The Werewolves of Manhattan are Back in AC Katt’s ‘Marking Kane’ (excerpt and giveaway)

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Marking Kane (Werewolves of Manhattan #4) by A.C. Katt
Release Date: March 4, 2016

Goodreads Link:
Publisher: MLR Press
Cover Artist: Lex Valentine

Blurb

Gabriel Martin has hope. Three of the Alphas on the council have found mates in the past year and a half. Returning to New York from Atlanta, he comes across a human who has been raped in an alleyway. The human is his mate, Kane Brady.

Kane has been teaching at the local high school and refuses to rubber stamp the education of their star basketball players—almost paying the price with his life. He’s unusual as he’s a Human Omega but he can’t be intimate with Gabriel because of his horrific experience.

It’s up to the Alphas and their Mates to help Kane recover and accept all that it is to be with Gabriel.

 

Pages or Words: 51,655
Series is best read in order – His Omega, Remy’s Painter, Scarred Mate, Marking Kane
Categories: M/M Romance, Paranormal, Shifters (Wolf)

Excerpt

First Week in December Friday

The faculty room at New York City’s McClellan High School reeked of industrial strength cleaner, sweat socks, and chalk. The walls were made of dirty beige concrete blocks and the linoleum was beginning to crack. Today it was empty save for Coach Tom Hughes and Kane Brady, the junior year English teacher, who were involved in a heated exchange.

“Neither Johnny Sanders nor Deon Jackson did the work. They didn’t turn in one homework assignment all semester, they refused to take all of their tests and didn’t even bother to do their term papers. I have to fail them.”

“Do you realize that Johnny is the power forward and Deon is the point guard for McClellan High School’s basketball team? This year’s team has a shot at the state championship.”

“Tom, they’re not here to learn to play basketball, they can do that on the street or at the Y. They’re here for an education and they won’t get one if we continue to pass students along without them doing the work required to get a passing grade.”

“Are you telling me physical education isn’t important?” Coach loomed over Kane, who was only five-foot-six.

“Physical Education is as important as English is to their development. If they failed to show up for your class, sat on the sidelines for every exercise and disrupted the class on a regular basis what would you do? I know you’ve failed students.” Kane’s eyes blazed.

“I didn’t fail our two, star basketball players,” the Coach huffed.

“Talk to them about what happened. I didn’t want to be unreasonable so when I realized they were on the team and failing my class, I told the boys in November what they had to do to pass. I also told their parents. They didn’t do it. They didn’t turn in one missed homework assignment or the term paper I assigned in September.”

“They don’t have time for all that shit, they have to practice. The other teachers go along. This is your first year here. You fail Deon and Johnny and you’re out on your ear.” Coach drank the sludge they called coffee and stared at Kane pointedly.

“And I’m out on my ear if these kids don’t pass the standardized tests at the end of the school year.”

“There are ways of getting around that.” Coach Hughes was trying to physically intimidate him, and Kane wasn’t buying it.

“So which do you suggest, do I sacrifice their education so they graduate without being able to read passed a sixth-grade level? Or do you suggest I fail them and give them the incentive to pass next semester so they can play ball?”

“These boys can get scholarships for college if they play,” the coach said belligerently.

“And if they don’t do the work here, their professors will fail them because they can’t keep up and they won’t be able to play or pay for the education they were promised.” Kane was practically begging the coach to put the kids and their futures first.

“They have difficult lives at home.” The coach got sanctimonious.

“No, they don’t. They have both of their parents and both sets of parents work. Deon’s father is a policeman and Johnny’s mother is a nurse. I’ve spoken to them and they agree with my decision. Their boys have gotten out of hand. They are aware that their sons have not done any school work for the past two years, with the school turning a blind eye. As I said, I have their full support. The parents would rather have their sons educated than have them only know how to play basketball.”

“They don’t have the mental capacity to do the work.”

“I’d like to see you tell that to their parents. If they were incapable of doing the assignments, I’d suggest putting them in a remedial class, but they can do the work, they just refuse to do it.” Kane glared at the coach.

“One way or another, you’ll pay for this. Those kids were my ticket to coaching college ball and I’m not going to lose out because of you”,” Tom shouted. Kane shrunk back. The coach was six foot six and about two-hundred fifty pounds to his one-forty soaking wet.

“Get them another student to tutor them. If they catch up, I’ll change their grade,” Kane offered.

“Fuck you, Brady. Either you pass both Deon and Johnny, or you’ll pay the consequences. This is what happens when you let fags teach school.”

