A PaulB Review: Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves # 1) by Victoria Sue

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

orions-circle-by-victoria-sueAden is being hunted.  As an omega werewolf, he is there for the amusement of the pack.  Things are so bad for Aden he wishes for death sometimes.  As he is corned by Alpha Richard and his pack mates, a new voice orders them to leave Aden alone.  The man says that Aden is not in danger anymore.  When Richard stakes his claim for Aden and sends some of his wolves after him, five of his pack mates end up dead.  The other wolves begin to retreat and Richard admits defeat, at least for now.  Aden then promptly passes out from the starvation and torture that he has endured.

Aden’s three saviors are Blaze, Connor and Darric.  Born many centuries before, they were chosen by Sirius to lead the werewolves into a new ear.  However, in order to complete their mission, the Alpha Triumvirate must find their omega mate.  As the trio is protecting Aden, they all agree that they have found their man.  Now they must make sure that Aden is safe from his old pack. 

While dealing with the problems posed by Aden’s pack, the three men are in delicate negotiations with the United States government about bringing the existence of werewolves to the public and helping the military.  This is the first step in bringing peace to the world, what the trio, now quartet have been charged to do.  However, Richard is not finished with Aden yet.  His plans, along with his pack, will force the Alpha trio to divide their attention in order to get their mate back. 

This is a great start to the series by Victoria Sue.  The idea of a trio of alphas running their own pack and ultimately the greater werewolf world is unusual.  Each alpha has a unique ability that allows them to work together effectively after hundreds of years.  They were born for this and are relieved that they have finally found their missing mate and will do everything to protect him.  Sirius also does what she can in order to help them get the job done but is limited according to the rules of the gods.  Meanwhile, Aden’s world gets turned upside down when he finds out that omegas should not be treated as he has been.  Instead of being abused as a plaything, he is cherished by his three lovers.  Aden’s unique ability will change the dynamic of this new forms family.  With an enemy on the loose, it will take all they have to protect it.

The cover art by E Connors has a well-built man in a muscle shirt and jeans in front of a cloudy night sky.  It is a good representation for Blaze. 

Sales Links

Dark Hollows Press LLC

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Book Details:

ebook, 156 pages
Published June 30th 2015 by Dark Hollows (first published June 29th 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series:  Sirius Wolves – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II/Giveaway) & This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II)

Last Sunday, I started our conversation about the fast-rising audiobook industry with my blog  Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks.  This Sunday, that conversation continues with The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II).

As I have said before, and as reviewers/listeners we have noted many times in our reviews, a good or great narrator makes or breaks an audiobook.  It doesn’t matter that you have read it before.  Listening to a book makes it fresh once more.  It gives a reader a new and different perspective.  Often times I hear things I missed in the story, or  catch things from a narrator’s inflection that highlights a previously hidden element.  I love that about this format.

Also the opposite is true.  A narrator you don’t connect with, or one with a flat delivery, or monotone voice…well, that can sink a terrific story faster than a lead anchor.  So what’s the key?  How to get some insight into those people behind the voices we love to listen to?

Well I was so lucky to hook up with the very talented Joel Leslie who agreed to answer some questions for me.  A favorite narrator for both Barb, our Zany Old Lady and Ali, I was delighted to have this chance to talk audiobooks, voices and favorite genres.  Here is my interview with Theatrical Director, Designer, and Audiobook Narrator Joel Froomkin , known to most of the LGBTQIA listeners of audiobooks as Narrator Joel Leslie.  For you authors out there thinking of putting your story out on audio?  Hmmm, I think you might find this as enlightening as our readers.

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Welcome, Joel, to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  We love our audiobooks here, including several you have narrated including Dinner at Fiorello’s by Rick R. Reed and  Ali’s Audiobook Review of Desert Heat and Native Tongue by Lucy Felthouse. I have so many questions for you but these were the first ones that came to mind.

