A Lila Release Day Review: Model Bodyguard (Haven Investigations #2) by Lissa Kasey

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Things are going well for androgynous model Ollie Petroskovic, ex-Marine Kade Alme, and their business, Haven Investigations, until rock star Jacob Elias shows up in need of their services… and trouble follows.

Jacob is a playboy with a serious penchant for kink, slaves, and sex toys. He’s also Ollie’s ex—and all that implies. With the media exploiting his personal life, a stalker sending blood-soaked “gifts,” a bumbling security team, and a family he can’t trust as far as he could throw them, Jacob is in desperate need of a bodyguard for his latest tour, and Kade can’t refuse.

While Kade deals with new doubts about his partnership with Ollie and struggles with reminders of his war injuries, Jacob’s stalker escalates from blackmail and threats to murder. As Kade and Ollie work to keep Jacob safe and find the culprit behind the attack, a web of family secrets, lies, and abuse slowly emerges, leading up to a final confrontation that they might not walk away from—and that will have lasting repercussions for Kade and his relationship with Ollie.

This is the second book in this series and I happened to like this one better than the first. The author changed it up a bit by having this book be from Kade’s point of view rather than Ollie’s and I think that worked out really well. I liked Kade as the narrator a great deal. He is a good guy and it was good to see his perception of things. I actually felt there was more depth to Ollie’s character in seeing him through Kade’s eyes.

As the blurb states the guys get involved in a case surrounding Ollie’s ex. A lot of things happen in this story and it is very fast paced and entertaining. I actually found myself kind of liking Jacob too by the end of the book. The guy’s relationship is solid and they are doing really well together. Most of the issues revolve around Ollie trying to get himself back to a good place physically and mentally after all he’s been through since Nathan’s death. There are times when Kade’s behavior towards Ollie is almost like parenting and that’s something I’m not a big fan of but it wasn’t a big enough issue to cause me to dislike the plot.

This book ends in a huge cliffhanger. Way bigger than the cliffhanger in book one. If there was any complaint I had about the book it would be that the cliffhanger from book one is not touched on at all in this book. In fact it’s barely mentioned. That seemed odd to me. It seemed like they should at least be discussing it from time to time.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. These two are an interesting couple and I enjoy the cases they end up working. This could be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading these books in order to get the most enjoyment out of the relationship dynamics.

Cover artist Garrett Leigh: I like this cover a lot. I think it looks great and really conveys the feeling of the story.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 270 pages
Expected publication: October 7th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634777840 (ISBN13: 9781634777841)
Edition LanguageEnglishSeriesHaven Investigations #2

In the Spotlight: Suddenly Yours by Jacob Z. Flores (Video and Giveaway)

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoI06GdQGBw

Suddenly Yours

by Jacob Z. Flores

Blurb:

“What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Always Stay in Vegas”

Cody Hayes is having one epic morning-after. The hangover following a Vegas bachelor party is nothing new to him, and neither is the naked man in his bed.

His apparent marriage is a different story.

Carefully plotting every detail of his life carried Julian Canales to a senate seat as an openly gay man. A drunken night of Truth or Dare isn’t like him… and neither is marrying a man he just met. He’d get an annulment, but the media has gotten wind of his hasty nuptials. If Julian’s political career is going to survive, he has to stay married to a man who’s his opposite in every way.

Now he must convince Cody that all they need to do is survive a conservative political rival, a heartbroken ex, their painful pasts… and an attraction neither man can fight.

Excerpt

One Fine Day Series

Undercover Boyfriend

(One Fine Day Series #1)

Available in paperback

About The Author

Jacob Z. Flores lives a double life. During the day, he is a respected college English professor and mid-level administrator. At night and during his summer vacation, he loosens the tie and tosses aside the trendy sports coat to write man on man fiction, where the hard ass assessor of freshmen level composition turns his attention to the firm posteriors and other rigid appendages of the characters in his fictional world.

Summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, provide Jacob with inspiration for his fiction. The abundance of barely clothed man flesh and daily debauchery stimulates his personal muse.

When he isn’t stroking the keyboard, Jacob spends time with his daughter. They both represent a bright blue blip in an otherwise predominantly red swath in south Texas.

You can find Jacob at

Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card for the grand prize and 5 winners will win free copies from Author’s Dreamspinner back list.

