Its Back to Foothills Pride with When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw (excerpt and giveaway)

When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw
Release Date: February 24, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Blurb

When his lover Jason’s drug addiction spiraled out of control, TV celebrity chef and cookbook author Adam de Leon walked away from him. Adam also abandoned his renowned restaurant in San Francisco to start a small bistro in the Sierra Foothills.

Five years later Adam is battling the conservative leaders of Stone Acres, California, to open a new restaurant in historic Old Town when Jason turns up on his doorstep—a recovered Jason, now going by the name David and claiming he’s overcome his addictions. What’s more, he begs Adam to take him back and says he’s ready for their happily ever after.

Adam has enough on his plate with problems plaguing the opening of his restaurant. And now he’s having a hard time deciding which to follow—his head or his heart.

Pages or Words: 29,800 words
Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

I watched Jason rise from the stoop.

He looked good. His golden hair sparkled in the day’s first light. A happy smile tinged with nervousness spread across his lips. He was wearing a silver-gray Bogner jacket, some sort of expensive pants, and sturdy boots. Hanging from his shirt collar, his sunglasses looked like those high-priced titanium ones. All in all, the guy standing in front of me could easily have fit into the young, hip app crowd now flooding the valley. Too much money and no idea where to spend it. He looked like a guy who’d eat at the Bistro and then fucking strut up to me after dinner, put a wad of Franklins in my pocket, and whisper, “Quit this job and come cook for me.”

Nothing tempted me, especially not the hundred-dollar bills I’d thought were Monopoly money the first time I’d seen them. Nothing had moved me like this, seeing Jason rise straight up in front of me like a fucking miracle.

Standing there in my scuffed clogs, beat-up jeans, and ratty Stanford Cardinal T-shirt, I felt underdressed for this particular dream. Shouldn’t I at least be wearing my chef’s regalia, toque and all? Shouldn’t I have a Henckel in one hand and a Wüsthof in the other? Or maybe clutching a shield made of my cooking classics, which I’d written with an angry, tormented mind but a clear eye to royalties?

“Cat got your tongue?” the vision asked.

“Fucking A, man. Is it really you, Jason?”

“Sorta. Who else would come knocking at your door looking like me?” He flung his arms out like he wanted me to hug him or some shit.

I backed away and kept my hands to myself, though my dick perked up immediately. Did Jason have a twin or a younger brother, somebody who resembled him? I didn’t think so. All I’d thought for five years was nobody—and I mean nobody—could ever have come back from where my Jason had buried himself. At least I never thought so.

There’ve been moments in my life when I was sure I was losing my mind. When I knew whatever tenuous grasp on reality I thought I had was really smoke up my ass. This moment smacked of those. As the legendary John Fogerty sang and the great Yogi Berra is supposed to have said, it was like déjà vu all over again. Only not.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. Suspicion tasted bitter on my tongue.

Slowly his arms came down, and he gave me a pained but understanding look.

“Yeah, well, it was too much to hope we’d just kiss and make up.” His husky croak had once made me roll over and do anything he asked, but not now. “Can I come in? It’s a little chilly out here.”

I wasn’t cold, but then I’m tall and stout, a real cliché chef image. Fuck, I guess somebody’s got to be the cliché, right? It’s how clichés are born.

I shrugged at his question, swiped at the sweat rolling from my forehead, and moved aside. “Kitchen’s downstairs.” I gestured to the steps.

He walked past me, letting his hand trail over my groin. Once I would have nearly come at the gesture. Now I ignored my dick because my mind was numb and had been for years. He might think he could reawaken my love and lust, but I was pretty fucking sure that ship had sailed and gotten lost at sea.

Buy the book:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon |Amazon UK | Barnes& Noble

Meet the author

Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, was born and raised in Nebraska where she promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube.

Now retired, Pat has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.

Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Fortunately, her incredibly supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.