My Interview with Joel Leslie

  •  How did you get started with narrating audiobooks?
Long answer… lol…
It was a long and winding road actually – but I’m so grateful to have landed here. My undergrad was in performance at USC and then I did my MFA there in design and directing.  My entire professional career up until the past few years has been concentrated on directing… I did a lot of assisting as well, working on shows with Dame Maggie Smith and lots of other amazing folks.  About ten years ago my partner and I started a theatre company in Indiana.  It was a labor of love, but despite our efforts the community wasn’t able to financially support the scale of professional productions we aimed to do.  I have also been a college professor, teaching dialects at NYU and I was the Director of Drama at a university here in Indiana for a while.
While we were doing shows, in between productions I would sometimes present one-man radio dramas… I would abridge classics like Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and do them for a few nights.  The audiences loved them.  As we were looking to be able to move the theatre company to another area, one of my long time friends who is a fantastic female narrator suggested I give it a try.  So I began auditioning and the first contract I landed has actually been most successful series (the SkylerGo Foxe Mysteries by Haley Walsh).
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It is a perfect blend of skills really – because 99% of the time with audiobooks you are directing yourself… so my performer background is obviously helpful, but also being able to listen to yourself with a critical ear and shape the performance I think is a terribly useful tool.  And now it’s a full time job.  I’m booked through February at the moment!  Eep.
  • Do you listen to audiobooks yourself and was that an element in your career or just a plus?
I came to audiobooks largely because I was a huge fan of them.  I have always loved the theatricality of an actor playing multiple roles in front of an audience… the ability to be a chameleon.  And I fell in love with audiobooks because of that.  My favorites were Jim Dale, Davina Porter and Roy Dotrice… they don’t just read a story – they perform it for you.  I listen to an audiobook every night… I think that one of the trickiest things is actually working of authors who AREN’T listeners to audiobooks, because they don’t really have a familiarity with the art form and what the audience wants.
  • What is the hardest part of narrating a story?
Gosh – great question.  I narrate under two names… Joel Froomkin for most of my material and Joel Leslie for my m/m material (simply so that I have a consistent brand for my m/m listeners).  But Joel Froomkin does a lot of historical and fantasy stuff – and I hate doing battle scenes.  It’s difficulty to not try to over act them, or speed up to make it seem exciting… and those are traps.  I just think they are hard.  Maybe cuz I’m not into sports lol!  Other than that, I have a tough time when there are a lot of alpha american men in conversation with each other in a scene.  Flamboyant characters can have quirks and personality that make them easily identifiable… and when you are doing a British book it’s so much easier because class and level of education is so distinctive with their speech and also dialects change in England every 21 miles… so you have great variety for how you make characters sound to pull them out for the listener.  But if I have a bunch of super-butch American alpha males in a room having a conversation in a book I usually have a panic attack.
It’s also very challenging to do a series where the author gives you multiple POV chapters.  Usually you would make your main character your own voice… because it’s going to be the most authentic and resonate as the most truthful with the reader… but when you have a bunch of characters speaking in first person… you can’t do that.  And it can be a real challenge.  I’ve had two like that recently (“Absolution (The Protectors #1)” by Sloane Kennedy (which is the first in an amazing series) and “Guns Blazing” by Eva Lenoir and Andrea Smith) that I sweated bullets over.
  • And the easiest?
People are so shocked to hear this…but the sex scenes.  Because usually there isn’t that much dialogue and it’s all descriptive.  So you can just settle back and read… it’s kind of like putting your car on cruise control.  And after doing this for almost two years now, there really isn’t much I can read that will make me blush!
  • I can remember listening to books being read to me as a child.  How they were read had a huge impact on me.  Using different voices, no matter how silly it might have seen to the adult (bears, rabbits…you know…childrens books).  The same carries over here.  In some stories, you play many characters where there are different pov.  Or do you only narrate stories with a singular pov?
It depends on the narrator… but I am very much a narrator who creates characters.  It’s funny that you mention animals, because when I first get a book I send the author a bunch of questions and one of them is “if your character was an animal what would they be”… Finding the voice for someone is much easier if you know the author thinks they are a ferret  vs. a hamster or a Persian cat. But I think the m/m listeners that really respond to my work usually do so because they enjoy how much individuality I try to give my characters.  Also, because I grew up in the UK with American parents, I’m kind of a dialect ambidextrous lol.  I jump between authentic British and American accents and I do as much British work for British authors as I do for American authors.  Listeners who have tried multiple books of mine are often confused about what my real voice sounds like.
  • I would imagine, being a narrator lets you go into any genre you want…am I correct in that?  Or do you have a particular favorite
Well I love that I get to do so much m/m work. I find it really important and empowering to be able to put those kind of stories out into the world.  I know the main audience is female for m/m romance, but I also think about the young adults who are struggling to feel ok with themselves and they might discover one of these stories by the brilliant authors I get to work for and find some hope.  And the thing about audio is it’s so private… you really are one-on-one with the listener.  So it means a lot to be able to give voice to m/m romance.  I also love doing fantasy stuff because it means you can use every dialect in the universe and play with crazy voices.  You don’t get to do everything you want – I think you can get pigeonholed as a narrator.  But I’m luckily not in that place yet, and my audiobook career has a lot of room to grow.
  • What’s your favorite types of stories to read or listen to?
I am such a sucker for cozy mysteries.  I don’t know why.  I LOVE MC Beaton and the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin books.  I think that’s why I love doing Haley Walsh’s Skyler Foxe so much…because it really is a gay spin on that type of mystery.  I think TJ Klune is one of the most amazing authors out there in any genre.  I don’t think I could ever get tired of listening to Jim Dale doing Harry Potter or Roy Dotrice doing Game of Thrones… they are just extraordinary examples of old-school storytelling.  I’m also so lucky to have an ongoing relationship with authors like N.R Walker, Kim Fielding, Andrea Smith, Kiernan Kelly, TM Smith and Grace R Duncan – they always seem to have something wonderful for me to play with.
  • What current projects are you working on that you want to share with our readers?

Absolution, the first in the protectors series by Sloane Kennedy just came out, as did Fame and Fortune by TM Smith.  Upcoming things I’m really excited about are the sequel to Black Balled called Hard Edit by Andrea Smith and Eva Lenoir, the second book in the Red Dirt Heart series by NR Walker and The Naked Prince and Other Fairy Tales by Joe Cosentino.

  • If you were an bard of old….how would you start your story of your life and what would it be called?

 

“Once upon a time there was a kid who could never keep his big mouth shut… It took two decades for him to realize there was a career for that.”

Thank you, Joel, that was a wonderful interview.  I’m sure there are many more questions rumbling about inside my head.  I hope you will stop back by Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for another conversation about  narration and audiobooks and any future projects you want to share with us.