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Presented By

An Ali Audiobook Review: Alaska Hunt by Shelter Somerset and John Solo (Narrator)

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

For Alaska Wildlife Trooper Zanebono Fusca, it’s just another summer in Anchorage until a slew of inexplicable fatal bear attacks sets the city reeling. As far as Zane is concerned, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s besieged with his own demons, coping with personal loss and an identity crisis that clutches him worse than a grizzly’s pickaxe-sized fangs. Ten years before, he hoped Alaska would bring him a sense of his manhood. Now the “last frontier” could put him in an early grave.

Zane’s role to protect Alaska’s teeming wildlife gets even more tangled when handsome twenty-five-year-old Joshua Gaffner arrives seeking the details of his uncle’s gruesome death. But Alaskan officials have few answers. Against his better judgment, Zane takes Joshua deep into Anchorage’s far-flung backcountry-populated with eccentric recluses and ego-driven ecologists-in search of the truth. As the bizarre attacks increase, Zane and Josh continue to push for clues to crack the mystery. Finally Zane unravels a shocking discovery that makes the pieces fall into place. The trouble is Josh stands in the perfect position to become the next victim.

This was just an average story for me. I was drawn to it by the wildlife plotline and that part I enjoyed. It seemed like a well researched topic by the author. I was very interested in what was going on with the bears and who was behind the mystery part of it. Unfortunately I didn’t connect with either MC. The author had a writing style that didn’t work for me and as a result I felt the MC’s conversation was odd in places. I also didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters and Zane in general bugged me. Some of the things he said and did didn’t set well with me. He’s not a person I would care for in real life.

My biggest issue though was the narration by John Solo. I really disliked it a lot. I skimmed over some other reviews of this audiobook though and it seems most other people really liked the narrator so this is probably a case of “it’s me not you.” For me though it really didn’t work.

Cover Artist: TL Bland: I think the cover is pretty good and is a good representation of the story and the characters.

Audiobook Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 10 pages, Listening Length: 9 hours and 21 minutes
Published August 15th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published August 5th 2012)
ASINB01K8HGLEI
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Dinner at Jack’s by Rick R. Reed

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

dinner-at-jacks-by-rick-r-reed Personal chef Beau St. Clair, recently divorced from his cheating husband, returns to the small Ohio River town where he grew up to lick his wounds. Jack Rogers lives with his mother, Maisie, in that same small town, angry at and frightened of the world. Jack has a gap in his memory that hides something he dares not face, and he’s probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Maisie, seeking relief from her housebound and often surly son, hires Beau to cook for Jack, hoping the change might help bring Jack, once a handsome and vibrant attorney, back to his former self. But can a new face and comfort food compensate for the terror lurking in Jack’s past?

Slowly the two men begin a dance of revelation and healing. Food and compassion build a bridge between Beau and Jack, a bridge that might lead to love.

But will Jack’s demons allow it? Jack’s history harbors secrets that could just as easily rip them apart as bring them together.

This is a story full of hurt and lots and lots of comfort. It deals with PTSD after a violent attack, though the attack isn’t described explicitly.

At first, I couldn’t stand Jack. He was a mean, horrid person most of the time. Even knowing he suffered from a mental illness, I couldn’t make myself like him. But soon enough, he got his own chapter from his POV and I started understanding him better. The two POVs are essential to me. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did, had there been only Beau’s POV.

My favourite character in the whole story was Beau’s cute little pug, Ruth. She was absolutely adorable. I loved her to bits. The way Beau leads whole conversations with her made me like him instantly. I loved that she was the boss and very much the “alpha”. Beau totally failed to be the leader of the pack that every dog owner should be, leading to some hilarious scenes with her. And I can totally relate to the feeling of “she’s so ugly, you just have to love her”. That’s the feeling I always had with my cat.

Quite a few of Beau’s chapters start with a recipe. I skipped most of those, tbh, since I’m a very lazy and unwilling cook. It’s still a unique feature I haven’t come across before. Food plays a very important role throughout the whole book.

I think the PTSD was mostly described realistically. Jack doesn’t just instantly get better thanks to lots of loving. Everybody keeps insisting that he really, really should get help from a professional, but Jack doesn’t want to.

The one thing that really bothered me was the whole set up. It’s all one huge coincidence. Not only have Beau and Jack met years ago, they also happen to be from the same small town, Maisi just so happens to go looking for a personal chef on Craigslist and Beau just so happens to actually read and, despite his better judgement, also accept the job. It was just too much to feel realistic.

