E.M. Lynley’s On Tour with Out of the Gate (contest)

Love horses and m/m romance? Check out E.M. Lynley’s latest release, Out of the Gate. On E.M. Lynley’s Out of the Gate Book Tour and contest, the author and Pride Promotions has a $10 Etsy gift card to giveaway. To enter to win a $10 Etsy gift card, visit this Rafflecopter link . Contest ends 6/18. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

For more details about E.M Lynley and Out of the Gate, see the author’s bio, book blurb and excerpt below:

Book Name: Out of the Gate
Author Name: EM Lynley
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Book Details:

ebook, 270 pages
Published April 21st 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published April 20th 2014)
ISBN 1627986839 (ISBN13: 9781627986830)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4896
settingHollywood, CA .San Francisco, CA (United States) Berkeley, CA

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Blurb(s): British actor Wesley Tremayne thinks he’s close to hitting the big time—a film career—with his role as a hunky explorer on a popular American TV show. Success should be just around the corner, as long as he keeps his sexual orientation a secret. Wes’s best friend and beard, Julia Compton, forms the other half of a glamorous Hollywood couple that’s merely a façade.  Evan Taylor left his acting career behind five years ago without looking back. He’s always been more comfortable around horses than people—especially Hollywood types. His new life training racehorses is a dream come true, but increasing financial problems and an abusive boyfriend have him doubting himself and his choices.  Then Wes and his friends buy a third-rate racehorse—partially for publicity—and send him to Evan’s stable. Wes’s friendship with Evan soon develops into an overpowering attraction he can’t act on. He’s never met a man like Evan, but if there’s any chance for a future together, Wes must choose between a career he loves and the man he adores.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press ARe Amazon Amazon Print Barnes&Noble Barnes & Noble Print

Excerpt:

“I’m heading down to watch them saddle the horses so I can decide which one to bet on.” Vanessa gave them a dangerous wave of her talons and left Wes and Julia alone in the private grandstand box at Los Alamitos race track.

Julia gave the binoculars back to Wes. “He’s gorgeous.” She winked.

“Which one do you like?” Wes asked, again looking through the binoculars.

“I thought we were talking about which one you like?”

“Number four.” Wes glanced down at Julia’s head. She was a good six inches shorter, and it was the view he often had to settle for.’

“Oh, really? I thought you’d go for one. Or at least his trainer.” She gave a silvery laugh and put her arm around his waist again.

Wes kept the glasses focused on runner number one’s trainer as he reached up to adjust the horse’s bridle. His navy sport coat rode up, giving Wes—and anyone else looking—a nice view of his arse in well-fitting dark-blue jeans. Wes held in the smile the sight induced and resigned himself to admiring the good-looking man from a distance. His light-brown hair fell in wavy curves and the full-lipped smile made Wes want to lick his own lips. Something about the chiseled chin and the shape of the man’s nose twigged a hazy memory Wes couldn’t quite bring to the surface.

Author Links:

Facebook
Author Facebook Page
Pinterest
Twitter: @emlynley
Website

Tour Dates: June 6th, 2014

Tour Date: June 12th at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords

Tour Stops: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Talon SO, Love Bytes, MM Good Books, My Fiction Nook, Prism Book Alliance

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Contest Rules and Giveaway Links: Must be 18 years of age or older. Contest ends 6/18. Visit Rafflecopter link to enter to win $10 Etsy Gift Card.
Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Etsy Gift Card

Give a Listen To Cate Ashwood’s Brokenhearted-Audiobook Tour/Contest

Listen to any good books recently?

ScatteredThoughts has a new audio release for you all to check out. Cate Ashwood’s Brokenhearted is now out as a audiobook from Dreamspinner Press. To help promote this new release, Cate Ashwood has a audiobook copy to give away. Visit the Rafflecopter link listed below for all the details and to enter to win. Contest ends 6/18.

To listen to an audio excerpt, visit the Dreamspinner Audio link provided for this purpose. Happy Listening!

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Book Name: Brokenhearted (Audiobook)
Author Name: Cate Ashwood
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Narrator: John Orr
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb(s):

Oliver Parrish has been alone in the world since he was born. So when Sheriff Owen “Mack” Macklin shows up on his doorstep to deliver the news that Oliver’s sister has died, he’s beyond surprised. Still, Oliver returns with Mack to Hope Cove, Maine, hoping to get to know the sister he never knew he had. As he tries to snap these new elements into his solitary life, he’s not sure how they might fit.

His life is shaken up further as he falls in love with the irresistible town of Hope Cove, and with Mack, its equally irresistible sheriff. But when he receives devastating news about his sister’s cause of death, Oliver doesn’t know whether to stay and fight for love and a good life, or cut his losses and run.
Listen to an Excerpt:

https://soundcloud.com/dreamspinnerpress/audiobook-sample-of-brokenhearted-by-cate-ashwood

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Author Bio: Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.

Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.