“I could have you fired for that remark.”

The coach pushed him up against a wall, shook him and said, “Buddy, you’re not going to be around long enough to complain.” He let Kane go and Kane slipped to the floor.

Tom Hughes tore out of the faculty room and down the corridor.

Kane had stood his ground but was shaking in his boots. He wished he had someone to talk to about this, but this was his first year teaching and since he came in August from Indiana, he hadn’t had time to make friends. The coach had been at the school for five years. What is my word worth against his?

***

The coach approached Johnny and Deon in the locker room. “He won’t budge. If you get your papers in, he’ll pass you, if you don’t you fail. You should have made a token effort.”

“Why should we have to be in class with a fag? Why would I want to do work for a fag? He needs schooling of a different kind. By the time Deon and I are through with him, there’ll be a new teacher in English three who gets how to play the game.” Johnny’s smile boded no good for Kane Brady.

“Yeah, let’s see how much he really likes to take it up the ass.” Deon poked his friend in the ribs. “We’ll make it a team effort.” Deon laughed out loud.

“Yeah sort of like a class project,” Johnny smirked.

“I didn’t hear you say that. Remember, if you get caught, it will go worse for you than if you fail,” Coach told them. “You’re courting jail time and then no college or pro team will have you.”

“You’re just as guilty as we are for encouraging us not to participate in that fag’s class and you’ve threatened other teachers before this.” Deon spat. “This one is the first one to face you down. The fag has balls, who knew?”

“If he fails us, you don’t get to coach college ball. If we get caught, you don’t get to coach college ball. It would be in your interest to let us know where he lives so we can take care of business, and to provide us with an alibi if we need one.” Johnny stood waiting for the requested information.

“He sometimes stays late to review papers and make up his lesson plans. You can follow him home. If you get caught, you’re on your own.”

“No, we’re not. You’re right there with us. We told you what we’re going to do, if you don’t report us, you’re as guilty as we are. But, we all know you won’t make any waves because you want that college coaching position.”

“All right, go, do your worst. If you get caught, I know nothing.”

“Right…” said Deon as he elbowed Johnny in the ribs and smirked.

***

Kane hadn’t realized it was after nine. He was grading papers. It was easier to do that at school. Here he could spread out unlike in his efficiency apartment. However, his apartment was only two blocks from work on the edge of New York’s trendy SOHO and convenient to shopping. It also had huge windows which let in more light than the usual city apartment. His was a neighborhood in flux. He lived in an old tenement and there was a pricey new high-rise down the block at Ten Sullivan. It was the tallest building in SOHO.

Kane sighed, gathered up his papers, put them in his satchel and closed up his classroom.

“Good night, Ernie,” he called to the janitor as he left the building.

“Good night Mr. Brady. You be careful. There’s a lot of snow and ice outside and they’re predicting another storm. Schools will probably be closed tomorrow.

“I’ll be careful. Thanks.”

***

Kane shivered in the cold. The walk home seemed more difficult tonight, feet dragging through the snow piles with the wind gusts almost picking him up off the ground. He kept on looking over his shoulder. Kane was sure someone was following him. Every time he glanced backward he saw shadows in doorways.

He looked around again and watched five boys in ski masks come out of an alley. They were walking quickly toward him, with seeming purpose. As they got closer, he realized that they were following him. He began to walk faster. They also picked up speed. Kane started to run.

Buy the book: MLR Press

 

Meet the Author

AC Katt was born in New York City’s Greenwich Village. She remembers sitting at the fountain in Washington Square Park listening to folk music while they passed the hat. At nine, her parents dragged her to New Jersey where she grew up, married and raised four children and became a voracious reader of romantic fiction. At one time she owned over two thousand novels, until she and her husband took themselves and the cat to New Mexico for their health and its great beauty.

Now, most of AC’s books are electronic (although she still keeps six bookcases of hardcovers), so she never has to give away another book. AC is a late bloomer, however, she claims to have found her niche writing LGBT romance.

She hangs out at ACKatt.com and ackattsjournal.com; where she keeps her blog. To get snippets of new releases and Works in Progress subscribe to AC Katt’s Kattery by sending an e-mail to mlhansel@gmail.com.

