An Aurora YA Review: After I Wake by Emma Griffiths

 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5:

After I Wake coverAward-winning teen poet Carter Rogers has made a lot of bad choices in her life, one of which led to losing her hand to frostbite. After a failed suicide attempt, Carter wakes up and takes a hard look at the person she’s become. As her disappointment over her botched effort fades, she begins to accept herself and look forward. Righting past wrongs won’t be easy, but armed with the support of her mother and her friends, and with a new perspective on life, Carter sets out to fix her relationships with the people she cares about and the world of poetry.

This book definitely deals with some sensitive topics, and it’s always hard to toe the line between writing about a sensitive topic and making it realistic to the characters without simply using what happens for shock value. I think this book does that very well. I always felt like all the characters, and Carter in particular, were very real, and none of them seemed to simply be going through something for the sake of the book or so that their problems could be nothing more than a plot device. They all had a lot of depth, and that’s what make the book interesting and enjoyable for me to read.

The author of this book has a very interesting style, and even within the first few pages and certainly the first few chapters you can really tell that the book is written in a different and fresh style that you wouldn’t see in many other books. There were times when, if you weren’t paying close enough attention, because there were a few jumps as far as the time went, it could be a little bit confusing. There were definitely sections where after I got a paragraph or so in, I had to go back because I was a little confused, but over all it was nice to see a different writing style.

After I Wake by Emma Griffiths was definitely a book that I really enjoyed reading and one that I feel can definitely relate to the lives of a lot of teenagers, and LGBT teenagers especially, right now.

Bree Archer is the cover artist. I really like this cover, despite the fact that photo-based covers are not always my favorites. Because the cover of this book is so simplistic, it looks a lot nicer and less generic than some covers I’ve seen that include real photos. It’s also just a really beautiful cover, and I like it a lot. It’s also very fitting as far as the tone of the book goes, in my opinion.

Sales Links:  Harmony Ink/DSP   –   All Romance (ARe)  –  Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 180 pages, also in paperback
Published May 14th 2015 by Harmony Ink Press (first published May 14th 2005)
original titleAfter I Wake
ISBN139781634760317
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Blood and Ghosts (Blood #2) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Blood and Ghosts coverWith vampire Nicolas Lambert’s marriage to a rival clanswoman only weeks away, Adrien Gilbert struggles to come to terms with his defeat at the hands of Verel Pelletier, a vampire hunter and an immortal like himself. Adrien and his former teacher, Roland Günter, begin to explore his newly acquired abilities. But without his soul’s sword, Adrien flounders.

On Nicolas’s wedding day, a two-hundred-year old secret is revealed, sending the wedding party into a blazing battle between hunters and vampires. Once again Adrien finds himself facing Pelletier’s superior strength. Just as Adrien believes all hope of a future with Nicolas is lost, he finally learns his true gift—he can turn back time. But time travel comes with a high cost. To save Nicolas, Adrien must become strong enough to use his power without descending into madness.

After the death and destruction of Blood and Rain (Blood #1), I was hoping for some resolution to some of the loose ends and ever expanding plot threads but I should have known better as Blood and Ghosts is the middle story of Shira Anthony’s Blood Trilogy.  This book only ups the drama, danger, and multiple timelines these characters seem to exist in.  And therein lies this story’s strengths and weaknesses.

Time travel can be an extremely tricky element in any story but especially in one where one of the main characters or perhaps more, switch time frames frequently within chapters or pages for that matter.  For me, this format worked in several ways.  As Adrien chases not only his enemy Pelletier through  time, he is also looking frantically for his beloved Nicholas, who Pelletier has stolen away (long story, you must read the first book for this one to make any sense at all).  As the search continues through multiple eras and time periods, an exhausted Adrien is carrying with him the knowledge of the future, and all the dangers that brings with it.  With each change, the suspense and anxiety increases along with Adrien’s anguish and physical exhaustion.  We can connect with the fact that he’s losing hope with each century he passes through.  Anthony’s format serves to involve us with Adrien’s emotions and pain as the search continues even as his enemy taunts him.  I liked seeing all the “different” Adriens that existed, even if we see them only briefly.  I also liked getting more of a sense of history behind the various feuds and vampire/hunter lore.  That also serves to solidify some of the world building laid down in the first story.  But there is a downside to all this time flipping, and that’s confusion and a tendency towards density.

There are so many different eras and time periods to keep track of and with them, different logistical nightmares and ever expanding plot threads that your mind can grow tired trying to keep track of them all and how they figure into whatever current situation Adrien is finding himself in at the time.   I had to refer back to my notes several times in order to figure out  who was where at what time and why.  I can see what Anthony was going for and its works in the long view, however, I also wished for a few less stops along the time continuum and a tighter time line for the story all together.   At one point we are just jumping around way too much for us to get a feel for the “Nicholas” seen or for the other characters that are involved, there’s just not enough “time” for that to happen.

