Release Blitz and Giveaway – In This Iron Ground by Marina Vivancus

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Length: 85,000 words approx.

Blurb

Damien is nine years old when his parents die. What should have been the worst moment of his life begins a journey shadowed by loneliness and pain. The night of a full moon, four years and seven foster homes later, Damien flees to the forest, desperate to escape everything.

Instead, he finds the Salgado pack, and the earth beneath his feet shifts. Damien has seen the Salgado children in his school: Koko, who is in his class, and Hakan, two years older and infinitely unreachable. Damien is suddenly introduced into a world that had only ever existed in his imagination, where there is magic in the forest and the moon. He meets creatures that look like monsters, but Damien knows that monsters have the same face as anybody else.

Over the years, Damien and Hakan grow closer. First, just as friends and foster brothers in the Salgado house, and then into something heated and breathless when Damien joins Hakan at college. Despite what he may yearn for in the darkest part of the night, Damien knows, deep down in that bruised and mealy part of his core, that he’s not good enough to be part of the Salgado family, their pack. He’s not worthy of calling Hakan his home.

Even though he knows in the end it’ll hurt him, he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can.

CONTENT WARNING: This book contains themes of emotional and (nonsexual) physical child abuse and the subsequent emotional, cognitive, and behavioural impacts.

Author Bio

When Marina was a child she couldn’t sleep. Night after dissolving night she just couldn’t sleep. Nothing much worked – until she started making up stories in her head. Suddenly, the transition into unconsciousness was a smooth dive into calm waters.

Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did decades ago.

Marina hopes to write in a variety of romance sub-genres, from contemporary to supernatural to sci-fi. Her style, however, tends to focus on character-centred stories that explore different facets of the human experience, such as mental health. She also enjoys writing explicit, drawn-out sex scenes, so expect those to be a prominent feature of her stories.

Marina tends to keep to herself unless prompted, so don’t be shy in approaching her!

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Giveaway

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Tis September. A Most Literary Month! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Tis September. A Most Literary Month!

But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head … The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on.

Robert Finch

“

September: it was the most beautiful of words, he’d always felt, evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret.

Alexander Theroux

“

We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.

Henry Rollins

Ah, September, that month so in between. Neither summer or fall, sometimes too warm, often too cold at night, it wavers never quite knowing where to fall. We’ve left summer activities behind yet the true fall events are yet to come. No pumpkins or fall colors…as yet. But we know they are coming. September fills us up with anticipation. With expectations. With enough everything, that it’s a month we still embrace as the quotes above reflect.

We know that September is also a month that is fond of things bookish as you can see from it’s events listing on the calendar as we previously noted. So here again is the September literary calendar events starting with this week:

September:

September 6 Read a Book Day (this week)
September 8 International Literacy Day
September 11 Libraries Remember Day, because never underestimate the power of a Librarian or library card!
September 15 LGBT Awareness Day (I know…just because I thought it should be there)
September 22 Dear Diary Day, Love Note Day (because think of how many novels and stories started from these)
September 24 Punctuation Day (enough said)

If you all were to suggest a Literary Event for the calendar, what would it be? An International LGBT Romance Story Day? Triad in Lust Day? Quiltbag Aliens HEA Day? Give me some titles for our own special September literary events. Let’s call it our LGBTQIA Literary Event Title Giveaway! Have your title chosen and we will have Stella set you up with a $10 gift card from Dreamspinners. Giveaway runs through September 22.

And just in case you missed the notice yesterday, Instafreebie has great M/M short stories up for downloading until September 4. Check out our post with link here. Perfect for Read a Book (or story) Day or any day of the week or month.

Happy Reading and have a safe, wonderful weekend.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 2:

Tis September A Most Literary Month
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Release Blitz – Meik & Sebastian – Obsessed 2 by Quin Perin

Monday, September 3:

John R. Petrie on Quarterback Crush
Release Blitz – Nell Iris & Kris T Bethke’s Falling Into Love
Release Blitz – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
An Alisa Release Day Review: Somebody to Die For (Requiem Inc. #3) by Kris T. Bethke
A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Rubble and the Wreckage (A Gabriel Church Tale #1)by Rodd Clark
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow

Tuesday, September 4:

In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow
Release Day Blitz Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington
Box Set Book Blast – Lyon Road Vets Complete Series by Sue Brown
A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Quarterback’s Crush by John R. Petrie
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Two of a Kindby BA Tortuga
A Jeri Release Day Review: Love and Payne (A THIRDS Universe Novel) by Charlie Cochet