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To listen to Joel, here are three different excerpts:

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If you want to reach out to Joel, we have listed his contacts below.  We also have a giveaway today for our readers brought to you by Joel who is giving away 10 copies, yes 10 winners… the winners could choose the first book in any of my series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled)!

About Joel Froomkin

Joel is a UK transplant, growing up with an American parents in a British commonwealth.  He is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of both American and British sounds.  His wit and comedic timing also appeal to producers.  He has developed a strong body of work for young audience, historical, fantasy, new-adult, romance and m/m fiction.

His author’s have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery”,  and a “true delight…” “legendary, and his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with”, “Anyone else would only be second best”.

Joel records under two names, for mainstream and children’s fiction as Joel Froomkin, and for m/m and adult material under Joel Leslie and has consistent access to home studio for all production needs.

 

 
You can contact Joel Froomkin at:

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Giveaway

We are giving away 10 copies (1 copy a winner so 10 winners overall) , all thanks to Joel Froomkin!  The 10 people chosen will get to chose from the first book in any of Joel’s series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled).
To be entered, tell us who’s your favorite narrator or narrators are. Tell us what you like best about a narrator and maybe name some of your favorite audiobooks. New to audiobooks?  OK,  name the ones you’d love to be able to listen to if you had a way to listen to audiobooks.  And after you do that, make sure you leave a contact name and email address where you can be reached if chosen.  Contest is open until midnight, September 30th.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
(Special Note:  If you are a Amazon Prime user, Audible is now free with your account.)
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This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, September 18:

  • The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Froomkin (also known as Joel Leslie)(Audiobooks Part II)
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • A Paul B Audiobook Review:  The Autumn Lands by J Scott Coatsworth

Monday, September 19:

  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway ~ Bitterwood by Rowan Speedwell
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Dad’s Nerdy New Boyfriend by JM Snyder
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Power Bottom by Rowan McAllister
  • A Lila Release Day Review: Safe House (Buchanan House #4) by Charley Descoteaux
  • A Paul Review: Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves # 1) byVictoria Sue

Tuesday, September 20:

  • Release Blitz & Tour – Sweet Summer Sweat by Clare London
  • An Alisa Review: Broke by Amanda Young
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Pill Bugs of Time (Offbeat Crimes #2) by Angel Martinez
  • An Ali Review: Looking for Group by Alexis Hall
  • A Stella Review: Three More Wishes by Sean Michael

Wednesday, September 21:

  • Its Release Day for Flight: Queer Sci Fi’s Third Annual Flash Fiction Contest Anthology (QSF Flash Fiction #2) by J. Scott Coatsworth , Angel Martinez , et al.
  • Series Recap Tour – Guns n’ Boys by KA Merikan
  • A Stella Review: Resistance (Village Love #1) by Lillian Francis
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Taming the Wyld by Lucie Archer
  • A Ali Review: David, Renewed by Diana Copland

Thursday, September 22:

  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway: Gambling on Love by Jane Davitt
  • A Stella Review: Gambling on Love by by Jane Davitt
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Run for it All by Carolyn Levine Topol
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: The Queen & the Homo Jock King (At First Sight #2) by T.J. Klune and Michael Lesley (Narrator)

Friday, September 23:

  • Keep Me In Mind tour: Deanna Wadsworth ‘Too Good To Be True‘ (Excerpt and Giveaway)
  • In the Spotlight: Immortal Watch by Olivia Helling (blitz, excerpt and giveaway)
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale and Scott R. Smith (Narrator)
  • An Ali Releases Day Review: Raven’s Rest by Stephen Osborne
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: Model Citizen (Haven Investigations #1) by Lissa Kasey and Mike Pohlable (Narrator)

Saturday, September 24:

  • A MelanieM Review: Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr

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A MelanieM Review: Heart of the Warrior (The Tameness of the Wolf #4) by Kendall McKenna

Rating: 2.5  stars out of 5

heart-of-a-warrior-by-kendall-mckennaTerrell Hubbard, decorated Marine sergeant, proudly serves as Beta wolf to his True Alpha and Dominant. During a mission, he meets Staff Sergeant Kai Thayer, Pack Leader of the Camp Fallujah sippe. Terrell is thrown completely off balance by the strength of their mutual attraction and the intensity of their passion. His entire world felt perfect though, each time they came together to mark and claim one another.

In the chaos of a surprise attack Kai shows poor judgement, driving a wedge between Terrell and him, and landing Kai on the True Alpha’s bad side. Terrell is torn between his ferocious loyalty to his True Alpha, and his new but powerful feelings for Kai. In the battle’s aftermath, Terrell and Kai are drawn together in passion, hoping it’s not the final chance to mark their claims.

First off let me say that I love this series and its author Kendall McKenna.  The first story was one of those novels that combined  all sorts of unusual elements (the Marines, Afghanistan, deployment, a unique shifter mate bond) and pulled them all together in a powerful story and beginning of a first series.  I adored it and so did tons of other readers.  I’ve followed it through the sequels and the love affair has continued.   Then came Heart of the Warrior and I have no idea what’s happened here.