Make no mistake, there are some very cool components here.  I loved all the action sequences and the stuff that happens with Adrien’s sword had me swooning with glee.  It was unexpected, wildly imaginative, and vividly realized.  And it also made other parts of the story pale in  comparison.    Now that was a battle.

And while Adrien is believably flawed, impatient, angry, and powerful, Nicholas remains a bit of a shadow character.  I was just starting to get a sense of him before the traumatic events of Blood and Rain.  Then nothing.  I find him even more elusive here than Adrien does, and the switching of personas through the centuries doesn’t help that.  I’m continually told that their love is eternal and they know it “through the blood”.  But I would have wished for more showing to help me connect with the person behind all the drama and events that happen.

Blood and Ghosts is the middle story in this trilogy and it ends on a heartbreaker of a cliffhanger, one I can’t wait to see the author write her way out of.  I thought it was a fascinating way to end this story as it supplies tons of questions with little answers, its thought provoking in a major way and the riddle it implies will keep you guessing until we get the answers in early 2016 which is when the final story, Blood and Eternity, will come out.   If you aren’t a fan of cliffhangers, perhaps you might want to wait and read all three stories one right after the other.   If you are like me and have the impulse control of a magpie, then go ahead and pick this up and see what happened after the carnage of Blood and Rain.

But if you are new to this trilogy, run back to the first story and start there otherwise you will find yourself lost in time, along with the characters here.  For all vampire lovers, this is a new take on vampire lore and vampire hunters.  This story and series is beautifully written, intricately plotted and heavy with elements and logistics.  And yes, there’s some hot men/vampires and sexy times too.  The time travel can get a wee bit wearying but hang in there, for the acton sequences and rocky journey to everlasting love worth every minute, hour, and year.  Now if only I could time travel my way to 2016 and get my hands on Blood and Eternity….

Cover art by Reese Dante. I’m not a fan of this cover, not sure why.  Perhaps its the models or the design color.  Either way, its more of a miss than hit.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press   –   All Romance (ARe) –  Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 242 pages, available in DSP paperback too
Published April 20th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press (first published April 2015)
ISBN139781634761154
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.shiraanthony.com/books/blood-and-ghosts/
seriesBlood #2

Books in the Blood Trilogy are:

A Mika Review: Time Waits by C..B. Lewis

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Time Waits coverBadly wounded and on the run from his WWII Hungarian brigade, Janos Nagy stumbles through a temporal gateway to the future. Suddenly stranded in Manchester, England, 2041, Janos wants answers about a crazy world he doesn’t recognize.

Dieter Schmidt, flamboyant historian/linguist for the Temporal Research Institution has those answers, but the TRI is a neutral entity, set up to verify historical events under a strict code of noninterference. That doesn’t stop Dieter from taking Janos under his protection. Trust doesn’t come easy to Janos, who came from a time when revealing his secrets could get him killed, but the two men slowly build a tentative friendship with a possibility for more. But Janos’s continued presence in the future and Dieter’s persistence raise questions about the limits of the noninterference policy.

Since the rules have been bent once, one agent sees no reason why he can’t push them further, and he travels back to 1914 to make a few changes of his own. Under Janos’s guidance, Dieter must leap back in time to stop the rogue agent from changing the past and risking everyone’s future—if he can survive history

I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I got this book. I don’t read many sci-fi books, time travel is something I’ve never been interested in. However, I’m so happy I read this book. I liked it a lot. It was different from my comfort zone reads, this was also a new author to me as well. I think the author did a good job with the WWII facts pertaining the history part of the story. I thought the concept was really good, and executed well.

For a story that was based on the future I didn’t see as many futuristic elements in here as I had hoped for. The blurb says it’s 2041, but nothing was very different from now until then. I think the only noticeable thing was the pod cars. My thing is, if you’re going to write a story based on a futuristic time, I’d like to see some of those elements throughout the setting; other then that, I liked everything else, including Dieter and Janos. Each guy had different qualities about themselves that made them better with each other.

From the first meeting of the two, until the last moment on the page I was happy. Sure they had a very rocky beginning. I can’t blame them, Janos is from early 1900’s, and everything he knew was gone, blown out the water. I thought it adapted very well. He was a very quick study. My favorite thing about Janos was him accepting that this present world he lives in does not care who he loves. He was cautious about showing his intentions with Dieter and I get it, he’s from a time where even the thought of sodomy had the person killed. I liked his reactions at the end of the story when Dieter was doing his own Jump. His emotions came full circle. Dieter was amazing as well. I love that he was super confident in his sexuality and how his approach to the story was handled.

