A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Witches for Hire (Odds Jobs #1) by Sam Argent

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
All recovering drug addict and witch Jeremy Ragsdale wants is to shamble on to the next job without any disasters. Instead, the temp agency saddles him with a fellow witch who hates him, an Amazon one violent outburst away from deportation, and a knight from another world as his boss. Even worse, their jack-of-all-trades magic business stumbles upon a conspiracy to kill Desmond the Great, Atlanta’s sexy star magician. Jeremy must prevent it without letting his colleagues know that he not only has ties to the energy vampires behind the plot, but that his past misdeeds might have instigated the attacks.

Despite Jeremy sporting a suit and tie like a good witch, his lies snowball to bite him in the ass. The lack of trust brewing between him and his teammates could cost Desmond his life and Jeremy his progress on the straight and narrow path if his secrets are revealed. Because no matter how much Jeremy has reformed, there’s still enough bad witch in him to kill anyone who messes with him or the people he cares about.
Review: A combination of the gorgeous cover and the interesting blurb made me beg for a copy of this book.
I have mixed feelings about “Witches for Hire”. At times, it was simply brilliant. At other times, it was rather confusing and left me feeling like I was missing a prequel (I checked – there isn’t). There’s so much backstory going on here and we’re only fed bits and pieces at a time and I often felt like there was more to know than what we get told.
This being a DSP title, this really isn’t your typical romance. There’s lots and lots of (very hot) sex pretty much right from the beginning, but the romantic feelings take their time. That’s one of the things I like so much about this publisher: The books are rarely “just a love story” and “Witches for Hire” is a good example of that. Yes, there is sex and love involved, but there is so much else going on, it’s just one part of the whole story.
The world this book is set in is very interesting. There are all sorts of supernatural creatures – witches, werewolves, demons and many more  – and even some otherworldly ones. The world building was quite expansive and yet a bit lacking at the same time. I’m still not entirely sure how the agency works, tbh.
The MCs are certainly an interesting bunch. Each of them has their secrets, which are never fully revealed, even when it’s their pov. Even though the author used more than the two traditional POVs, there was no head-hopping and confusing POVs. Instead, it felt like I really knew each and every character intimately. That was really quite well done.
The plot itself was full of mysteries. There’s a lot of violence and the occasional bit of gore, so beware. Personally, I didn’t mind that. It somehow just added to the whole atmosphere of the book. It’s certainly not a pretty story and I liked that.
The romance part was addicting as well. I honestly wasn’t sure who would end up with whom and I’m still not sure if it will stay that way in the next part of the series. I loved the tension and could totally relate to Jeremy’s conflicted feelings. It really made me quite sad at times.
Overall, I liked “Witches for Hire”. I think I’ll read the sequel too. The book seemed to be getting better toward the end and I’m not quite ready to let go of Jeremy and the others.
Cover: The cover by Catt Ford is absolutely gorgeous. So badass and mysterious!
Sales Links:   DSP Publications | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 314 pages
Expected publication: April 4th 2017 by DSP Publications
ISBN139781635333527
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesOdd Jobs #1

Its Alina Popsecu’s Free Books Five Days Birthday Celebration! (Book Giveaway)

Strength To Let Go (Tales of the Werewolf Tribes #1)

by Alina Popescu

My birthday is coming up next week and I’m celebrating with five days of free books.

FREE BOOK ALERT

Strength to Let Go by Alina Popescu is free from April 1 to April 5

Hurry up and get your copy of this #gay #paranormal #romance from Amazon!

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT6EZOB

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MT6EZOB

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01MT6EZOB

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01MT6EZOB

After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo. Overwhelmed by grief, he decides to end it all by going into Siberian Killer territory and challenging the tribe to a battle to the death.

His death.

The Killer’s beta, Ganzorig, grasps the potentially disastrous consequences of his tribe killing Shiki, and saves him instead. Having suffered loss, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain, then return him safely to his tribe.

Shiki’s best friend since childhood, Blake, is as determined as Ganzorig to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss, that of a mate.

Once Shiki leaves the seclusion of Ganzorig’s compound and returns to Tokyo, Blake is the only person he allows near. Blake is more than happy to give Shiki space to lick his wounds and deal with everything in his place. Shielded from his responsibilities to his family and tribe, and cocooned in Blake’s care, Shiki thrives on his journey to healing.

As the real world pushes its way in, with competing tribes causing trouble, children to worry about, and exes to deal with, will Shiki be able to cope or will he spiral back to a state of pure misery? And is there room for more than friendship between him and Blake?

Links to my shares:

Twitter – https://twitter.com/alina_popescu/status/848138794591236096

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu/photos/a.260653140743638.1073741829.260041824138103/895121023963510/?type=3

Hello April! New Beginnings and Reviewers at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Hello April

April has arrived and with it new arrivals at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  We have been looking to add new reviewers here and have been very lucky to have two new people recently join us.  What a great way to sail into April!  In addition, we have a preview of a reviewer blog from Free Dreamer and two giveaway announcements too.  And no, there’s no April’s Fools Jokes to be found anywhere!   Far too busy for such sass!

New Beginnings Announcements ~ New Reviewers!

We have another new reviewer starting at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  Please welcome Kai, another international member of our family.  You’ll be hearing from Kai in a couple of weeks.  In the meantime,  here’s a short bio from Kai herself:

Meet Kai

Hey guys, I’m a Brazilian college student, living in São Paulo with my crazy sister.
 When I’m not in class or working, you can always find me reading.
I love to read, reaaally love. Actually, I’m a little obsessed: I can’t go anywhere without something to read – thank God for the e-readers.
I used to read a lot of mystery, classics, adventure, fantasy, but my favorite kind of book always was romance [what I can say? I’m a romantic kind of girl]. I found out about mm romance last year, by accident.
I was reading a series by Aly Martinez and the second book is a mm called “The Spiral Down (The Fall Up, #2) “. I read it and liked so much that I needed more. Then I found “HIM” by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen [one of my favorites since then]… After that, I become definitely a fan of mm books. Now I’m a crazy fan. I’m so in love with this genre that I almost never read m/f anymore.
 
I also love to travel, play board games with my friends and write short stories. I wrote a lot of short stories, so far just in Portuguese and just for fun, but who knows? One day I can become a super author with a movie based on my book. hahaha
 
I like to read my books with low angst, sweet and romantic story, hot scenes[I’m only human] and remarkable characteres. Hope to find more and more books like that to read. I’m always searching and, of course, recommendations is welcome. 🙂
With the addition of Kai this week, and Julia , in Austria along with F.D.,  in early March, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is very international in our outlook! Do you know who else here lives abroad? Check out our reviewer bios! Our perspectives from all over certainly give us a wonderful international slant when it comes to reviews, books, cultures and locations for book settings!

Our Reviewer Adventures!