Heart of the Warrior (The Tameness of the Wolf #4) by Kendall McKenna is really only a third to a half of a story and a fractured one at that.  Its the story/romance meeting of Terrell Hubbard, Marine sergeant and Staff Sergeant Kai Thayer, Pack Leader of the Camp Fallujah sippe (both characters we have meet in previous stories).  As with the other stories, a sniff sets the pair into motion but here its a flawed usage.  We get little feel for the characters. I think we are supposed to remember them more than we do but its been a while since the last story.  While Terrell is the strongest (in every way) MC in Heart of the Warrior and couple, Kai suffers from lack of time as a character present in the story here other than as a bed partner.  His character seems to shift from one personality to another or maybe because its just that we don’t know him that well.  Anyway the bond we feel towards the fleeting couple is limited because of the treatment he gets here.  He’s supposed to be an important Pack Leader of the Camp but we get no indication of that here, a flaw in the story that’s carried forward in the relationship.

Also this tale slides around, jumping ahead over apparently key scenes from previous stories you are supposed to have remembered if you’ve read the other stories.  If not you are completely out of luck and totally confused.  The battle scenes we drop in and out of?  Have no idea what’s going on.  Its one big mess.  And that’s unusual for this  series.  Its as though scenes from other novels were used here.  In fact, parts of this book feel more scrapped together than intentionally written.

The ending is perhaps the worse.  It just abruptly ends.  As if it was just a chapter in a much larger story.  But here it goes no further.

There’s not to say I didn’t enjoy parts of this story.  I did.  It holds promise as does this couple.  But you have to put the pieces together from a jumbled mess of a story.

Who should read this book?  I suppose those who are addicted to this series and need a fix.  You will get glimpses of your favorites couples.  But if you are new to this author and series.  Give this story a pass.  It does justice to neither.

I like the cover for the story.  Its terrific.  Wish I could say the same about the novel.

Sales Links

MLR Press

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Book Details:

ebook
Published August 19th 2016 by MLR Press
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series: The Tameness of the Wolf  – add to your Goodreads shelf here

 

Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks

I’m not quite sure when I first started noticing the increase in audiobook reviews  on our website.  A year ago?  Two?  Whenever the year or month, audiobooks and our reviews of them are definitely on the increase.  In fact, according to  Audio Publishers Association and MarketWatch*, audiobooks racked up over $1.5 billion in sales last year alone and remain, “the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry.”* No we aren’t saying the old print is dead thing again, or that e-books are a thing of the past.  No.  Just that along with those other formats, audiobooks has not only taken their place along side them but perhaps surpassed them in sales.

Not that I’m surprised.  With our fast-paced lives, driving to and from either work, soccer games or what have you, moving about the apartment, or whatever you may be involved in from packing up a house to pushing through some other chore, listening to a book is a wonderful way to pass the time or lose yourself for a while.

Yes, romances are among the top sellers, not that any genre or type of book is outselling another.  Self help?  Yep, its there among top audiobooks,  But so are business books and action thrillers along with the love stories I just mentioned.  People want to listen to them all.  Again, according to  MarketWatch, Amazon reports that its Audible sales are approximately 4 times higher than its books in the printed formats, although Amazon didn’t want to be precise about the numbers.  That’s a staggering  figure in a short amount of time, especially as it includes self published authors or authors producing their own audiobooks for the first time.

Another surprising factor to audiobooks I’ve seen here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words?  That an audiobook can make a reader take a fresh look at a book or series.  Why?  It all comes down to that one  elemental factor ~ the narrator.  How well the narrator or in some cases as a book this week, narrators, does their job, can make or break an audiobook.

I know that the reviewers here often ask first who is the narrator when an audiobook comes across for review.  Yes, narrators often accumulate a following when they are good or even spectacular (or not so spectacular).  The ability of a narrator to bring individual voices alive for a reader or in this case a listener goes back I think to the storytellers or bards.  Whether they were gathered around a campfire or in a great hall, a bard’s ability to engage their audience, to connect with them and pull them in varies little emotionally with  our narrators today.  Both need to hook their listeners, make them feel the characters, move them to tears or laughter.  That’s a great narrator.PatchworkParadise_Audiobook

We’ve interviewed a narrator and an author who narrated their own novel.  See the links below.

Dreamspinner Press, Riptide Publishing, Less Than Three Press, Mischief Corner Books are, along with other publishers and Audible, companies who offer audiobooks for sale.  I know there are others.  Mind blank, send me names and help me out.  Authors are also putting out their  own audiobooks, like Jay NorthcoteTasting Notes Audiobook for one.  Our options to listen are getting enormous.

I hope to bring in more narrators for interviews.  What questions would you like to ask them?  Do you have favorite narrators of your own?  Send me their names.  I know several reviewers here have already accumulated their own lists.

Audiobooks have come a long way and are here to stay.  Again MarketWatch is reporting that famous actors are getting into the narrating business.  I’m not sure that’s a great idea.  I want to be lost in the character…not thinking “oh, that’s Clint Eastwood or whoever doing the voice over”.  How do you all feel about that?

And lastly, can any of you name your favorite audiobook to date?  Hmmm?  Start thinking about answers to all these questions.  You just might find that answering them will get you a prize come the first of October.

Now on to  our schedule at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and yes, there are audiobooks being reviewed this week!