Where to find the author:

Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
Series website: http://foothillspride.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw
Amazon author page
Email: patoisca@yahoo.com

Tour Dates & Stops:

FEBRUARY 24, 2016 – RELEASE DAY BLAST

Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Happily Ever Chapter. BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, KathyMac Reviews, Velvet Panic, Unquietly Me, 3 Chicks After Dark, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Tasty Wordgasms, My Fiction Nook, Making It Happen, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books

VIRTUAL TOUR: FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 9

25-Feb: Velvet Panic, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

26-Feb: BFD Book Blog, Book Lovers 4Ever

29-Feb: Jessie G. Books, Kirsty Loves Books, Hearts on Fire

1-Mar: Inked Rainbow Reads, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

2-Mar: MM Good Book Reviews, Open Skye Book Reviews, KathyMac Reviews

3-Mar: V’s Reads, Divine Magazine, Love Bytes

4-Mar: Making It Happen, Unquietly Me

7-Mar: Havan Fellows, Happily Ever Chapter

8-Mar: The Novel Approach, A.M. Leibowitz

9-Mar: Bayou Book Junkie, Alpha Book Club, Rainbow Gold Reviews

Giveaway

Enter to win a Win one of THREE $10 Starbucks gift cards. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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A BJ Review: Bright Star by Talia R. Blackwood

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

“I am his guardian angel. I don’t know who he is. I know every line of his face—the curve of his lips is carved in my soul—but I don’t know his name. I always called him just Prince.”

Tasked to watch over a young man in suspended animation, Phae, a clone, spends his life alone on an empty spaceship, focused only on the protection of his ward. Prince isn’t scheduled to wake for another twenty years, but an attack on the ship starts the automatic awakening procedure. Prince relieves Phae’s loneliness and teaches him the meaning of love. However, the mission becomes more complicated than either man was led to believe—and far more dangerous. Their destination is a world held hostage, where clones are disposable and Phae is scheduled for “recycling” when his duty is done.

I love sci-fi, and this one had an excellent premise and the potential to be a five star read for me. Very intriguing concept with some interesting and unique elements.

I enjoyed and was hooked into both of the characters. Prince/Kian’s backstory made me fully invested in him but I wish it had been more complete. I found some elements and motivations left a bit vague, but it was intriguing nonetheless. I felt Phae’s loneliness/emptiness very poignantly, to have been left alone at just nine and also, poor Blasius to have lived nearly all his years alone. At least he did have Phae for his last nine. I adored Phae’s innocence, gentleness and single-minded dedication to his duty and his Prince very sweet. But the way he thought of himself as a “just a stupid clone” or “poor stupid clone” over and over got to me. I couldn’t fathom why he thought of himself that way since he’d been born on the Ship rather than on Earth around humans who would have treated him in a manner to have caused him to think of himself that way. And he’d been raised by another clone. Had Blasius whom he thought of as a father and cared for taught him that? It wouldn’t seem likely based on other things he’d shared about Blasius’s words to him.

The story is written in present tense (not my favorite) and is in dual first person POVs, which threw me a bit as I’m used to dual POVs being in third person. And it has insta-love, which works for me in some cases and not in others. In this case, I could understand their attraction and attachment based on who they were, their past, and their circumstances… but I’d have loved it if a bit more foundation to the relationship based on more than sex and gratitude to have been laid before jumping into the years of waiting that came later on both of their sides. I mean, they were together a few short hours, then apart for many years, then together again just for a brief few minutes, then apart again for many years. It seems so very little to base all those years of dedicated love on.

The way they progressed to sex so very quickly, right after Prince had just struggled to waken from a ninety plus year cyrosleep, and while in such dire circumstance of having been hiding from aliens, and considering Prince indicated he’d not cared for clones before, been afraid of them even. A slower development of the relationship, of trust and understanding and the physical as well, would have given more depth to the story for me.

Despite all this, I still did very much enjoy this story. I feel it could have been longer, even twice as long (I love long, well-developed sci-fi stories!) as there was so much more of this world and these two amazing guys that I would have loved to have explored.

Overall, a very moving and touching story that had me close to tears at parts. Even though it covers a timespan of many years, the pacing is quick and satisfying. If you enjoy sci-fi and insta-love, then I can highly recommend this story.

Cover art by Anne Cain

Sales Link: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 172 pages
Published October 8th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632162784 (ISBN13: 9781632162786)

A Lila Review: Country Soul by Remmy Duchene

Rate: 3 out of 5 stars

When Jackson Rawlings comes out of the closet, he loses everything: from his record label to the self-confidence he needs to perform on stage. Jackson feels as if the world is out to get him. Broken and afraid, he escapes to Hallesford and the ranch he calls home. All he wants is to live out the rest of his life peacefully and out of the spotlight.