📚F.D. also known as Free Dreamer just finished attending a book fair in Leipzig, Germany.   I asked her to give us her impressions on the fair, meeting authors and some of the LGBT book offerings there.  Keep your eyes open for that reviewer blog coming up soon!  Here is your teaser from Free Dreamer from her upcoming blog:
As some of you may know, I earn my living as a bookseller. I’m an apprentice bookseller, to be exact. That means I go to vocational school twice a week to learn the theory behind the art of bookselling. 😉 That also means I get to go on awesome book-related school trips.
Last weekend, we went to the big book fair in Leipzig, Germany. That’s about 8 hours by train from Vienna, where I live and work. We met up late on Thursday night to catch the night train to Leipzig. Me and five of my classmates shared a compartment. Six cots in a tiny compartment, with six excited young women and a very bumpy ride… You can imagine how much sleep we all got! The train ride was definitely an adventure. At times it felt like I was about to slide out of my cot. When we were woken at around 6am, we had half an hour before we had to get off the train. Well, that certainly wasn’t enough. When we arrived at our destination, I was still missing a sock and wearing my pj top… And when I unpacked my handbag while looking for my wallet to buy breakfast at the train station, my phone was gone! Luckily the train was still at the platform and I found my phone in no time at all…
If you want to know more about my adventures in Leipzig and find out how I felt meeting my favourite author ever, then check back next week for a more detailed account of my misdeeds.
F.D.
I can just imagine her excitement! What a trip that must have been!  I’ll be reading her adventures along with all of you.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Giveaway Announcements

 

📚Free Dreamer Book Fair Adventures Blog Giveaway.

Have any questions for Free Dreamer? Leave them here along with your email address.  Random reader will be picked to win a $10 gift cert in the Free Dreamer Book Fair Adventures Blog Giveaway.  It ends 4/22 at midnight.  Have you been to a book fair? Met your favorite author?   Do you want to know what was Free Dreamer’s favorite part of her book fair experience was or what books she brought home?  Write in and leave a comment!
 📚Winner of our Wild Unpredictable Love Giveaway was H.B.  H.B.’s list of books?  H.B. had 2 on their list I hadn’t heard of and will now be tracking down (Broken in Silence and Grayson).  The other 3 are already firm favorites of mine.  H.B., Stella will be in contact with you about your certificate! Congratulations!
H.B.’s list:
ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield
Broken in Silence by Katze Snow
Beta Test by Annabeth Albert
Connection Error by Annabeth Albert
Grayson by Morgan Campbell 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

Sunday, April 2:

  •  Hello April! New Beginnings and Reviewers at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • Alina Popescu’s Free Books for Five Days Giveaway Announcement!

Monday, April 3:

  • Release Blitz for Lillian Francis’ Renaissance
  • Release Blitz and Giveaway: An Unexpected Shot by Caitlin Ricci
  • Release Blitz for Who I am When I’m with You by Tamryn Eradani
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:  Plaid Versus Paisley by KC Burn
  • A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: The Android and the Thief  by Wendy Rathbone

Tuesday, April 4:

  • DSP GUEST POST Julia Talbot on Just a Cowboy
  • RIPTIDE TOUR and Giveaway: Home Fires (Common Law #4) by Kate Sherwood
  • An Ali Review:  Home Fires (Common Law #4) by Kate Sherwood
  • A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Witches For Hire by Sam Argent
  • A Paul B Release Day Review: Micah Johnson Goes West (Get Out #2) by Sean Kennedy

Wednesday, April 5:

  • DSP GUEST POST Bru Baker on Tall, Dark, and Deported
  • Book Blitz: Broken Bastard by A.L. Simpson
  • A Lila Release Day Review: Leap of Faith by Jackie Keswick
  • An Alisa Review: Broken Bastard (Broken #1) by A.L. Simpson
  • A Melanie Release Day Review: Joy (States of Love) by C.S. Poe

Thursday, April 6:

  • RIPTIDE TOUR & Giveaway: Don’t Feed the Trolls by Erica Kudisch
  • DSP GUEST POST: Wendy Rathbone on The Android and the Thief
  • Blog Tour for The Rainbow Clause by Beth Bolden
  • Review Tour:  Lillian Francis’ Renaissance
  • A Stella Review: Renaissance by Lillian Francis
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Don’t Feed the Trolls by Erica Kudisch
  • A VVivacious Review: Norwegian Woody (Let it Beatle #4) by J.D. Walker (

Friday, April 7:

  • Release Blitz and Giveaway for Snap Shot by V.L Locey
  • DSP GUEST POST Jackie Keswick on Leap of Faith
  • Release Blitz and Giveaway:  Stories From Sapphire Cay Vol 2 – RJ Scott & Meredith Russell
  • Release Blitz and Giveaway: Take a Chance by Megs Pritchard
  • Review Tour – Annabelle Jacobs – Bitten By Design
  • A MelanieM Review: Bitten by Design by Annabelle Jacobs
  • A Stella Review: Forged in Trust (Bay Area Professionals #4) by Mickie B. Ashling

Saturday, April 8:

  • A MelanieM Review:Skim Blood and Savage Verse (Offbeat Crimes #3) by Angel Martinez

Release Blitz for Annabelle Jacobs’ Bitten By Design (excerpt and giveaway)

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mRvGMr

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2odcOb1


Length: 80,000 words


Regent’s Park Pack Series


Bitten By Mistake (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb


When the last thing you want, is everything you need….

Seb Calloway isn’t interested in shifters. After his best friend bonded with one, he avoids getting involved with them—no matter how hot they are—to prevent the same thing from happening to him. Why take the risk for a few hours of fun?

Tim Walters is the pack doctor. Considered to be mild-mannered and non-threatening by pack standards, he prides himself on being able to stay calm and maintain his control at all times. Desperate for a bond of his own, he knows his interest in Seb is an exercise in futility, but he can’t seem to help himself.

When news emerges that threatens Seb’s safety, he and Tim need to fake a relationship to keep Seb safe. Despite Seb’s refusal to be anything other than friends with benefits, what starts out as pretend, quickly becomes more—for Tim at least. If Tim doesn’t want to end up heartbroken, he needs to prove to Seb that loving a shifter doesn’t mean losing himself.

Excerpt

He looked anywhere but at Tim, embarrassment clear in his expression. Before the moment could get awkward—and giving Seb no chance to object—Tim scooped him up, bridal style, and started down the stairs.

Letting out a startled laugh, Seb clung tight to his crutch so it didn’t slip out of his hands. “Twice in one weekend. You’re going to give me a complex.”

Tim bit the inside of his cheek. If Seb knew how much he liked being able to take care of him, how much his wolf liked it, he wouldn’t find it half as amusing or embarrassing. Clearing his throat, he hitched him a little higher, then started down the stairs. “It’s just quicker this way, and I don’t want to make you late for your appointment. We’re running a little behind.”

“Fair enough.”

Not daring to meet Seb’s eyes—their faces were so close together, he didn’t like his chances of not doing something stupid like kissing him—Tim quickly made his way down the steps.


 

 

Author Bio

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

.
Twitter ñ https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
Website ñ www.annabellejacobs.com
Email ñ ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction

Giveaway

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A MelanieM Review: Sons of Devils (Arising #1) by Alex Beecroft

Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5

British scholar Frank Carew is in Wallachia to study the magic generator on nobleman Radu Vacarescu’s land. There, his party is attacked by bandits and his friends are killed. Pursued by a vampiric figure, he flees to Radu’s castle for help.

Unfortunately, this is precisely where the vampires came from. If allowed, they would feed unchecked and spread their undeath across the whole Earth, but Radu maintains a shaky control over them and keeps them penned in his tiny corner of the country.