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This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, September 11:

  • Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, September 12:

  • Riptide Publishing’s Blog Tour and Giveaway – Counterbalance by Aiden Wayne
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Counterbalance by Aidan Wayne
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Obsidian Moons by Jon Keys
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Cougar Chaos (Mountain Spirit Mysteries #4) by A.J. Marcus

Tuesday, September 13:

  • In the Spotlight: Bread, Salt & Wine by Dev Bentham (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Jay Northcote’s Into You Release Tour
  • A MelanieM Review: Heart of the Warrior by Kendall McKenna
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: A Cowboy’s Home (Montana #3) by R.J. Scott
  • A Caryn Review: The Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory

Wednesday, September 14:

  • Series Spotlight: Crooked Tree Ranch Recap by RJ Scott (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Blog Tour and Giveaway: “Is This Desire?” by R. Paone
  • A MelanieM Review: Open Road by M.J. O’Shea
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Kyle (Legacy Ranch #1) by R.J. Scott
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review:  The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5)
    by Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz with Dorian Bane (Narrator) andTobias Silversmith (Narrator)

Thursday, September 15:

  • Riptide Publishing’s Blog Tour and Giveaway:  Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:  Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review:Commitment Ranch (Leaning N #1) by B.A. Tortuga
  • A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Do-Gooder by J. Leigh Bailey

Friday, September 16:

  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Tied Up in Knots (Marshals #3) by Mary Calmes
  • A MelanieM Review: Skyships Over Innsmouth by Susan Laine
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: Sweetwater by Lisa Henry and Dorian Bane (Narrator)
  • A Caryn Release Day Review: Waiting for Patrick by Brynn Stein

Saturday, September 17:

  • A Stella Review: Resonance by Lillian Francis
  • A MelanieM Review: Midlife Crisis by Rob Rosen
  • A Paul B Audiobook Review: Black Balled (Black Balled #1) by Andrea Smith and Narrator Eva LeNoir

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Series Recap Time for The Case of The Purple Pearl (End Street Series #5) by Amber Kell & RJ Scott (excerpt and giveaway)

Series Recap Tour & Giveaway

The Case Of The Purple Pearl

 (End Street Book #5)

 Amber Kell & RJ Scott

Authors: Amber Scott & RJ Scott
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Blurb
 
After failing in a quest to win the Fae Queenís approval, Halstein is locked in a world of stone. Forced to remain a gargoyle he spends his days on Samís desk pining for his lost love.

Prince Idrisís lover went missing and was presumed dead. Alone, Idris lives a life away from court, starved of energy but unwilling to sleep in the room he once shared with his beloved.

Can Sam and Bob save these fated lovers before it’s too late? And will Bobís ultimate sacrifice be enough to free Hal from his prison?



Author Bios

 
Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
 
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life, he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn’t writing, she remembers she has children who humor her with games of “what if” and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author nameótwo things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
 
Despite her husband’s insistence she doesn’t drink enough to be a true literary genius, she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
 
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.
 
 
E-mail: amberkellwrites@gmail.com

 


RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. 
 
RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
 
The last time she had a weekís break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldnít defeat.
 

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Find Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Rated Review of  The Case of The Purple Pearl (End Street Series #5) by Amber Kell & RJ Scott here.

Its Labor Day Weekend ~ This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Its Labor Day Weekend – How Are You Celebrating?

Yes, if you live in the United States or Canada (yes, Canada celebrates a Labor Day too), then you know its Labor Day and chances are you are either away for the weekend or in mad preparations for some Labor Day celebrations.  Maybe you are going to one of many local parades, or picnics, off to the beach (hopefully not the East or Gulf Coast) to fit in one last beach fling before school starts, or even off to the mountains and lakes.  But whatever this holiday brings, normally you are taking a book or two or hundreds if you are carting your Kindle or Nook along with you.

While locally Grover Cleveland is known more as one of our running Presidents down at Nationals ball park, it was President Grover Cleveland who signed Labor Day into law nationwide.  Celebrated since 1884, the first Monday in September was picked by labor unions because it was halfway between  Independence Day and Thanksgiving. We often forget it was started by the labor unions to celebrate working men and women, even President Cleveland signed the bill, not because he supported it or the labor unions, but because he hoped to win back the popularity he lost over the strike breakers he sent down to break a railroad strike that ended disastrously,

That’s the history.

Today, we might be grilling, and chilling.  Reading, or gardening.  Whatever and however you are spending this weekend….I hope its a happy time.  Happy Labor Day.  And tell us what books are you reading this weekend?  What’s on your September reading list?  We’d love to know if it matches up with ours!

 

 

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Tart and Sweet by Amy LaneDesert Heat & Native TonguePut Five Rings On ItTake Two

Sunday, September 4

  • Its Labor Day Weekend – How Are You Celebrating?

  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, September 5 (Labor Day in the US):

  • Release Day for Rescued by Felice Stevens (excerpt and giveaway)
  • In Our Spotlight: Connection Error by Annabeth Albert (Excerpt and Giveaway)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Rancher’s Son by RJ Scott
  • A MelanieM Releases Day Review:  Connection Error by Annabeth Albert
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh

Tuesday, September 6:

  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway – Shatterproof by Xen Sanders
  •  Tour for Re-Inventing Love by Storm Grant (Excerpt)
  • A MelanieM Review: Re-Inventing Love by Storm Grant
  • An Alisa Review: Dirty Talk by Joey Jameson
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Tart and Sweet by Amy Lane

Wednesday, September 7:

  • A Kind of Honesty by Lane Hayes Cover Reveal
  • Tour – KC Wells – The Senator’s Secret
  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway – Assassins: Discord by Erica Cameron
  • A MelanieM Review: Black Dog Blues (Kai Gracen #1) by Rhys Ford
  • A Stella Review: With or Without You by Zane Riley