But the fates just love interfering in his life.

Marques Lopez is the owner of Phoenix Records, and not only does he hate what happened to Jackson, he feels Jackson Rawlings has plenty more to contribute to the music industry. He ventures into small-town USA to find the singer and when he does, Jackson is a mere fragment of the man he used to be. To make matters worse, Marques’s body and heart step in to present him with a choice between business and pleasure—unless he could have his cake and eat it too…. Jackson Rawling’s farewell concert is in progress when the story starts. We get to experience his inner tumult and his battle to keep a positive outlook when giving his last press conference. He knows his career is over since the moment he came out and his record label dropped him. The fans and his crew, on the other hand, still faithful to Jackson and his music.

After all the goodbyes, Jackson travels with his best friend, Chad, back to their hometown of Hallesford. And from there on, he nurses his broken heart, alone in his ranch. At this point, we get to meet Marques and learn about his family and his plans to save Jackson’s career. When he gets to the ranch, he finds Jackson struggling with his new life circumstances.

Together, they brought back Jackson’s career and established a relationship that moves further than work colleagues. The book ends with an epilogue sealing their HEA.

Country Soul is a hard book to rate. The story starts slow but interesting enough to keep reading. The book is well-written, and the characters are tridimensional and engaging. Unfortunately, I never got a real read for the MCs’ ages, features, or how they got to that point in their lives.

Their first meeting was explosive and sexy. We get to see their initial chemistry and the lust between them. Then, everything fizzles off until the story is halfway through. Their relationship is more than UST, is just distracting. Everything gets narrow down to their time together in the ranch with only essential details of the events unfolding.

By the time the story hits the sixty percent mark, we finally get them together for several heartbeats before a separation happens. The problem here is that we missed the development of their relationship. In a handful of pages, they went from 0 to 100 in the love scale. Their initial lust and UST changes into a love worth writing poems for. The thing is, I wanted to be part of that story, and this book just skipped it.

The beginning works, the middle is murky, and the ending is beautiful. Everything together makes a nice enough book, full of potential to be a great story. It just needed a little push to be what it deserved.

Garrett Leigh created a cover that shows the main characters and reads like a country music book. It’s nice and general, just like the story.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages
Published: February 17, 2016 (2nd Edition), by Dreamspinner Press (1st Ed. published by Silver Publishing, 2011)
ISBN: 978-1-63476-992-1
Edition Language: English

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

Best Laid Plans

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

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

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

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

This Week’s Schedule At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, February 21:

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

Monday, February 22:

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

Tuesday, February 23:

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

Wednesday, February 24:

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

Thursday, February 25:

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

Friday,February 26:

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

Saturday, February 27:

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

A Lila Review: Fantasy for a Gentleman (A Planet Called Wish #2) by Caitlin Ricci

Rate: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Corbin Leroux has been a high-priced companion for the last twenty year. We first meet him in To the Highest Bidder when he introduces his younger brother to Monroe, his boss. We get to know more about them in the opening scene as Corbin gets ready to receive a regular customer. Everything seems routine until Emmanuel is the one to show for the appointment instead.

After a confrontation, a subsequent visit, and a bargain, Corbin convinces Emmanuel to call off the hit and to become his protector. The relationship is convenient for them, but they knew it was simply a financial transaction, even when an initial lust runs through them. Corbin knew Emmanuel could change his mind at any minute and kill him

We get several events in which Corbin needs Emmanuel’s protection and with every visit they get, they learned more about each other. With time, they developed deeper feelings for each other but continued to struggle with their professions and the distance it puts between them. Emmanuel, especially, is confused by his feeling for Corbin and tries to break their budding relationship.

They have several ups and downs, but by the time the story ends, Corbin and Emmanuel had learned to deal with the other’s profession and are doing their best to share their love without leaving behind who they are.

Fantasy for a Gentleman is a lovely story with an unusual resolution to the normal rentboy/hitman troupe. I typically prefer stories with dual POVs, but Corbin’s narration let the reader, not only in his thoughts but also on Emmanuel’s.

