Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : Bear With Me (The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge) by Susan E. Scott

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Bear with MeThis is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I enjoyed the romance that developed between a big, burly bear shifter who happens to be the town sheriff and head of his clan and the young gay man, the family black sheep who has come to make an offer on land that’s been in the Falcon family for years.

When he arrives on the outskirts of Falcon’s Ridge, Connor Rhodes is not surprised to be pulled over for speeding by the local sheriff. What he is surprised at is the size of the sheriff, his gorgeous silver-gray eyes, and the hint of interest he spots in those eyes.  Connor flirts outrageously, but as expected, gets nowhere with the sexy guy in uniform.  Connor is there on behalf of his father whose sole purpose seems to be to get the land surrounding the town for real estate development.  Connor is only there because his other brothers weren’t available and doubts he’ll be very effective, but he decides to enjoy his mini-vacation anyway.

Caleb, known to all as Falcon, is drawn to the young guy, and when he pulls him over the next day for what appears to be drunken driving, he’s shocked by the feelings he’s rapidly developing for Connor.  Consulting with his grandmother, he finds out that members of his clan can have a fated mate, and though he doesn’t want him, he suspects Connor may be his.  When his desire and need to take care of Connor overrule his good sense, he marks Connor with the mating bite. Finding out there’s no way out of it, the only thing he can do is confess about the mating, and about the fact that he’s a bear shifter.

Both men have to face some truths and overcome the factors against them. Connor is a city boy, and Falcon is the clan leader, so there’s no way he can leave the area.  Add to that the facts that Connor’s dad wants that land no matter what; Falcon’s grandmother informs him either or both men will become ill and possibly die if they are separated; and the decisions that need to be made could be a matter of life or death.

This story was quite good as well as fun and interesting.  Though some aspects were predictable, the characters themselves were well-rounded, and the secondary characters will likely star in their own stories in the future.  A quick and easy read, I’d recommend this to those who enjoy shifter stories as well as stories of soulmates and true love.

~~~~~

Cover Art by E Connors depicts a tall, muscular male with a naked torso and arms crossed in front of his chest.  Very nice depiction of Falcon.

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 118 pages
Published December 28th 2015 by Dark Hollows Press, LLC
ASINB019YHF7X4
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Review: Vampire Prince (Paranormal Nobles #1) by S.J. Frost

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Vampire PrinceThree years ago, Sebastian Beaumont, was starving and struggling on the streets. An offer for safety and shelter was nothing but the lies of a vampire. Since then, he’s been trapped, surrendering his blood and body as a blood slave to vampires, all for the hope of gaining one more day of life and maybe, someday, his freedom.

Having crossed more than three hundred years of life, Valentin Wyndham, is a prince among vampires. Memories of betrayal still haunt him and love isn’t something he seeks. When his need for blood becomes too strong, he breaks his usual habits and visits a blood house. Though he tries to resist, he can’t help but be captivated by the beautiful Sebastian.

Unable to deny the intensity between them, Valentin frees Sebastian from the blood house, but danger follows them both from those who don’t want to let Sebastian go.

Vampire Prince is the story of Sebastian, a young man taken from the streets three years ago by Wesley with promises of a better life (or at least some food) and brought in his blood house as a blood slave, where people like him, runaways and people no one is going to miss, are used and abused by vampires. This mansion is become his prison, but he has no choice, he needs to stay safe and play the good boy, pretending to enjoy the entertainment he provides vampires. But Sebastian is really tired, three year in this life are really too much and he knows the time for his death is near.

Prince Valentine has just moved to Savannah from England. He doesn’t like the kind of blood house he’s going to, but it’s his only choice at the moment to not become a danger with his thirst. There he meets Sebastian and the insta-attraction will bring them to a sweet and steamy relationship.

I enjoyed this story a lot, I haven’t read the previous edition so I’m not sure about differences or changes SJ Frost made in the plot/writing. I found the writing good and I was surprised by the plot, I was waiting for the usual “vampire story”, instead I got an interesting and original book, light and funny. I felt soon a connection with Valentine and Sebastian, both well developed and likeable.

I can say I am particularly curious to read the next books in this series. Sal and Basil, Valentine’s friends, were both so well done, sometimes took away attention from the MCs.

The reason why I can’t give Vampire Prince an higher rating is that I often found myself bored by too many sex scenes and sugary sentences  (a little too much even for me). Still I can’t wait for the next one.

Cover art by Scarlet Tie designs. I really like this cover, it’s mysterious and dark, and it soon caught my attention.

Sales Links:  MLR Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 236 pages
Published November 28th 2015 by MLR Press (first published March 7th 2014)
Original TitleVampire Prince
ASINB018GKSB74
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesParanormal Nobles #1
CharactersSebastian Beaumont, Valentin Wyndham settingSavannah, Georgia (United States)

Cover reveal for Eden Winters ‘A Bear Walks Into A Bar’ (Cover reveal, excerpt and giveaway)

A Bear Walks Into A Bar


Release Date: January 16, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books
Cover Artist: Jacqueline Sweet

Blurb

It takes one strong alpha with a tight grip to keep a mountain full of shifters under control. Sawyer Ballantine’s contending with an uppity wolf leader and a herd of shifter elk bound and determined to take over. He might be the lone bear on the mountain, but he’s not going to allow another four shifters to just move in, especially not when they whiff of power. They’ll either be his in all ways, or they’ll be gone.