Thursday, September 8:

  • In the Spotlight: Gryffon Hall by Alexis Duran (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Like a Lover by Jay Northcote
  • An Alisa Review: Put Five Rings on It by David Connor, E.F. Mulder
  • A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Running with the Pack A.M. Burns & Caitlin Ricci

Friday, September 9:

  • Release Blitz & Review Tour – Jay Northcote’s Into You
  • In Our Spotlight: Shira Anthony’s Take Two
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review:  Take  Two by Shira Anthony
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Into You by Jay Northcote
  • A VVivacious Review: The Buckland in the Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club (Inaugural Meeting) by John Wiltshire

Saturday, September 10:

  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Mad Lizard Mambo (Kai Gracen, #2) by Rhys Ford
  • Series Recap Time for The Case of The Purple Pearl (End Street Series #5) by Amber Kell & RJ Scott (excerpt and giveaway)
  • An Ali Audiobook Review: Desert Heat / Native Tongue (Desert Heat #1 – 2) by Lucy Felthouse
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Misfits by Garrett Leigh

 

Connection Error By Annabeth AlbertMad Lizard MamboDirty TalkWith or Without You by Zane Riley

 

 

A Paul B Review: Bear In Mind (The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge #2) by Susan E. Scott

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bear In MindGabe Falcon has been seeing Blake whenever his art work took him into Atlanta.  He first met Blake five months ago.  Shortly before their first date, Gabe found out that a woman he had been seeing in Savannah was pregnant with his child.  As Gabe has been a love them and leave them type of guy, this changed the equation for Gabe.  Karen, the woman from Savannah, would not agree to marry him, nor did she want to keep the baby.  Gabe hoped he could convince Karen to give him the baby to raise.  But this possibly puts an end to any future for his relationship with Blake as he states that he did not want to have kids someday.

Blake works at an art gallery in Atlanta.  Through his job, he meets Gabe, a sexy Native American artist.  While he agrees to become friends with benefits with Gabe for whenever he was in town on business, lately Blake has wanted to take the relationship to the next level.  He fears that if informs Gabe of his decision that he will lose Gabe.  When he doesn’t hear from Gabe in a while, Blake figures that the relationship, such as it is, is dying a natural death.  After being laid off at his art gallery, Blake decides to pay his friend Connor and Conner’s new boyfriend Falcon a visit.

When Blake arrives at Connor’s place for his visit, he can’t help but notice the resemblance Falcon bares to his Gabe.  When he learns that Falcon is actually his last name, it confirms that the two are brothers and in fact twins.  Blake then learns that Gabe is in Savannah for the birth of his own twins.  Blake is sure he does not want to be a home wrecker and wonders where he fits into Gabe’s new life.  He will certainly be busy with the new additions along with possibly their mother, leaving him alone.  Is there any hope for a life with Gabe and his kids?

This is the second book in the Bears of Falcon’s Ridge series.  I missed out on the first one but that did not detract much from the story.  (The first book was the story of Connor and Falcon.)  In this book, Gabe and Falcon being bear shifters is treated almost like they had brown eyes or were Native American, just another part of their being.  The only shifting that took place happened off page. 

Both men seem to want their relationship to develop further but are both afraid but telling the other of their desire that they will lose them.  Only after the subtle help of Connor after Gabe brings the babies home do the men come to realize that they both want the same thing.  I plan on catching up with the first book and look forward to others in the series.

The cover by Eden Connor fits the character of Gabe well.  A shirtless Native American male with long dark hair is standing in front of a forest scene.  It is just how I would picture Gabe as he was described.

Sales Link

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Book Details

EBook, 130 pages
Edition Language:  English
Published:  August 1, 2016 by Dark Hollows Press
ISBN:  978-1-044054-74-8

Series:  The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge

  • Bear With Me (The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge #1)
  • Bear In Mind (The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge #2)

A MelanieM Review: Age Is Just A Number: A Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Age is Just a Number AnthologyThere’s something to be said for life experience, a little gray at the temple…

And then there is the appeal of youth.

When it comes to what the heart wants, Age Is Just A Number.

I love anthologies.  Its a wonderful way to find new authors, pick up and read a quick story or two in a trope you enjoy.  They can be a smorgasbord of finds, and I always find it fascinating on how the editors lay out the stories contained inside.  I don’t always agree with their lineup.  For me, I think you should lead with one of the strongest stories in the group.  Pull the reader into your overall topic with the strength of that particular author’s writing and depth of story, no matter the length.

For me that didn’t happen here and that weak beginning proved somewhat disconnecting for the rest of the collection.

There are some fine stories here, and the editors and Wayward Ink Publishing ended the anthology with a strong finish with one of the best of Age is Just A Number.  Everything in between is a bit of a mixed bag.  Some so so, some  good, some terrific.

I think May/December romances can be an interesting trope to explore.  How do the people involved overcome the age differences involved?  Because a span of age means a big difference in cultural references, generation speak, outlook, ideologies and more.  For an author to get two frames of references across while making those individuals real, their relationship believable and one we want to see happen (instead of one we find squeamish) can be a tough obstacle, let alone in a short story. That some authors succeeded here is wonderful.