I like that both characters were over forty and had a real reason for doing their jobs. For them, there was no shame on what they did for a living. They saw it as a service for a greater purpose. And most of the story develops around this and their understanding of each other.

The banter and the deep conversations between the MCs are brilliant. We get to see a different side of them when they are together, but alone. Those moments are what makes their relationship unique. They have to work hard to stay together, and they accepted the challenge even when it was hurting them.

The world build continues in this installment, but we don’t get any more information about the different races and their differences other than their skins. We get to see Monroe as he waits for Thierry since this book happens between the ending of book#1 and the epilogue. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go beyond that, so we don’t get to see more of the original couple. I hope there’s a third book because I want to know more about a character introduced in this story.

Another great cover designed by the author, Caitlin Ricci. It captures Emmanuel’s silver features with a purple background that represents Corbin’s skin tone.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published: February 19, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781634768702
Edition Language: English

Series: A Planet Called Wish
Book #1: To the Highest Bidder
Book #2: Fantasy for a Gentleman

A Lila Review: Love and the Exorcism by Melanie Hansen

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Tom Hannity is not boring, despite what his ex-boyfriend says. He loves his circle of family and friends and finds peace in the beauty of flower arranging. Still stinging from his recent breakup, Tom attends an Anti-Valentine’s Day “Ex-orcism,” hoping for some fun and forgetfulness.

Mario Tellez is tired of party boys, and he’s had his eye on Tom for a while. When they run into each other at the Ex-orcism, sparks fly, until an accidentally overheard conversation drives Tom to do something he normally doesn’t do.

What should have been a hot and fun night turns into Tom and Mario seeing each other at their absolute worst, although surprisingly, it brings out the best in them, too. Navigating around the toxic people in their lives isn’t easy, and after a small series of bumps in the road, they finally come around full circle… to Valentine’s Day and laying old demons to rest.

We meet Tom and his sister as soon as the story starts. It gives us the opportunity to learn about Tom’s past relationship, his job, and his family history. As well as his social life and some of his insecurities.

The exorcism part sounds childish, but we get to understand why it came about as it happens. Tom and Mario met during an odd confrontation during the party, but in the end, it worked for them. They are the kind of couple that would have a story to tell their grandkids when they ask how they met.

We get to see the worst of them just minutes after they talked for the first time, but their flirty demeanor creates a connection between them. Their one night stand is sensual until life happens, starting the chain of events that would eventually bring them together.

Their relationship develops off-page, and we move to a point in which they’re finding their footing as a couple. Like every short story, it moves quickly over time, until they start having some problems in their relationship. But as with any good romance, we get a delightful reconciliation and a fulfilling happily ever after.

Love and the Exorcism is a lovely Valentine’s short story. Perfect for a quick fix of romance between longer books. It’s sweet, easy, and it has a simple, but believable story line.

The main characters are cute and quirky together. They are happy and realistic. Most importantly, they have insecurities any young gay men could possess. Their background stories were not happy ones, but they learned to overcome them and became productive men. There’s no trauma dragging them down and making them miserable.

This book is all about their love story and how Mario and Tom get to know each other and move forward after their first problem as a couple.

My only complaint would be about what caused the problem on Mario’s side. I think the characterization of those involved was stereotypical and felt out of place in such a sweet story. It takes the reader completely out of the “feels zone.” Other than that, I believe the author delivered a nice romance.

A beautiful cover by Bree Archer. It goes well with the Valentine’s Day story and Tom’s job and character.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 47 pages
Published: February 11, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781634770439
Edition Language: English

Melanie Hansen on How to Throw a Anti-Valentine’s Day Party & Love and the Exorcism (author guest post)

Love and the Exorcism by Melanie Hansen
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Bree Archer

Goodreads Link

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Melanie Hansen here today to share her thoughts, delicious as they are, about Valentine’s Day, how to throw a anti-Valentine’s Day party, and some thoughts on her story, Love and the Exorcism. Welcome, Melanie.