For me Dieter grew the most in this story. He had countless hurdles to get across, he was not an aggressive person, but he had to put on a strong face numerous of times. 

As for the plot of the story, I really liked that as well. I wish for me that the historic event could have been more familiar to me. When I was reading it, I had to stop and Google to see if this information really happened. LOL, it did. I enjoyed those scenes a lot. All in all, I think the author did a very good job on this book, and I liked it a lot.

Cover Art by Catt Ford. I liked the cover. I think both models are good descriptions of the main characters.

Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Press  –  All Romance (ARe)  –  Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details: 

ebook, 330 pages
Published May 15th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ISBN139781632168535
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Its Cover Reveal Time for Lane Hayes’ The Right Time (cover reveal, except and giveaway)

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The Right Time (Right & Wrong Stories #3) by Lane Hayes
Release Date: June 26, 2015

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press eBook and Paperback

 

Its time to reveal the cover for The Right Time (Right & Wrong Stories #3) by Lane Hayes.  We have a cover for you all to check out, an excerpt to read, and a giveaway to enter.  Let’s get to it!

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 The Right Time Blurb:

Workaholic Nate Erickson is a successful real estate developer who thrives on long hours and stress. When a Los Angeles project prompts him to relocate to Santa Monica, he welcomes the change of scenery. Nate has always considered romantic entanglements trouble, but his sexy next-door neighbor isn’t easy to ignore. Which makes no sense, because Nate is straight… or so he’s always thought.

Alex Reyes is a retired professional soccer player turned West Hollywood business owner with an insatiable lust for life. He loves his family, friends, and work. But there’s one life challenge left to accomplish: coming out publically. Respect for traditional Latino values has kept him in the closet, but Alex begins to think he and his new neighbor might help one another combat their fears. As Alex and Nate forge a strong friendship, they soon realize facing their personal demons will take more courage than either man bargained. The reward is immeasurable… if the timing is right.

Pages or Words: 225 pages, 80,000 words

Categories:
Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

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Excerpt for The Right Time by Lane Hayes

I hadn’t worked out with a professional in years, and it felt foreign to wait for someone else’s direction.

“Any issues with your shoulders or arms? Any injuries I should know about?” he asked, handing me the weights.

“No, I’m good.”

“Great. Start with your palms facing your thighs, lift them both over your chest, then lower the left. Good. And now the right.”

He stood over me diligently, making slight corrections when needed. My supine position gave me an interesting perspective. When I looked up, I noted how his strong brow offset his twinkling eyes. I swallowed uncomfortably and turned my head, only to find myself staring at his crotch. His dark shorts seemed to hint they were covering a generous package.

Holy fuck.

“You doing okay?”

“Uh yeah. Hey, weren’t you going to tell me about your Friday night?” I needed him to talk. I didn’t trust my thoughts anymore, and I was stuck in my current position crazily aware of a man in a way I hadn’t been in over fifteen fucking years. Diversion in any form was welcome.

Alex snorted. “I already told you. I went dancing, and oh yeah, I did get lucky.”

He added the last part with a hearty chuckle, no doubt catching my wide-eyed expression. I hadn’t expected that.

“Oh.”

“You asked.”

“Right.” I did? The strong flash of jealousy took me by surprise, but I pressed on. “Did you go back to the beach to get those girls’ numbers last weekend?”

He looked confused for a second, but a slow cocky grin soon spread across his handsome features as he crouched so his face was close to mine.

“No, I told you they weren’t my type.”

I gulped and watched his eyes lower to my throat. He licked his top lip and reached out to adjust my wrist.

“Lift ’em both at the same time, Nate. That’s it. Push it. Harder.”

I sent up a quick prayer I wasn’t sporting a tent in my shorts. Alex’s voice, touch, and yeah, the unintentional innuendos were making me nuts. And horny. I felt terribly out of my element. I wasn’t sure what we were talking about anymore, but the potent silence made me more uncomfortable than speech. Keep talking, I thought.

“So a dance partner?”

“What? Oh. Yeah, I think so. I can’t remember. It was just one of those things, you know? Sit up. Let’s give your arms a break.”

“Just one of those things?”

“Yeah. One night. No numbers exchanged. No hassle, no fuss.”

I had no words. Literally.

Alex chuckled gleefully as he led the way to a leg machine. He gave instructions and stood back to observe me for a moment.
“It’s not necessarily my favorite kind of sex, but hey….” He shrugged his shoulders with his hands outstretched as if to say “what’s a guy to do?”