Dillon, Jerry, Kevin, and Brad have no one but each other since their shifter groups kicked them out. The young bear, wolves, and fox make a merry ménage, pooling their meager shifter skills and serving beer. They’ve stumbled into more than they understand, caught in the dispute between the Urso of Ballantine Mountain and the elk. But winter’s setting in, and they don’t know how to keep Dillon safe for hibernation.

And then a bear walks into their bar.

 

Pages or Words: 63,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Consensual Non-Monagomy

Excerpt

“Where exactly are you going? Would you at least tell me that?”

“A town nobody’s heard of about thirty-five miles from home.” If Sawyer needed to hide, he’d find a similar out of the way spot. Too bad this particular spot sat on the border between elk and predator. Just because they lived off vegetation didn’t mean his rivals weren’t a threat—an expert marksman had joined the herd a few years ago. He’d been tough and stringy, but ceased being a problem.

Conversation grew impossible when Sawyer fired up his bike. Mother Moon, but he loved the rumble of the big Harley between his thighs, the wind on his face, tempting his sensitive nose with a million different scents: moss, pines, rabbit, clover, chicken barbequing on a grill at a campsite downhill, all awaiting him once he reached his mountain.

Fluffy clouds overhead cast shadows over the scenery, and the crisp scent of snow drifted over the highest mountaintops. Colorado. No greater place existed on earth.

Occasionally he caught a whiff of human emotions: anger, fear, sorrow, lust. Especially lust.

Damn, he needed to get laid.

Buy the book: All Romance EbooksAmazon

BannerTemplate

Meet the Author

You will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!

Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.

She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures she has written fourteen m/m romance novels, has won several Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.

When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s a mild-mannered business executive, mother, grandmother, vegetarian, and PFLAG activist.

Her natural habitats are airports, coffee shops, and on the backs of motorcycles.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, BFD Book Blog, Mikky’s World of Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Ogitchida Book Blog, Love Bytes, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Velvet Panic, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, V’s Reads, Charley Descoteaux, Happily Ever Chapter, Multitasking Mommas, Bonkers About Books, KathyMac Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, 3 Chicks After Dark, Andrew Q. Gordon, Alpha Book Club, Tara Lain

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘A Bear Walks Into A Bar’ by Eden Winters.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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WillPride

Lingering Farewells and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

Lingering Farewells…

 

Sometimes its so hard to let go of the past.  From continually writing 2015 on everything that needs a date to calendars forever December 2015, never quite getting that flip over to January, moving forward can be a hard thing to do.

It’s no wonder its a theme that we read so often in our stories, because its one that happens so often in our lives.  From small things to big, letting go of the past is amazingly difficult, even when we have the best of reasons to do so.

I say this writing amongst the detritus of 2015, surrounded by envelopes and just plain stuff I keep meaning to toss and shred.  Muttering I’ll do it this afternoon/tomorrow/this weekend/ and somehow that never happens.  Well, that bag is coming out today and with a sweep of the hand, it will be gone.  I promise.

I finished a story last night from CJane Elliot, There You Are, full of the repercussions of what happens when people let the past rule their present.  In many instances, I thought she got it right.  Because sometimes for many the past is full of so many good times, that letting them go is unbearable.  Especially in the face of a present that stuck, so you want to hold on. But move forward you must.  The seasons tell us so.

We’ve been holding on…in a milder form here.   We still have leftovers, the Christmas lights are up as is the Christmas tree which burns bright each night.  Those will be coming down in a week…or two.  I hate to rush those things.

But that chirping Verizon backup battery still waiting to be replaced?  Sigh.  I fear that reminder will be with me a little longer.  Captain, the African Grey has decided he likes that sound and now mimics it perfectly.  So even once I’ve gotten around to doing the deed, the reminder will still be there.  Yes, somethings will never go away, just like those Christmas tree needles you still find months later, often in summer.  They leave you full of memories and wonder (where they heck where they hiding all this time when the vacuum was out).

Anyhow, now I have a weekly schedule to get out, its still light as we are all recovering from the holidays.  But there are some outstanding audiobook reviews coming your way. In fact this week has wonderful reviews, including a new terrific dragon book from Mell Eight (love her), one of Mika’s absolute Best of 2015 is reviewed this week Sunset Park by Santino Hassell, Ali is kicking it out of the park with her audiobook reviews from Riptide Publishing as is BJ who also continues with her reviews of the wonderful Lyn Gala series. If you are a SJ Frost fan, Stella has her latest novel, Vampire Prince from MLR Books…so many wonderful reads, stay with us all week!  I will be dealing with the detritus of 2015, don’t even get me started on resolutions. Wish me luck!