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Cate loves to hear from readers. You can find her at:
Author Links:
Website
Blog
E-mail: cateashwood@gmail.com
Facebook:
Twitter: @Cateashwood

Tour Dates: June 11, 2014

Tour Stops: My Fiction Nook, Smoocher’s Voice, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Velvet Panic, Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, MM Good Books, Fallen Angel Reviews, Up All Night, Read All Day, Tara Lain, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, The Hat Party, Love Bytes, SA McAuley, Kimi-Chan, Lee Brazil, Iyana Jenna, Freddie Feeley Jr., Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Hearts on Fire, Elisa Rolle, It’s Raining Men, Dawn’s Reading Nook

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: An audiobook copy of ‘Brokenhearted’! Contest ends 6/18. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Go here for contest details and to enter to win.

Sales Links: Amazon

Review: The Actor and the Earl (The Crofton Chronicles #1) by Rebecca Cohen

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When Elizabethan actor Sebastian Hewel’s twin sister Bronwyn elopes unexpectedly, it leaves him and his uncle in a huge mess. His uncle had accepted money from the Earl of Crofton for her hand in marriage. That money was to pay off Sebastian’s father’s debt to his uncle. Now with one shocking action, everything his uncle had arranged was in jeopardy and that was money that the poor actor had no way of paying back. His cousin’s solution? For Sebastian to take his sister’s place at meeting between the Earl and Bronwyn prior to the wedding to give them time to find Bronwyn and bring her back.

For Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, a marriage is just the thing he needs to quiet the voices at court about his “peculiarities” , sexual appetites that could cost him his head. Queen Elizabeth will only approve of marriages to families whose loyalty to her is unquestionable. The Hewels are just such a family and the marriage to Bronwyn is the perfect solution.

At the meeting between “Bronwyn” and Anthony nothing goes as planned. Sebastian finds the Earl not only handsome but shrewdly intelligent as Anthony guesses at the real identity behind the skirts. But instead of anger and outrage, the Earl applauds the deception and suggests an arrangement. Sebastian will marry the Earl and play the part of his sister for a year. And if the arrangement includes the benefits of a marriage bed for both, even better given their proclivities and the lethal consequences should they be found out.

Sebastian is warned by those in the know not to fall for the Earl because of his inability to remain satisfied by one partner. But what happens when the heart isn’t listening and Sebastian finds himself falling in love for the first and only time in his life.

I always approach a historical fiction story with trepidation. Why? Because quite a few authors I have read forget the first rule of historical fiction is an accurate setting and an attention to detail. Historical fiction of any type is, in my opinion, one of the hardest genres to write. Not only does the author have the usual elements to create and incorporate, such as plot, characters, and setting, but in addition the historical aspect of any work must include an authenticity of that era to make it believable. To render a historical story authentic an author should pay particular attention to details such as the type of clothes worn, laws and societal norms, art, music, architecture, and yes, even dialog. To get it right means research, research, and more research. You would be amazed how often that doesn’t happen. Alexander Bell’s invention of the telephone is put in the wrong year. Dates are mixed up along with royal families, scandals, and types of dress. And when that happens and is spotted, then it almost always ruins the story as time is spent searching for more errors than is spent involved in the plot and characters with the reader thinking…”well, if they got that (fill in the blank) wrong, what else will I find…”

Why do I point all this out? Because Rebecca Cohen gets it right in The Actor and the Earl. And I can’t begin to tell you how much that increased my enjoyment of this already entertaining tale. Some of the historically accurate highlights were the mention of premier pamphleteer Thomas Nashe’s The Choice of Valentines and Philip Sydney’s The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. The Globe is almost finished construction, and Queen Elizabeth holds court with a face painted white using ceruse and vermillion for the lips and cheeks. Cohen slides these facts into her story with a subtly I appreciated and in a manner that helps to set the time frame for her story. I love it when authors get it right without making it seem like an information dump. Great job.

So with her background and setting firmly in place, Rebecca Cohen then goes on to give the reader some wonderful characters to follow and root for. First off is 20 year struggling actor Sebastian Hewell. Sebastian rebelled against his uncle’s plans for him after his father perished and left him with debts. Sebastian has worked for years as an actor but at his age, romantic roles (the female ones) are getting scarce. I fell in love with Sebastian in the back dressing room of the theater where he was working. He feels young, ruefully aware of his waning future and still determined to do it on his own. Such vulnerability in Sebastian works to pull in the reader’s affections and keep us engaged throughout the story.

Another astonishing twist is his sister, Bronwyn. In most stories, Bronwyn would be slender, gorgeous, and extremely feminine, Not so here. Bronwyn is plainfaced (as is Sebastian supposedly), straightforward, blunt, a true force of nature. I loved her. The scenes with her, Sebastian and Anthony were priceless, especially when she is putting the Earl in his place with a “fat assed pig” bit of name calling. Did I want more of Bronwyn? Why, yes I did!