I recognized this cue. It was my opportunity to commiserate about the trials and tribulations of being a single man with a healthy sexual appetite. Now was my chance to admit it was nice every once in a while to have sex of the nonsolo variety with someone who knew the score. But I was tongue-tied and equally aware of a completely different undercurrent. One I wasn’t brave enough to explore.

“You can stop having fun at my expense any time.”

Alex squeezed my shoulder and smirked playfully. “You’re easily rattled.”

“How so?”

“You seem like someone who has a place for everything and likes everything in its place. You have a routine, and you don’t appreciate any deviation. I should be flattered you came to the gym with me at the spur of the moment.” He paused, running his tongue over his plump bottom lip. “If you’re not careful, I’m gonna think you like me.”

The air between us crackled. Alex leaned forward so his handsome face was mere inches from mine. His proximity alone seemed to issue a challenge. Daring me to confess I was more than I appeared to be. I doubt he expected any revelations, but his intent was certainly to… how had he put it, rattle me. And damn, it was working.

 

About Lane Hayes:

Lane Hayes is finally doing what she loves best. Writing! An avid reader from an early age, Lane has always been drawn to romance novels. She truly believes there is nothing more inspiring than a well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Lane discovered the M/M genre a fews ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel, Better Than Good, was a 2013 Rainbow Awards finalist. She loves travel, chocolate, and wine (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and their very old dog in an almost empty nest.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: Lane Hayes
Facebook Author Page: LaneHayesauthor
Twitter: LaneHayes3 https://twitter.com/LaneHayes3

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Tour Dates & Stops: May 26, 2015

Parker Williams, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, Carly’s Book Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, 3 Chicks After Dark, Andrew Q. Gordon, Chris McHart, Cate Ashwood, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Love Bytes, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, TTC Books and More, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Molly Lolly, Charley Descoteaux, Divine Magazine, Velvet Panic, The Hat Party, Mikky’s World of Books, My Fiction Nook, Carly’s Book Reviews

Giveaway

You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 gift card

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A BJ Review: Mountain Prey by Lyn Gala

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Mountain Prey coverStewart “Stunt” Folger is a forestry technician that loves his native home in the Appalachian Mountains, where people take care of their family and follow the Bible. But that hasn’t tamed his own wild side–Stunt has a preference for danger in and out of bed. And he finds both in Alex Soto, an ex-con out to avenge his brother’s death. When Stunt lands in the middle of Alex’s plans, he takes him hostage. Unfortunately, Alex’s plans never took into account having to deal with the twisted logic that passes for reasonable among the hill folk.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book! It’s well-written with a vividly drawn setting, quirky and completely delightful secondary characters, fun banter between two richly nuanced main characters, and there’s even a shotgun M/M wedding! Woot!

The developing connection between the main characters was well-handled, and I was totally onboard and feeling the emotion between these guys. There was a light BDSM element to the relationship, which I enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the actual sex scenes didn’t come across quite as well for me. The first one was fine, not earthshaking, but very acceptable. However, subsequent ones were a bit on the dull side for me. In fact, I skimmed a little (not something I often do on the sexy bits!). That’s sad since I enjoyed so many other things about this book that it could have been an easy five.

Just adored the mountain logic, and the way the author made it clear that how people talk doesn’t always reflect on their brain power. And the delightful lack of the usual preponderance of stereotypically narrow-minded and judgmental rural people had me cheering. Then there’s Southern hill folk’s commitment to family which came through loud and clear. And YES, I’m proudly Southern born and raised, although transplanted elsewhere a long time ago. Overall, this was an outstanding read which I’d recommend to anyone.

The cover by AngstyG is appealing and eye-catching, but I’d have enjoyed seeing a bit more of the feel of story in it.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press  –  All Romance (ARe)  –  Amazon   Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 210 pages, also available in paperback
Published June 19th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published June 18th 2013)
ISBN 1623805848 (ISBN13: 9781623805845)
edition language English
setting Tennessee (United States)

Its Memorial Weekend and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

vietnam-memorialIt’s Memorial Weekend and the roar and rumble from the Rolling Thunder bikes going by is a fresh reminder of exactly why and who we are remembering this weekend.

A lunch in town saw people passing out poppies in rememberance and thanks for those that fought in the many wars.  My dad was beyond pleased to accept the poppy and the person’s thanks for his service when she gave it to him.  That and an invitation to the VFW luncheon on Monday…well, his day was made.

As was mine.