Wednesday, September 5:

Retro Review Tour – Love & Mystery Box Set – W S Long
Blog Tour: Time for Love by Lynn Michaels
BA Tortuga on Two of a Kind
Release Blitz – Buckle Up by Karen Botha
A MelanieM Review: Time for Loveby Lynn Michaels
A Stella Review: Courtedby Sarah Hadley Brook
An Alisa Audio Review: Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Thursday, September 6:

Release Blitz – V.L. Locey’s Nightwings Collection
Promo C.C. Dado on Denying Fate
Private Charter by NR Walker
Blog Tour Looking Forward by Michael Bailey
An Ali Audio Review: Romantic Behavior (Bad Behavior #4) by L.A. Witt and Cari Z./Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)
A Lucy Review: Stumbling in the Dark by Deja Black
A MelanieM Review: Private Charter by NR Walker

Friday, September 7:

The Billionaire’s Wedding by Geoffrey Knight Blog Tour
Review Tour – Flare by Posy Roberts
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Raising the Bar (States of Love) by Leigh Dillon
A Stella Review: Flare (North Star #3) by Posy Roberts
A VVivacious Review: Love Spell by Mia Kerick
A MelanieM Review: Ante Up (A Four Kings Security Story) by Charlie Cochet

Saturday, September 8:

A MelanieM Review: In Vino Veritas by Sydney Blackburn

Free M/M Short Story Downloads at Instrafreebie! Only A shorttime!

FREE m/m romance instafreebie downloads until September 4th! Jumped on and read quite a few of the stories already and they are wonderful. Lol! There’s Bru Baker, Lucy Lennox, Susi Hawke, RG Alexander, Silvia Violet, just to name a few! Go get ’em!

So many highlights here! New free stories from Marie Sexton, J.M. Dabney, Annabeth Albert, A.M. Arthur, Charlie Cochet’s Four Kings Security Series short story Ante Up, K.M. Neuhold, and much more. I’ll be reviewing some of the ones I’ve read too. It’s also a great way to get on these author’s mailing lists for upcoming announcements for new releases.

The free downloads will continue only until September 4th. So download away.

Here is the Link to the Instafreebie website:

https://claims.instafreebie.com/gg/oryl0wCduHLFHJCRZy20

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Patience (Forbes Mates #2) by Grace R. Duncan and Chistopher Boucher (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Jamie Ryan literally runs into the man of his dreams. Jamie has shifted to his wolf form earlier than he expected, and while it’s rare, it’s dangerous in the city where humans may see. It’s also dangerous for the wolf when authorities spot him—authorities in the form of the local animal control officer. In his effort to creep away from the man with the long, looped pole, he’s gobsmacked by the scent of the human he meets.

Chad Sutton is a darn good detective—a former cop and now PI—and he reacts quickly to help the dog when his instincts tell him he needs to save the poor guy. Little did he know his wolfie-looking dog is a cute young man who happens to be a shifter. Chad doesn’t react poorly when confronted with the evidence as Jamie shifts to human. In fact, he’s quite accepting of everything Jamie tells him—including the fact that he’s Jamie’s mate.

The two get along very well immediately and Chad is totally accepting of the concept of a mate and the fact that it’s a man. The main thrust of the story is whether or not a mate bite will harm or kill Chad. Together, they research whatever they can find out from pack leaders, past and present, and ultimately the headquarters in Rome. Though Chad immediately emotionally accepted Jamie as his mate, whether or not he can handle the physical bite is something Jamie worries about. Actually, I found it odd that he easily accepted not only Jamie’s bond with him but he adapted to man-on-man sex quite easily. There was a bit of an explanation later in the story but for a man who never considered either a mate or sex with a man, this was a bit difficult to accept. And add to that the fact that Chad’s mother was also totally accepting and even enthusiastic, that segment of the audiobook required a stretch of the imagination until the author later explained his mother’s background.

Without going into further detail, I’ll simply say that this is one of those stories without a lot of outside conflict—inner turmoil? yes—outer conflict?—no. It’s a sweet tale and a smooth ride to love for these men. Christopher Boucher did a great job with the variety of voices and gave both Jamie and Chad distinct voices so it was easy to follow on audio.

This can be read as a standalone, even though a few characters from book one return in cameo roles. Their presence is fully explained, making it easy to follow on its own.