**********

If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day might not be one of your favorite holidays. Maybe you’ve been with your significant other for a long time and nobody cares, or you’re single and nobody cares, or—like my character Suzanne in my new short story Love and the Exorcism—you’ve just gone through a painful breakup and you don’t want to care. No matter how we each feel about Valentine’s Day, it’s over, and we’ve all survived it another year…

Discount chocolate for the win!

If for some reason you find yourself on the outs with Valentine’s Day again next year, consider throwing an Anti-Valentine’s Day party like Suzanne did in my story. It was cathartic for her, and bonus, it brought my heroes, Tom and Mario, together!

Here is Suzanne’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Ex-orcism in all its glory, drink recipes and all.

If you’re a Valentine’s Day hater too, enjoy!

Suzanne’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Party

First, send out some invites that will really get the point across:

When the big day finally arrives, decorate accordingly…

…and greet your guests with some theme music!

“Love Stinks”

“Love Hurts”

“I Will Survive”

“What’s Love Got to Do With It”

“Heartbreak Hotel”

Have some treats out for everyone to nibble on…

…and put out some plain sugar cookies and frosting for everyone to decorate with their own anti-sentiment!

(Don’t forget the severed head cake pops!)

While all this is going on, have a variety of the all-important alcoholic beverages available. Suzanne’s favorites, plus recipes, are below!

Adios Motherfucker

Ingredients:

½ oz. Vodka
½ oz. Rum
½ oz. Tequila
½ oz. Gin
½ oz. Blue Curacao liqueur
2 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix
2 oz. Lemon/Lime Soda
1 Maraschino cherry
1 Lemon slice

Preparation:

Pour all ingredients except soda in chilled glass filled with ice cubes. Top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and lemon slice.

Cupid’s Broken Arrow

Ingredients:

3 oz. Mango Vodka (We used Three-O Mango Vodka)
½ oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Cranberry juice
Splash of Lime juice
1 Cherry

Preparation:

Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.
As an ice breaker for shy guests, or just to have some fun, consider offering these party games and crafts while everyone is still somewhat sober:

Broken Heart Bingo – Before your guests arrive, create grids with boxes. Write a statement in each box. Some suggestions of statements you can use:

“I have never received a dozen roses.”
“I still own an old engagement ring.”
“I’m still friends with my ex.”
“I have had 2 different dates on the same Valentine’s Day.”
“I’m still sleeping with my ex.”
“I have never had a date on Valentine’s Day.”
“I love Valentine’s Day.”
“I think Valentine’s Day is a stupid holiday.”

Put the same phrases in a different order on each grid. As guests arrive, put each person’s name in a bag. Then tell everyone to wander around the party and find people to sign each square that holds true for the person signing. After everyone has quite a few signatures, start drawing names out of the bag. The first person to have 5 names in a row is the winner!

Bitter Arts & Crafts – Make sure that everyone coming to the party brings pictures of an ex. (If not everyone has pictures, I’m sure that some people have more than one picture, and will be willing to share). Invest in some permanent markers and create “art” on your ex with the markers. Give them titles like, “My Ex Without Me,” or “Without Makeup.” Another fun activity is to write out your ex’s full name, and create an acronym. For example:

Clown-like
Rude
Ignorant
Lazy

Everyone can share their artwork with the rest of the guests! A prize should be awarded for the best work of art.

I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, but I am a huge fan of happily ever afters, and I’m so glad that Valentine’s Day brought Tom and Mario to theirs.

Blurb

Buy Link: Dreamspinner Press eBook

About the Author

Melanie Hansen has spent time in Texas and Florida prisons…for work. She’s been in a room with a 17-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite teenagers she’s ever met. After a 13-year career as a court reporter, she can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.

She grew up with an Air Force dad, and ended up marrying a Navy man. After living and working all over the country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.

Melanie left the stressful world of the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf student. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

A Ali Review: Spirit by John Inman (audio version), John Anthony Davis (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Jason Day, brilliant designer of video games, is not only a confirmed bachelor, but he’s as gay as a maypole. One wouldn’t think being saddled with his precocious four-year-old nephew for four weeks would be enough to throw him off-kilter. 

Wrong. Timmy, Jason’s nephew, is a true handful. 

But just when Timmy and Uncle Jason begin to bond, and Jason feels he’s getting a grip on this babysitting business once and for all, he’s thrown for a loop by a couple of visitors—one from Tucson, the other from beyond the grave. 