Anthony Redbourn was a character that left more questions in my mind then I felt the story answered. There were hints of a special role he played for Queen Elizabeth that never came forward. Is Anthony a spy perhaps? We don’t know, only that he is favored at court and on call for the Queen at her whim. I loved the accurate picture Cohen paints of London at that time. Smelly and rank, especially in the summer, people fled to their country estates to escape the heat and the odors that overpower you in the city. It came across as just as unpleasant as it probably was, especially for the women who had to travel by coach. The Earl’s estate is beautifully described along with the dinners served, which made me sort of queasy. Ah, the picky tastes of the modern person. Still for all the authenticity framing the character, it was the character himself that was a little lacking. A man in his 30’s, arrogant and confident, his switchover to impulsive and jealous felt surprising.

I wish we had more of a romance between Sebastian and Anthony, although the sex was plentiful. I believed in them as a couple and just wished for a little more of a foundation to base their love on then the brief interludes we got. There are also some elements here sure to upset those readers who like their pairings chaste and of the “cleaving only to each other” type. Anthony is a “womanizer” and a flirt, that’s not going to change overnight and doesn’t. There are some holes in the plot with questions about how gullible the upper classes would be with Bronwyn and Sebastian switching in and out of their role. But those were my only quibbles and my enjoyment in this lighthearted historical romp didn’t falter because of them.

There are already three stories in this series to date. I have listed all below. I am already on to the next one to see how Sebastian and Anthony are faring and will let you know how that works out. In the meantime, if you want a pleasurable, accurate historical romance, then The Actor and the Earl just might be the story for you. Don’t expect a lot of drama or mystery, perhaps that’s coming next. This is the beginning of a romance….let’s see where Rebecca Cohen will take us next.

Cover art by Anne Cain. Cain’s cover is a wonderful representation of the story. Sebastian’s looking pretty good in both genders.

Buy Link: Dreamspinner Press ARe Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 1st Edition, 206 pages
Published November 30th 2012 by Dreamspinner Press (first published November 2012)
original titleThe Actor and the Earl
ISBN 1623801516 (ISBN13: 9781623801519)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3429
seriesThe Crofton Chronicles #1

Books in The Crofton Chronicles Series are in the order they were written and should be read:

The Actor and the Earl (The Actor and the Earl #1)
Duty to the Crown (The Actor and the Earl #2)
Forever Hold His Peace (The Actor and the Earl #3)

Review: Isle of Waves (Isle of Wight, #3) by Sue Brown

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Through the many years that they have been together, Wig Tobias and Nibs Tyler’s relationship has been tested and strained but it has always endured. But then they had never had a year like the past year. Since new owners took over the restaurant next to theirs, they have made Wig and Nibs life a living hell. The reason? Wig and Nibs wouldn’t sell them their beloved restaurant, The Blue Lagoon, which they have had for as long as they have been together. Now Nibs and Wig are harassed daily, anonymous flyers are posted everywhere with homophobic taunts and innuendos, and they feel helpless as they watch their customers dwindle and their restaurant fail.

Then the worst happens. Upon returning from Sam and Liam’s wedding, Wig and Nibs find their restaurant has been vandalized, and the local police seem as reluctant to investigate this as they did all the other problems. Demoralized, Wig and Nibs are about to give up their dream until all their friends, Paul and Olaf, Liam and Sam, and the whole Owens family come to help Wig and Nibs in their time of need. But will that be enough? Paul and Olaf have their own problems and Nibs is hiding something from Wig too.

As a gale force storm bears down on the island and The Blue Lagoon Restaurant, that just might be the end of it all unless everyone pulls together to find the culprits behind the destruction as well as the strength to go on together in friendship and love.

I found this wonderful series and its author, Sue Brown, by the first book in the series, The Isle of… Where? (Isle of Wight #1). There the author brought us to the indescribably lovely location of the Isle of Wight and the big hearted, gregarious Owens family and those that they love. First up as a couple on their way to romance, is Sam Owens, a genial, large hearted man who loves his island and his family. In desperate need of Sam and the Owens is Liam Marshall, who arrives at the island with an urn carrying his best friend’s ashes and a final wish to have those ashes thrown off the pier near town. Liam is depressed and grief has immobilized him to the point that he can not act on his friend’s wishes. Sam comes to Liam’s rescue, and then Liam comes to Sam’s. It was a remarkable journey for both men as well as for the reader. Between Sam and Liam and the entire Owen’s clan, they managed to engage the reader’s emotions while allowing us enough distance that we could still appreciate the location and the other characters Brown created for the story and series. My only issue was that the story ended a little unresolved, with questions about Liam’s visa up in the air.