Still, I enjoyed “Dinner at Jack’s”. It’s not as sugary-sweet as I’d feared. There are a lot of dark elements and the mental illness is taken seriously. But the best part was still Ruth.

Cover: The cover by Reese Dante shows Jack and Beau embracing in the snow and gnocchi at the bottom. It fits the story really well.

Sales Links

Book details:

ebook, 220 pages
Expected publication: October 3rd 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634776712 (ISBN13: 9781634776714)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Release Day Review: Warrior Pledge by E.E. Montgomery

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

One Pure, prophecy revoked

One Great Heart Farseeing

One Changeling fooling wing

One Shining Silver from Rock

This is part of the Warrior Pledge that the cat shifter people known as Mafdeti from the planet Thalazar have passed down for nearly a millennia. It is believed that when the two moons of Thalazar cross each other, which happens every thousand years that the Mafdeti will return to their rightful place on the planet. During the time of the last crossing, the ancestors of the Descendants arrived on the planet and took over. The dragons that had inhabited the planet disappeared and the norrgel, a predatory bird with deadly wings, began to rule the sky.

Checa has heard the tale since he was a cub. At sixteen, he killed the man who murdered his brother. While he was convicted of the crime, his conviction was thrown out when people became aware that his eyes turned silver after the killing. He is unwilling to believe that he is part of the fated quartet that will change the history of his planet. The other complication for Checa is that Heath, his best friend, lover and would be mate, has been determined to be the Great Heart Farseeing. He is unwilling to jeopardize the safety of not only his lover but prince of his people.

As the duo set out to collect the other two of the pledge, they have to deal with the Descendants, who believe the Pledge is just an alliance between different factions of their people. They must traverse dangerous territory avoiding the norrgel, combating the Exiles, who claim alligence to no one, and deal with a traitor within their midst. They also pick up a surprising new ally along the trip which may help turn the battle in their favor. The quartet must race to the Lake of the Damned before time runs out.

This is a very entertaining adventure romance science fiction story. It has a little bit for everyone. From shifter cats to high fantasy creatures of the norrgel and dragons to a romance between two men, one of which wants to commit but is afraid doing so might kill his lover if he dies on the quest. As the prophecy says only one returns from the pledge, Checa is fearful that neither he nor Heath will survive or worse, only him. Mafdeti go feral if their mate dies, which is why he is unwilling to bond with Heath. The result of the pledge is a bit utopian and a bit of a letdown for me. However, the payoff for Checa was worth it in the end.

The cover art by Maria Fanning works well with the book. A shifted Mafdeti cat and shirtless man are featured on top of the cover. Part of the Thalazar landscape is shown beneath.

Sales Links

Book Details

ebook, 296 pages
Expected publication: October 3rd 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634777611 (ISBN13: 9781634777612)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Of Reading and Writing Books ~ A World of Choices! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Of Reading and Writing Books ~ A World of Choices!

Last month, our topic was focused on the audiobook as all market trends are pointing to that as the new hot book market. What? Not ebooks? I can remember when (yes, not that long ago) when the ebook was being held up as both the savior of reading and the demise of the printed form. Neither has happened. The printed form continues to survive simply because there will always be people who love the feel of a book in their hands and who savor the experience of turning a real page. I know as I’m one of them. I treasure my old print favorites that line my bookshelves. Simply glancing over can bring up a phrase or a memory as I look at a binding. A ebook can never do that. But the eBook gave me other choices while bolstering the careers of authors old and new. It enlarged our options of the types of books available, the genres often described as niche are maybe less so, and now when I think books…its anything is possible. Libraries have ebooks, bookstores carry M/M paperbacks, and I can get audiobooks through a number of sources including Dreamspinner Press, Riptide Publishing, Less Than Three Press, Amazon…so many choices. What’s next? And how did we get here?

When I go somewhere local, its my Kindle that goes with me and not a dog-eared paperback as in a the past or a heavy hardbound copy of the latest mystery. I love that convenience and the light weight. (However, if I’m heading to some place where I know the wifi will disappear like this morning’s Krispy Kreme? Out comes the paperback.) The eBook made other things happen however, authors were able to get their stories out to readers who wanted to read them. Niche publishing like M/M romances or just plain M/M or LGBT fiction established itself and grew from a few publishers into a variety publishing houses offering now a number of formats from print to ebook and yes, audiobook versions and in a number of languages. But there are some authors who prefer to do it themselves, they go the self publishing route. I often wonder about them…how hard it is for them to find an audience for their stories, a following for their particular outlook on writing. How do you, the reader, find an independent author? How do you buy your books? Authors! What’s your experience like as a writer? Did you first publish in print? Or eBook? At a publisher? Or self publish? I want to hear from you! I’ll also be reaching out to several authors and publishers in search of answers and insight. I’ll let you know what I find.