Where to find the author:

 


BannerTemplate Tour Dates & Stops: March 4, 2016

Parker Williams, Open Skye Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie,
Full Moon Dreaming, Alpha Book Club, A.M. Leibowitz, Multitasking Mommas, Outrageous Heroes, Decadent Delights, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, Happily Ever Chapter,
BFD Book Blog, The Jena Wade, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Unquietly Me, Molly Lolly
Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, My Fiction Nook, MM Good Book Reviews, Bonkers About Books, Mikky’s World of Books, Inked Rainbow Reads

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Full set of ‘Werewolves of Manhattan’ by A.C. Katt.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A VVivacious Review: Souls for Sale Series (Books 1 & 2) by Asta Idonea

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
Souls for Sale seriesThomas Ives has a made a deal with the devil, for which he has given up his chance at heaven, or has he…?
 
Saul is a demon deal-maker extraordinaire, always ready to go the extra mile to secure a soul. But he doesn’t know the night he is in for when he gets Tom to sign on the dotted line.
 
In the weirdest twist of fates, a night of passion see these two beings falling in love. But hasn’t Saul already condemned his lover to a lifetime of misery in hell, isn’t Tom’s soul condemned to eternally burn in the fiery pits of hell, well not if Saul has a say in it…
 
This book comprises of two stories TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY DEMON and HELL TO PAY.
 
“Twenty-First Century Demon” is a short story telling us how Saul and Tom met while “Hell to Pay” follows these two as they are on the run from the demons of Hell.
 
These books are written (mostly) in first person, but what is unique about these books is that the reader is a known presence to Saul and Tom, but again mostly to Saul as he actually makes comments on what he believes to be are the reader’s thoughts, indirectly it’s like he is talking to us and we are following him all around, even when they have sex so basically he refers to us (the reader) as a demon-groupie and a voyeur (and he would be right). This was indeed a unique experience and what I liked about this way of writing is that it got me involved in the book really fast.
 
Now again if you remember I said mostly first person that is because we have three narrators – Tom and Saul who both use first person in a talking to a third person way and then there is Baruchiel who is talked about in the third person. But these are all technicalities that don’t detract from the reading experience, in fact Saul’s “talking’ really had me engrossed in the story from a very early stage.
 
To some extent it is hard to find the basis to Saul and Tom’s love, if you ask me the best explanation is love at first sight/sex because this is the one aspect of the book which is extremely vague. They fall in the ‘I am ready to take on hell for you’ way in the span of hours, this decision changes their entire lives, forces them on the rum from Hell and frankly I don’t understand how it is possible. This is exactly where Saul’s “talking” comes in handy because even though I am sceptical of their love which has sprung up out of nowhere, the fact remains that it seems like he is telling me a story which makes me give him creative liberty over the events.
 
Now if you just push the details of how they fell in love aside the premise of the rest of the story is really interesting. Tom, Saul and Baruchiel are all extremely likeable characters and you will get caught up in their drama.
 
While I loved Tom and Saul’s extraordinary love and all their small moments that they share, what I loved most about this book was the story of how a demon falling in love can rend heaven and hell into chaos. The story is interesting and appealing in the way angels and demons always are. I loved Baruchiel as the little angel trying to do good and taking on big bad demons in the name of love.
 
More than a love story this book is appreciable because it has an awesome plot given a nice execution with very likeable characters and the premise is such that it has a lot of potential which the book successfully delivers.
 
Overall if you like a good old angels and demons story with heaven and hell settling disputes because a demon falls in love with a human, this story is just for you.
 
Cover Art by 8th floor studio. I loved the cover it is vague but at the same time it is a picture trying to get something across, and it is eye-catching.
Sales Links:  Wayward Ink Publishing | ARe | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 139 pages
Published February 5th 2016 by Wayward Ink Publishing
ISBN139781925222784
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersSaul, Thomas Ives, Adramalech, Baruchie

A MelanieM Review: Wolf, Becoming by Rory Ni Coileain ( A Release Day Redux)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Wolf BecomingVolyk learns very young that he has to hide what he is—oboroten’, shape-shifter—after his father is killed and skinned by a hunter, and the pack that takes in his pregnant mother is hostile to his kind. When Volyk is ordered to fight the pack’s beta to prove his fitness, but instead obeys his hormones and tries to mount him, he’s declared an abomination and forced to flee.

Ilya, too, hides a secret. Being young and gay in modern Russia is dangerous, and he knows it. But the truth eventually gets out, and his brothers lure him into the forest to kill him. They’re stopped by Volyk, who hides the mortally wounded Ilya in his den. The only way to heal the human is to turn him into an oboroten’.