The concert on the Mall is tomorrow but its the memorials that drew people in today in crowds.  While the weather was perfect, the grief and stillness at the memorials, especially the Black Wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was immeasurable.  And haunting.  For me, the Wall and all the artifacts and aura of loss that lingers over it, has the most lasting impact of collective grief and sacrifice that I have seen outside of Arlington Cemetery.

If you come to Washington, DC, whether to see the Cherry Blossoms or the Capital or White House, take time to head over to the Mall.  Visit the WWII Memorial, then head over to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, also known as The Wall, or The Wall That Heals.  Here is The Wall’s page link for those of you who have never seen it.  On the home page you will find these words.

VietnamMemorialwall“If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O’Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA February 7, 1978

Then proceed thru the website.  It’s moving, its painful and their sacrifice for us in war becomes fresh once more.

Take some time this weekend to thank a veteran, in person or in memory.  

 

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Irish Harp with Rainbow

Sunday, May 24 – Ireland Did It, They Really Did It!  Woohoo!

  • Its Memorial Weekend and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, May 25:

  • Jane Davitt’s “Closing the Loop” Tour and Riptide Contest
  • In the Book Spotlight: His Womanly Ways by K. Lynn (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Book Tour:  The Hidden Wolf by Sue Brown (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A BJ Review: Mountain Prey by Lyn Gala
  • A MelanieM Review:  The Hidden Wolf by Sue Brown

Tuesday, May 26:

  • Lane Hayes cover reveal for The Right Time – cover reveal and giveaway
  • Annabeth Albert’s ‘Delivered Fast‘ (Book 3 of the series) book blast and giveaway
  • A MelanieM Review: Delivered Fast by Annabeth Albert
  • A Mika Review: Time Waits by C. B. Lewis

Wednesday, May 27:

  • Joy Lynn Fielding – Blowing Off Steam (Virtual tour and contest)
  • From the Ashes by Lillian T. MacGowan book blast and giveaway
  • A MelanieM Review: Blood and Ghosts by Shira Anthony
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Butt Riders on the Range Anthology

Thursday, May 28:

  • In the Spotlight:  Mia Kerick’s Love Spell (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Annabelle Jacobs The Altered 2 Tour and Contest
  • A Stella Review: Cliff’s Edge by Laura Harner
  • A MelanieM Review:  The Line by Angel Martinez

Friday, May 29:

  • Tour for Lexi Alexander and Alpha Trine
  • A Stella Review: No Matter What (Sex & Mayhem #4) by K.A. Merikan
  • A BJ Review: Human Frailties, Human Strengths by Jaye McKenna
  • A MelanieM Review: Tall With Room by A.J. Llewellyn

Saturday, May 30:

YA Saturday Continues:

  • An Aurora YA Review: After I Wake by Emma Griffiths‏

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A Mika Review: The Book of Ethan by Russell J. Sanders

Rating: 4 star out of 5 stars

The Book of Ethan coverEthan Harker is the son of The Prophet, the stern, demanding leader of a small Southwestern polygamous community. Ethan has been groomed to one day take his place as the leader of this isolated cult.

But things happen that compel Ethan to flee his stifling community and find his way in the world beyond it. Totally out of his depth, he is sheltered by a remarkable group of people from a loving and accepting church. From them, he learns what family truly means and begins to construct a life free from the restrictions he’s grown up with. Little by little he dismisses the assumptions he was taught about the “evil” people in the outside world.

Amid all this, Ethan realizes something about himself when he meets rapper Kyan, a boy his age. Although he’s been brought up to fear and hate members of Kyan’s race, he can’t help falling in love with Kyan. Fueled by a new understanding and new friends, Ethan gains the strength and courage to conquer the confusing world he has been thrust into.

The book was not on my radar until my “Ethan” brought it to me. I had never read anything by this author so I didn’t know what to expect. I’m very curious about reading books pertaining religion tropes outside of Christianity. For me it’s nice to see how other people’s faith details how they will live their lives.

I think the author did a good job on Ethan’s questions involving the world. I don’t know any person that doesn’t have question about how the world works. I know from experience growing up in a Baptist church we were expected of certain things, and I had all these question about general people. It shows in the author’s writing his familiarity with curious. I’m not familiar with the Mormon religion, and I don’t know if what I’ve read is correct, but if it’s like this then someone needs to pray for the children involved. 

I loved Ethan, I didn’t see him standing up for himself. I did not see him standing up for other people or questioning folks.

I think the author did a very good job on Kyan. I seldom see African American YA male characters, but to see one who is not closeted, not scared to admit him being gay is amazing. What else is amazing is having a supportive mother like Kyan does. It brought tears to my eyes because she didn’t stop loving him because of that, she didn’t want him to rap. It seems silly seeing as this is present day, but her reasons are validated. I think this books shows courage, strength, and seeing good in people. 