So, that’s going to be our focus for my Sunday rambles. A look at books..ebook from a reader’s, author’s and hopefully, a publisher’s point of view. How its changed, how its remained the same and where we think its going. I hope you will stay with us all month long. I’ll be throwing in a Spooky Reading Contest or two as well because of Halloween.

Contest Time!

My first contest? Readers, tell me how you find your independent authors. Buy randomly? Pick them out from Goodreads? Already follow them? Or maybe you don’t? Maybe you only buy books from a publisher or a author linked to a publisher. I want to know that too. 3 winners who leave comments will get a $10 gift certificate (Dreamspinner, or Amazon, or Riptide…your choice). This contest will end quickly as I need the answers to use in in my blog, so think about them. Contest ends Oct 15th, midnight. Make sure you leave your email address where you can be reached. More winners maybe chosen if the comments are extra wonderful. Thanks.

grateful-54-audiobooks

Meanwhile here are our winners of the audiobooks from Joel Leslie. Congratulations!

Our 10 winners are in no particular order:

Ardent Ereader at ardent.ereader@gmail.com
waxapplelover (at) gmail (dot) com
alexjoujou@gmail.com
tdblomander AT yahoo Dot com Mail bouncing back…please contact us!
DawnD at dmdkindle at Gmail . Com
jbst at strive4bst(AT) yahoo(dot)com
sadanna sxswann@gmail.com
susana at toimuharta@hotmail.com
lisa44837 at legacylandlisa@gmail.com
suze294 at Littlesuze at hotmail dot com