With the second story, I learned that each new book will pick up exactly where the previous one will leave off, with the answers to the questions left hanging in the preceding tale. Isle of Wishes (Isle of Wight, #2) is both a mystery and a tale of two romances. How I loved that book. Liam is missing and Sam needs to find him and bring him home to the Isle of Wight. That’s both a romance and the first mystery here. Helping Sam is his police inspector brother, Paul. Paul is bisexual and never met a person he didn’t want to bed. So who does Brown create for Paul? Wisconsin Detective Olaf Skandik, a closeted mountain of a man who helps Paul and Sam find out what happened to Liam. Olaf works for a bigoted sheriff in a conservative small town, not exactly a conducive atmosphere for an out and proud English inspector to be attracted to the quiet Olaf. So, of course, while helping Sam Olaf and Paul fall in lust and maybe love with each other. More, many more problems ensue to our frustration and delight.

What problems? The same problems Liam and Sam had or that any couple from two different nationalities would have when trying to live on the same continent. There are realistic visa issues and citizenship hurdles and most of them are bogged down in the type of bureaucratic paperwork and regulations that can make this an impossibility. That works out to be as much of a roadblock as any regular mystery found here. This is a thread that works itself through all the stories and rightly so. It makes the path to love and HEA messy, authentic, and always in doubt. While the couples may fall for each other quickly, that they can remain together is never certain.

Sue Brown gets that love and romance is an iffy, questionable affair. It doesn’t matter if the relationship is recent or well established. If pressed hard enough, stressed to the maximum by outside pressures and lack of communication, not even the deepest of loves might survive under those conditions. That’s where the Isle of Waves starts, at a relationship breaking point and an established couple, Nibs and Wig, who have been a constant, loving presence throughout the first two stories. An older, long established gay couple, they have been the support for Liam and Sam and many others throughout the years. Now it’s their relationship and their livelihood in danger. And now Wig and Nibs are the ones in need of love and support and maybe even policework from Paul and Olaf when the local constabulary ignores their problems because of their homosexuality.

That’s kind of a stunning element here and probably a very realistic one as well. Up until now, the Isle of Wight has seemed relatively accepting of homosexuality with the exception of a certain confectionary making couple. But Wig and Nibs and Sam handled them easily. Now with the revelations from Wig and Nibs about the harassment and hate crimes committed against them during the past year out in the open, we start to see the community and the Isle in a different and less idealized light. It’s heartbreaking and painful and authentic in every way.

Brown never lets her couples and their relationships get off easy. With all their years together, Wig and Nibs are quietly breaking down under the pressure of losing everything they have worked so hard to build, and that just might include each other if they can’t start talking about the issues facing them. Both want to protect the other but at what cost? Those types of questions and situations feel as real as the people that make up this couple. Earthy, preening, stolid, sexy, stubborn…Wig and Nibs are totally human and wonderfully so. They engage our emotions and our hearts as they struggle to stay together and keep their restaurant afloat.

And they aren’t the only couple facing overwhelming obstacles here. Paul and Olaf arrived on the island for Sam and Liam’s wedding but Olaf can’t stay and Paul can’t leave to return to the U.S. with him. Both have jobs and lives in different countries. Do they have a future together and how will it even be possible? Even as they work to help Wig and Nibs, Brown throws up barriers to a future together even as she breaks down others to show us how much these men love each other and deserve to stay together. Do we have a resolution where Olaf and Paul are concerned? No, we don’t. Nor should we. It took Sam and Liam several stories to pull it together. I expect no less for Paul and Olaf.

When last I corresponded with Sue Brown, she indicated that there will be a new series for Paul and Olaf. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for them. Brown has a way of creating characters and situations that burrow under your skin and into your heart. It becomes almost impossible to keep your emotional distance from these men and their complex romances. Your affections become engaged from the start and stay that way through every hurdle, all the bureaucratic tape, and relationship barriers thrown up against them. And each new story feeds your need to have more, know more…about what’s coming and how they will handle it together. Or not.

I highly recommend this story and the entire series. Start at the beginning of course, if you are new to the Isle of Wight series and the men and families at its heart. I believe you will come to love them as I do. Get cracking! We have a lot more to come and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Cover artist is L.C. Chase. Chase are does a wonderful job of conveying the men, story, and setting in one beautiful cover.

Buy links: Dreamspinner Press ARe Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published May 16th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 15th 2014)
ISBN 1627989528 (ISBN13: 9781627989527)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store
seriesIsle of Wight #3

Series: Books in the Isle of Wight series in the order they were written and should be read are:

The Isle of… Where? (Isle of Wight, #1)
Isle of Wishes (Isle of Wight, #2)
Isle of Waves (Isle of Wight, #3)

Review: Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair (Knitting #5) by Amy Lane

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Just when Aiden Rhodes is sure that he has his Jeremy Bunny ready to settle down and commit to a relationship with him instead of always being ready to “rabbit’ away, Jeremy’s past arrives to shatter everything. After Jeremy endured a horrific near death beating by a mobster, he faces multiple surgeries on his way to recovery, a recovery that will still leave Jeremy with physical scarring he will carry for life.