As Frank recovers from his assault, Radu finds himself falling for the young man. But loving Frank and not wanting to lose him leaves Radu vulnerable to his demons’ demands. Can he bear to let them feed on the man he loves? Or must he give in to their blackmail and set them free to feast on his entire country?

I have mixed feelings about this story.  From the synopsis it feels as though it will be told from Radu’s pov.  Instead, its mostly from Frank’s and that gives this story an entirely different and for me disappointing perspective.  Think prey instead of predator because that’s mostly what Frank is here.  He’s the mouse the cats play with before they eat him.

Given that the story is seen from a very shaky Frank who never seems to be able to recover from the constant mental, emotional and physical shocks and attacks he’s under, you never get the chance to know Radu. Or understand the attachment forming between himself and Frank.  Yes, he yells out that “he’s mine” but I never got that was out of  love, more a sense of protection and possessiveness.  Honestly?  Frank’s a bit of a wash too.  There’s a neat bit about magic here but that’s quickly lost which was the most interesting thing about Frank.

Had the story been told from Radu’s perspective, I think I could have understood his feelings more.  As it was I felt that they were lacking. At least towards Frank.  His bitterness and rage about other aspects of his life?  Yep, got that in spades.  Wish his relationship with Frank was as easily laid out in this story or as powerfully felt.

Beecroft does a superb job with the location and foundation here.  You understood the role of the peasants, the culture, and the dire situation they were in.  The castle itself is absolutely hair-raisingly scary.  These are not your sparkly or nice  vampires.  These are your old-fashioned predators who see humans as food.  They are cruel and rapacious.  So if you are expecting anything else.  This is not the story for you.

The story starts to fragment when two other elements are brought in, that of magic (the reason Frank had come to the land) and a war that starts up in Istanbul against Britain that will pull everyone here in.  But you don’t fully get that until book 2.  Just a sudden switch in narrative which is jarring, then a switch back to Frank and then a switch again at the end.  It took me a while to remember where in the switheroo I was.  All ends on a bit of a question mark leading to Angels of Istanbul (Arising #2).  I suppose I will go there just to see what happens next to Frank and Radu.  I’ll let you know what I find.

Cover by: Simoné. Absolutely beautiful covers.

Sales Links   Riptide Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 232 pages
Published March 13th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626495548
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesArising #1

A VVivacious Review: The Poison Within (Inspector Skaer #1) by Kasia Bacon

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
Inspector Kayru Skaer has fallen in love with his aristocratic lover, Count Ellydhar Finn-Jann, an action he considers to be full of folly. Because as he rightly suspects their society will never be accepting of a love between two people from such different classes of society especially if the relationship were to show any sign of permanency. As things would have it this is going to be the least of his worries with his lover presenting with the early signs of a hereditary lung disease which has proven to be fatal and three viciously murdered dead bodies to contend with.
 
I quite liked this story. It is short and sweet but engages the reader in a way that you really can’t stop reading. I really love the way this author writes, because it never fails to arrest my attention and simultaneously gets me really invested in the characters and their story.
 
This is a paranormal established couple romance with elements of mystery though I think I should warn people that it is not much of a mystery as things get clarified pretty early on but I think that this was a decision in favour of the story because it helped bring the focus on Elly and Kayru.
 
I absolutely loved Kayru and Elly, their relationship is simply adorable and I know for a fact that their relationship is something that I want to know more about and I also desperately want to know more about these two. They made for such interesting characters, from different societal classes but despite all odds in love.
 
I think overall this story is quite commendable despite the fact that the author doesn’t try to draw out the mystery with suspense. This book had some really strong characters in Yben and Eryssa. I found both characters to be immensely interesting especially Eryssa considering she is a furia, a species I have never encountered. Also I wonder if there is any difference between the furia and the vampers and if they both need blood to survive. Also I loved how the author has drawn from current events to write this story it added a whole new dimension to this story which would have otherwise never have existed because I think somewhere along the way I felt that these events were not only relatable but something that gave a perspective to both worlds.
 
This story has managed to capture my interest and I am definitely hooked onto these characters. I can’t wait to read more.
 
Cover Art by Kudi-Design. The cover is amazing.
Sales Links   Amazon | Amazon UK
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 51 pages
Published March 18th 2017
ASINB06XFGX3BT
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesInspector Skaer #1
CharactersInspector Käyru Skaer, Count Ellydhar Finn-Jánn or ‘Elly’ settingRadvadur (the western province of the Empire)

Its Mystery, Humor and Love at Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (Cozzi Cove #4) by Joe Cosentino (character interview, excerpt and giveaway)

Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (Cozzi Cove #4)
by Joe Cosentino
N
ineStar Press

Cover Design: Natasha Snow
Release date: March 27, 2017

Available for Purchase at

NineStar Press

and at

http://myBook.to/CozziCoveNB

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cozzi-cove-joe-cosentino/1125994867?ean=2940154062005

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/711162

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Joe Cosentino back with us today. Joe’s series Cozzi Cove has another story, book 4 in Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings! Joe has a character interview and a giveaway for all our readers. Welcome, Joe!

✒︎

Interview with Andrew Urban in Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, the fourth novel in the Cozzi Cove beach series

by Joe Cosentino, published by NineStar Press

Joe: Welcome, Andrew, a new mysterious guest at Cozzi Cove in the fourth Cozzi Cove novel, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings.

Andrew: It’s my pleasure.

Joe: And the readers’ pleasure too. Since they can’t see you, I’ll tell them you are a tall, lean, very cut, young man with blond hair and aqua blue eyes.

Andrew: You created me, so you should know.

Joe: You’re a flight attendant who lives with your sister, another flight attendant.

Andrew: Yes, Annibel joins me on my vacation at Cozzi Cove.

Joe: Where you meet the muscular, gorgeous, sexy travel agent, Nijad Hadad.

Andrew: Who is bisexual and can’t decide which Urban sibling he prefers.

Joe: But nothing is what it seems in the magical, romantic place called Cozzi Cove.

Andrew: I found that out.

Joe: You joined us in the fourth book. How do you like Cozzi Cove?

Andrew: It’s amazing. There’s no place like it.

Joe: Agreed! When I was a kid, my sister and I spent our summers at my aunt and uncle’s bungalow on the New Jersey shore. We swam and made sandcastles at the beach, waded in the bay, played miniature golf, ate salt water taffy, and jumped up and down on trampolines until we (literally) saw green. As you know, all those places and experiences are in the novels set in the fictitious place I call Cozzi Cove, a gay resort of eight bungalows in a private cove on the Jersey Shore. The main beach and boardwalk are only a mile away. It’s a place I love to visit again and again.

Andrew: How did the readers and reviewers like the first three Cozzi Cove beach novels?

Joe: They loved them, even though you hadn’t arrived in Cozzi Cove yet. After Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (TBR Pile Favorite Book of the Month/Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, and Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out released, readers and reviewers praised their romantic, humorous, dramatic, mysterious style, and interwoven captivating stories. Many readers begged for a return trip to Cozzi Cove, so I wrote Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings. As with the first three books, romance is everywhere on Cozzi Cove, and nothing is what it seems. It was like visiting good old friends to further develop the characters in book four. And with you joining the cast, readers will love this new book even more!

Andrew: Shouldn’t we tell any new readers about the cove?

Joe: Go for it.