Joel will be in touch with each of you about choosing and receiving your audiobooks. Happy listening. For all our other listeners and readers? New contests for ebooks starts this week. Don’t forget to leave your comment and email address, plus more is sure to come. Hmmmm, meet us back here to find out. Meanwhile this week’s schedule at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

~~~

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, October 2:

Of Reading and Writing Books~ A World of Choices!
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, October 3:

A Paul B New Release Review: Unsafe Exposure (Hidden Wolves #4) by Kaje Harper
A VVivacious Review: Immortal Watch by Olivia Helling
An Alisa Audiobook Review: A Shot at Forgiveness by Cardeno C. and Robert M. Clark (Narrator)
A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Dinner at Jack’s by Rick R Reed
A Paul B Release Day Review: Warrior’s Pledge by EE Montgomery

Tuesday, October 4:

Spotlight Tour: Investigating Julius Drake with Daisy Harris ( Riptide Publishing giveaway)
A Free Dreamer Review: Pendulum by LC Davis
An Ali Audiobook Review: Alaska Hunt by Shelter Somerset and John Solo (Narrator)
An Alisa Review: Smoke and Spots By Deirdre O’Dare

Wednesday, October 5:

Cover Reveal: Line Drive by Sloan Johnson
Can’t Hide From Me blog tour with Cordelia Kingsbridge (giveaway)
Release Day Book Blast and Giveaway for Engineering Love by Jackie Nacht
In the Spotlight: Soaring Hearts by A.L. Boyd (giveaway, excerpts)
A Caryn Review: Silences of Fallen Stars by Vivian Dean
An Alisa Review: A Little Blood by Aimer Boyz

Thursday, October 6:

Re-Release Day Blitz & Giveaway for Settling the Score by Eden Winters
In the Spotlight: A Pirate’s Honor by Tricia Owens ( excerpt and giveaway)
Audiobook Spotlight: Opposites (Opposites #1) by T. M. Smith and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Opposites (Opposites #1) by T. M. Smith and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)
A Stella Review: God of Jazz: Fugue, Concord by Varian Krylov
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Fear of Frogs (Brimstone #2) by Angel Martinez and Narrated by: Vance Bastian

Friday, October 7:

Release Day Tour and Giveaway: Surviving Elite High: The Next Generation by John Ames
In the Spotlight: The Ghost in the Mirror by Faith Gibson (excerpt and giveaway)
Coffee Sip and Book Break with Turn The Page…. release blitz Charity Anthology
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: A Kind of Honesty by Lane Hayes *
A MelanieM Review: Rain and Whiskey (Stormy Weather #1) by B.A. Tortuga
A Jeri Review: The Ghost in the Mirror by Faith Gibson
A Alisa Review: Model Bodyguard by Lissa Kasey

Saturday, October 8:

Book Blitz for The Wolves of Daos 5 by Rebecca James (excerpt and giveaway)
A Lila Review: Bitter Legacy by Dal Maclean

A MelanieM Release Day Review: A Matchless Man (Lexington Lovers #2) by Ariel Tachna

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

a-matchless-man None of the matches caught his eye as much as the matchmaker himself.

Growing up poorer than poor didn’t leave Navashen Bhattathiri many options for life outside of school. All of his concentration was on keeping his scholarships. Sixteen years later, he’s fulfilled his dream and become a doctor. Now he’s returning home to Lexington and is ready to prove himself to the world. In doing so, he reconnects with Brent Carpenter—high school classmate, real estate agent, all-around great guy… and closet matchmaker.

Brent makes it his mission to help Navashen develop a social life and meet available, interesting men. Unfortunately Navashen’s schedule is unpredictable, and few of those available, interesting men value his dedication like Brent does. Brent’s unfailing friendship and support convince Navashen he’s the one, but can he capture Brent’s heart when the matchmaker is focused on finding Navashen another man?

A Matchless Man (Lexington Lovers #2) by Ariel Tachna is another heartwarming, loving romance from the Dreamspun desire. I haven’t read the first Lexington Lovers story but this one is a definite winner. Ariel Tachna uses her intimate knowledge of the Indian family unit to great advantage here with the character of Navashen Bhattathiri. Navashen is returning home to Lexington, ready to settle down with his new job, wanting to buy his forever home and finally start his new life as a out gay doctor. Included in those plans are Navashen’s parents living close by and his adult younger brother with a learning disability brought on by a premature birth and lack of oxygen to the brain.

The family dynamics are such that you get a feel not only for the adult Navashen but for the life he had as a child as well. You can sense the isolation of the mother (self imposed), the father’s role, that wonderful brother. That family, each member and its culture is vividly, sympathetically portrayed. You understand their actions, even their fears, and it makes them come alive.

That goes for all the characters here. From the other secondary ones like the retired math teacher and hardware store owner, to the other main one in Brent Carpenter, the real estate agent who helps Navashen find his “right” home, and get settled within the community. Brent too has his own issues, primarily dealing with his ex, wife that is. Brent is bi-sexual, something that confuses Navashen who is less experienced with his own sexuality.

Tachna packs this story with quite a number of themes , each is handled honestly and with delicacy and humor. Akshat, the brother especially jumps to mind with the way he’s been sheltered and now starts to assume more responsibilities when he moves in with his brother. The joy, the growth…this character just shines off the page. Yet you never forget his history or his position in the family. Its just terrific.