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunset ParkThe Harvest 3Winter BallDefinitely Maybe Yours cover

Sunday, January 3:

  • Lingering Farewells and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, January 4:

  • Cover reveal for Eden Winters ‘A Bear Walks Into A Bar (excerpt and contest)
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with Grein Murray’s ‘Forever Joshua’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Maggie Kavanagh ‘Blind Spot’ book tour and contest
  • A Mika Review: Sunset Park by Santino Hassell
  • A Stella Review: Textual Attraction by K lee Klein

Tuesday, January 5:

  • In the Spotlight: Alone Together by DC Juris (excerpt/giveaway)
  • Warriors are Back in Ari McKay ‘Herc’s Mercs: The Harder They Fall’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Paul B Review: The Harvest: A Tah’Narian Christmas (The Harvest #3) by M.A. Church
  • A Stella Review: For Want of a Christmas Miracle by Olley White

Wednesday, January 6:

  • An Ali Review: Winter Ball by Amy Lane
  • A MelanieM Review: Wild and Precious by CJane Elliott
  • A BJ Review: Affiliations, Aliens, and Other Profitable Pursuits (Claimings, #3) by Lyn Gala
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

Thursday, January 7:

  • An Ali Audiobook Review: Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run #7) by Abigail Roux , J.F. Harding (Narrator)
  • A MelanieM Review: Dragon Consultant (Supernatural Consultant #1) by Mell Eight
  • A BJ Review: White Knight by L. Valko
  • A Stella Review: Vampire Prince by SJ Frost

Friday, January 8:

  • In the Book Spotlight: Rob Rosen’s ‘Fate’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • ‘Painful Lessons’ by S.C. Wynne Book tour and guest blog
  • An Ali Audiobook Review: Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6) by Abigail Roux , J. F. Harding (Narrator)
  • A MelanieM Review: There You Are by CJane Elliot

Saturday, January 9:

  • Best of 2015 Review: A Mika Review: Definitely Maybe, Yours by Lissa Reed

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2015

best-of-2015-small-banner2

 From Books, Audiobooks to Book Covers

Its

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2015

Happy New Year! Looking back over 2015 I’m  amazed at all the changes here and marvelous tales that came to our door. I’m thinking about the new reviewers we’ve added,  all the wonderful books we’ve read, new authors we’ve discovered, and the way Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words has grown in this past year.  Along with new reviewers, came new columns like Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio (his New Year’s edition is posted today), our Author Discovery along with all our author interviews and guest posts.

As the market for audiobooks has increased so has our reviews.  Even a audiobook virgin like myself jumped into the format and found that I enjoyed it immensely. What a surprise…for me!

I hope 2016 brings a new look to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, a few new reviewers to help us read more, listen to, review more about the thing we love…books! I hope we find more new authors to discover, and more ways in which to write about them and the writing process.

But before we move forward, we’re going to look back at the books and covers we loved best.  So here are some of our favorites. Free Dreamer is traveling, and Paul was working on his Paranormal Portfolio but some of the rest of us had our lists ready. Are some of yours among them?  Which ones do you think we left out?  And are there new discoveries among those we love so much? Check out our Best Books and Covers of 2015 below…

 

 

From BJ:

✪Favorite Books Read in 2015:

Captive Prince One and Two by C.S. Pascat
The entire Straight Boys series by Alessandra Hazard
The entire Guardians of the Pattern series by Jaye McKenna
For Real by Alexis Hall
Control by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Give an Inch by K.D. Sarge (because it was so cute AND it was written from my prompt)

✪ Best Audiobook of 2015:

Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper, Narrated by Kaleo Griffith

✪Favorite Covers of 2015

Ghost in the Mythe coverFor Real coverSong of the NavigatorBurn The Sky cover

Ghost in the Mythe by Jaye McKenna, artist Chinchbug
For Real by Alexis Hall
Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara
Burn the Sky by Jaye McKenna, artist Chinchbug
Leythe Blade by Jaye McKenna, artist Chinchbug
Something Like A Love Song by Becca Burton
In Discretion (Ylendrian Empire, #3) by Reesa Herberth
Neskaya (Bittersweet Dreams) by Augusta Li

Leythe BladeSomething Like A Love SongInDiscretion_500x750Neskaya

I really admire original covers that are drawn or created specifically to represent that book so much more than those that just use stock photography…so here are some I love.