All in the tightly close group of people around Jeremy have been affected by this horrendous event. Aiden is facing his own anger at Jeremy’s actions and he needs time to work through all the thoughts and emotions that this brutal beating has created. Aiden needs space but with Jeremy in the hospital and needing Aiden, that is the last thing he is likely to have. Jeremy is afraid that his scarred face and body will mean that he is unlovable and unwanted. Craw and Ben are keeping the mill going without their friends but only just. And Ariadne lies in the hospital bed next to Jeremy with complications to her pregnancy and worries of her own. Even as everyone is giving as much of themselves to help support Jeremy’s surgeries and recovery, they are in need in equal amounts of support themselves.

But the answer for this overly stressed and worn thin group comes in the tiny form of Ariadne’s baby girl who needs them all in her own time of need. To help Ariadne and her baby, Jeremy pulls himself together and starts to move forward in his relationship with Aiden and his friendship for everyone around him, including Ariadne’s little blackbird. And Aiden sees a Jeremy he had always hoped to find….a man who has stopped running from love and commitment and is ready for all Aiden has to offer….a future together.

I am going to start this review with a personal note to Amy Lane.

Amy Lane, Amy Lane……I have been waiting for you to fix Jeremy Bunny since you left me (and Jeremy) wrecked at the end of Knitter in His Natural Habitat (Knitting #4) two years ago. When I finished that story I felt I had been run through Craw’s temperamental woolen mill drums myself until my heart was flattened and my stomach was in knots. I love your stories and this series but that was one review I didn’t want to write because I was so upset at the end. But now I can finally say, without compunction, that you did Jeremy Bunny right in Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair. And you made the torturous events that occurred in the fourth book feel as though they had to happen for the growth and maturity that Jeremy gains here throughout your story. I didn’t think that was possible but it did and it felt true. So, thanks. Now I can reread that book again with my tredpidation pushed aside and my love for these characters up front and secure in their futures together. Brava!

Now back to the originally scheduled review.

When discussing a book about endings, I think its appropriate that a summary of the series and the first story is in order. The first book in the series is called The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters (Granby Knitting, # 1) and truthfully it wasn’t even a series yet. It was a story in Dreamspinner’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas collection. It featured a romance between a burly monosyllabic knitter and a newly arrived self employed young man who moves in next to his alpaca ranch. Rance Crawford ” is an alpaca rancher, fiber mill owner, and self-proclaimed grumpy bastard” in Amy Lane’s words. And he was grumpy perfection. Lane paired him up with Ben McCutcheon, a sweet Easterner who inherits the house next to the ranch. It was a slow, sometime frustrating and always amusing light hearted romance filled with the author’s love of all things knitting and love of yarn. It had an endearing cover and a wonderful ending.

That first story was quick to capture the hearts of readers along with all the other memorable characters that Amy Lane created to work at Craw’s mill and yarn shop, helping to dye and create designer yarn that people would scramble to own and knit with. We met a young Aiden Rhodes, a teenager on the way to adulthood and a genius with dyes and wool. Living in the barn in a small room was Jeremy Stillson, an enigmatic skittish young man of indeterminable years. Oddly young and old at the same time, Jeremy was clearly haunted by a past and childhood that only one person knew about. He talked too much, loved the company of the animals and was as skittish as a wild bunny, ready to “rabbit” away at the first sign of approaching danger or even commitment. His vulnerability touched the readers, myself included, deeply. We took Jeremy Bunny to heart then and never let him go. Neither did Aiden Rhodes, a wolf with surprising darkness inside and a love for his Jeremy. Just as important was Ariadne, the sharp faced, thin young woman who runs the mill’s shop and teaches Jeremy to knit. We all fell in love with Ariadne too. Leaving this group of people behind in that first story was hard not only for us but for Amy Lane as well. And so the Knitting series, also known as the Granby Knitting series was born.

Four books followed, the full list is posted at the bottom of the review. Lane would take up Aiden and Jeremy’s story in How to Raise an Honest Rabbit (Knitting #3). Between those indescribably adorable covers and their marvelously quirky titles, this was a series that was attracting attention for more than just the stories within, there was also the knitting patterns featured in each book, with instructions included at the end. How I love those too! Did I say I was a avid knitter? This series just reached out and pulled me in. Any idea of maintaing any sort of emotional distance was thrown out the window from the get go. Objectivity, thy name is some other reviewer when this series is involved.

Anyhow, How to Raise an Honest Rabbit (Knitting #3) is Jeremy’s story. We find out why Jeremy is the way he is and how he came to Granby and Craw’s Alpaca ranch. It is also the beginning of romance between Jeremy and Aiden, hints of which were only floating around the narrative in the first book. And it is here that the darkness and depth found in the Knitting series is revealed. Yes, there are still some amusing scenes and joy. But the pain of the past and Jeremy’s fragile emotional center is revealed as is the explanation behind his situation and behavior. The angsts and gravity of the story brings a “realness” to these characters, with all their flaws, intelligence and loyalty to each other. If you weren’t in love before, you were by the end of this story.