Andrew: Cal’s bungalows on Cozzi Cove are set on a stretch of cove formed when softer rocks were worn away by the sun and salty water faster than the harder rocks surrounding them. This created a bay of turquoise water shielded by large rocks in the distance and smaller rocks near the water’s edge.

Joe: Care to tell the readers a bit about the storyline of Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings?

Andrew: Sure. Cal and Michael open the bungalows for the fourth summer. There are five interwoven stories about Cal, his family, his houseboy, and his guests, including Annabel, Nijad, and me.

Joe: Tell us more about the main character, Cal Cozzi, and the developments in book four.

Andrew: Cal is a handsome and sexy ex-football player. In book four, Cal finds his great-grandfather’s diary, exposing a shocking surprise. After getting married in book three, Cal and Michael are expecting a baby in book four! And Cal’s sister, Taylor, drops in from Paris as usual. As a type A personality and top one-percenter, the world revolves around her, which makes her hysterically funny. She is also incredibly devoted to Cal. And she loves getting under Michael’s skin. Taylor’s wife, Carla, is the surrogate for Cal and Michael’s baby. And Michael and Taylor weigh new job opportunities that could take them away from Cozzi Cove. New houseboy, Billy Dean from Alabama, comes to work at Cozzi Cove. The young bodybuilder carries a chastity card, but of course that doesn’t last long at Cozzi Cove.

Joe: I’ll never tell. How about the other guests in book four?

Andrew: An occult enthusiast guest, Jonathan, encounters a sexy vampire named Vlad at the cove.

Joe: As usual, nothing is what it seems as secrets are revealed and romances blossom in the magical place called Cozzi Cove. Andrew, what do you think is the moral of the story?

Andrew: Don’t you know? You wrote it?

Joe: I think the moral is that we are all connected to our past, present, and futures.

Andrew: My sister and I are certainly connected, and now I’m connected to Nijad, which I adore. Joe, which one of the characters was the most fun to write? 

Joe: Your sister’s British expressions cracked me up, as did Billy Dean’s southern expressions. Of course Taylor is always hysterically funny. Her wife, Carla, gives Taylor a run for her money in book four. I laughed out loud many times while writing her.

Andrew: Which character was the most difficult to write?

Joe: Guest Vlad was difficult with his vampire persona, but as a huge fan of the old Dark Shadows serial, I was up to the task. 

Andrew: Are you Cal? Is Michael your spouse? And is Taylor your sister?

Joe: Cal is more like the person I’d love to be. One of the guests in book four, Jonathan the tax auditor, is a great deal like me. I want to play him in the movie. I’m also like Harold (An Infatuation), Jonathan (A Shooting Star), and Bobby (A Home for the Holidays). Stuart (An Infatuation) and Barry (A Shooting Star) are based on my spouse. Taylor in Cozzi Cove is very much like my sister, though my sister won’t admit it—in public.

Andrew: Who’s like me?

Joe: You’re unique. As Annabel might say, “You’re more fun than a good shag.”

Andrew: Will there be more Cozzi Cove novels? Please don’t leave us dormant in your brain!

Joe: If I can keep waking up at 3am with new ideas, there will be more novels. So get busy and start whispering ideas in my head. I love writing quirky and endearing characters in scenes full of emotion with lengthy dialogue. By the way, I wrote a screenplay version of the first novel. Come on, producers, make me an offer! Couldn’t you see Matt Bomer as Cal? Actually, I could see Matt Bomer as anybody in anything. Now let me ask you, Andrew, how did you do with your love scenes in the book?

Andrew: Nijad is an amazing lover.

Joe: Lovemaking is a part of life, so it makes sense to include love scenes in novels. I have been told the scenes are character-driven, sweet, and sexy.

 

Andrew: Joe, do you react like a reader when you read your own books?

Joe: Totally. I just reread Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings and laughed, cried, gasped, and felt romantic. I was shocked at the ending of each storyline.

Andrew: As a college professor/department head, how do you have the time to write?

Joe: I write at night after my spouse has gone to bed. I have a beautiful cherry wood study with a fireplace, huge desk, bookcases, and window seat overlooking the woods like Martin Anderson, the department head in my Nicky and Noah mysteries. When I complain about my schedule, my mother says, “Just think how hard you would work if you had a real job, like your sister.” What do you think of the readers of our books?

Andrew: They have great taste, and clearly crave being swept away by the stories and becoming part of the novel. And they relish beautiful locations and captivating characters. Finally, they clearly love humor, romance, mystery, and a good surprise ending. Joe, tell us about your other gay romance releases.

Joe: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star (Dreamspinner Press/Rainbow Award Honorable Mention) are loosely based on my high school and college years respectively. They were so popular as individual e-books, Dreamspinner Press published them together in one paperback. I got my own anthology! I still receive comments from readers that those stories made them laugh, cry, feel romantic, and changed their lives. They say your first is your most precious. Just ask my mother about my sister.

A Home for the Holidays (Dreamspinner Press) is my cherished holiday short novella about an American law student who, as I did, takes a trip to the romantic and gorgeous island of Capri, Italy, where he embarks on a relationship with his captivating third cousin.

The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Dreamspinner Press) is my gay take on my favorite beloved fairytales like Cinderella, Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, Pinocchio, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Snow Queen. Joel Leslie did the incredible audiobooks.

Andrew: And about your two mystery series.

Joe: My Nicky and Noah mystery series (Lethe Press) are farcical, gay, cozy, who-dun-its. In Drama Queen (Divine Magazine Readers’ Favorite LGBT Mystery Novel and Humorous Novel) theatre college professors are dropping like stage curtains. With the inept local detective more interested in getting into Nicky’s pants than solving the murders, it is up to well-endowed Directing professor, Nicky Abbondanza to use his theatre skills (including playing other people) to solve the case, while he directs a murder mystery onstage. Complicating matters is Nicky’s intense crush on Assistant Professor of Acting, gorgeous Noah Oliver, the prime suspect in the murder. In Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention) Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In Drama Cruise Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship. In Drama Luau, muscular male hula dancers are dropping like grass skirts as Nicky directs the Luau show. It’s up to Nicky and Noah to figure out whodunit and why.

In the Jana Lane mysteries (the Wild Rose Press), with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters, Jana Lane was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In Paper Doll Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. In Porcelain Doll Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. In Satin Doll Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. In China Doll Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, where she is faced with murder on stage and off. In Rag Doll Jana stars in a television mystery series and life imitates art on the set. The novels are full of mystery, romance, humor, and theatricality. Since they take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, and Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels.

Andrew: But I’m not in any of those books. Everyone should read them anyway.

Joe: Well, everyone, Andrew and I had a blast. I love hearing from readers! You can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

Andrew: So everyone grab your Speedos, suntan lotion, and shades and head back to Cozzi Cove. Cal, Michael, and I have a bungalow waiting just for you. I hope to see you there!

COZZI COVE: NEW BEGINNINGS

The fourth novel in the Cozzi Cove series

by JOE COSENTINO, published by NineStar Press

https://ninestarpress.com/product/cozzi-cove-new-beginnings/

Welcome back to the romantic and magical place called Cozzi Cove, seven guest bungalows on the New Jersey Shore. This summer, Cal and his new husband Michael, along with sister, Taylor and her wife, Carla, prepare for the first in the next generation of Cozzis. To add to the action: Cal finds his great-grandfather’s diary, exposing a shocking surprise; Michael and Taylor weigh new job opportunities that could take them far away from Cozzi Cove; red-letter Christian and new houseboy, Billy Dean, gets his wish when meeting Jesus and John at the cove; summer guest, Nijad, can’t decide which sibling he prefers—Annabel or Andrew; and Jonathan, an occult enthusiast, encounters a sexy vampire. As usual, nothing is as it seems when romance blossoms once again at Cozzi Cove. What secrets, mysteries, and passions lie waiting to unfold? Find out in Book Four of the Cozzi Cove series.