I’m sorry. Say what? 

Toss a murder, a hot young stud, an unexpected love affair, and a spooky-ass ghost with a weird sense of humor into Jason’s summer plans, and you’ve got the makings for one hell of a ride. 

This was an enjoyable story with both a mystery and a paranormal twist. The main character Jason is a likable MC and his narration is filled with humor. I didn't find the child very realistic or age appropriate in his behaviors but he was an entertaining twist to the story so I overlooked most of that. I found the end to be predictable but it was one of those stories that still warms your heart so again, I overlooked that too. The story is creative and has a lovely happily ever after at the end. I did this on audio and enjoyed the narrator. He had a nice voice and did all of the different characters well, including the child. I think this will entertain even those who don't typically like paranormal stories as the ghost part doesn't overwhelm.

Cover art by Reece Dante. I like this cover a lot. I think it is a really good representation of the story. It's just spooky enough to draw you in.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

NarratorJohn Anthony Davis

Length6 hours and 47 minutes

Its all Romance and Killers with ‘Conversation Hearts’ by Avon Gale (excerpt and giveaway)

Conversation Hearts by Avon Gale
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Aaron Anderson

Release Date: February 10, 2016
Goodreads Link

Blurb

It’s Valentine’s Day, and grad student–and male escort–Levi Barron expects to spend his evening with a client who’s paying him for his services in bed… not an assassin who needs to borrow the view from his hotel room in the morning.

With nothing to do but endure the company of his unwanted guest, Levi and the assassin, Sinjin, spend some time bonding over HGTV, minibar beverages, Flannery O’Connor short stories, terrible Valentine’s candy, and the necessity of lying about their jobs.

Their evening takes an unexpected turn when they decide to indulge in their mutual attraction, and in the morning Levi doesn’t know if he’s spent the night with a hired killer or a hydraulic engineer with a very specific fantasy. Either way, the two have enough chemistry–in and out of bed–that Levi isn’t sure one night with Sinjin will be enough.

And a message left in candy suggests the feeling is mutual.

Buy Links:

Excerpt

IF GIVEN a choice, Levi Barron would definitely prefer to have been stood up, rather than have a gun pointed at his head.

His client for the evening was already two hours late, and just when it looked like Levi would be spending Valentine’s Day reading some poorly articulated thoughts of college freshmen about Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, he heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Levi put a bit more Southern in his Georgia accent as he went to meet his client—only to find himself greeting the business end of a gun.

“Well,” the guy said, sighing. “This is awkward.”

Levi couldn’t seem to breathe. He’d heard stories about this kind of thing happening (and he’d maybe, once or twice, watched a few similar-yet-sexy versions of this exact scenario on RedTube), but the reason Levi’s agency rented a room in a luxury hotel in downtown Nashville wasn’t just for client comfort.

It was also so that Levi and his colleagues didn’t end up robbed or sold into sex slavery.

“I don’t have any money,” Levi said immediately, raising his hands even though the man hadn’t told him to do anything with them. “The agency handles all of the financial transactions. Even, uh, gratuity.”

That Levi was a poor graduate student in American Literature being robbed at gunpoint was sort of hilariously depressing.

The guy lowered the gun. “What? I’m not here to rob you, for fuck’s sake.”

Oh God. Suddenly being a sex slave didn’t sound as appealing as those videos implied it would be. “Are you going to kidnap me and sell me to a sex dungeon?”

Worst. Valentine’s. Day. Ever.

“Are those actually real? I thought they just existed on RedTube.” The gunman, dressed in black with equally dark hair and eyes, looked kind of like Edgar Allan Poe. Only without the creepy mustache.

Levi couldn’t believe this was really happening. At some point he expected cameras and a television reveal, followed in a few days by an uncomfortable meeting with the English department about his choice in part-time jobs.

“Are you going to kill me?”

The man grimaced. “I’d rather not. Look, I just need to borrow the window for a few minutes in the morning. No reason anyone has to die.” The man paused. “Anyone other than the… never mind.” He set something down on the ground. Either the guy was going to pull a violin out of there and serenade Levi, or it was a rifle case.