If I had to find fault in the story it was my displeasure of the author having Kyan speak in constant slang or Ebonics. I will say, it turned me off in the beginning alot. I didn’t like it, still don’t like it, but it’s a part in the book Ethan mentions that he loves how Ky could turn off his street self, and turn on the son of a professor. I get it’s just a book, but I think we could have done without it.

I really enjoyed the diversity in this book. It had such a supporting cast, and I appreciated everyone in this book. I do love that it was such a positive note instead of the negative things like runaways, prostitution, or drugs something that could have easily happened to Ethan. It had sad moments but it’s life.  I will probably be on the look out for more from this author.

Cover art by Anne Caine. I liked this cover a lot, it showed the boys in the most simplistic view. I liked that we didn’t get to see a full picture of Ethan seeing as in the book he talked about vanity being a sin, and trying to not gauge his looks in the mirror often. I think they did a very good job on the cover.

Sales Links:  Harmony Ink Press (DPS YA Press) –  All Romance (ARe)  – Amazon   Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 266 pages, also in paperback
Published April 23rd 2015 by Harmony Ink Press
ISBN139781634760065
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.harmonyinkpress.com

Cover Reveal Time for Model Citizen by Lissa Kasey (excerpt and giveaway)

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 Model Citizen by Lissa Kasey
Release Date: June 22, 2015

It’s murder, mystery and international supermodels!  Check out the cover for Lissa Kasey’s latest novel, Model Citizen, read the excerpt and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end of the post! Happy Reading!

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback

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Model Citizen Blurb

Oliver “Ollie” Petroskovic’s life as an international supermodel was heading in the right direction. He worked part-time for his brother at his detective agency—Petroskovic Haven Investigations—and had just bought his dream house. But all that changed when he found his brother dead, a victim of PTSD-induced suicide.

Almost a year later, Ollie is trying to keep his brother’s business afloat, but can’t get his PI license. Then his brother’s best friend, Kade Alme, shows up, fresh from the battlefield after a close brush with death. Kade is looking for a new life, in more ways than one, and with PI license in hand, he’s exactly what Ollie needs to keep PHI running.

When one of Ollie’s childhood friends gets in trouble, Ollie feels he has to help. Kade insists on investigating if only to keep Ollie safe. Neither realizes the danger they’re in as someone tries to tear them apart before they can find solid ground together.

Pages or Words: 82,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Mystery

Model Citizen Excerpt

Kade pulled up beside a building that had probably never had better days. At least I didn’t immediately recognize it as someplace I used to play. “Call him. Tell him to come down. This doesn’t look like a great place to linger.”

I snorted. Did he miss the gas station with bars on the windows and bullet holes in the side? “You want to see the bad side of Oakland? I can give you a tour later.” I dialed Bob’s number, but the phone just rang and rang. I hung up when it went to voice mail, and tried again. It was just after five.

“Okay, maybe he fell asleep or is in the shower or something? Let me run up and check.” The building looked like it had one outside entrance and no secure door. I could pick a lock if I had to but preferred not to do so in broad daylight.
Kade frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I pulled the Taser and pepper spray out of my bag and held them up. “I spray first, and if that doesn’t stop them, I tase, then run. I’m up on self-defense 101.”

He sighed. “Anything feels even remotely hinky, you come back down immediately.”

“Sure,” I promised as I hopped out of the car. “Who even says hinky anymore?”

I made my way to the door and searched through my phone to find the apartment number. The main door opened into a stairwell dirty enough to double as Pig-Pen’s playhouse. The stench of pot drenched the building. Bob was in 310, which meant he was on the top floor all the way to the left. I followed the brass numbers. The stink of weed made me dizzy. How could people stand it? It was like sweaty socks left in the sun too long. Maybe getting high killed the stink or made you not care about the smell, but I couldn’t imagine enjoying it either way.

I tried to breathe through my mouth, which only made it worse, forcing me to stop twice to cough. Finally arriving at the end of the hall, I knocked on Bob’s door and waited. Nothing. Just an air conditioner running somewhere, or maybe a really noisy fridge.

“Bob?” I called and knocked again. “Robert Wilcoxson?” I dialed his number and could hear the phone ringing inside the apartment, but again no one answered, either the door or the phone. What the hell?

I tried the doorknob to see if it was locked. The door snicked open and swung inward. I hesitated and debated calling Kade for a minute because the whole scenario screamed bad horror movie. But I pushed the door wide, Taser aimed like a gun, finger on the trigger while I clung to the walls, pretending I was SWAT. I had taken official classes on how to operate the Taser. I’d even experienced its sting myself, so I knew I could and would pull the trigger if someone jumped out at me. At least no one was behind the door. The apartment was dark, with all the blinds drawn to keep out the bright California sun and let the shitty air conditioner do its thing.