Language: English
Length: 55,600 words, 174 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-945952-77-7

About the Author

 

Bestselling author Joe Cosentino won Divine Magazine’s Readers Poll of 2015 for Best LGBT Mystery Novel, Best LGBT Humorous Novel, and Best LGBT Contemporary Novel of the Year. He wrote the Cozzi Cove beach series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (TBR Pile Book of the Month/Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (NineStar Press); the Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Favorite), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), and Drama Cruise (Lethe Press); the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), A Home for the Holidays, and The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland; and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, and Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards!

Excerpt of Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings:

The sun rose like an erupting volcano filling the sky with shafts of violet, magenta, and gold, which ultimately turned to clear blue. Cal Cozzi stood on the white sand and gazed at the old lighthouse in the distance. At thirty-three, he was in the prime of his life, with thick auburn hair, clear green eyes, and a trim athletic build. Life was good, and as he smiled at the foamy waves teasing the craggy shore, Cal basked in the morning sun and in the beauty of his home.

Cal’s great-grandfather, Calvin Cozzi I, had built the resort at Cozzi Cove and had had a big hand in the development of the town of Cozzi. It had always been home for Cal, and proved to be a solid oasis when as a young man his football and later restaurant careers failed, and nine years ago when his parents died in a car accident. He’d especially felt its comfort when he later lost his husband of five years to cancer. Like the bay water rejuvenated by the golden rays of each sunrise, Cal had put his life back together by managing Cozzi Cove and marrying Michael Rodgers.

It had only been a year since the greatest day of Cal’s life, the triple wedding on the cove sands, attended by family and friends. Cal and Michael had been joined by two other couples in exchanging their vows: Cal’s brother George and his longtime boyfriend, Aaron; and Cal’s sister Taylor and her longtime friend, Carla. Though the Cozzi family was growing in numbers, Cal and Michael had wanted to start their own family right away. They did the happy dance on the sand when Carla offered to act as surrogate for their baby. With Carla’s due date fast approaching, excitement, like the scent of the sea, filled the air at Cozzi Cove.

Michael, clad in a T-shirt and shorts like Cal, appeared at the front doorway of the main bungalow. His stocky build, caramel-colored skin, exotic eyes, and warm smile still caused Cal’s heart to beat faster.

“I’m hungry.”

“Then you’d better make breakfast.” Cal enjoyed playing with Michael.

Michael liked it too. “If you make blueberry buckwheat pancakes, I’ll give you a massage.”

“You massaged something pretty well last night.”

They shared a knowing smile.

Michael said, “I know how to get you inside.”

“How?”

“The guests will be arriving soon.”

At these words, Cal hurried inside the glass-enclosed porch, scooped the twenty-two-year-old into his arms, squeezed Michael’s bubble butt, and gave him a good morning kiss. Then Cal went through the living room, passing the doorway to their front bedroom, and into the kitchen, glancing through the entrances to the rear bedroom and bathroom on the way. Cal was glad his brother’s renovations of the bungalows had kept his great-grandfather’s layout while expanding the rooms, including cathedral ceilings lined with white pine beams. As he gazed at the white wicker and oak furniture laden with flower-print cushions, Cal was thankful his great-grandfather’s heavy nautical-themed furniture had found a home in a local museum. He smiled proudly at his own additions: the prints on the walls depicting lighthouses, seashells, and rocky beaches.

As usual, Michael leaned on the granite-topped island while Cal made breakfast. “Aren’t you going to put more blueberries in the batter?”

Cal raised the mixing spoon. “Do you want to make these yourself?”

“I prefer to critique.”

Cal mixed the buckwheat flour, buttermilk, egg, honey, coconut oil, and blueberries in a large bowl. “Your college degree is in photojournalism, not the culinary arts.”

“A lot of good it did me.”

“Your degree?”

Michael nodded and his soft chestnut bedhead fell into place. “Four years of college to be a bartender.”

“You’re only a bartender while Tommy is in New York City.”

“Yeah, and when Tommy comes back from visiting Blue, it’s bartender’s assistant time again for me.”

Cal poured the batter in circular mounds on the warm oiled skillet. “What about that gay magazine?”

“It was one freelance job!”

“Something else will turn up.”

“Tell that to my resume on the web. It’s beginning to feel like a wallflower at a party.”

“It takes time. Photojournalism is a specialty field.”

Michael pouted. That turned Cal on every time. He wrapped his arms around Michael and squeezed him into his chest. After a few wet kisses, Cal said, “You can always help me around Cozzi Cove.”

“I thought you hired a new houseboy when Connor and his husband opened their bed and breakfast in town.”

“I’m interviewing him this morning.” Cal smelled the pancakes starting to burn. He grabbed the spatula and quickly flipped them.

Michael licked his lips. “You flipped me over like that last night.”

“And you loved it.”

They kissed again.

Cal felt Michael’s erection pressing against his own. “I’d better concentrate on these pancakes.” He slapped Michael’s backside. “Instead of these cakes.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

Cal giggled and served the pancakes. They sat at the white oak kitchen table, feeding each other and intermittently licking maple syrup off each other’s chins.

Just as they were finishing breakfast, Carla Mangione lumbered through the back kitchen door and announced, “If this watermelon doesn’t come out of the patch soon, I’m going to kill someone.”

“Hey, you’re talking about our watermelon!” Cal replied as he got up to help her to the table. He put pancakes on a plate as Michael went to pour juice and milk for her.

“It won’t be soon enough for me.” Carla rubbed her enormous stomach; she was only thirty-five, but these days looked more like fifty-five. “I never knew you could get varicose veins on your stomach.”

“And I’m sure yours are beautiful.” Cal served Carla breakfast, kissed the top of her dark hair, and took a seat across from her at the table.

Carla leaned forward to massage her lower back. “I must be the biggest pregnant woman ever.”

“That’s because you’re carrying our big, beautiful baby,” Michael said, joining them.

After taking a sip of juice, Carla gagged. “Why does everything taste like fish or liverwurst?”

“Maybe our baby is the antichrist,” Cal offered.

Carla took a bite of the pancakes. “What kind of huge genes do you two guys have?”

“Don’t blame us.” Cal put his arm around Michael. “It must have been the egg-donor.”

“She must have donated ostrich eggs.” Carla pushed her plate away.

Michael pushed it back in front of her. “Eat up, honey. You’re having breakfast for two.”

She looked down at her enormous stomach. “Really? Do you think?”

Cal finished his juice. “Whatever happened to, ‘As your dear old friend and sister-in-law, it would be my honor to help you and Michael bring a child into this world. I can’t think of anyone who’d make better parents’?”

“That was before I gained forty pounds and my back started aching constantly—before my breasts swelled up like helium balloons and my ankles expanded faster than a conservative politician’s pocket after meeting with a Super PAC.”