Rifle case. Windows. Gun. Shady guy dressed in black, skulking around and breaking into hotel rooms.

Levi’s uninvited guest was an assassin.

“You’re going to kill someone on Valentine’s Day?” Levi made a face, even as he backed away and glanced anxiously toward the window. “That’s awful. What are you, evil Cupid?”

“Technically I’m not going to kill anyone until tomorrow,” quoth the raven. His voice went flat and cold. “But if you keep asking me questions, I might change my mind. Now sit down and let me think.”

Levi sat.

About the Author

Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Find Avon:

@Facebook|| @avongalewrites.com|| @twitter || bourbon and candy (avon’s mailing list)

Giveaway

Win a copy of Conversation Hearts! Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Dreamspinner Press

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A VVivacious Review: Mute Witness by Rick R. Reed

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Book Synopsis: When a little boy ends up missing, his parents’ lives are turned upside down and inside out. But the relief that comes when the boy is found is marred by the appalling truth that comes to light.

As Shelley tries to be strong for her son while holding herself together, things spin out of control. While Sean’s worry of how his homosexuality might be used as a weapon to keep him away from his only child in light of the abuse he has suffered, is realised. And will Jason speak up against his abuser or has this one event struck him mute forever.

The blurb of this book is very misleading. While I enjoyed the book so I didn’t really mind the misleading blurb but this book is actually about a child who is sexually abused and how this impacts his life and the lives of those around him. Sean being gay though deliberate on the part of the author is just another nuance to the story because this book is not about Sean being gay it is about Sean, a father whose son has been very brutally abused.

Now where this blurb is misleading is in the fact that I thought the events in this book would be narrated as per Sean or Austin’s POV or from their perspective. But this book has multiple POVs including those of Shelley (Jason’s mother), Paul (Shelley’s husband), Estelle (Shelley’s mother) along with Sean, Austin and Jason and all of them are equally important characters, if not more. Especially Shelley we spend quite a lot of time in her head.

This is also not a romance story and doesn’t focus on relationships outside of how this adverse event puts a strain on them. This story is about one horrifying precipitating event that leads to a chain of reactions that propels the characters in this story.

My one problem with the plot was the multiple POVs because as it so happens in multiple POVs the moment the narrative of a particular character becomes interesting we flip to another character who can’t add anything to the interesting titbit we just learned.

This book is a story of people under insurmountable anguish who must learn to live their lives all over again and how our actions at the time of adversity can have irreversible consequences. The characters in this book have a really gritty feel, like the reality of their situations makes itself known on the surface itself. As such the book focuses on a lot of people other than aforementioned six and we get to see their perceptions and motivations as well.

As such I see why multiple POVs work for this story as it helps to increase the scope of the story as well as to realistically portray the extent of damage one wrong thing can produce. Also I loved how we got two perceptions of people one of how they perceive themselves and one of how they were perceived by people who knew them and in some cases an additional third of how a casual bystander perceives them.

This story is riveting, once you start the book it is hard to stop in between as the story twists and turns with subtlety through the wide landscape of havoc that descends on the lives of two parents who love their son immensely.

A word of caution while reading this book is that you will need to keep an open mind and also the fact remains that this book is most definitely not a romance; it is more of a thriller with slight bits of mystery and suspense.

Cover Art by Aaron Anderson. I liked the cover a lot it aptly portrays the dumb horror of what the story holds in store for you.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 290 pages
Published February 9th 2016 by DSP Publications (first published 2009)
Original TitleMute Witness
ISBN139781634763455
Edition LanguageEnglish

When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw Release Date: February 24, 2016

Goodreads Link Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist: AngstyG

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Best Laid Plans

This Week’s Schedule At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, February 21:

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Love and the Exorcism by Melanie Hansen Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist Bree Archer

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Conversation Hearts by Avon Gale Dreamspinner Press Cover Artist Aaron Anderson

Release Date: February 10, 2016 Goodreads Link

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Excerpt

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Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

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When Adam Fell by Pat Henshaw
Release Date: February 24, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Love and the Exorcism by Melanie Hansen
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Bree Archer

Conversation Hearts by Avon Gale
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist Aaron Anderson

Release Date: February 10, 2016
Goodreads Link