TWENTY LIGHT YEARS BETWEEN US by Eric Gober  – 2 stars out of 5

An alien encounter…
An unfortunate misstep…
A lightning fast journey through space…
The laws of physics are about to wreak havoc on Walt and Michael’s May-December love.

I found this to be the least effective story of the collection.  More a group of researched items from the 60’s tied together by a thin plot line then a real tale.  All I noticed was brand names rather than any real feeling or cohesive story of any depth.  This would not have been my choice for lead in story.

ALL ROADS LEAD WITHIN –  3.5 stars out of 5

Layla Dorine

When James spotted Rogue, a young man for whom wandering is like breathing, half-dozing on the hood of his car, he never expected that warning him about the dangers of sleeping out in the open would lead to a weekly visitor at his door.

I rather liked this dusty tale of love and wandering.  It had a real feel for location and people.  James and Rogue came alive on the trail, visit after visit.  This story kept me going in the anthology.

NORTH PASTURE – 3 stars out of 5

Lily Velden

Upon the death of his grandfather, up and coming Fantasy author, Thomas, returns home.
A place he left four years earlier to get over his unrequited love for Sam Fletcher, his older, straight, and very much married neighbor.
Thomas soon discovers, however, that things are much changed with Sam…

I wanted to like this more and I think I would have as a longer story.  It has so many great elements that need enlarging.  Thomas and Sam, Sam’s misconceptions and son.  But it ends too quickly and left me feeling frustrated over what I thought the story could have been. Unfair? Maybe, but there it is.

AMERICAN MASTER BAKER  – 4 stars out of 5

Dale Cameron Lowry

Baking is a way of life for Joey, a young pastry chef vying for first place in the popular reality show American Master Bakers.
But the judges have been showing favoritism to Terence, an aggravatingly attractive older man with more experience under his belt.
When the competition gets hot, so do the two men. Can a relationship that started in hatred end in love?

Loved this story.  The cooking competition, the different pastries, the intensity and the heat of the kitchen?  Wonderful.  And oh, yes, the sex.

ALPHA AND OMEGA: THE CLAIMING – 4 stars out of 5

Eddy LeFey

A young Omega shifter meets a much older Alpha.
Will Elliot let Issac help him be who he is too afraid to be?

A neat take on the Omega/Alpha combination.  Elliot was a lovely new addition to the Omega shifter take and his predicament was unusual enough and his rescue drama and romantic that it made this story.  I wanted more of both of them.  Great job.

STAND AND DELIVER – 3 stars out of 5

Asta Idonea

Necessity has forced former soldier Captain Keen to assume the occupation of gentleman highwayman. His fortunes take a turn, however, the night he stops the Marquis de Beaumont’s coach and gets more than he bargained for when he utters the words “Stand and deliver!”

 Idonea’s has part of a great m/m historic novel here.  The trouble is that I found it only to be the first half.  I got just enough of the Marquis and Keen to pique my interest in both but not enough to believe in a future for them.  I really needed to see beyond that voyage.  3 stars for great details.

LOST AND FOUND – 4 stars out of 5

Louise Lyons

The loss of his best friend leads Phil to find love.

German Shepherd puppies and love.  Actually loss, and new found found again.  That’s the theme here and it works.  Simple and sweet. Well done.

TRAIL TO LOVE – 2.75 stars out of 5

Kassandra Lea

There’s only one thing Kit Conley likes more than horses and that’s Roman Meadery.
But will the elite rider ever notice him?

I’m a horse person so why didn’t I connect?  I think it was the characters.  They just didn’t seem real.  Nor did the dialog.  Nice horses though.

CRUISING WITH LOVE – 3.75 stars out of 5

Carol Pedroso

Gus is under the thumb of a controlling father. Can meeting his mate give him a reason to make a break for freedom?
Nelson is twice Gus’ age, and very protective of what is his.
What will happen when Gus’ father tries to split them up? And what surprises does Nelson have up his sleeve?

Another nice tale of mixed shifters in love.  Gus and Nelson meet on a voyage and discover they are fated mates.  Pedroso convinces us that these two so very different species are, in fact, fated mates and need to be together.  Gus’ dad is a nasty brute and it all works out in the end.  I would have liked it more if the species made more sense to me.  As it was they were so opposite, that this naturalist’s mind just couldn’t  really go there.   Prey/food. Sorry.

NEAR MISS – 5 stars out of 5

Aimee Brissay

A few seconds, that’s all it takes to make a difference between life and death.
Between killing someone and stopping on time.
But is it enough to turn yourself around when you’ve hit bottom?
Or to make you recognize something good when you have it?

Without a doubt the finest story of the collection.  I’m was happy to see that it ended the Anthology here.  A train operator is traumatized by a woman trying to commit suicide in front of his train.  The resulting PTSD almost derails his life until someone and something shows him the way back up.  Its a remarkable story.  This man’s pain feels immediate and real, his flashbacks horrific, and his life spiraling downward authentic and sad.  That we can rejoice in his recovery and love is just as amazing.  This story is worth the anthology alone.

As I said, anthologies are often a mixed bag but they are a wonderful way to get acquainted with new authors or find stories you might not get anywhere else.  Short stories your bag?  Are some of these authors new to you or favorites of yours?  In either case, Age Is Just A Number: A Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology  might just be the collection of stories for you.  Fantasy, contemporary, supernatural…it has something for everyone.  Pick it up and find the story and author for you.