 

 

From Stella:

 

✪BEST BOOKS

Beneath the Stain by Amy Lane
Sacrati by Kate Sherwood
✪BEST COVERS
Sand and Gold and RuinThe Fifth Son coverCabin NightsACID coverStormBeforeTheCalm[The]FS
Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall
The Fifth Son by Blaine D Arden
Cabin Nights by Ashley John
ACID by Wulf Francu Godgluck and S. van Rooyen
The Storm before the Calm by Cate Ashwood
✪BEST AUTHOR DISCOVERIES
Family of Lies Sebastian by Sam Argent
Go On Your Own Way by Zane Riley
The Rules of Ever After by Killian B Brewer
The Union of Sun and Moon by Gus Li
The Last Yeti by Tully Vincent
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish

                                                                                        From Ali

✪ Best books:  These are my top 5 plus

The Subs Club by JA Rock
Darker Space by Lisa Henry
Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson
Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews
Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell
Lonely Hearts by Heidi Cullinan
Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux
A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles

  ✪Best Short Stories:

Fawn by Nash Summers  **this was probably my favorite thing I read this year in this genre
One Perfect Night by Lisa Henry
Lima Oscar Victor Echo & the Truth About Everything by Suki Fleet
Ten Simple Steps for Surviving the Apocalypse by Cari Z
Waiting for Clark by Annabeth Albert

 ✪ Best Covers:

 Sutphin Boulevard coverIn the Middle of Somewhere coverFawn coverStygian
Stygian by Santino Hassell
Fawn by Nash Summers
Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell
Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins
Level Hands
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish

From Mika

✪My Favorite Books of 2015

. Sunset Park by Santino Hassell & How To Be A Normal Person by T.J. Klune. They are tied for me. I loved these books. (

Rest in any order
Conscious Decisions of the Heart by John Wiltshire
Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan
Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson
Breakaway by Avon Gale
Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford
Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews
Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Definitely Maybe, Yours by Lissa Reed
The Subs Club by J.A. Rock
Restless Spirits by Jordan L. Hawk
Down & Dirty by Rhys Ford

✪Best Covers:

Conscious Decisions of the Heart civCarry the OceanTrust the Focus

Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan
Conscious Decisions of the Heart by John Wiltshire
Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson

From Sammy:

✪Best Books of 2015:

– Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton
– Dirty Dining by E.M. Lynley
– The Wrong Man & The Right Time by Lane Hayes
– The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye
– Slasherazzi by Daniel A. Kaine
– Where There’s Smoke & Where There’s Fire by Cari Z
– The World in His Eyes by A.J. Thomas
– The Ultimate Team by Tricia Owens
– The Biggest Scoop by Gillian St. Kevern (A YA pick!)
And an upcoming release in 2016 that I had the pleasure of beta reading:
– Thorns & Fangs by Gillian St. Kevern

From Melanie

For me there  were so many. You really had to look no further than our best book of the month to see that.  Its especially hard in a year where favorite  series came to a finish.  Those were so tough on the heart.  But so were so many others. I laughed with these characters and boy, did I cry.  Sometimes, I did both at the same time.  Looking at you Renae Kaye and John Inman!
Alex Beecroft and Alexis Hall almost deserve their own section.  Beecroft’s Trowchester Blues was a trilogy so marvelous it was illuminating.  And Alexis Hall?  His words flow with a lyricism and magic  that make reading his stories a privilege.
John Wiltshire’s excellent series More Heat Than The Sun starts off with one of my favorite books of 2015, Conscious Decisions of the Heart (also Best Cover).  Heidi Cullinan’s Minnesota Christmas trilogy which ends with my favorite story of them all, Eden Winter’s Diversion series (be still my heart) got a new installment that I’ve read several times, see?  I can  go on and on.  And I haven’t even talked about Astrid Amara who is on several of the other reviewers lists!

✪Best Books

The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye
Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall
Conscious Decisions of the Heart by John Wiltshire
Holding Out for a Fairy Tale (Least Likely Partnership #2) by A.J. Thomas
My Magical Palace by Kunal Mukherjee
Blue Eyed Stranger (Trowchester Blues #2) by Alex Beecroft
Trowchester Blues (Trowchester Blues, #1) by Alex Beecroft
Blue Steel Chain (Trowchester Blues, #3) by Alex Beecroft
Blowing Off Steam by Joy Lynn Fielding
Redemption (Diversion #5) by Eden Winters
Tigers on the Run (Tigers and Devils #3) by Sean Kennedy
A Solitary Man by Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy
Where the Grass is Greener (Seeds of Tyrone #2) by Debbie McGowan and Raine O’Tierney
Winter Wonderland (Minnesota Christmas #3) by Heidi Cullinan *loved them all
******************************
(Humor & Pathos Division)
Shawn’s Law by Renae Kaye
Coming Back by John Inman
You Are The Reason by Renae Kaye
 ***********************
Four of Club series by Parker Williams (Pulp Friction 2015)
Jack of Spades series by Lee Brazil
King of Hearts series by Havan Fellows
******************************

Best Audiobook

Best Covers:

Theory Unproven 400x600Blowing Off Steam coverConscious Decisions of the Heart civWaiting for the Flood cover

 

 

 

 

 

Theory Unproven by Lillian Francis, artist Meredith Russell
Conscious Decisions of the Heart by John Wiltshire
Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall, artist Simone
Blowing Off Steam by Joy Lynn Fielding

 

Sand and Gold and RuinSnowman coverForging the future coverRunning with the Wind cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn's Law coverChasing the Swallows coverSomething Like A Love SongFirst Comes Marriage

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn’s Law by Renae Kay, Paul Richmond artist
Something Like A Love Song by Becca Burton, unknown artist
Chasing the Swallows by John Inman, artist Maria Fanning
First Comes Marriage by Shira Anthony, artist Paul Richmond

The Sub Club by J.A. Rock, artist Kanaxa
My Magical Palace by Kunal Mukherjee, artist unknown
Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton, artist L.C. Chase
Trowchester Blues trilogy by Alex Beecroft, artist Lou Harper
Trowchester Blues cover

 

 

TheSubsClub_600x900Winter Oranges coverMy Magical Palace

Paul’s 2016 New Year’s Paranormal Portfolio

Pauls Paranormal Portfolio Header

Paul’s New Year’s Paranormal Portfolio

A couple of weeks ago, Melanie told us that the full moon and Christmas coincided this year.  She also shared her favorite werewolf series and commented that I might want to share some of mine.  So I am devoting this edition of PPP to my favorite werewolf shifter series.  I will be focusing on series where the primary focus is on werewolf shifters, though other paranormal beings might be featured.