Unfortunately, Ilya’s gentle nature is ill-suited to the life of a wolf. But when Volyk’s old pack returns, seeking to take away Volyk’s magickal den, Ilya will have to embrace—truly become—the wolf Volyk made him to save both his mate’s life and his own.

Very few authors do primal, elemental characters like Rory Ni Coileain which is very good for this story full of such characters.  They feel steeped in Mother Russia and the ancient earth they trod on and the blood they easily spill.   It may take place in Modern Russia but the actions and dark emotions feel anything but.

Those hatreds and fears are timeless and the author makes us experience it through her story and the lives of characters of Volyk and Ilya.

I found Wolf, Becoming to be part old Grimm fairytale and part shifter romance,  with some horror story thrown in for good measure and it all kept me enthralled.

Volyk’s past is one we are tumbled into at the beginning of the story and its heartbreaking.  Nor does it get any better for him as a young kit.  For him life is one of loss, endurance, and pain.  Then a chance meeting with Ilya changes everything for both of them.  I love the language that Rory Ni Coileain employs in her narrative, somehow it seems old and modern at the same time, anchored in the past with Volyk and yet modern with Ilya, the freshness of the current times must coming from  him.

There are some things I would have loved to have seen enlarged on here, Marik is a formidable and evil character, one that this author does so well.  I’m torn between wanting to have more and less of him.  And definitely wanted more of Ilya and Volyk’s relationship.

As it is I can absolutely recommend Wolf, Becoming to all lovers of shifter romance and romance in general.  It kept me enthralled from the first page until the end and the storytelling was everything I expect was this wonderful author.

Cover art by Maria Fanning is beautiful and perfect for the characters.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: February 24th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634771405
Edition LanguageEnglish

Announcements and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

More Announcements

A brief Sunday blog.  Just a few announcements and our schedule. We are adding to our reviewers again, so look to see a new name among our reviews starting in a couple of weeks.  I’ll be putting out a bio along with our standard announcement…yes we are growing again.

A more involved look at what’s ahead for Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words will come in March…but not this coming week.  Like spring, it needs time to fully arrive.  But its coming make no doubt about it.

We are sad to announce that if you haven’t already heard Samhain Publishing is closing its doors, after celebrating its 10th anniversary only last year.  The closing will be slow, it will still release books.  You can find out more about it on its website.  It will surely be missed.

Now here’s at look at our schedule this week.  A few additions will be added later on today.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, February 28:

Announcements and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, February 29:

Naughty Literati Tour and Contest
 JL Merrow’s Lovers Leap Tour and Contest
Dreamspinner Author’s Tour: Rory Ni Coileain’s Wolf, Becoming
A MelanieM Review: Lovers Leap by JL Merrow
A Stella Review: Drawing Love by Tully Vincent

Tuesday, March 1:

A.M. Leibowitz ‘Anthem’ release day book blast and contest
A Lila Review: In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
A Melanie M  Review: Taylor Made by Tara Lain
A F.D. Review: Relics of Gods by Yeyu

Wednesday, March 2:

American Flyboy’ by N.D. Clark tour and giveaway
A Paul B Review: Stealing Dragon’s Heart by Susan Laine
A VVivacious Review: “SOULS FOR SALE SERIES by Asta Idonea”
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:  Rags and Bone by KJ Charles
A Lila Audiobook Review: Eyes Only for Me by Andrew Grey‏

 Thursday, March 3:

Slash OP Series: Toy Soldier #2 Author: J. Johanis tour and contest
A Lila Review: Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish
A MelanieM Review: The Winter Prince by R Cooper
A Stella Review:  Strong Side by Alison Hendricks

 Friday, March 4:

AC Katt ‘Marking Kane’ book blast and contest
F.T. Lukens ‘The Star Host’ virtual tour and contest
A BJ Review: The Mermaid Murders by Josh Lanyon
A Stella Review: The Queen & the Homo Jock King by TJ Klune
A Paul B Review: Love Simplified by Teegan Loy

 Saturday, March 5:

A MelanieM Review: Mantled in the Mist by Rory Ni Coileain

A Paul B Review: Nuts About You (Nutty Romances #1) by Kate Lowell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nuts to YouNathan works at the bulk store.  He particularly enjoys when one of the regular customers, Vince, comes to buy birdseed for his feeders.  He also feels a bit guilty.  The reason?  Nathan is responsible for Vince buying a lot of that birdseed.  He is a squirrel shifter.  Nathan’s favorite pastime and obsession is shifting into his squirrel form and watching Vince from on top of the bird feeders.  How can he deny his squirrel self some of the birdseed and nuts that happen to be in the bird feeder?  It is just an added benefit of watching this hot man walking around in his house half dressed.