Cover is not a favorite of mine.  Just too hodgepodge with no hint of anything other than contemporary.

Sales Links

Wayward Ink Publishing | ARe |  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon DE

 

Anthology Details:

ebook, 240 pages
Published September 1st 2016 by Wayward Ink Publishing
ISBN139780994645647
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Ben (The Atherton Pack #2) by Toni Griffin and Narrator Nick Flint

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Ben audiobookTommy Morgan’s life was turned upside down at the hands of his Alpha. Now, another one is claiming to be his mate. He’s not ready to jump into a relationship with anyone, still suffering from nightmares due to the abuse he experienced. Instead, Tommy moves in with his brother, Declan, hoping for the space he needs to heal.

Pennaeth Alpha, Benjamin Taylor, has his hands full dealing with all the packs across Australia. When he finds his young mate battered and bloody, he knows Tommy is going to need time to recover and come to terms with everything. Ben is more than willing to give his mate anything he needs. Even if that means them living apart for now.

When passion finally ignites with unexpected consequences, Ben knows he’ll do anything, fight anyone, to keep his mate safe.

 

I love this series, shifters, mates and male pregnancy, what could be better.  Tommy’s life is thrown another wrench when he learns that his mate is an alpha, after the abuse he suffered at the hands of his previous alpha this isn’t wonderful news.  Ben will do anything to keep his mate safe and happy, even if it means being apart, for now.

 

This story is told from both character’s points of view, so it is nice to get both of the characters feelings.  Ben is perhaps one of the sweetest alpha’s I have seen and he has to keep that side hidden so much due to his responsibilities it is a relief when he can let his guard down around his mate and Tommy is honored to see the side of his mate that others don’t.  What I love about most of Toni’s shifter stories is that they are not insta-love, both of the characters feel a connection to the other, but work to grow their relationship before claiming the other.

 

Nick Flint did a wonderful job narrating this story.  I could connect with the characters through the voices and emotions he portrayed.  Even though this is a book I have read it felt new to me listening to him tell it.

 

Cover art is nice and follows the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links

 

 

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 2 hrs 6 min
Published: July 20, 2016 (ebook, 2nd edition, published August 23, 2014) by Mischief Corner Books
Edition Language: English

Series: The Atherton Pack #2

A MelanieM Review: Magnified (Magnified #1) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Magnified by Mell EightOn her deathbed, Yani’s Great Grandmother reveals she has one last story from her past to tell: that of his Great Uncle Yakov, who helped her survive the Nazis. It’s a story of vampires and werewolves he can scarcely believe—and in the wake of his Great Grandmother’s death, Yani realizes the story is far from over.

The world of vampires and werewolves isn’t a safe place for a human, even one with Yani’s unusual family history. With danger at his door, the smart thing would be to run, but much like his Great Grandmother Yani has never been very good at running away—especially with his loved ones and the whole world at stake.

Magnified is the first in a new series by Mell Eight and a most unusual series its starting out to be.  A supernatural tale, it has all the typical elements one expects to find such as vampires, werewolves, succubi and more but one of its main characters and an important secondary character are Eastern European Jews, one of whom barely escaped the trains and gas chambers of WWII.  How they did it and their Jewish traditions they carry with them always as part of who they are is a central element to this story and I expect of this series.

I found this whole aspect of the story a wonderful layer not often found in my stories (see Astrid Amara’s Carol of the Bellskis (Bellskis, #1) among others). Not only does Mell Eight use Yani’s contemporary family’s religious celebrations as part of her important need for us to understand how strong this family is and their ties to each other and their faith but later on starts to pull in other threads that deepens the religious element when a mage with links to Kabbalah appears.

We start off the story as Yani’s great grandmother is telling the story of her childhood. Its the 1940’s and the swift move by the Nazis is occurring as they round up Jews and move them to the internments camps and the ovens.  We are propelled into these awful times and a heartrending if sometimes confusing narrative, one that quickly becomes clearer by the page.

The timeline moves along quickly as Yani ages from a young boy to a young man of college age.  The jumps in time are handled easily and are necessary to get to the action required by the meat of the story.

That’s the introduction of the world of vampires, werewolves etc to our young student.  Its an explosive one and one that was my only main issue here.  I would have expected a much larger reaction from Yani.  His reaction felt almost anti-climatic after all he went through. And it continued to bother me throughout the rest of the story.

There is a lot that the author is packing in here.  There are two main couples that are intended to flow into the next story and carry on the series.  It was almost too much for this book to handle.  We really didn’t get a background on the secondary couple, perhaps that’s coming in the next book.  But they had such an important part to play here that they came off less substantial without that background.

There is a very scary villain here, a true monster. One I can’t wait to see taken down.  I wonder how many books its going to take?  I will be there for every one.

Mell Eight packed a lot into this first story.  Religion, family, romance, mystery, horror…its a writer’s cornucopia and it almost exploded the seams of the story on element overload.  So much here to absorb that it got confusing at times. But in the end, Mell Eight pulled it off…sort of as there is a HFN ending.   I recommend this unusual story, its quite a ride even though I’m not quite sure where we’re going yet.

Cover by Aisha Akeju‘s cover contains relevant objects to the story.  I’m just not a fan of these simplified covers, just they don’t draw me in.

Sales Links   – Pre Order (others will follow)

Less Than Three Press

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: September 7th 2016 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN13 9781620048535
Edition Language English