I would like to start off by echoing Melanie’s suggestions.  I found the With and Without You by JL Langley series enjoyable.  Whenever I have a few minutes to spare, I pull up a book in either the Mates or Tameness of the Wolf series by Kendall McKenna and reread them to pass the time.  Both offer unique takes on the werewolf genre.

The Southwestern Shifter series by Bailey Bradford starts off with a veterinarian helping out an injured wolf on the road.  What follows is a battle to assert the rightful claim of leadership of werewolves.  The main group of characters travels to Europe and South America to help restore order to those parts of the world.  In this series, the process of being turned into a werewolf is painful but sometimes necessary in order to stay alive.

One of my favorite authors is Kaje Harper.  Her Hidden Wolves series is one of the reasons why.  Again, it starts with an injured dog being rescued by a vet.  But Paul soon learns that this is not a dog but a wolf and a shifter in fact.  In this world, being a gay wolf is taboo and telling anybody about shifters is punishable by death.  But these wolves have not met someone as spunky and outspoken as Paul.  Soon, this pack becomes a refuge for unwanted gay werewolves.

What is better than a series about werewolves?  How about werewolves who are assassins?  Yes, I am talking about Sandrine Gasq-Dion’s popular Assassin-Shifter series.  What started out as a contract hit on a successful business owner turns into a fight against rogue werewolves that want to convert all werewolves to their rabid ways.  My favorites in the story actually do not do any fighting yet.  I am talking about the young Kane and Matty, the future leaders of werewolves when they grow older,

One last series I would like to mention for now is Charlie Richard’s Wolves of Stone Ridge series.  This series started with one of the Stone Ridge werewolves sold to a local zoo by a group of hunters and expanded into a worldwide conspiracy of evil scientists who have been doing experiments on shifters for almost 200 years.  And yes, another vet is in the first book.  (Do I see a pattern?)  This series spun off three other series all set in the same universe, which feature non-wolf shifters, vampires, and gargoyles.

This is by no means a complete list of my favorites.  I will include more in a future edition of the Portfolio.  I hope everybody has a healthy and prosperous New Year.

You can find all the books at the series pages below:

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best Books of December 2015

snowflake

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Best Books of December

2015

 

Its has been a stellar month.  From the great advent stories to our regular reviews that have run the gamut from science fiction to contemporary romance with a kink to the supernatural and shifters in love, we have read and reviewed the lot and its been wonderful.  And so hard to pick the best of the month.  I had to narrow it down to the 5 star ratings with a  sprinkling of 4.75 stars which were rounded up.  I also divided them out as well into Advent Short Stories and Audio books.  Still there were many.  Take a look back, see what stories you may have missed and enjoy!

The titles are linked to our reviews.  As always happy reading!

Best Books of December 2015

Sleigh Ride Advent StoryAdvent Short Stories:

It Was Close…

Best Audiobooks of December 2015audiobook clipart bw

 

Winter Solstice and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

stonehenge-winter-solstice-2012-35

Winter Solstice

This  year Winter Solstice falls on December 22nd, our shortest day of the year.  What is Winter Solstice?  At its most scientific, it can be defined per Wikipedia as ” Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Winter solstice occurs for the Northern Hemisphere in December and for the Southern Hemisphere in June.”

I found a wonderful article in The Daily Telegraph, ‘What exactly is the winter solstice? By Cameron Macphail, complete with pictures of the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge that defined the day as “sunstill” according to ancient tradition. Read it to find out why.  Its a great article.  Don’t miss out on it.  But honestly, when searching out meanings for the Winter Solstice, you will be flooded with hits. Why?

Because its meaning and celebrations through the centuries makes it so much more than that simple sentence makes it out to be.

For many civilizations and cultures,  the shortest day also meant the longest night of the year. For some a time when spirits visited, the separations between worlds narrows, when the bonfires are lighted to keep the spirits away, and all draw close around the fires. As Cameron Macphail points out, animals were slaughtered so they didn’t have to be fed in the winter, feasts were held, pagan celebrations in hope for a short winter, and fruitful spring.

Because Yule is also a celebration of the return of the sun, for that is what happens once the longest night is over.  The sun’s rebirth starts the next day when starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs a bit higher and stays a bit longer in the sky every day.

From Yule by Akasha:

Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were “wassailed” with toasts of spiced cider.  Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun.  The boughs were symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did not “die” thereby representing the eternal aspect of the Gods. The wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes, in hopes Nature Spirits would come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to visit the residents. Mistletoe was also hung as decoration.  It represented the seed of the Divine, and at Midwinter, the Druids would travel deep into the forest to harvest it.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the Solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder’s land, or given as a gift… it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

Think…how many of these traditions are followed in some manner today.

 

No matter your Winter Solstice or Yuletide traditions, whether it be decorating with holly and the ivy or burning the yule log, may your long Winter Solstice night be filled with love, laughter, good books and cheer!