One day, Vince catches the squirrel sitting on top of one of the feeders.  Tired of having the furry creature stealing the seed from the birds.  Vince throws a shoe at the squirrel, knocking him down to the ground.  Thinking that the little guy is seriously injured, Vince feels guilty and takes the squirrel inside.  Getting nowhere after calling a vet, Vince decides to nurse the squirrel back to health.  After the squirrel fails to escape through a window, Vince is surprised when Nathan emerges from his squirrel form.  Nathan wonders what Vince will think of him now that his secret has been revealed.

This was a cute short story.  The author brings us a different form of shifter and uses his nature well.  There is a focus on nuts in all shapes and sizes.  Nathan is as timid as his animal nature.  The scenes once Vince discovers Nathan’s secret are steamy and flavorful.  Vince’s occupation is put to good use.  The one thing that I did not like about this book is that neither character seems to have a last name revealed.  For me personally, I like characters to have full names.  It  seems to make them more real to me.

The cover art by Ana J. Phoenix is quite appropriate.  It shows a squirrel clinging to a trunk of a tree.  It is a very cute cover for the book.

Sales Links:   ARe | Amazon

Book Details

ebook
Published January 7th 2016
ISBN139780994857019
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesNutty Romances #1

Series:  Nutty Romances

  • Nuts About You (Nutty Romances #1)
  • Rise of the Alpha Squirrel (Nutty Romances #2)

Go Nutty Over Love with Rise of the Alpha Squirrel by Kate Lowell (guest post, excerpt and giveaway)

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Rise of the Alpha Squirrel (Nutty Romances #2) by Kate Lowell
Release Date: February 25, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Kate Lowell
Cover Artist: Ana J. Phoenix

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Kate Lowell here today. Kate is the author of Rise of the Alpha Squirrel and has brought some lively excerpts for us. Welcome, Kate!

*******

fake book 2 copyfake book 1 copy

The following excerpts are taken from the best-selling series ‘A Were’s Guide to Living in the Human World’ by Finnley Lakewood, Ph.D, and Gardenner Monk, Ph.D. Please don’t tell anyone where you got these excerpts—I had to take ridiculous risks to get my hands on these books and if they found me, they’d probably eat me.

Appendix B: marking your territory–long-standing tradition or unsightly behavior?

In the were community, scent marking is a common and generally understood occurrence. The differences in styles are generally overlooked, and scent-marking itself is generally encouraged in mixed population areas.  However, the human’s weak scenting capabilities often result in misunderstandings with particularly uncomfortable consequences.

For example, the typical carnivore uses specific pheromones found in urine to mark the perimeter of their established territory. In situations where many weres are living in close proximity, this is an essential step to preventing inter-were violence. However, humans and their essentially inoperative noses will inevitably fail to notice scent markers. Not only does this cause them to invade territories on a regular basis, but the necessary actions required to establish scent boundaries (peeing on fences, doors, walls, furniture, etc) often take on an entirely different appearance and, within their relatively uneducated culture, occasions various, but generally unpleasant, reactions.

In cases where your roommate or another human has caught you in the process of leaving scent pheromones in place, and in the situation where it causes an undesired reaction on the part of the human, your first line of defense should be…

Now more about Rise of the Alpha Squirrel….

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Blurb

Nathan’s met Vince’s family, but Vince hasn’t met Nathan’s, and Nathan would like to keep it that way. Holy smoked almonds, what else do you do when you know how completely nuts your relatives are?

Why, you ease your man into it, by introducing him to normal shifters. Assuming you can find any.

But with a gossipy werehummingbird spreading the news, and a pair of young red pandas wreaking havoc with their fainting goat friends, Nathan’s about ready to climb into a pine cone and pull it in after him.

Then the local playboy weremoose hears about Vince, and Nathan has to find his inner alpha or the consequences will be worse than moldy hazelnuts.

 

Pages or Words: Approximately 24,000 words
Series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Excerpt

“Breakfast,” Vince said and waved a hand toward the table.

It was a squirrel’s wet dream. Or it would have been, if good-enough-to-lick-all-over-then-eat Vince hadn’t been sitting on the other side of the table. Maybe he could say it was any other squirrel’s wet dream—whatever, it was the breakfast of Roman squirrel emperors.