The cover by Reese Dante features two men cuddled together with a white wolf superimposed in the foreground. It’s attractive and well represents the essence of this love story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio,Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Published July 26th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published March 7th 2016)
Original TitlePatience
ASINB07FV1CJ3K
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesForbes Mates #2

JL Merrow on Berlin, and her release Midnight in Berlin (author guest post and giveaway)

Midnight in Berlin by J.L. Merrow

Dreamspinner Press
Cover Art: Tiferet Designs

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host JL Merrow here today talking about Berlin and her latest release, Midnight in Berlin, available now at Dreamspinner Press. Welcome, JL.

♦︎

My Berlin

Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here today as part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of Midnight in Berlin, my second MM werewolf romance.

Berlin’s always been one of the coolest cities around. Okay, maybe not always, but for the last hundred or so years at least. It was cool in the 1920s, when jazz was big and the nightlife was decadent. For queer men and women, it was an all-too-brief taste of freedom to live and love how they wanted, before Nazism and the Second World War came to take it all away. Christopher Isherwood recorded the spirit of the times in a book that became the musical Cabaret.

In the late 1970s, David Bowie went there (thereby increasing the coolness factor of Berlin significantly) to recover from drug addiction, and wrote some cool music including the classic, Heroes. The song is about lovers kissing in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, which since 1961 had separated communist-controlled East Berlin from West, tearing apart families and severing streets. The partition of Berlin was, of course, a legacy of WW2, when the capital of a defeated Germany was split between the Allies.

I visited Berlin at an impressionable age, way back in the summer of 1989. Part of a group doing voluntary work, I stayed in a West Berlin high school which was as close to the Wall as we are from the end of this sentence. The first night I was there, one of the lads took me to the top of the building to look out over the wall: the searchlights, the watchtowers, and the death strip. All the things I’d read about were suddenly very real.

Even as a visitor, you just couldn’t get away from the Wall in Berlin. Using the subway often meant crossing under East Berlin. The trains would slow as they passed through dimly-lit, disused ghost stations, their street entrances long concreted over. (Londoners of a certain age: think of Mornington Crescent.) And to see the famous Brandenburg Gate, symbol of the city, meant peering over a graffiti-covered section of the Wall into the East, where it was patrolled by armed guards. The gate was closed, and seemed likely to be so forever.

East Berlin, which as a foreigner I was able to visit for a day, was a city apart from the West. Beautiful, quiet—and completely devoid of consumerism. So few shops, with so little in them. I saw only one shoe shop, and there was a queue of around 30 people outside it, waiting to get in and look at the shoes. It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard what it was like in communist countries back then—but I suppose it took seeing it for myself for it to finally sink in.

The House at Checkpoint Charlie museum was—and still is—a monument to all those who risked everything for freedom from the oppressive regime in East Germany, and a testament to human ingenuity and spirit. It was sobering, learning about all those who paid for their dreams of freedom with their lives.

Perhaps you can imagine how I felt when, only a few months later, I saw footage from Berlin of jubilant people crowding across border points, and tearing down the Wall to the accompaniment of David Bowie’s anthem Heroes.

And when, a few years later, I finally got to walk through the Brandenburg Gate. Appropriately, it was during an anti-war protest.

Question: What’s your personal favourite city? What makes it cool?

Giveaway

Giveaway: I’m offering a prize of a $10 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate to one lucky commenter on the tour, who will be randomly chosen on Sunday 2^nd September. Good luck!

Midnight in Berlin

One bad decision can change your life forever

It’s midnight in Berlin, and drifter Leon is hitchhiking home in the rain, covered in feathers after a wild festival in the city park. He can’t believe his luck when he’s picked up by a hot guy in a Porsche. That is, until he realises his driver is a creature from his worst nightmares—and plans to turn him into one too. He runs, but he can’t escape the werewolf’s bite.

Christoph made one mistake, but he’s paying for it plenty. He took Leon for a rogue werewolf on his way home from a hunt, and by the time he realises the truth it’s too late to do anything but make Leon a monster to save his life. That doesn’t save Christoph from the pack leader’s harsh punishment.

As Leon struggles to cope with his horrifying new reality—and his mixed feelings for the man who bit him—he’s desperate to discover not only what’s happened to Christoph, but the secrets their pack leader is hiding from them all.

Secrets the pack will kill to protect.

Available in ebook and paperback from Dreamspinner Press

Midnight in Berlin was previously published by Samhain, but has been completely re-edited and given a lovely new cover for this second edition by Dreamspinner Press.

About the Author

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again.

She writes (mostly) contemporary gay romance and mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour. Two of her novels have won Rainbow Awards for Romantic Comedy (Slam!, 2013 and Spun!, 2017) and several of her books have been EPIC Awards finalists, including Muscling Through, Relief Valve (the Plumber’s Mate Mysteries) and To Love a Traitor.