snowflake

Now for This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, December 20:

  • Winter Solstice and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • A Mika Advent Story Review: Not the Best Day by Brynn Stein

Monday, December 21:

  • Cover reveal ‘Unquiet’ by Melanie Hansen (excerpt and contest)
  • Anthology Spotlight: Men In Uniform (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Wild & Sexy with ‘Dom of Ages’ by KC Wells & Parker Williams (excerpt/giveaway)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Dom of the Ages by Will Parker and KC Wells
  • An Ali Advent Story Review: Loving and Loathing Las Vegas by Lex Chase

Tuesday, December 22 (Winter Solstice) :

  • Morticia Knight ‘Safe Limits’ book blast and giveaway
  • When It’s Right (Mile High Romance #1) by Aria Grace tour and  contest
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Sleeping Til Sunrise by Mary Calmes
  • A Paul Advent Story Review: Worth the Wait by Caitlin Ricci and Cari Z
  • A BJ Review: A Policy of Lies by Astrid Amara
  • A Stella Review: Reindeer Games by Kenzie Cade

Wednesday, December 23:

  • Coffee Sip and Book Break: Tina Blenke ‘Life Worth Living’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A MelanieM Review: Down and Dirty by Rhys Ford
  • A BJ Review:  Turbulence (Turbulence #1) by Lyn Gala
  • A Paul B Advent Story Review: Son of Santa by Kate Sands
  • A Stella Review: Out of the Blues by Mercy Celeste

Thursday, December 24:

  • Sidewinders are Back with Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux (Riptide Tour)
  • A MelanieM Review: Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux
  • A BJ Review: Cinder by Marie Sexton
  • A Paul B Advent Story Review: Teddy Bear Christmas by CC Bridges
  • A Free Dreamer Review: The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles

Friday, December 25 (Merry Christmas!)

  • Caraway Carter ‘The First Time’ book blast and contest
  • Nicolas by Dianne Hartsock virtual tour and giveaway
  • A MelanieM Advent Story Review: Four Alternative Christmas Present by Tam MacNeil
  • A BJ Review: Turbulence by Lyn Gala
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Flesh Market (Bodies and Souls #1) by Kate Lowell
  • A Sammy Review: Rock Rod Studios Series by Emory Vargas

Saturday, December 26:

  • A MelanieM Advent Story Review: An Assassin’s Holiday by Dirk Greyson
  • An Aurora YA Review: Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me by Becky Jerams

 

 

 

 

 

A BJ Review: A Policy of Lies by Astrid Amara

 

 

A Paul B Review: Kenai (Watchers #1) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Kenai coverKenai is a young watcher.  He has known since he was young that he was meant to settle disputes between shifters.  He has also been told that being a watcher is a lonely life.  The watcher separates himself from his family and there is no prospect of love, much less a mate.  This as they say is how it has always been.   His life is one of prophetic dreams and settling disputes.  To keep himself from being distracted from his duties, Kenai lives in the forest of Washington in a single room cabin by himself.  This also allows him to shift into his cougar form.  The one dream that recurs to him is of a bear shifter fishing salmon from a nearby stream.

Derek is a bear shifter in the wilds of Washington.  While walking through the woods one day, a cougar bounces around him as he walks.  Annoyed at the playful shifter, he asks the man what he is doing.  Kenai states that he just wants company.  Derek tolerates the cougar for a bit until Kenai’s bouncing leads Derek to growl at him.  Kenai apologizes and heads home.  Derek follows him and asks if Kenai would like to go on a salmon run with him the next day.

At the salmon run, things progress between Derek and Kenai.  Both agree that whatever goes on between them is just for fun and nothing more could come of it.  However, when another bear shifter attacks Kenai, things change.  Kenai defends himself, pushing the bear shifter over a cliff.  Frightened what the other bear shifters might do, he runs to the city seeking refuge in a bottle of vodka.  Derek tracks him down but Kenai must perform his watcher duties.  Will the legends of the lonely watcher prove to be true?

This is the first book in the new Watchers series by Caitlin Ricci and A J Marcus.  The first part of the book serves both as an introduction to Kenai but also to this world of watchers that the authors have created.  It is a different twist on the supervision of paranormals as these watchers seem to be born into the role.  While this is a decent shifter book, I felt something was missing in the connection of the main characters.  I did however like how Kenai used the situation that he is called on to mediate to help him come to a conclusion about his relationship with Derek.  Overall, it is a good start to the series but I hope that more details are fleshed out  in coming books.

The cover art by Carmen Waters has Kenai in his cougar form with a shirtless man behind the cougar set in a forest.  It fits the book well.

Sales Links:   eXtasy Books |  Amazon

Book Details

ebook, 46 pages
Published December 8th 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487406011
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesWatchers #1

Charity Release Spotlight: Bailey Bradford’s ‘Destined Prey (fundraiser, excerpt,giveaway)

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Destined Prey (Wild Ones #1) by Bailey Bradford

Thank you for joining us! This book was written as a fundraiser for Peyton Hollingsworth, a family friend of Bailey’s who has been diagnosed with cancer.

*All proceeds and royalties from this book will be donated to help pay the medical bills for Peyton Hollingsworth. While he is currently being treated at St. Jude’s for Ewing’s Sarcoma, and treatment there is free, there are accumulated bills from his treatment and diagnosis before being sent to St. Jude’s.