Cal fed her another piece of pancake. “But isn’t it all worth it to bring a new life into the world?”

Carla groaned. “I used to get offended when people said God was a man. Now I’m sure of it. No woman would put another woman through this.”

“Did you do your exercises this morning?” Michael asked.

Carla laughed. “I stopped being able to see my toes weeks ago.”

“Have you been meditating with your crystals?” Michael sounded like a teacher with a lazy student.

“I think I threw them at your pictures when the baby kicked me like a Radio City Rockette. Meanwhile, you two were no doubt going at it last night like a running back and a wide receiver.”

“A tight end, please,” Michael said as he handed Carla her glass of milk.

“If I get any more milk in me, my breasts will explode.” She took a sip and swallowed as if drinking fish oil laced with liquid soap.

Cal asked, “Have you been taking your prenatal vitamins?”

Carla nodded. “Maybe that’s why this kid has been jumping around inside me like a Mexican hat dancer. Do either of you have any Mexican blood?”

“African and Scandinavian,” Michael replied.

“Scottish and Italian,” Cal said.

“Well, maybe he was doing a tribal dance and the tarantella.” Carla flicked back her long dark hair. “While I was lying awake in bed, I did the baby’s astrology and numerology charts.”

Michael asked, “How can you do that without knowing his birthdate?”

Carla glared at him. “I decided if he doesn’t come out of me by the end of the week, I’m pulling my nephew out with tongs.”

“What did the charts show?” Cal didn’t believe in the occult, but he was thankful to get Carla’s mind off her discomfort.

Carla smiled. “He’s going to be kind, strong, fair, honest, and quite successful.”

“Of course he is. He’s our son.” Cal kissed Michael’s cheek.

“Let’s hope he’s kind enough to make an appearance soon.” Carla ate more of her breakfast.

Michael asked, “How is Dotty doing running the restaurant during your maternity leave?”

“Fine.” Carla sat back. “I should never go back.”

Cal grinned. “You wouldn’t leave Carla’s.”

“You’re right.” She winked at Cal. “That restaurant is as much a part of me as Cozzi Cove is a part of you.”

A month ago, complaining more than a right-wing politician at a Planned Parenthood meeting, Carla had moved into Bungalow One so that Cal and Michael could help take care of her. She had also insisted that she wanted to have their baby at Cozzi Cove, assisted by a midwife, and not in a hospital. It had seemed the perfect solution; however, since sound carried between the two bungalows, it meant inadvertently sharing their more intimate moments.

Michael seemed miles away.

“What’s wrong?” Cal asked.

Michael shrugged, his head hanging down.

Carla said, “Don’t be shy, Michael. You know I’m family now. I married Cal’s sister. Remember? You were there, marrying this guy.”

Since Michael wasn’t talking, Cal asked Carla, “When is my dear sister coming for a visit?”

Carla sighed. “Taylor said she’d be here after her business meetings in Paris and Rome, but before her meetings in Washington, DC and New York.”

“What does that mean?” Cal asked.

“It means Taylor and the conservative big-money boys are making sure the top one percent stay that way.” She turned to Michael. “You’re not off the hook so easily about your pouting. What’s up?”

“A lot, last night.” Michael patted Cal’s crotch.

Cal put his arm around his husband. “We know something’s wrong, Michael. Spill it.”

“And feel free to spill my milk while you’re at it,” Carla said, pushing away her glass.

Michael pushed it back in front of her. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“But?” Cal asked.

Michael rested his chin on his hand. “Cozzi Cove has been in your family for generations, like Carla’s Seafood Restaurant has been in Carla’s.”

“So?” Cal asked again.

“So you both belong here. I’m just a guy who fell in love with the man I tried to gay bash.”

Cal took his hand. “Michael, you’re my husband. Cozzi Cove is as much your home as it is mine.”

“It doesn’t feel that way.”

Carla groaned. “Did my wife say something obnoxious to you the last time she visited?”

“Taylor said lots of obnoxious things to me the last time she visited, but that’s not it.”

“Then what is it, Michael?” Cal asked.

Michael bit his lower lip. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. And I can’t think of a place I’d like living more than Cozzi Cove. But this is your land, your inheritance, and your soul. Sometimes I feel like an outsider.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the front door. “That must be my new houseboy,” Cal said, getting to his feet.

Carla leaned on the table and pushed herself off the chair. “I don’t want anyone seeing me like this. I’m going back to my bungalow.”

“Take this for the road,” Michael said, handing her the glass of milk.

She downed the milk in one gulp and cringed. “If I don’t come out of my bungalow in a week’s time, send in the bulldozer.” Carla left out the back kitchen door.

Cal paused at the kitchen entry, looking on as Michael cleared the table and started stacking the dishwasher. “We’ll talk about this later,” he said.

“It’s fine, really.”

Unconvinced, Cal left for the living room.

Giveaway

Giveaway

Giveaway: Post a comment about why you think the beach is a romantic and special place. The one that breaks our waves the most will win a gift e-book of Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, the first Cozzi Cove novel, by Joe Cosentino, published by NineStar Press. http://myBook.to/Cozzi_Cove_BB

Make sure to leave your email address where you can be reached if chosen.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Praise for COZZI COVE: STEPPING OUT:

“But it’s not just about the Cozzi’s and the webs they weave, it’s also about the Guests that check-in and check-out. But they never check out of our hearts.  We as readers, remember every one of them – they are the real beauty of Cozzi Cove together with this author’s amazing talent – he makes these OTT characters stay with us, his characterization is just phenomenal and therefore great fun to read, I never chuckle as much as I do as when I’m reading a Cosentino.” Three Books Over the Rainbow

“With love, romance and the big reveal of so many secrets, COZZI COVE: STEPPING OUT is perhaps the most important novel in the series so far. With so many of the recurring characters getting a huge chunk of the storytelling time, I couldn’t have asked for a better exploration of the Cozzi family and their chaotic summers at Cozzi Cove. Thanks to the perfect ending, I really hadn’t expected there to be more…but, YES! There is an excerpt at the end for the next book. And I couldn’t be more thrilled!”

“Spending a week in the sun with the permanent and transitory residents of Cozzi Cove makes for a superb, unputdownable, read. There are laugh out loud moments, lots of chuckles, some very heartwarming as well as heart wrenching moments, lots of gorgeous men and women, love, lust and even some tears. Joe Cosentino has a brilliantly unique sense of humour, and a masterful way of writing stories containing farce, larger than life men and women, and often over the top characters you’ll fall in love with. For all that his characters come across as completely relatable and realistic. His books are one of a kind and utterly addictive. I have yet to read a Joe Cosentino book that was less than 5 stars, and this book is no exception. Do yourself a favour and grab this book with both hands. I guarantee you’ll be very glad you did.” Divine Magazine

“Tons of action, drama, love, and secrets to keep readers hooked….beautifully written and highly engaging….Humor, mystery, and romance…Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out is indeed a must read for all. I highly recommend it.” Urban Book Reviews

Praise for COZZI COVE: MOVING FORWARD:

“Who knew that 7 bungalows set surrounding a beautiful cove, could hold so many secrets, love and intrigue?” “The humour, whether subtle or not-so-subtle was superb, the timing delivered with perfection, Joe Cosentino is a natural comedian and another reason why I love reading his books. He is also very clever, he weaved moral messages throughout the entire storyline,” “Great fun entwined with the Cosentino romantic magic that brings his books alive, I loved it.” Three Books Over the Rainbow