A pile of thick, deep brown pancakes waited for him in the center of his plate. Raspberries and shaved almonds sprawled seductively over the side of the stack, glistening with sweet, sticky maple syrup. Some of the less audacious ones hid decorously beneath the edges of a heavy daub of whipped cream, but Nathan knew they were there, waiting for him to discover them. He could see them peeking diffidently out, uncertain whether they wanted to attract his attention or not.

And the best part—the most gorgeous massage therapist in the world was sitting across the table from him, watching him with eyes that were dark in more than just the usual way. He looked at Nathan like Nathan was a maple walnut ice cream with a peanut dip. Like he wanted to lick him all over and suck bits of him deep inside his mouth…

Buy the book: ARe  | Amazon

 

Meet the Author

Kate Lowell lives on the east coast of Canada, in an old farm house that has way more personality than it has any right to. During the winter, she spends her time dreading snow, cursing at snow, shoveling snow, and scheming ways to shove it down the kids’ necks. During the summer, she prays not to have snow. 🙂

Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and–weirdly–romantic comedy. She’s willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with a Time Turner, or find her an agreeable Time Lord to sort out her scheduling problems.

You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.

Where to find the author:

 


BannerTemplate Tour Dates & Stops:

25-Feb: A.M. Leibowitz, Hearts on Fire, Velvet Panic, Nautical Star Books, MM Good Book Reviews

26-Feb: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Inked Rainbow Reads, KathyMac Reviews

27-Feb: Happily Ever Chapter, Molly Lolly, Love Bytes

29-Feb: Nephy Hart, Man2ManTastic, Bonkers About Books, Open Skye Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook

1-Mar: BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, V’s Reads, Boy Meets Boy Reviews

2-Mar: Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books, Alpha Book Club

Divine Magazine

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a  Rafflecopter Prize: http://www.stuffedsafari.com/Plush-Ruby-throated-Hummingbird-Audubon-Bird-p/wr-83900.htm.   Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A VVivacious Review: Hoofbeats by A.J. Marcus and Nicole Godfrey

Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
HoofbeatsCole Frasier, a famous horse trainer, has had a troubled year, so when he is offered work at triple his asking price. He jumps at it. But the horse he is working with is much more than just a horse.
 
Derek Dancing Hawk is stuck in his horse form, but something about Cole makes him want to shift. While the bond between the two men strengthens, the shift is brought on when Cole ends up in a fight. But shifting might have just made things worse for both Derek and Cole.
 
While their boss uses the secret to force the two of them in a money-making gimmick, the Enforcers who ensure that the secret is kept are not going to take Derek prancing about as a horse lightly. What fate awaits these two as they find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place…?
 
The beginning of this story is bogged down with too many descriptions, most of them unnecessary which makes getting in sync with the book a little harder. As such the first chapter tries too hard to get everyone on the same page. But the moment we get to the second chapter things get infinitely better and the story becomes quite interesting.
 
As such what captured my imagination was Derek as Midnight Blood, there was something about his mannerisms as a horse that were true to both aspects of his being, as a horse and as a human. I commend the authors on getting Derek spot on. Because as a horse he is really able to get across the fact that he is a horse-shifter and a human being. All in all what works is that Derek really gets you on his side from the beginning, with his attitude and his personality.
 
While Cole who has his own issues, finds a challenge in Midnight Blood. But it soon becomes quite clear that Midnight is not just his outside facade of a horse but a remarkable being on the inside. As such Cole comes across as a well-mannered guy who stands up for his beliefs.
 
What I loved about the book was how the story weaves in and out of Derek and Cole’s relationship. How circumstances bring them closer. Also all the little moments they share together are adorable. More than anything seeing them together is the best part of this book and how the story brings about new aspects in their interactions with each other.
 
The story hits kind of a slow patch around the half way mark which seems to drag on forever. In fact this is where story fails to make a mark, the story builds up to a point where circumstances need to be resolved to ensure a future to Derek and Cole’s relationship and personally I don’t think things got handled so well. What should have been quick, decisive and a major relief becomes prolonged with too many unnecessary situations during which Derek and Cole who are the strength of this book hardly spend any time talking and things drag for a quite a long time and ultimately don’t bring a lot of relief.
 