About Peyton:

Peyton is a funny, loving, 11-year old boy who loves playing outside, riding go-carts, and Batman. In April, we found out he had cancer. Peyton has asthma, and often had to have nebulizer treatments, so when he was having trouble breathing, his doctor thought it was asthma. But nothing worked to ease his breathing, and the doctor sent Peyton to the hospital for a suspected collapsed lung.

From one day to the next, it went from us thinking he had a severe bout of asthma to finding out that he had a tumor pressing his lung up until it was almost completely obscured, and he couldn’t get much, if any, air into it.

Peyton was sent to St. Jude’s and diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. The mass was attached to one rib, and was spreading. He has undergone radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy, several transfusions and MRI’s, numerous tests and received numerous shots. It’s been a rough, rough time for the Hollingsworth family, and we are hoping to help them out.

While St. Jude’s doesn’t charge for treatment, the Hollingsworth family has accumulated medical bills from Peyton’s doctor and hospitalization before he was sent to St. Jude’s. Cherri, his mother, has been unable to work during this time, and the financial constraints are something they could really use help overcoming.

We are currently awaiting another MRI to be scheduled and done to see if all the cancer has been eradicated. We are hopeful and have faith that Peyton will be in remission and the cancer will not have spread or reoccur.

I will keep updating this as we get more information. We should know more within a few days, but I wanted to go ahead and get a jump start on this, so that we can help his family financially, so this will be one less thing that they have to stress about.

If you’d like to help, a Go Fund Me campaign has been set up: https://www.gofundme.com/okwdr0

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and donations.

Wild Ones 1 - Destined Prey - 400x600

Destined Prey (Wild Ones #1) by Bailey Bradford
Release Date: December 18, 2015
(available for early download on December 14 from Rainbow Ninja Press).
Goodreads Link

Hi Bailey, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Give us a to-do list for one of your characters.

Ben is a coywolf shifter. He is also a mechanic. One a typical day, he’d get up, shower, have breakfast while bickering with his siblings, then he’d go to work. Business has been slower than he’d like, but it’s not too bad. Getting his hands greasy and taking an engine apart is his idea of a good time at work.

Ben’s to-do list:

  • Survive breakfast and don’t give in to the impulse to smack a sib.
  • Order the parts for the old Mustang I’m restoring.
  • Finish the oil changes and tire rotations scheduled, then have fun with the ‘Tang.
  • Stop by the grocers, glare at Gregg. He is not getting my man. Pick up a double chocolate cake from the bakery there for Jack, and his favorite ice cream.
  • Go home and fight off the siblings trying to eat Jack’s cake and ice cream.
  • Shower at Jack’s instead.
  • This one is rated x. Sorry, folks.

 

Blurb

Wild Ones book 1

Destined Prey

All Jack Tucker wanted was to come home for a little while and try to figure out where his life had gone wrong. Moving from Wyoming to New York hadn’t turned out the way he’d thought it would, and a bad breakup leaves him bruised in more than just the emotional sense.

He doesn’t expect to be glad he’s back on the Double T Ranch with his brother, Rhett, and he sure doesn’t expect to find the place crawling with coywolves, wolves, and coyotes. There seems to be some kind of animal-warfare going on, and he and Rhett are caught in the middle of it.

Coywolves—the hybrid of wolves and coyotes, hated by both, and more predatory than either. Add in the fact that all the battling species are shifters, and there’s bound to be trouble.

Ben Akers is part of his brother’s pack. The only coywolf shifters in existence, they find themselves under constant attack from wolf and coyote packs determined to make the Akers pack extinct. But coywolves don’t die out so easy, and when Ben’s life takes a surprising turn in the form of one sexy human named Jack Tucker, they’re both in for surprises, danger, and, if Destiny rules, an abiding love that most people—and shifters—only dream of.

Pages or Words: 43,000 words
Categories: Erotica, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, with a dash of Western/Cowboy.

 

Excerpt:

Jack Tucker watched his brother retrieve the rifle from the gun cabinet in the office. “Um. Rhett? What’re you doing?”

Rhett didn’t even glance back at him as he loaded the gun. “What does it look like I’m doing? You been living in the city so long you forgot how a Wyoming rancher lives?” Then he did look over his shoulder at Jack, and Jack kind of wished he hadn’t.

He hated seeing that judgment in his brother’s eyes, and knowing he’d never be good enough for Rhett, never be the man his brother was. “No,” Jack mumbled, “I didn’t forget.”

Rhett sighed and turned until he faced Jack. “Look, that was uncalled for. I’m… I’m sorry, okay?”

Jack was so startled by the apology that he gulped and couldn’t think of a word to say.

Rhett grimaced. “Yeah. Well, okay. Gotta check on some tracks Eddie said he found leading from his property to ours. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He left, striding from the room without seeming to hesitate.

Jack groaned and closed his eyes. Of course Rhett didn’t hesitate—he never had. Rhett always knew what to do, and how to do it, and who he was, and that he was right… Except, he apologized to me, and it screwed my head right up.

“Worse than it already is,” he muttered. Jack couldn’t stop himself from touching his left side, where his bruised ribs throbbed as the pain meds wore off. He was lucky, very lucky, that Rhett hadn’t pushed him on the accident that had sent Jack running home from New York, and possibly into the unemployment line. His boss hadn’t been happy with Jack taking off, even with a medical note as an excuse. Jack hadn’t told Rhett much about any of that. As far as Rhett knew, Jack had fallen down some icy steps, and that was all he was going to ever know about the incident.