JL Merrow is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Verulam Writers and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: https://jlmerrow.com/, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow

An Alisa Review: Hybrid Reset (A Darker Hollow #3) by Shannon West and TS McKinney

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

“If vampires had yearbooks, I’d probably be listed as “Lucas, the Least Likely to Succeed.” After all, I’m living in the basement of a spooky old house about to fall down around my ears and a blood thrall named Liam brings me the blood of small game, so I won’t starve to death. It all started when some werewolves attacked our coven and killed off all the vampires, except for a few of us who managed to escape the bloodbath. But as the youngest, I still didn’t know how to hunt or even survive the sunlight, so I was stuck here in this old mausoleum of a house. That is, until the werewolves came back. They found me right away, of course, and to my shock, they had Valerian, the leader of my old coven, living with them as the mate of the alpha wolf, Finn. Valerian and Mason, the beautiful blond mate of both Finn and Valerian—don’t ask; it’s way too complicated—both begged Finn to let me stay. He did, but he put me under the control of a big, mean, gorgeous, sexy wolf named Connor.

Don’t get me wrong. My old sire, Tolan, the sadist, trained me to do as I’m told. But sometimes, I forget and that really gets on Connor’s nerves. I see the relationship with Valerian and his mates and I want something like that for myself. I want to belong to someone. I want someone to love me. And more and more I think I want that someone to be Connor. But that may be something he can’t ever give me.”

A new pack, a new beginning, a little betrayal, some frequent fighting, a lot of sex and even some spanking, and you have a rousing and romantic adventure with the Hybrid wolves.

This series is continuing to intrigue me. I liked getting to see Mason, Finn and Valerian continuing to build the trust in their relationship. Connor has been mourning his dead mate for a long time and has trouble accepting his pull to Lucas. Lucas hasn’t had the best life since he was turned into a vampire and he still has trouble knowing what to do.

They are beginning a new pack that will be welcoming and it’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment. Finn and Valerian are still trying to feel accepted by their mates and for different reasons and Mason’s open defiance doesn’t help matters.

I was glad to see Mason, Finn and Valerian recognizing the work their relationship needs and taking some of the steps they need. I could feel Connor and Lucas’s pain and worries regarding their situation and how to act. I don’t always like when it takes a life or death situation for someone to completely accept how they feel for someone. I feel bad that Lucas wasn’t able to get the closer he hoped for and how what happened may affect his mother.

I liked cover art by E Keith it gives a nice visual of the house and of Connor and follows the style of the first book.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 184 pages

Published: July 18, 2018 by Painted Hearts Publishing

Edition Language: English

Series: A Darker Hollow #3

What Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth? The Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Another End of the Month Approaches!

What Possibilities Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth

I see the end of August approaching and the first of September arriving on Saturday and usually it heralds the start of the change over. The beach season is ending in a last huge Labor Day weekend bonanza flood of cars across the bridge here. I’ve heard the geese flocks honking at night as they start to group together in enormous masses in the marshes near the Bay prior to migration. And the Virginia Creeper is just starting to show a tinge of color on the turn.

For children and teachers? It’s the beginning of the school year for many with all that entails. New possibilities, new starts, new friends, and unfortunately, far too often if you are a LGBTQIA youth, uncertainty, rejection, and fear. Sometimes, it’s all about the community, the school, the support, and even the family the children find that surrounds them.

I just read a story in the news yesterday about a young child and their family out west moving for yet another time because the trans elementary school child’s experience became a nightmare. Not only from the kids but especially from the other school parents who called that child a monster and worse. Who does that to a child? Who cuts that deep? Lucky for this one they had the incredible support of a family willing to pick up and keep moving to find the right environment for their family and kid. How many don’t? The odds are not in their favor.

I think of all the books that I’ve read where the characters have been maimed by their backgrounds, their childhoods, and then I think about these news stories and how much they mesh. Those novels cut to the heart but these media stories? Especially the ones that end so very horrifically? Well, those are the wounds that somehow never really heal once you’ve read or heard about them. As they shouldn’t. That’s why we have an Ali Forney Shelter , A Matthew Shepard Foundation,

and of course The Trevor Project for suicide prevention.

How it makes me want to cry knowing how badly the last is still needed. All of them are so in need in this political climate. So going into the start of school, here are some other links LGBTQIA school kids and their families might need…just in case you know anyone who would benefit or wish to donate…or anything….