As such a lot of things go unexplained in this book. A major chunk of side characters in this book are the villains. We have the head honcho Mr. Lopez who is a perfect example of a scumbag, Joe who has more brawns than brains and assorted body-guards who are just pains in the ass. And then there is Elizabeth whose character seemed quite unhinged from the very start and seems to be dealt with in the worst way possible and I never understood Cole’s sympathy towards her. While the side characters on the side of good are not much better, there is Mike who would have been a cute addition except he has no role in the story and is just unwanted baggage in the book. I didn’t quite understand Jean she just didn’t give off grandmotherly vibes. The side characters best depicted were the various enforcers Sebastian, Gabriel and Avorial they get the job down without tagging on when not required.
 
What the story needed was a tighter plot, fewer side characters and a bit more background on the retained side characters. But what convinces me this book is worth a shot is Cole and Derek, I mean seeing them together living their life is charming, seeing them tackle challenges and just enjoying life in each other’s company was worth reading the book.
 
The cover is by L. C. Chase. I loved the horses on the cover but the men on the cover didn’t quite match my idea of Cole and Derek.
ebook, 200 pages
Published February 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634768122
Edition LanguageEnglish

 

An Ali Review: A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars                 ★★★★★
A Frost of CaresMilitary historian Luke Alcott leaps at the chance to live in the seventeenth-century country mansion of Eelmoor Hall, home of the Royal Military School of Medicine, after being offered a job cataloging the school’s archives. Luke believes he chose the perfect place to start a new life and put his broken past behind him. But soon after settling into the old house, he hears strange noises—like footsteps—and he begins to suffer from terrible nightmares.

The only person Luke can turn to for help is the taciturn caretaker, Jay, a veteran of the Afghanistan war who carries an old battle wound. Together they try to understand Eelmoor Hall’s history and decipher what could be causing the haunting. As the weather grows colder and snow dusts the countryside, a child goes missing. Luke needs to deal with his own demons and learn to trust in love again if he hopes to face down the angry spirit and find the missing girl.
  
 
I loved this.  This was a surprising hit out of the ballpark for me.  I had never read this author before.  In fact I had never heard of her before.  The blurb sounded interesting so off I went.  This book surpassed all my expectations.  I love a good gothic romance but I don’t come across them all that often in the m/m genre.  This one though was perfect.  The haunted manor, the ghost stories, the footsteps in the hallway, the cold spots, the breath on the back of your neck, the bad dreams, the paralyzing fear.  It was all here and was creepy as can be.  It was turn the lights on and look over your shoulder creepy.  In addition to this there was a beautiful love story.  It’s a story about forgiveness and letting go of the past and going on with the future.  
 
The story is told in first person pov as Luke tells us, the readers, a story about how he and Jay met.  He’s immediately personable and you felt drawn in right away.  It was like sitting down with a good friend while they tell you a story.  He tells you Jay’s comments and one liners and he’s goes along so you get a feel for Jay quickly also.  A part of the story is how Luke came to let go of  Danny, a love from his past.  This is an important part of the story and was both touching and heartbreaking.  Jay and Luke are great characters and I liked them both a lot.  They had good chemistry and you can feel what makes them good together right away.  
 
I think first person pov narration is hard to do well but again, I thought this was excellent.  In the course of this story this author had me laughing, had me scared to death and had my eyes filling with tears of emotion.  I felt so much for Luke and every event, every emotion, he went through.  This is a must read in my opinion.
 
Cover art by Garrett Leigh. I liked the cover.  I think it conveys the haunted, almost gloomy period Luke is going through in the story.
Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press  |  ARe | Amazon
Book Details:
 Kindle Edition, 153 pages
Published January 27th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB01AFW3XJM
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Review: Quentin Heart, Vampire Bounty Hunter by Amber Kell

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars               ★★★★★

Quentin Heart Vampire Bounty HunterQuentin Heart basically has no time for a social life. Between finishing up his wizardry degree and taking care of his mother who has had a relapse with cancer, life seems to pass him by. To make matters worse, bill collectors are demanding payment for his mother’s treatments, none of which seem to be working. Quentin spots a flyer advertising bounty hunting services for paranormals. As he is entering the wizardry lab at the university, his best friend Glenn calls him and demands that Quentin joins him at the club that evening. After several hours of research, Quentin leaves the lab building only to find a pack of bone wolves (werewolves made from the hides of dead animals) that lead him to the body of his friend Glenn. After dealing with authorities,

The next day, after guest lecturing for a class at the university, Quentin visits his mother at the hospital. She explains that his father was a fae who was part of the royal family. One of the wolves that has been following him around is actually his father trapped in a spell along with his uncles. Quentin next goes to claim the body of his friend to arrange for burial when he is informed that it is no longer in the morgue. It has walked away. Pissed that a reckless vampire turned his friend, Quentin decides to work for the bounty agency in the hopes of making sure no one else suffers Glenn’s fate.