Then came Knitter in His Natural Habitat (Granby Knitting, #4) and the revelatory style and genius of Amy Lane came together in an emotional rollercoaster of a story. I loved it, hated it, and cried buckets of tears before it was over. It was two romances in one. Lane continued to follow the growth in Aiden and Jeremy’s relationship while also introducing another major romance that included secondary characters from previous stories. That would be flamboyantly gay Stanley, who managed a fabulous craft store in Boulder and Johnny, a dark horse of a delivery man with secrets of his own. Like some intricately woven specialty yarn, Lane spun a tale of revenge, love and a past that refused to stay hidden. It was mesmerizing and Lane skillfully built up a atmosphere of danger and suspense that exploded in an emotional ending that left us all shattered.

This story was released two years ago in 2012 and my memories of it today are as fresh as if I had just finished the story yesterday. That fact just demonstrates what an incredible writer Amy Lane is and the power present in all her stories. Light and fluffy? I don’t think so. I don’t think she can do that. Lane’s stories always take twists and turns that will puzzle and shock you. They might leave you reeling in pain from the events and situations her characters find themselves in as well as the loss that can run like a river of angst through her stories. But never will you be able to remain objective because she has breathed life, in all its complexity, into her people and you start treating them and their stories as if they were your own.

Anyway, back to Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair (Knitting #5). I have waited 2 long years for this story and it was beyond marvelous. The title, in part, comes from that haunting Beatles song “Blackbird” that goes “Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly…” Are you humming it yet? There is more than one blackbird here in this story and yet by the end, they have all learned to fly or will be able to do so. So many people are in all types of need here. Emotional, financial, you name it and this tight circle of friends requires it. But how Amy Lane resolves each and everyone’s situation is believable, warmhearted and totally satisfying. I finished it at 3am and promptly went and started it all over again. I mean, really, people, I had waited two years for this to happen. It wasn’t going to be over that quickly.

This review could have been finished in a few concise sentences. It would go something like this. Here is my cliff notes version:

I wanted this. I read this. I love this. I whole heartedly recommend it to all who need romance, great story telling, and knitters in love in their lives. There are bunnies galore, and mittens and knitting patterns. And characters you will never forget. Amy Lane does it again.”

But what fun is that?

Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair is a book I will return to often. The resolution to Jeremy’s story and his and Aiden love affair has staying power. So do all the other romances found within this series. These people, these characters have become old friends and I will want to revisit them from time to time. If you are new to this series, start with the first story and work your way through the novels and the gamut of emotions Amy Lane will put you through. It is worth it. Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair is one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014. And don’t miss out on that terrific Chain Mail Scarf pattern so important to the story and whose instructions are included at the end. I am already planning what yarn to use.

Cover art by Catt Ford who created all those incredible covers in the series. I have included all of them as well.

Books in the series in the order they were written and should be read:

The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters (Granby Knitting, # 1)
Super Sock Man
How to Raise an Honest Rabbit (Granby Knitting, #3)
Knitter in His Natural Habitat (Granby Knitting, #4)
Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair (Granby Knitting #5)

Book Details:
Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press ARe Amazon

Also available The Granby Knitting Menagerie by Amy Lane Paperback: Buy it here at DSP

ebook, 244 pages, A Granby Knitting Novel

Published May 2nd 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 1st 2014)
ISBN 1627988742 (ISBN13: 9781627988742)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesKnitting #5

Covers to love in reverse order:

Review: Dinner at Home by Rick R. Reed

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

In one day Ollie D’Angelo lost everything. Ollie was dumped by his boyfriend, fired from his job, and his home which was technically his ex’s. But instead of being shattered Ollie found himself exhilarated. Freed of all that had held him in a job he had no passion for and a boyfriend he only thought he loved, Ollie found he could turn his passion for food into a business that filled him with joy and a renewed sense of purpose. Before Ollie knows it his Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, takes off and becomes a success.

Soon Ollie finds himself thinking that he needs an assistant and finds one in the most unexpected way. While out on a delivery, Ollie finds a young man attempting to rob his car. But instead of turning the thief over to the police, Ollie finds himself taking the young man home for a much needed meal. Hank Mellinger, the would be their, isn’t a criminal but a starving young man desperately trying to feed himself and the four-year-old niece he is now responsible for. Robbing Ollie’s car was his last act of desperation.

Like Ollie, Hank finds that one moment can change his life as well as his niece’s. Hank becomes Ollie’s assistant and potentially something more as the attraction builds between them. But Hank’s isn’t out and his fears about his past must just block any future in store for them all. Can two very different men with a passion for food find the courage to believe in a future for them both?

Rick R. Reed’s newest story, Dinner at Home, drew me in as a reader for a number of reasons. One is that amazing cover by Reese Dante that just makes you grin with the total enjoyment and openness seen in that model’s face. The other is that I love stories about chefs, food and recipes and this had it all covered. Plus it offered the addition of a romance to boot. What I found was a bunch of new recipes, some lovely characters and a story that was unexpectedly a little dark.