The counters were piled with dirty dishes and packaged foods. The carpet had seen a couple dozen years and was stained too badly to recognize the original color of the hideous shag. The walls were the dingy white of most apartments with a smoker, though all I could smell was weed. The guy needed to open a window. I was starting to feel lightheaded, but at least it appeared there was no axe murderer ready to jump out at me.

“Bob?”

Still nothing. A glance at the single bedroom proved it was empty and a petri dish of brewing bacteria. Okay, I was a bit of a slob, but crap, never like this. The stench of shit made me gag. Or maybe that was the weed. I’d probably breathed enough of that crap to give myself a buzz for a week.

The bathroom door was slightly ajar. I headed for it just as my phone rang. “What?” I answered, a little annoyed. Didn’t he trust me?

“What’s taking so long? It’s been like ten minutes,” Kade said.

The stink intensified near the bathroom. I pushed the door back, and the smell wafted over me like a living thing. It took a minute to make sense of what I was seeing. Bob—well, presumably Bob—hung from the shower rod. His face was purple, eyes bulged out, and his mouth was contorted in a silent scream, teeth bared in a grimace. He was naked from the waist down, with only a leather harness on top. His dick hung lower than any dick had a right to—past his knees—dark purple and huge, filled with blood.

“Fuck! Oh fuck!” I swore, bile rising in my throat.

I raced from the apartment, barely making it to the hallway before heaving up tea and stomach acid on the puke-green carpet. The phone dug into my palm, but I clung to it like it could somehow erase the memory of the past five minutes of my life. Muffled curses trickled over the line.

Kade appeared a moment later, huffing and out of breath, his limp heavier than normal. He was without his cane, but I couldn’t recall him bringing it with us when we left the office. He wobbled like a picture out of focus. Or maybe that was just me.

“What the fuck? Talk about giving me a heart attack. I thought you said you’d tase and then run. Fuck, Ollie.”

“He’s already dead,” I grumbled at my shoes and heaved a little more. The hallway twisted and turned around me like a multicolored circus tent on a Tilt-A-Whirl.

Kade stepped around me and disappeared into the apartment. He was back seconds later, cursing and dialing his phone. He wrapped an arm around my waist and led me toward the exit. Fresh air had never tasted so sweet as when he dropped me unceremoniously next to my illegally parked VW. Whatever he said to the cops had them arriving in a hurry. Probably a first for the residents around here. I laid my head against the front headlight and shut my eyes. Maybe the swirling would stop.

 

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About Author Lissa Kasey:

Lissa Kasey lives in St. Paul, MN, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing, and collects Asian Ball Joint Dolls who look like her characters. She has three cats who enjoy waking her up an hour before her alarm every morning and sitting on her lap to help her write. She can often be found at Anime Conventions masquerading as random characters when she’s not writing about boy romance.

Where to find the author:

Twitter: @parisbvamp
Website: http://www.lissakasey.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lissa.kasey

Tour Dates & Stops: May 22, 2015

Multitasking Mommas, Parker Williams, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Nephylim, Divine Magazine, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Love Bytes, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, BFD Book Blog, Inked Rainbow Reads, Bayou Book Junkie, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Molly Lolly, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake, Happily Ever Chapter

Model Citizen Giveaway

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 2 print copies of ‘Model Citizen’

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It’s Cover Reveal Time for The Pinch of the Grape by Charley Descoteaux! (excerpt & giveaway)

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The Pinch of the Game by Charley Descoteaux
Release Date: June 24, 2015

Goodreads Link:
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

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Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press

About The Pinch of the Game…

Being a witch doesn’t mean one can beat the devil forever.

Jeffrey Overton, unemployed IT professional turned poker player, pushes his luck once too often and runs afoul of the host of an illegal card club. The man sent to escort Jeffrey to a “meeting” about his supernatural winning streak arrives at Jeffrey’s crappy North Portland apartment, lock-picking tools in hand and a charm to block Jeffrey’s magick.

Head muscle for said host, Mike Wells, is a Daisy from Daisyville. He isn’t a witch. What he lacks in magickal talent he makes up for in brawn, so he doesn’t expect the guy he’s after to overpower him. But once Mike renders Jeffrey helpless, he’d rather seduce him than bring him in.

Jeffrey and Michael ditch the “meeting” and end up hunting some of the same people they ran from, trying to get Jeffrey back into his own body. And that’s only part of the adventure. The pair travel halfway across the country on the quietest road trip in history and find missing people, empire-building witches, and maybe even the families they’d both thought lost to them.