His first assignment is to bring in the leader of the local vampire clan. Quentin marches into the clan’s mansion, casts a spell and transports the vampire to the local police station. The clan’s second, who has now become leader due to Quentin’s actions, thanks Quentin for getting rid of the leader nobody liked. Jakinson, the new leader, states that since the bounty hunter has done him a favor, he owes a favor in return. He gives Quentin a necklace that Quentin would later find out marks him as Jakinson’s mate. Quentin must now deal with a very possessive vampire on top of finding his wayward newly made vampire friend, the rogue vampire that attacked Glenn, and deal with his mother’s declining health and the bills that are associated with her care. If you throw in somebody who seems to be after him, life just got a lot more complicated for Quentin.

Amber Kell is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint me. She has a way with books about powerful wizards. Quentin Heart is your typically preoccupied nerd researcher that has his world turned upside down but circumstances that are beyond his control. He shows his strength in that he makes Jakinson realize that he will not be the submissive mate that most vampire leaders expect. He is faced with some tough decisions that involve his family but comes through them in the end. I also enjoyed the fact that the author has given Quentin enough possible enemies that there should be several more books in the series to come. I highly recommend the first book in this new series.
The cover art by Meredith Russell shows our hero wearing his glasses holding one of his spell balls with the city landscape in the background. It is how I would picture Quentin would look like. It is an excellent cover for the book.

Sales Links:  ARe  | Amazon

Book Details

EBook, 314 pages
Published: January 29, 2016
Edition Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-311-09104-8

Best Laid Plans and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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So, I had this post all planned out, I was going to write this fabulous blog on ideas I had on changing our look, a poll I wanted to create and insert, little creative screen shots of how they might look….and then the flu hit and it all went out the window.  This post barely made it.  I’m telling you, I know that sound wimpy, but its true.

All that will happen next week, I promise.  Change will come with the spring winds.

Until then let the thoughts percolate in your mind.  What changes would you like to see here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  You just might see them included in the next big makeover with a prize to that person whose change we select to be included as part of our makeover.  Send them to me at melaniem54@msn.com with the header changes at STRW.

Until then, sniffles and tissues all.  And here is our schedule in the upcoming week.

 

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This Week’s Schedule At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, February 21:

  • Best Laid Plans and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, February 22:

  • Riptide Publishing Tour: The Unicorn by Delphine Dryden
  • In Our Spotlight: Shifting Gears by Riley Hart (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Lila Review: Country Soul by Remmy Duchene
  • A VVivacious Review: Einstein’s Peep Show by Josephine Myles
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Traitor’s Moon by Lynn Flewelling

Tuesday, February 23:

  • Charley Descoteaux ‘Torque’ Keep Me In Mind Tour and Giveaway
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Let It Ride by LC Chase
  • A Jeri Review: The Law of Attraction By Jay Northcote
  • A BJ Review: Bright Star by Talia Blackwood
  • A Stella Review: Second to None by Felice Stevens

Wednesday, February 24:

  • Can Love Overcome the Pain of the Past? When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw Answers the Question (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A MelanieM Review: Wolf, by Rory Ni Coileain
  • The Fire King by Ellis Perry: A Dreamspinner Tour
  • A MelanieM Review:  When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw
  • A MelanieM Review: The Fire King by Ellis Perry
  • A PaulB review: Quentin Hart Vampire Bounty Hunter by

Thursday, February 25:

  • Cover reveal for ‘6 Days to get Lucky’ by LE Franks on February 25
  • BA Tortuga ‘Refired’ Keep Me In Mind Tour and Giveaway
  • A Ali Review: A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson
  • A VVivacious Review: Hoofbeats by A.J. Marcus and Nicold Godfrey
  • A BJ Review: Prelude to Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings 0.5) by Lyn Gala

Friday,February 26:

  • Go Nutty Over Love with Rise of the Alpha Squirrel by Kate Lowell (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Thianna Durston’s ‘Finding His Home’ book blast and giveaway
  • In the Spotlight: Rustic Memory by Nic Starr (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Paul B Review: Nuts About You (Nutty Romances #1) by Kate Lowell
  • A Lila Review: Convincing the Secretary by Ava March‏

Saturday, February 27:

  • ‘Love Unlocked: A Beaten Track Anthology’ (excerpts galore and giveaway)
  • A Sammy Review: Cronin’s Key III by NR Walker