Also the way Brent’s bisexuality is talked about, his choices and Navashen’s as well. There is adult discussion going on here, and yes, some emotional denial, but that’s all too human as well. Tachna shows how that isolation that exists in the Bhattathira family extends in many ways to all members. In Navashen, he’s had blinders on until he finished his internships and got his degree. Now he’s still focused on the house and his brother. That’s seems very real too.

This entire story reads true.

The angst, such as it is, is believable, built on human foibles and the barriers raised up out of past fears. But watching the characters work their way through their problems to arrive at a place where they can see a future together? Beyond wonderful.

I loved this story. Now I’ll have to find the first in the series to see what I missed.

Cover art by Paul Richmond shows Navashen, a terrific representation of the character.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 224 pages
Expected publication: October 1st 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634773705 (ISBN13: 9781634773706)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Lexington Lovers – add it to your Goodreads shelf here:

Unstable Stud (Lexington Lovers, #1)
A Matchless Man (Lexington Lovers, #2)

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Babe in the Woodshop by Ashlyn Kane, Claudia Mayrant and C.J. Burke

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

babe-in-the-woodshop When long hours and crushing stress push Bellamy Alexander to his breaking point, he walks away from his consulting job and drives until he runs out of gas. Fortune deposits him in front of Antonio’s, a place with decent pizza and an opening for a delivery boy. Even better, he finds an apartment right across the street from his new job. And best of all, Chris McGregor, the property manager who runs the custom furniture shop below Bell’s new digs, is super hot—and super into Bell.

It seems too good to be true—and maybe it is. Things aren’t exactly going smoothly. Bell avoids telling his mother the truth about his new job because he doesn’t want to hear how he should go back to the corporate world. On the other hand, he doesn’t think he wants to deliver pizza forever either. He’d like to think about settling down, but Chris runs hot and cold. Between Bell’s uncertainty and the hang-ups Chris refuses to talk about, they have their work cut out for them. Fortune may have caused their paths to dovetail, but it will take more than wood glue to hold them together.

Babe in the Woodshop by Ashlyn Kane, Claudia Mayrant and C.J. Burke is an all-around romantic feel good charmer. I’m familiar only with author’s Ashlyn Kane’s stories, so I was a little apprehensive about a novel that had not one but three authors pooling their talents to come up with one cohesive plot and characters I could enjoy and connect with.

The end result was as heartwarming and wonderful as that cover by Alexandria Corza. It just sort of glows with happiness as do the men and the people around them as the story comes to a close. Its angst free and darn near close to perfect.

Bell Alexander has had it with his full tilt stressed to the max life. So he opts out when his car dies in the parking lot of this pizza place in this small town he’s passing through. Turns out life has just handed him exactly what he needs and he runs with it. He gets a job as a pizza delivery boy (the last one just retired..its that sort of town). He finds the place to live comes with an unusual feline tenant upstairs and a handsome owner downstairs.

The pace of the story is as slow and marvelously true to the character and small town charm of the place. It lets you get a grasp of life as its lived there and on Bell as he slows down, unwinds, and starts to heal.

While we are learning about Bell, the author is busy giving us insight into Chris McGregor, our carpenter and property manager. There is no verbal dump of information. A conversation here, hints there from someone else, and little by little we get the full portrait of a man whose been very hurt in the past and can’t figure out how to get over that. Never does either man come across as anything less than believable.

Nor do they jump immediately into bed. Nope. The buildup is slow and steady. I liked that too.

The only thing I wanted more of was the ending. Perhaps I’m greedy. Maybe I didn’t want to let go of that small town or this couple but it felt a little too abrupt for me. That was the only thing that kept this was being perfect.

But the rest of this? Unless you want a lot of angst in your story, because really this didn’t have a lot of that here, this heartwarming romance is the perfect thing for lovers of contemporary romance or just romance. I absolutely recommend it. And now I’m going to have to look up those other two authors to see what they have written. I’ll let you know what I find.

Cover by Alexandria Corza is one of my favorites. Heartwarming and pertinent to the story. Loved it.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: September 30th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634777069 (ISBN13: 9781634777063)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Release Day Review: A Nice Normal Family by John Terry Moore

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Richard Branson, Walt Disney, Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, Nelson Rockefeller, Agatha Christie, Steven Spielberg, Harry Belafonte, Winston Churchill, and Richard Strauss.

These are the names that young Jackson “Jacko” Smith learned from his tutor at a young age. Famous people who have overcame their dyslexia to do something important for the world. He uses these names to help guide him through the decisions he makes in his life. What some would consider extraordinary, he sees as a nice, normal life.

Diagnosed as dyslexic in pre-kinder, Jacko receives help from most of his family to overcome the disability. While his mother would not approve any special help, his father and siblings make sure he gets the extra help he needs. It is through his second tutor that he meets Samuel “Sammy” Collins. The two youngsters become best friends with Sammy helping Jacko out with his school work. As they progress through school, they must deal with setbacks life has for them. Between bullying, lost loves, and general anxiety about the future, the boys stay friends through the years.

