 covers by Laura Harner

 

 

Author and Book Spotlight: Katey Hawthorne on Superpowers and In Distress, a story from the Missed Connections collection (Giveaway Alert!)

spotlight on books

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Author Spotlight: Katey Hawthorne

KH_indistress_coverlg_1

Katey Hawthorne is here today at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords and she has brought a copy of her book In Distress to giveaway to celebrate the release of her latest Superpowered Love story.

Contest: To enter to win a  ebook copy of In Distress, leave a comment along with an email address where you can be reached. Contest ends 4/1.

Welcome, Katey!

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Katey Hawthorne:

So one day, I was scrolling through my tumblr dash and saw a post full of funny sandwich board signs. You know the kind, like outside bars and coffee shops with witty little drawings and sayings on them. And I thought, “Oh man, I love those; I should totally use them in a book sometime.” As you do.

Around the same time, I heard about the Missed Connections collection–based on the Craigslist section of the same name–that Loose Id was planning. The official copy reads like this:

You know that great-looking guy you saw on the outbound train as yours was inbound? The one you can’t stop fantasizing about but haven’t seen since?

Place an ad. Sometimes fate gives you another chance.

As usual, my brain went to superpowers. What kind of ad would someone place in that section for someone with superpowers? Maybe they’re looking for the hot (or in this case, cold) guy who came to their rescue and then disappeared.

Which translated into the first scene of In Distress, as it turns out, my little offering to the Missed Connections collection.

What does it have to do with funny sandwich boards? Eddie, the hero, works in a coffee shop just below his apartment–and it’s a point of pride with him to make sure there’s something clever on the sign each and every morning. Okay, sometimes it’s less clever, more silly. Or more ‘looking for a hot red-headed superhero but trying to be subtle about it’. But he tries, the poor dear.

Funny when different forces align to bring a story to light. Even funnier that in an entire series about people with superpowers, Eddie’s my first would-be damsel in distress. But then, nothing’s what it seems there, either…

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KH_indistress_coverlg_1BLURB: Hopeless romantic Eddie Kim acts out his favorite ‘rescued by the white knight’ fantasies through weekly D&D campaigns, but had almost given up hope of ever getting a real one. Then Callum, a mysterious red-head with freezing superpowers and a memorable kiss, saves him from a house but disappears without a trace. Taking pity on him, Eddie’s friends look to craiglist to relocate his hero.

Unfortunately, the publicity brings down the kind of attention Callum Race been trying to avoid; he’s in town to try and clear his family name, and now the dangerous superpowered organization he needs to thwart know he’s come home again. Still, he can’t help following up with Eddie.

The heat between Callum and Eddie flares instantly, and Eddie insists on helping to undo the damage his romantic notions have done. The problem: that will mean becoming embroiled in a nefarious plot, not to mention a superpowered world Eddie didn’t even know existed a week ago. The ‘bad guys’ will try to trick and use him, and in the meantime he has to convince Cal to trust him enough to be the white knight for once–and for real–instead of the perpetual damsel in distress.

Buy Link:  Loose id LLC

 

Book Details:
Author:Katey Hawthorne
Length:Novel, Loose id, LLC
ISBN:978-1-62300-611-2
Series:Superpowered Love
Cover Artist:P. L. Nunn
Prev Book:Superpowered Love 5: Re-Entry Burn

You can follow Katey at:–

Katey Hawthorne~Superpowered Love
Website
Twitter
Goodreads Author Page
Email kate@kateyhawthorne.com

 

Review: Convergence (Proud to be a Vampire) by Talya Andor

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Convergence coverLong time friends Chris Bryant and Ling Tam work for Chris’ father in Bryant’s Teas and Curiosities, a store that buys and sells antiques and oddities.  Chris and Ling have long searched for a certain treasure and now they think they have found it.  But in order to succeed they need the assistance of a very special and dangerous being, a vampire.  Chris places a discreet ad in the newspaper and it is answered by Dorran Gracen, a Welsh vampire who accepts the job and the challenges of the journey.

But traveling with a gorgeous predator has its own challenges and attractions, physical attractions that Chris Bryant has kept hidden from his family and society.  As their journey to China continues, he starts to yearn for more from Gracen than just his help to obtain the treasure.  At the journey’s end, will Chris and Ling find the treasure they have searched for or will Chris’ attraction to the vampire cost them everything they have worked for and his life as well.

Convergence is a wonderful little story by Talya Andor that reaches beyond its 22,000 word scope for something larger and, for the most part, succeeds.  It appears to take place in England sometime in the 1800’s, but this England is a place where vampires are a  reality, although a carefully hidden one.  Andor crafts a totally believable world, from Chris’ store to the voyage that takes the trio to China and their buried treasure.

I loved the relationship between Chris and Ling as well as the one that develops between Chris and Dorran.  Given the time period, unusual relationships such as those between people of differing races and social rank are not easily tolerated.  So in a lovely twist, Andor shows that while Chris and Ling consider themselves to be equals, they hide their  true friendships. A neat twist is that they consider themselves almost brothers, but still have to pretend to have a master/servant relationship, one that switches around once they reach China.

It is a time when it is equally dangerous to be gay so among the many things Chris is hiding, he is also careful not to disclose his homosexuality.  The only one who knows he is gay is Ling, his straight friend.  So many secrets here in Convergence, including the true nature of Ling and Chris’ collection of artifacts.  Then Andor adds another layer of deception with the introduction of her Welsh vampire, a somewhat civilized predator with an agenda of his own and truly, all paths and deceptions converge within a mountainous lair of puzzles and treasure.

The treacherous path to the jeweled artifact is a lovely combination of torturous puzzles and challenging physical hurdles.  I really enjoyed the planning and thought that went into this hunt.  The vivid descriptions made the atmosphere and setting come alive.  I had only one quibble with one hurdle that I am sure the author could have answered given a longer length.  Ok, how did those sharks stay alive given their location? Hmmm?  But the rest of it was so neatly planned out, that I can look past this curiosity.

The only other quibble I had with this story was that I wanted a little more of the growing relationship between Chris and Dorran.  The scenes we were given were so tantalizing that it made me want so much more.  They are a great couple and the ending makes me hopeful that there will be more of this couple and their hunts for oddities and treasures.  Whether you love vampires or romance or a combination of both, this is a story you won’t want to miss!

Note:  It appears as part of a bundle titled Proud To Be A Vampire, No. 1 and No. 2 but I don’t see any further references to these main characters so I am not certain where this story comes in.  It can certainly be read as a stand alone.

Cover designed by Aisha Akeju works wonderfully for the story and the treasure within.

Book Details:

ebook, 22,000 words, approx. 80 pages
Published October 9th 2013 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original title Convergence
ISBN13 9781620042519
edition language English