**National Organizations*:**

Family Acceptance Project

PLFAG

Family Equality Council

Lyric.org

Covenant House

True Colors Fund

No H8 Campaign

Stand Up for Kids

National Safe Place

Organizations by State:

Lost-n-Found Youth – Atlanta, GA

Free2Be – Alabama

Stand Up For Kids –Atlanta, GA

Chris Kids –Atlanta, GA

Just Us – Atlanta, GA

Safe Schools Coalition – GA

Triad House – NJ

Essex County RAIN Foundation – NJ

Life Ties – Ewing, NJ

The Q Spot – Ocean Grove, NJ

Time Out Youth Center – Charlotte NC

The Ali Forney Center – NYC

Reciprocity Foundation – NYC

Hetrick Martin Institute – NYC

New Alternatives – NYC

Peter Cicchino Youth Project – NYC

Gay & Lesbian Youth Services of Western NY – Buffalo, NY

Pride for Youth – Long Island, NY

ALSO Out Youth Sarasota, FL

Zebra Youth, Orlando, FL

JASMYN, Jacksonville, FL

Pridelines – South Florida

Rainbows End – Spectrum San Anselmo, CA

Hillcrest Youth Center – San
Diego, CA

Hatch Youth – Houston, TX

Out Youth – Dallas, TX

Youth First Texas – Dallas, TX

Fiesta Youth – San Antonio, TX

Thrive – San Antonio, TX

Out Youth – Austin, TX

Ruth Ellis Center – Detroit, MI

Ozone House – Ann Arbor, MI

Pathfinders – Milwaukee, WI

SMYAL – Washington DC

Safe Spaces – Washington DC

The DC Center – Washington, DC

Time OUT Youth – Charlotte, NC

Home O’ Hope – Denver, CO

BAGLY– Boston, MA

The Waltham House – Boston, MA

Camp Lightbulb – Provincetown, MA

WAGLY – Wellesley Hills, MA

Lifeworks – Los Angeles, CA

Joshua House – Inland Empire, CA

Youth Care – Seattle, WA

The Q Center – Bremerton, WA

The YEAH! program – Berkley, CA

Castro Youth Housing Initiative, San Francisco, CA

The Billy DeFrank Center, San Jose, CA

Avenues for Youth – Minneapolis, MN

Attic Youth Center – Philadelphia, PA

LGBT Homeless – Chicago, IL

Project Fierce – Chicago, IL

Center on Halsted – Chicago, IL

Lucie’s PLace – Little Rock, AR

So no, this wasn’t where I thought this Sunday’s post was heading, but one, than two, than three news threads on my iPhone this week combined with the backgrounds of some main characters of some of the stories I was reading and the sights of school buses practicing their runs…and a post was born.

We will talk more about what a literary month September is next week. Until then, have a great week, read many books, and see if you can catch a rainbow or two. And maybe push a wish of hope and good wishes to all those LGBTQIA youth heading back to school this coming week.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 26:

Another End of the Month Approaches!
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Release Blitz G.R. Lyons’ Heavens Aground
Promo Post – Drifting Sands (The Warfield Mysteries #1) – CJ Baty
An Alisa Review: Down to Earth (Directions #2) by Jena Wade

Monday, August 27:

Release Blitz Ruby Moone – Promises
Release Blitz – EJ Smyth – Burning Fall
Series Review Tour Shadow Unit Series – Jamie Lynn Miller
An Alisa Review: Hybrid Reset (A Darker Hollow #3) by Shannon West and TS McKinney
A Free Dreamer Review: Incubus Honeymoon by August Li
A VVivacious Review: For a Glance (The Serpent’s Throne Trilogy, #1) by Dan Ackerman
A Lila Audiobook Review: Stand by Your Manny (The Mannies #3) by Amy Lane and Peter B. Brooke (narrator)

Tuesday, August 28:

DSP Promo Wells/Williams
Release Blitz – Spark by Posy Roberts
The Pearl by Geoffrey Knight – Book Blast
An Ali Release Day Review: The Englor Affair (The Sci-Regency Series #2) by J.L. Langley
A Stella Release Day Review: No Way Out by Julie Lynn Hayes
A Lucy Release Day Review: Q*pid by Xavier Mayne
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: A Few Good Fish (Fish Out of Water #3) by Amy Lane

Wednesday, August 29:

Release Blitz – For You I Fall (Angels and Misfits #1) by T.N. Nova and Colette Davison
Release Blitz Out in the Deep by Lane Hayes
Release Blitz – Top & Tails – Clare London
DSP Promo JL Merrow
A MelanieM Review: Irresistible by Andrew J Peters
An Ali Review: Gray’s Shadow (Kings of Hell MC #4) by K.A. Merikan
An Alisa Review: Back to You (Directions #3) by Jena Wade

Thursday, August 30:

Promo Amy Lane
DSP Publications Promo Don Travis on The Lovely Pines
Release Blitz – RJ Scott – Second Chance Ranch
An Alisa Review: Meik & Sebastian – Obsessed 2 by Quin Perin
A Lucy Review: Boyfriend Or Bust by Claire Castle
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:Something About Us (Saint and Lucky #2) by Riley Hart
A VVivacious Audiobook Review: Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Friday, August 31:

Blog Tour (Interview) He is Mine by Mel Gough
Book Blitz – Indra Vaughn – Patchwork Paradise
DSP Promo Julie Lynn Hayes on No Way
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Denying Fate (A Series of Fates) by C.C. Dado
A Free Dreamer Review: Dawn (Expedition 63 #3) by T.A. Creech
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Patience (Forbes Mates #2) by Grace R. Duncan and Chistopher Boucher (Narrator)

Saturday, September 1:

Release Blitz – Summit by Louise Lyons
Release Blitz – Safe Place – Jay Northcote
A Stella Review: Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Out in the Deep (Out in College #1) by Lane Hayes

*Thank you, author Brandon Shire for providing this terrific list. Find more information on the link provided.

A Stella Release Day Review: Midnight in Berlin by JL Merrow

RATING 2,75 out of 5 stars

One bad decision can change your life forever.

It’s midnight in Berlin, and drifter Leon is hitchhiking home in the rain, covered in feathers after a wild festival in the city park. He can’t believe his luck when he’s picked up by a hot guy in a Porsche. That is, until he learns his driver is a creature from his worst nightmares—and plans to turn him into one too. He runs, but he can’t escape the werewolf’s bite.

Christoph made one mistake, but he’s paying for it plenty. He took Leon for a rogue werewolf on his way home from a hunt, and by the time he realizes the truth, it’s too late to do anything but make Leon a monster to save his life. That doesn’t save Christoph from the pack leader’s harsh punishment.

Secrets the pack will kill to protect.

First Edition published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd., February 2012.

I’ll be honest. I struggled a lot with Midnight In Berlin. And at the beginning I didn’t even understand what was wrong. This is a second release and I missed it when it was first published. In the years the author has become a favorite, her works are always so great. That’s why, although I badly wanted to put this novel down and start reading something else, I had to force myself to finish it.

The plot is actually interesting, a little boring at the beginning because I didn’t get it what was going to happen. But then when there was some action and mystery to solve, I was interested and curious about Leon and Cristoph characters and their HEA. The writing superb as always and the scenes so well done, I felt I was there with the couple.

There were some elements I didn’t enjoy and why I rated the novel so low. First of all I was so upset with the resolution of the little mystery, I actually felt cheated, I don’t want to reveal anything but I thought it was too easy to just put things like that. There were quite a lot of secondary characters and I would have so loved to know more about them, but maybe there was no space for them. In fact to me the story felt rushed and ended too quickly, it surely deserved more pages, that way so many things would have been more explained and developed. Most of all the romance part, almost inexistent, should have had a more important role in the plot. And most likely that’s the main reason why I had trouble connecting with Leon and Christoph.

Midnight in Berlin is not the masterpiece I’m used to reading by JL Merrow, in my opinion the author last years’ releases are the best she has done.

The cover art by Tiferet Design is awesome, I adore it and find it eyecatching. I love the colours and it’s fitting. I couldn’t have asked for more from a cover. Well done.

SALE LINKS Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, Second Edition, 200 pages

Expected publication: August 24th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press (first published February 21st 2012)

ISBN13 9781640801219

Edition Language English

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?? This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?

By that I mean the paragraphs or pages the author writes before you get started into the book? I’m an avid reader of these things and love them deeply. I often find that I feel that I know more about why the author felt compelled to write this story or why it’s situated in the location it’s in or even given a more in depth look at a main character because of what an author has written prior to starting their story.

But what the hell is it called?

Most, might have referred to it as The Foreward, myself included. Wrongo! That would have had to have been written by someone else, not the author themselves. For correct usage see the flash fiction anthology Impact with it’s foreward by J. Scott Coatsworth.