When diving into this story, you receive unanticipated benefits right off the mark. Each chapter opens with a recipe that will make your mouth water. The book is laid out like a menu. The prologue is the definition of an Amuse-Bouche, an appetizer that is one small mouthful, then it goes on to Winter and then Summer dishes. The first chapter is a scrumptious recipe for Sinfully Soft Scrambled Eggs that sent me running to the kitchen to try it out. It lives up to its name as it is sinfully delicious. I thought I had made great scrambled eggs before. Nuhuh. Try this recipe out and it will become your comfort food go to recipe. The same holds true for all the dinners and meals laid out here. Thankfully, Reed included a section with all the recipes at the end so you can have it at hand when you need it. And trust me, you will need it often. This man knows his food and his ingredients!

Secondly, there is Reed’s characters. I loved Ollie. Big hearted, passionate about his food, and generous in all ways, Ollie is a man to love. That his life is shattered overnight is believable, especially in these economic times. And equally true, Ollie was in a great place in which to make some positive life changing decisions. You could believe in Ollie and you do. And just as Ollie is emotionally and financially well off, Hank is his opposite. For Hank, life has been one struggle after another. That along with some poor choices, a mother who was juggling with her own demons, Hank is one troubled young man. His passion? Food. But as a excon, the jobs he is able to get are on the lower end of the pay scale with little future involved. Rick R. Reed makes us believe in him too.

Less believable? Hank’s four year old niece, Addison, who seems to be a combination of Roseanne Barr and tiny tot. I have read other similar child characters whose dialog and actions came across as more realistic than Addison does. She doesn’t ruin the story for me but neither does she improve it, in my opinion. Others may love her character and find her an utter joy. She is one of those love her or hate her personas that has an equal effect on the story and reader.

Rose, a traumatized young woman who becomes part of this family, is a character I found that I wanted more of. She just appears suddenly in this story and has a horrible back history. I don’t feel that Reed laid any foundation for her startling change into a totally different young woman at the end of the story. Had she been slowly worked into the narrative with the same care and attention to detail that Hank and Addison were then I think Dinner at Home would have felt like a deeper, more layered story than it appears to be.

Did I love parts of Dinner at Home? Absolutely, starting with Ollie and the recipes. Other parts left me puzzled and curiously hungry for more, as if some elements of a main dish had been left out during the preparation. Once you start eating, you enjoy it but can tell from the aroma and taste that the promise of the dish is still out there waiting to be completed. That’s how I feel about Dinner at Home, almost there, just needs a little more umami to bring it home.

If you are a fan of Rick R. Reed, you will love this story. If you love food and recipes to die for, this is your story. Lovers of M/M romance will enjoy this book, with reservation. I certainly enjoyed it enough to recommend it.

Cover art by Reese Dante. I loved this cover, It draws you in and makes you want to get to know the characters pictured on the cover.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press ARe Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 206 pages
Published May 9th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 8th 2014)
ISBN 162798836X (ISBN13: 9781627988360)
edition languageEnglish

Book Blast! Plane From Nowhere by Princess SO (Contest)

Book Blast! Their Plane From Nowhere by Princess So

Introducing the latest release from Princess So, Their Plane From Nowhere Book Blast. Contest: To enter to win an eBook copy of Princess So’ Their Plane From Nowhere visit the Rafflecopter link provided here.

Book Blurb: In their small town in the Pocono Mountains, Earl Knox and Hank Grisset have never been considered among the pretty ones to anyone but each other. As lucky as Hank and Earl consider themselves to have found each other, that’s about as far as luck has gone. All those Could’ah— Should’ah— Would’ah— moments a man never sees comin’, but that don’t stop him from regrettin’ them later in life. When Earl makes a life changing decision that ultimately outs him and Hank, a mysterious plane shows up at their lake house. Coming out in a small town can erase friendships in a heartbeat. But, when a rift in the family leads to a life threatening accident, only their devotion to each other is gonna get them through this; that and their plane from nowhere. Excerpt:

“Adventure is out there!” a child character’s voice called out with enthusiasm. And thus began a montage of Mr. Fredricksen’s life.