“visiting Cozzi Cove is like coming home or revisiting a beloved holiday destination. I know everyone, by now, who is a permanent fixture and I sincerely hope that Cosentino continues this series forever. As before, the characters are a hoot. They’re a mixture of funny, quirky, sad, lonely individuals who come together to make a riotously brilliant cast.” Divine Magazine

“Imagine a beautiful getaway where the hot, sexy, and wealthy gay men go…it’s a place where there’s never a dull moment. Every page of this new title brings readers nothing but excitement, intrigue, and an intensity that will burn away the night’s quiet. Most novels offer readers one journey in which readers travel upon, however, readers are brought not one but several journeys that will leave them breathless and hooked. As with all of Joe Cosentino’s novels, humor comes in abundance and fits in perfectly with all of this stunning characters.” “Joe sweeps his readers into his characters’ lives by creating realistic characters with real issues. It’s easy to get lost in it all. The book automatically captures your heart from page one and forever holds it. After reading the story, readers will be begging for the next grand adventure. Funny, heart melting, and swoon worthy, readers will finish reading this in one sitting. I loved reading this riveting tale, and I highly recommend it to readers everywhere.” Urban Book Reviews

Praise for COZZI COVE: BOUNCING BACK: Book of the Month at The TBR Pile, Rainbow Award Honorable Mention, 3rd Place Best Fiction Book of 2016 on Urban Book Reviews

“I loved this story. It carries you through the full range of emotions, from joy to sadness, from happiness to anger.  The characters are beautifully written.” “I look forward to a return visit to the Cove.” TBR Pile

“Heartbreaking and heartwarming, sweet beginnings for some, sour endings for others, emotions jumping off the page as you turn eagerly to read more, welcome to Cozzi Cove. The author measured his scales to perfection in delivering the perfect balance of love, laughter and tears in this sexy, fun filled holiday romance entwined with some sadness. Summer magic waved it’s wand at all who visited and stayed at Cozzi Cove and I was one of those who wanted to stay.” Three Books Over the Rainbow

“In true Joe Cosentino style, this book is packed full of drama! This cast of characters will have you laughing out loud one minute before ripping your heart out the next.” Joyfully Jay

In Our Spotlight: Angels of Istanbul (Arising #2) by Alex Beecroft (tour and giveaway)

Angels of Istanbul (Arising #2) by Alex Beecroft
R
iptide Publishing
Cover by: Simoné

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here at Riptide Publishing

 

About Angels of Istanbul

Wallachian nobleman Radu is recently arrived in Bucharest with his vampire parents. Welcomed as an eligible bachelor, he’s introduced to the enchantress Ecaterina, whose salon is Bucharest’s centre of magical expertise. 

But when Ecaterina’s brother dies of a mysterious new plague, it’s clear to Radu that his parents have not been idle. Soon Bucharest is in the grip of an undead epidemic—a less than ideal time for Ottoman Sultan Mahmud, Wallachia’s overlord, to call Bucharest’s nobility to assemble their armies in Istanbul for a holy war against Britain.

The Wallachians have long resented their Ottoman overlords, so Radu seizes the chance to eliminate them while also ridding Bucharest of the undead: he leads an army of vampires to Istanbul and sets them to feed on the Turks.

As Radu’s demons gut the city of Istanbul, their plans become horribly clear. This is only the start. With the Ottoman armies under their control, the undead are poised to suck the life out of the whole world. Radu, his lover Frank, and Ecaterina are appalled at what they’ve unleashed. But they may be too late to stop it.

Now available from Riptide Publishing

This title is #2 of the Arising series.

About Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City PaperLA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog Speak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Angels of Istanbul, one lucky winner will receive $10 Riptide credit and their choice of ebook from Alex’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 1, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Its Superheroes Raised by Wolves Time! Rob Rosen on ‘Fierce’, his latest release + Giveaway

Fierce by Rob Rosen
JMS Books LLC

Available for Purchase at

JMS Books LLC | Amazon | Goodreads

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Rob Rosen back today to talk about his latest novel, Fierce!  Welcome, Rob!

✒︎

Hello, I’m Rob Rosen. I’ve written romantic-comedy novels about zombies and werewolves, vampires and any number of assorted bad-ass drag queens, but for my 11th novel, Fierce, I decided to touch on the superhero genre, only with a decidedly different twist. Lucas, my novel’s hero, has major super powers, powers that he wants to use to do good in the world. He’s tall and handsome, and has one hell of an awesome crime-fighting costume. On the surface of things, he’s your standard superhero. This book veers into newer territory in that Lucas must face the realities of actual life, that to do good you sometimes have to do bad, that to put the criminal away, you might have to hurt people, even innocent people. Life is not black and white; crime-fighting isn’t either. What if you have to kill the bad guy? What if you have to put someone you know in jail? What if your powers were actually meant do evil things? Tack on trying to protect the world and your family at the same time, all while going to college, leaving home for the first time, trying to find love as you try and find yourself, and Fierce, I hope, really does sail the genre into uncharted superhero waters. 

For some more background, here’s a little blurb for you:

Lucas has a typical life — apart from being abandoned as a baby, raised by wolves, and having super powers. Still, inside, he feels like two people, both vying for control of himself. He’s a superhero and a nerdy college freshman. He’s both feral and tame. He wants to do good in the world and, at the same time, he wants to do nothing. And most of all, he wants to find his birth parents.

In this comedic tale of romance, mystery, and adventure, our hero is joined by his hunky boyfriend, his acerbic boss, an uptight college science professor, and his ex-boyfriend/once crime-fighting partner — not to mention a whole pack of wolves — to help foil his nemesis and uncover the secrets of his past to save his future.

If you find the above intriguing, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book, which is available in all e-formats and as a paperback. 

Oh, and if you need some further persuading, here’s a little bit of the very beginning of Fierce:

“Help!”

I know, strange way to start a story, me screaming at you like that, but they say you need to grab the reader’s attention right off the bat. Help! I figured would do just that. Plus, you know, help was just what I needed. I mean, I was locked in a cage, my life in jeopardy of being snuffed out—which was par for the course, but still. In any case, help! seemed right on up there with the greats: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; Call me Ishmael; Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret. And I only needed four little letters to get my point across. Take that, Judy Blume!

Anyway, back to that aforementioned help I was shouting for. No, it wasn’t my best moment, to be certain, what with me being a superhero and all. Fierce. That’s my name; pleased to meet you. Though I’m guessing you’ve probably already heard of me, me being famous and all. And yes, that’s me blowing my own horn. Louis Armstrong should blow a horn so well, in fact.

All that being said, and in case you’ve been living under a rock and have yet to hear of my, you know, greatness, here’s my story in a nutshell:

As a baby, I was raised by wolves in the mountainous wilds of Montana.

I have super powers. Like, seriously super.

I catch bad guys for a living. For free! Minus, of course, the well-merited and desperately sought-after publicity.

But, you ask, raised by wolves? Come on now, Fierce, really? Does that actually happen? Wolves eat babies, don’t they? I mean dingoes do—or so I’ve heard, a la one Miss Meryl Streep—so it stands to reason that wolves do, too. Though not these wolves. These were tame wolves. Well, tameish. They were zoo wolves, hand-raised by humans. Except, they escaped during a freak storm, back to the wilds from whence their ancestors came, never to be seen again.