So it would be either Introduction or The Preface. How many of you know the difference? I needed a refresher course myself so I went looking for definitions and correct usages for all three. A lovely blog, BPS Book Blog, supplied this succinct roundup:

From the BPS Book Blog:

… here are some definitions and descriptions – supported by the dictionary and the august Chicago Manual of Styleand proven to be helpful in my work as an editor and publisher – that my authors have found of assistance.

THE FOREWORD

A foreword (one of the most often misspelled words in the language) is most often written by someone other than the author: an expert in the field, a writer of a similar book, etc. Forewords help the publisher at the level of marketing: An opening statement by an eminent and well-published author gives them added credibility in pitching the book to bookstores. Forewords help the author by putting a stamp of approval on their work.

THE PREFACE

A preface is best understood, I believe, as standing outside the book proper and being about the book. In a preface an author explains briefly why they wrote the book, or how they came to write it. They also often use the preface to establish their credibility, indicating their experience in the topic or their professional suitability to address such a topic. Sometimes they acknowledge those who inspired them or helped them (though these are often put into a separate Acknowledgments section). Using an old term from the study of rhetoric, a preface is in a sense an “apology”: an explanation or defense.

THE INTRODUCTION

If a preface is about the book as a book, the introduction is about the content of the book. Sometimes it is as simple as that: It introduces what is covered in the book. Other times it introduces by setting the overall themes of the book, or by establishing definitions and methodology that will be used throughout the book. Scholarly writers sometimes use the introduction to tell their profession how the book should be viewed academically (that is, they position the book as a particular approach within a discipline or part of a discipline). This latter material is appropriate for a preface, as well. The point is that it should appear in the preface or the introduction, not both.

What brought all this on?

As I said I always read them. To bring me knowledge, insight into the story, what the author was thinking when they were writing it…all sorts of things. They aren’t always labeled correctly but I love them dearly.

The one that launched this one was the Introduction to Ryan Field’s Pretty Man, a M/M reworking of Pretty Woman. He writes about the total lack of any happy gay literature in the 20th century and his need to “fill the bill”. Ryan Fields now writes “happy romances” as a gay man for the youth today looking for literature much as he once did. How this got me thinking on so many levels (and researching).

Thankfully, there are so many positive and happy examples to point to from books to movies* these days (not tons amounts true in the movies more much more. Look at but there are now LGBT movie channels) so progress has been made. Plus there is a veritable flood of Quiltbag fiction out there now to quench the thirst of those looking for happy endings for LGBTQIA couples. The more writers the merrier I say.

But lets return to gay fiction of the 20th Century. What books do you find or comes to mind? Are they all tear fests?

Here are some that I found and the dates they were published:

Tales of the City (Tales of the City Series #1) by Armistead Maupin 1978
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown 1973
Maurice by E.M. Forster 1913
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood 1964
Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig 1976
A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White 1982
A Queer Kind of Umbrella (Pharoah Love, book 5) by George Baxt 1995

I also found childrens books about Daddy’s Roommate (1994) and My Two Uncles (1995) so I was wondering about the author’s timeline. Some early 20th century classics are devastating certainly (Gore Vidal, James Baldwin to name just two), but a sea change had started with Stonewall and its ripples spread out and impacted everywhere and everything, media included.

Anyhow….see what a Introduction can do to me? Laughing….

How to you feel about Forewards, Introductions, and Prefaces? Do you read them? What do you learn, if anything from them?

And how do you feel about the 20th Century’s lack of feel good romantic gay fiction? True or False?

As to Pretty Man…well, that review will come up and it caused me to do some thinking as well. More on that later.

Now here is what our upcoming week is looking like. Happy Reading and Listening!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 19:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?
Release Blitz – In The Shadows – TL Travis

Monday, August 20:

Cover Reveal – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
Release Blitz – RJ Scott – Last Chance
Review Tour – Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) – Annabelle Jacobs
An Alisa Review : Love Spell by Mia Kerick
A MelanieM Review : Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) by Annabelle Jacobs
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Threepeat by KC Wells and Parker Williams

Tuesday, August 21:

Book Blast – A Thread in Time by Jess Thomas
SERIES REVIEW TOUR – Directions by Jena Wade
DSP Cover Reveal Heart of a Redneck by Jodi Payne/BA Tortuga
An Ali Release Day Review: Hex and Candy (Strange Bedfellows #1) by Ashlyn Kane
A Jeri Release Day Review: Rocking the Cowboy by Skylar M. Cates
A Lila Release Day Review: Art House (Buchanan House #6) by Charley Descoteaux
A Lucy Release Day Review: Wanted Bad Boyfriend by TA Moore