As they move on to adulthood, Sammy trains to be a teacher dealing with students with disabilities. Jacko takes a job with the city cutting lawns. His ability to think differently than most others will fuel his rise through the ranks until he gets to management. Along the way, Jacko realizes that he has feeling that are more than friends for Sammy, who has been out and proud his whole life. The pair marries and set off creating their life together, like any other Australian couple. What follows leads the pair to the pinnacle of Australian power, something neither of them imagined.

This is a wonderful book that sets out the life of Jacko as he struggles with his dyslexia, issues with his mother, bullies, and xenophobic people. While this is a book about the lives of these two men, it also deals with several issues currently facing Australia specifically and other parts of the world. The author touches on monarchist, partisanship, foreigners, and the current debate on marriage equality in Australia. (In the book, the issue has been settled for several years.) The book also serves a mini-travelogue of Southeast Asian countries. If you want a book that deals with family dynamics, a touch of politics and a friends to lovers story, I highly recommend A Nice, Normal Family.

The cover art by Maria Fanning shows the Collins-Smith family as I pictured them. Jacko, Sammy, Max and Kate are pictured in front of a harbor on the Australian coast.

Sales Links

Book Details

ebook, 350 pages
Expected publication: September 30th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634775465 (ISBN13: 9781634775465)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Cover Reveal for “Spell Cat” By Tara Lain (excerpt and preorder link)

Spell Cat

by Tara Lain

Blurb:

When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But Killian can’t pursue a physics professor—or a human. As the most powerful male witch in ten generations, Killian must bolster his dying race by reproducing—despite the fact that he’s gay.

Even a fling with Blaine is out of the question, because Killian has been told sex with humans drains his power. But if that’s true, why can young human Jimmy Janx dissolve spoons with the power of his mind? If Killian can sort through the lies he’s been fed, he’ll still face his biggest obstacle — convincing rational scientist Blaine to believe in magic.

With his ancient and powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.

Release Date:

Oct. 31, 2016

Pre-Order at

Also available in paperback

Excerpt

The
man’s shaggy head cocked. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m new here. Can you tell
me how to get to the physics building?”

Physics. Not my best subject. But right now he needed mechanics to keep his
cock from rising. This man seemed to radiate heat even from several feet away,
and it lit a fire in places Killian hardly recognized. Standing there with a
rapidly rising hard-on came nowhere near cool. “Uh, I, uh, believe it’s
directly across the street from here.”

The
guy flashed dimples at Killian. “Damn. You’re not the first to say that. I’m
not usually so bad at directions. Can you tell me which street? I’ve already been across a couple of streets.”

“The
side street, Templeton.”

“Oh.”
The stranger produced a wide smile. “Wouldn’t you know I’d choose every street
but that one?” He paused as if he was searching for a new topic. “Quite a group
I saw leaving here. What’s your subject?”

“Witchcraft.”

The
laugh burst out explosively. “You’re joking?”

Gorgeous, but rude. “Not even slightly. I teach the
history of witchcraft, among other things.”

“Sorry.
Guess that was impolite.”

“Yes,
I guess it was.”

The
guy cocked his head and peered at Killian over the tops of the black rims.
There was a lot of mischief in that handsome face. “Since I’m on a roll with
being insulting, I think I’ll go all the way. I hope you won’t think I’m a
stalker, but I stood here and watched while your class filed out. You’re about
the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. Is there the slightest chance you’re
single—and gay?” He ducked and held up his hands as if to deflect a blow, but
he never stopped smiling.

Killian
arched an eyebrow. A lot of people assumed he was gay because of his long hair
and pretty face, but he never confirmed or denied. “Who wants to know?”

The
paragon thrust out a slim hand. “Blaine Genneau. New professor of quantum
physics.” He grinned wickedly. “Gay
professor of quantum physics.”

Killian
took that hand and got a flash of heat straight to his balls. Like lightning
streaked through the window into his jeans. Extraordinary.
He pulled his hand back. Maybe the lightning loosened his tongue. “Killian
Barth, professor of history. Gay professor of history.”

He
gazed into those eyes. Deep green like
ancient Chinese jade. A carved mouth. Just the type he imagined wrapped
around his cock in his daydreams. But with one big difference. Killian sighed
so deeply, it felt like his heart cracked. Yes, this man was gorgeous. Yes,
Killian was gay. In truth, he was dying for a real relationship with a partner
who both attracted him and fulfilled him, and if he’d ever been allowed to
discover the type of partner he wanted, he knew Blaine Genneau would have fit
every parameter—every parameter but one.

He
tucked the helmet under his arm. “Good to meet you, Blaine.” He walked past the
man and out into the sunshine toward his motorcycle. He couldn’t stay. He
couldn’t find out what he’d been missing. Because no matter how perfect this
man might be, Killian Barth didn’t do physics professors. In fact, he didn’t do
humans. Sex with humans stole his energy and depleted his community, and that
wasn’t allowed, because he was the most powerful male witch in ten generations,
and he was expected to reproduce.

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 32. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at Lain