I saw them right off the bat, though. Well, sawish. I mean, I was a baby at the time, my eyesight not what it is today—which is freakishly strong, by the way. And yes, toot, toot, my horn doth bloweth, yet again. Gabriel in the heavens up above turns green with envy at my tooting abilities. Oh, and in case you hadn’t already surmised it, superhero, at least in my case, equates to super ego. Freud missed out big time on the likes of yours truly.

But I digress. Back to the wolves.

Best I could figure it—seeing as, again, I was just a baby at the time—the initial wolf pack consisted of ten wolves that once inhabited a small zoo on the outskirts of Billings, Montana. One fateful day, a tornado hit. A big one. Huge even! Dorothy would’ve shit her panties it was so friggin’ massive. Anyway, from what I’ve read, the storm struck quite suddenly, too suddenly for the folks at the zoo to be able to corral all the animals beforehand, so, when the fencing to the wolves’ enclosure twisted and uprooted, out they sped. The zoo figured they died in the storm, except, well, duh, they didn’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be hearing this account right now, right? Then help! would’ve been lost to the cosmos. A truly sad thought, I know.

Now then, wolves, it should be noted, are wily and smart creatures, so the first thing they did was run. Free at last, free at last! In other words, once the storm broke, they found themselves as far away from humans as they could get. Eventually, they wound up along the outskirts of Granite Peak, which is the highest natural point in all of Montana, the tenth highest state highpoint in the nation. Granite Peak is also the second most difficult state highpoint to climb because of the generally poor weather and equally poor delineated pathways. Montana being so sparsely populated to begin with, the wolves could easily escape and literally never again be spotted. Which is just what they did, until, ultimately, they were spotted by the tiny likes of me. Fate! Or, you know, simply pure dumb luck. Depends on if your glass is half full, I suppose.

Enjoy!

Rob Rosen

http://www.therobrosen.com

About Fierce

Lucas has a typical life — apart from being abandoned as a baby, raised by wolves, and having super powers. Still, inside, he feels like two people, both vying for control of himself. He’s a superhero and a nerdy college freshman. He’s both feral and tame. He wants to do good in the world and, at the same time, he wants to do nothing. And most of all, he wants to find his birth parents.

In this comedic tale of romance, mystery, and adventure, our hero is joined by his hunky boyfriend, his acerbic boss, an uptight college science professor, and his ex-boyfriend/once crime-fighting partner — not to mention a whole pack of wolves — to help foil his nemesis and uncover the secrets of his past to save his future.

Giveaway

Rob Rosen is giving away a eBook copy of Fierce to one lucky reader.  Leave your email address along with a comment for Rob below.  A reader will be chosen at random by Rob and voila! The ebook will be yours!  Of course, you must be 18 years of age or older.

Wild Unpredictable Love Goes Marching Out. This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Wild Unpredictable Love Goes Marching Out

Yes, its the final week of March, that wild, unpredictable crazy month that’s echoed the rollercoaster that is romance for so many.  Ups and downs, wild turns and topsy turvy motions that has your stomach churning. Yes, love and romance can be like that in life and certainly in our stories.  From love that finds a foothold when all hope was lost to that stunning man always out of reach suddenly turning back around to look your way to the tiger prince and the warrior mage, perhaps even more so the wonderful nerdy geeks that capture our hearts with their hesitant ways, we never know what some of our favorite books will bring us.

Last week I reviewed Amy Lane’s Bonfires, a 5 star story that continues to stay with me.  This week, Amy Lane is here to talk about it.  That story was full of unpredictable twists and turns, typical of that author.  On Saturday, April 1, I’m reviewing a book that certainly no April Fool’s Joke, Bru Baker’s Tall, Dark, and Deported, one of Dreamspinner Press’s Dreamspun Desires titles.  Its heartwarming, sweet and surprising.  Stella has one she’s reviewing that’s on my TBR list, John Inman’s story My Dragon My Knight.  Check out that review along with me.  Plus there’s that amazing Tal Bauer series The Executive Office that has another book out.  We have back to back reviews on it this week as well along with Alex Beecroft’s new supernatural series.  So many wonderful rollercoaster stories to get hooked on going into April.  What’s on your TBR list this week?  Did it make it onto ours?  Let us know!

Plus this is the last week to enter into our giveaway.  Go over your favorites, throw us your lists!  With all these great books coming out, I’m sure you can use that gift certificate!

Wild, Unpredictable Love Giveaway!

Does love make us different?  Should it vary wildly from person to person, species to species?  Or is love so deeply essential and elemental that is transcends all boundaries?  What’s unpredictable to you? In couples and in romance. Let me know what you think and your favorite books that make your point!  The random reader chosen will receive a $10 gift certificate from Dreamspinner Press.  Giveaway ends March 29th at midnight.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, March 26:

  • DSP GUEST POST Cy Blanca on A Teacher and a Poet
  • Wild Unpredictable Love Goes Marching Out
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, March 27:

  • Rob Rosen blog post on Fierce + Giveaway
  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway: Strays by Garrett Leigh
  • DSP GUEST POST Amy Lane on Bonfires
  • Release Blitz March 27th *The Necromancer’s Dance by S J Himes (Audiobook)
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Strays by Garrett Leigh
  • A Lila Review: One Bullet by Casey Wolfe
  • An Ali Review: One Bullet by Casey Wolfe

Tuesday, March 28:

  • DSP GUEST POST Ken Bachtold on A Company of Players
  • Release Blitz – Bronze Star by AE Wasp
  • Release Day Blitz: Enemy Within by Tal Bauer
  • Review Tour – Helena Stone’s Patience
  • A MelanieM Review: Patience by Helena Stone
  • A VVivacious Review: An Officer’s Submission (Cuffs, Collars, and Love #3) by Christa Tomlinson

Wednesday, March 29:

  • RIPTIDE TOUR Angels of Istanbul by Alex Beecroft
  • Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, Book 4 by Joe Cosentino (interview with a character)
  • BLOG TOUR One Bullet by Casey Wolfe
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Counting Down by Kelly Jensen
  • A VVivacious Review: The Poison Within (Inspector Skaer #1) by Kasia Bacon
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Rainbow Sprinkles by Anna Martin

Thursday, March 30:

  • Blog Tour Spritzer – A Sparkling Gay Romance by Jon McDonald
  • Release Blitz – Dirty Games by Barbara Elsborg
  • Release Blitz & Review Tour – Goodnight My Angel by Sue Brown
  • A MelanieM Review: Sons of Devils (Arising #1) by Alex Beecroft
  • A VVivacious Review: Fierce by Rob Rosen
  • An Alisa Review:  Nightsong by A. M. Leibowitz

Friday, March 31:

  • Cover Reveal for Take a Chance by Megs Pritchard
  • A DSP GUEST POST Karen Bovenmyer
  • Release Blitz & Review Tour – Annabelle Jacobs’ Bitten By Design
  • A Lila Review: Enemy Within (The Executive Office #3) by Tal Bauer
  • A Paul B Review: Enemy Within (The Executive Office #3) by Tal Bauer
  • A Stella Release Day Review: My Dragon My Knight by John Inman

Saturday, April 1

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Tall, Dark, and Deported by Bru Baker