Jack replayed his brother’s apology in his head and somehow it mingled in with Alex’s. Cold fear trickled down Jack’s spine and his gut cramped hard enough to make him worry about the dinner he’d just eaten.

After several minutes of trying to calm himself down, Jack stood and left. He’d wanted to sit and talk with Rhett about finances and try to decide if he should offer to let Rhett buy him out. Jack wasn’t made to be a rancher. He wasn’t made to be a New Yorker, either.

Jack didn’t know what he was supposed to do in life, and at the age of twenty-seven, he kind of thought he should have an inkling.

His cell phone was ringing when he stepped into his bedroom. Without looking, he knew it was Alex calling. “Who else would it be?” he huffed. It wasn’t like he had any friends left.

Rather than check to see how many times Alex had called and how many texts he’d sent, Jack turned the phone off, then stuck it in the nightstand. He eased himself onto the bed, then took a couple of prescription pain meds and washed them down with the rest of the water he’d brought in earlier.

The glass was old and familiar, and he felt a pang of regret as he looked it over after he set it down. Green glass, nothing special about it, yet he remembered so much as he stared.

He could see his mom in the kitchen, fixing a pitcher of tea, talking to him, and listening as he told her about his day at school or the chores he’d had to do around the ranch. She’d always been so kind and understanding, Jack had to believe she’d have been okay with him being gay. He’d spent many afternoons in the kitchen, helping her prepare meals or just basking in her presence. Losing her had almost broken him.

For a few more minutes, he let his mind go back to happy childhood days. His dad wasn’t in nearly as many of those good memories, but Chauncey Tucker hadn’t been a bad man. His dad had been more like Rhett—stoic, focused on the ranch and less on the people around him.

Jack ran one finger around the rim of the glass. He was surprised, really, that there were any of the old things left.

The sound of gunshot startled him so badly he jerked and nearly sent the glass flying.

“Shit!” He winced as he pushed it back, then stood as quickly as he could manage.

Another shot rang out, then a third, and fear quickly overtook every other sensation he’d felt until then.

Rhett had always been an ace shot. If he’d had to use three bullets, then there was something bad outside—a bear or a whole pack of wolves.

Jack didn’t like guns, but he went and got one from the gun cabinet anyway. He loaded it as he walked to the front door, and hoped like hell Rhett wasn’t hurt.

As soon as he stepped outside, the fine hairs at his nape seemed to stand up and vibrate, like some kind of primitive survival instinct warning alert system. Jack froze, his back to the door as his heart slammed hard against his ribs.

Another shot sounded, and it jolted Jack into action. “Rhett! Rhett!” He rushed down the steps and toward the direction the shots had come from. “Rhett! Are you okay?”

When Rhett didn’t immediately answer, Jack ran, careless with the gun, aware of that but unable to make himself do anything other than find his brother as soon as possible.

“Rhett!” He stumbled over something on the ground and almost fell before he managed to flail enough to keep himself upright.

Pain tore down his injured side, but he ignored it as he called out for his brother yet again. He cursed himself for not thinking to grab a flashlight. The sky was overcast and there was no moonlight to assist him in his search, and once he was past the barns there was no light coming from the house or other structures, either.

Jack realized that the cattle in the closest field were making enough noise to drown out his voice or Rhett’s, making it impossible for them to hear each other.

The sounds of the gunshots must have scared the cattle. Jack worried about a stampede, but he’d never seen any of the critters take out a fence, so he dismissed the idea.

“Rhett!” His throat burned as he hollered again.

Lightning streaked across the sky, blinding Jack for a moment, then thunder followed and he couldn’t contain his startled yelp as his ears rang from the sound.

Or his shriek when six pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared between him and the fence line.

“Shit!” Jack skidded to a halt and hoped he could steady his hands, and force himself to do what he had to do.

 

Buy the book:

Destined Prey available Monday 14th December:  Rainbow Ninja Press

Destined Prey available Friday 18th December:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Smashwords

 

Meet the Author

A few things about me…

I am a married mom of four who spends most of the day writing, either on stories or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick and irritate me.

And it’s really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I’ll just let y’all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there’s something specific you’d like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio.

Where to find the author:

 

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Tour Dates & Stops:

14-Dec: Decadent Delights, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, BFD Book Blog, Hearts on Fire, Mikky’s World of Books, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Unquietly Me

15-Dec

Open Skye Book Reviews, Nephy Hart, MM Good Book Reviews, I Read Selfies, Havan Fellows

16-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Carly’s Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Love Bytes, Divine Magazine, Wake Up Your Wild Side, A.M. Leibowitz

17-Dec

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Happily Ever Chapter, 3 Chicks After Dark, QUEERcentric Books, My Fiction Nook, The Hat Party

18-Dec: Jessie G. Books, Bayou Book Junkie, The Novel Approach, Inked Rainbow Reads, Kimi-Chan, Molly Lolly, Book Lovers 4Ever

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Destined Prey’ by Bailey Bradford.  Must be 18  years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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