Wednesday, August 22:

Audio Review Tour – Changing Lines – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Blog Tour Circle of Trust by Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicolas Bella
Riptide Tour Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood
A Free Dreamer Review: Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves
A MelanieM Review : Dark City by Sarah Kay Moll
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood

Thursday, August 23:

DSP Cover Reveal Femme Faux Fatale by Susan Laine
Of Princes False and True” by Eric Alan Westfall
Harmony Promo Beau Schemery
An Ali Review Death Days by Lia Cooper
A VVivacious Review Of Princes False and True by Eric Alan Westfall
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Last Chance by R.J. Scott
An Alisa Audiobook Review Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Friday, August 24:

Book Blast Born to be Wild by A.L. Simpson
DSP Promo Remmy Duchene on Tempt Me
A Stella Release Day Review: Midnight in Berlin by JL Merrow
An Alisa Review: 2230: The Perfect Year by CM Corett
An Alisa Review Up to Code (Directions #1) by Jena Wade
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Sun and Shadow (Day and Knight #2) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin ( Narrator)

Saturday, August 25:

Looking Forward by Michael Bailey Release Blitz
Media Blitz – FINDING MY WAY HOME BY KENDEL DUNCAN
A MelanieM Review: Pretty Man by Ryan Field

*Gay Movies with Happy Endings!

Love, Simon
Big Eden
Jeffrey
Touch of Pink
Boys (Jongens)
Maurice
The Birdcage
The Way He Looks
Shelter
Beautiful Thing
Were The World Mine
G.B.F.
Kinky Boots
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

And wait there’s more!

1) All Over the Guy
2) Boy Culture
3) East Side Story
4) Fourth Man Out
5) Friends & Family
6) God’s Own Country
7) Long Term Relationship
8) Latter Days
9) Salt Water
10) Save Me
11) Trick
12) Yossi

An Alisa Review: An Arranged Mating by Jane Wallace-Knight

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Hunter White left home as soon as he was able. Coming back to take over as alpha, Hunter learned of the serious debt his father had left the pack with. Desperate to save them, Hunter entered into a deal with a powerful vampire. The nest leader would pay off all the pack’s debts, on one condition—Hunter had to take a vampire for a mate.

Vampire Aeron Lyons had been in some serious scrapes during his unnaturally long life, but nothing came close to this. Being given to an alpha werewolf, like he was some sort of bargaining chip, wasn’t what Aeron wanted for his life, but he wasn’t dumb enough to say no to a man like Ken Roberts.

Resigning himself to join a pack who already dislikes him on principal, Aeron has no idea how rocky the road ahead will be or how he’s going to spend the rest of his life with a man who hates him.

So interesting concept, Hunter is trying to do what is right for his pack but is getting push back from many. Aeron owes his life to Ken Roberts and when he says jump Aeron does even if it means moving to a backwater town where everyone hates him. They both come to find there is a bunch of back stabbing going on and have to find out how to combat it.

Aeron and Hunter are both in a situation they don’t want to be in but quickly find they can make it work. They actually connect pretty fast and want to protect the other and have to take down a few people for that to happen but they do it together. I liked this story but felt that it was rushed and couldn’t quite connect with the characters. It felt like they were putting up a front to others most of the time and I didn’t see the real them much.

The cover art by Harris Channing is nice and gives a nice visual for the story.

Sales Link: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

Book Details:

ebook, 126 pages

Published: July 12, 2018 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

ISBN13: 9781642433081

Edition Language: English

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Tis September. A Most Literary Month!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 2:

Monday, September 3:

Tuesday, September 4:

Wednesday, September 5:

Thursday, September 6:

Friday, September 7:

Saturday, September 8:

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FREE m/m romance instafreebie downloads until September 4th! Jumped on and read quite a few of the stories already and they are wonderful. Lol! There’s Bru Baker, Lucy Lennox, Susi Hawke, RG Alexander, Silvia Violet, just to name a few! Go get ’em!

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Midnight in Berlin by J.L. Merrow

Giveaway

Midnight in Berlin

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Another End of the Month Approaches!

What Possibilities Does the School Year Bring for LGBTQIA Youth

National Organizations*:

Organizations by State:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 26:

Monday, August 27:

Tuesday, August 28:

Wednesday, August 29:

Thursday, August 30:

Friday, August 31:

Saturday, September 1:

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Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 19:

Monday, August 20:

Tuesday, August 21:

Wednesday, August 22:

Thursday, August 23:

Friday, August 24:

Saturday, August 25:

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**National Organizations*:**