Pages or Words:

Categories: Contemporary, Gay fictions, M/M Romance, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance

An Excerpt from The Pinch of the Game

If Sal had sent someone after me, a short trip up to Seattle might be a good idea, maybe even BC. That called for some new clothes, so I grabbed my battered gym bag—my quick escape kit—and was almost home free when the kitchen door burst open. It would’ve been dumb to turn off the light when the goomba first went to work on the lock—I can’t see any better in the dark than your average Daisy, not when I’m blocked. Once that massive body filled the doorway, I wished I had.

Wished I’d done something.

He hesitated, barely a moment, and I bolted for the front door. He grabbed me before I made it out of the kitchen and pinned both of my arms to my sides. It wouldn’t work, I knew that, but I still tried to burn his hands. All I needed was enough time to—fuck, is he laughing?

“Give it up, pretty boy. You’re blocked.”

The big man pushed me against the wall face-first and pulled both hands behind my back.

“Hey, wait a sec, big guy. Let’s talk about this. I can—”

He pushed me flat against the wall, and the rest of that sentence disappeared in the rush of air he squeezed from my lungs. I couldn’t help being turned on, even though pain and domination usually aren’t my thing. Neither are bears, but underneath the padding he felt nice and solid, leaning full against me. He tightened a plastic zip tie around my wrists with shaking hands. And then he held me there.

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About the author:

Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during a drought, and found her true home in the soggy Pacific Northwest. She has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through one day without stories.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charley.descoteaux.3
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/CharleyDescoteauxAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleyDescote
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/charleydescote/
Blog: http://cdescoteauxwrites.com/blog/
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/aqe7g7r
Email: c.descoteauxwrites@gmail.com

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Tour Dates & Stops: May 22, 2015
Parker Williams, Cate Ashwood, Emotion in Motion, Amanda C. Stone, Tara Lain, Kimi-Chan, BFD Book Blog, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book Junkie, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Louise Lyons, Divine Magazine, Andrew Q. Gordon, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Lee Brazil, Rebecca Cohen Writes, Iyana Jenna, Mikky’s World of Books, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Love Bytes, Prism Book Alliance, Wake Up Your Wild Side, My Fiction Nook, Chris McHart, MM Good Book Reviews, Elin Gregory, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, All I Want and More Books, Inked Rainbow Reads, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews, Kimber Vale, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Hearts on Fire, Full Moon Dreaming, Velvet Panic, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, TTC Books and More, Up All Night, Read All Day, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Bike Book Reviews, Havan Fellows, The Hat Party, Nephylim, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Andrew Q. Gordon

Contest

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 gift card and backlist book of choice.  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: The Heracian Affair (Space Files R #1) by Liv Olteano

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

The Heracian Affair coverRizzo Berg is tormented by memories of his lost lover and Dom who died in combat years before. After yet another in a string of really disappointing dates, Rizzo goes to sleep in his apartment and wakes up on a spaceship with an alien Captain Conrad D’Ollet of Heracia, a man so dominant Rizzo’s knees turn to jelly. The Heracians need help, and Rizzo is a humanitarian, and the perk of spending more time around Conrad isn’t one of the reasons he offers that help, right? They seem made for each other. But Conrad has his own past and neither man is willing to risk his heart, let go of the past, and believe in a future together.

This is an unusual and well-written erotic space romance with angst, BDSM, aliens, and action. It begins as insta-lust based on both physical attraction and dominance, but morphed into more quite rapidly.

The world building was enough to give me a good feel for it without getting bogged down in description as some fantasy/sci-fi can do. For the most part, the author did an excellent job of giving just enough to paint a picture while not letting the details interfere with the flow of the story. A few things that I would have really enjoyed though are a bit more physical description of Heracians, and some background on how their AI/biological combo had come about.

Speaking of the flow, this is a quick-paced story that kept my attention and made me smile a lot. I completely enjoyed Riz’s snarky, abrasive personality. He was so fun! Adored the scene that resulted in them becoming bonded due to Riz’s error in cultural understanding. OMGosh, that was just hilarious. Then there are the cute nicknames Riz tends to use, his irreverence, brazen sexuality, and ballsiness are a perfect next to Conrad’s calm determination. Overall, a very fun read.

I’m not a huge fan of the cover by Brooke Albrecht, mostly because I’m not really sure what it is or how it relates to the story. The concept just doesn’t come across to me.

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


Book Details:  

ebook, 131 pages
Published March 20th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 19th 2013)
ISBN13 9781623804350
edition language English