There was a reason he picked this one above all the others. Sure, Finding Nemo and that other one about the supersuits was pretty damned funny, but this one—about the boy growin’ up with his best friend, how they got married with a dream and grew old together—and mostly how life got in the way of their dream to Paradise Falls—had hit him so hard, it hung in his soul and on his skin like melted cheese, only it didn’t taste as good. Hoverin’ like smog. The more you noticed, the more you started to choke on it. And then, the next mornin’ when they’d went back to the hospital and his little Leanne handed over his first granddaughter, he’d looked up wearin’ the biggest grandpop smile only to see Gracie leerin’ at him with so much hatred and loathin’. It shouldn’t have been that way; it should have been the face of the man he loved. Earl’s heart shattered that very moment. So much time had been lost lettin’ life get in the way of his Paradise Falls. He’d nearly broke down just then, too happy to give over his granddaughter just yet and too heartbroken that Hank wasn’t with him to share in it, like he should’ah been. He’d even walked over to the window, turning his back to the others, and cradling the tiny bundle against his face. He kissed her sweet pink head, and then used it to wipe the tears from his cheek. Gracie got tired of waitin’ her turn and started puttin’ up a cussin’. She even pulled out the Lord’s name in vain. Earl just shut her out, still lookin’ out the window with his granddaughter and silently pointin’ out to the mountains in the distance to where Hank could be found, wipin’ another tear off with her fussy, little pink head. Behind him, the cussing continued. To Earl it was just another sound that separated him from them while he drowned on the inside. He couldn’t count the times he’d heard it ’cause he did his best not to. Didn’t matter where they were either, he never answered, and he never shouted back at her. Just like that day at the hospital, he let Gracie continue on until Leanne snapped about the GD word. Earl’d said nothing. He never did. No matter what Gracie threw at him, he had learned a long time ago, he couldn’t shut her up, so—he shut her out.

Tour Dates: 6/3/14 Tour Stops: Nephylim, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Love Bytes, Parker Williams, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, MM Good Books, Night Owl Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Amanda C. Stone, Kimi-Chan, Fallen Angel Reviews, Smoocher’s Voice, Cate Ashwood, The Blogger Girls, Prism Book Alliance, 3 Chicks After Dark, The Hat Party, Lee Brazil Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Their Plane From Nowhere. To enter visit the Rafflecopter link here Book Details: ebook, 92 pages Published May 7th 2014 by Dreamspinner (first published May 6th 2014) ISBN 1627986774 (ISBN13: 9781627986779) edition languageEnglish Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press Amazon ARe Author Bio: Author Name: Princess so Author Bio: Princess so and her twin, Talon ps love to torment their editor with a nefarious world of foreign-lang, slang, local dialect, stretched/outside-of-the-box definitions, and have even been known to throw in some con-lang at times, as well. This, of course, is all thrown in there with the dyslexia soup stock they both suffer from that makes editing with them a joy {joy: n see mental illness}. But the final product comes out as richly detailed holographic worlds of Gay/MM Erotic Romance; Paranormal, Sci-fi, and War time Erotic-Romances; and along with Prin’s favorite works of Post-Apocalyptic Dark Fantasies for readers to submerse themself into and escape. Author Links: Facebook Facebook Author Page Goodreads Author Page Amazon Author Page Cover Artist: Princess So

Winner Announcements and the Week Ahead in Reviews, Book Tours and Giveaways

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It’s been a busy week at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords with May ending and June just beginning. It feels like summer is about to begin. Vacation for some, beach for some, and plenty of wonderful books to read and listen to for all.

Up this week I have cowboys, a mad historical impersonation, chefs, a mystery, and some mad knitters. Two long awaited sequels are here. One is Amy Lane’s Blackbirds Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair. For those of you who have been following this Granby series and want to know what happened to Jeremy Bunny, here is your answer. And Sue Brown continues with her Isle of Wight series with Isle of Waves. Don’t miss a day this week.

Congratulations to the following winners of 3 Authors Book Contests. They have been notified. Thank you to all who left comments! Happy Reading!

Winner Announcements!

Winner of RJ Scott’s Giveaway is penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com

Winner of Katey Hawthorne’s Fairy Bound giveaway is MHupp20032003 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Winner of S.A. McAuley’s Powerless Book Giveaway is H.B.

The Week Ahead at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords:

Monday, June 2: Let It Ride Book Tour with L.C. Chase (contest)

Monday, June 2: Let It Ride (Pickup Men #2) by L.C. Chase

Tuesday, June 3: Book Blast/Contest: Their Plane From Nowhere by Princess So

Wed., June 4: Dinner at Home by Rick R. Reed

Thursday, June 5: Blackbird Knitting in the Bunny’s Lair by Amy Lane

Friday, June 6: On Tour with D.T. Peterson and The Cove (contest)

Friday, June 6: The Isle of Waves by Sue Brown

Sat., June 7: The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen

Author Spotlight: Writing with Humor by John Inman (contest)

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Author Spotlight: John Inman On Writing with Humor

The stories of John Inman are a true favorite of mine. I think of John Inman and his stories and immediately I start to smile. He has the ability to convey the emotions and thoughts of real people with startling issues in his stories through humor, frankness, and acceptance. Interspersed, of course, by the occasional moments of angst.

“Laughing through our tears” is probably a phrase most readers would associate with this author, whether it is through his books, Shy, Hobbled, or the recently released Spirit. I invited John to talk a little about how he combines the authenticity of every day problems and real life difficulties with humor. John has brought a copy of his latest release, Spirit, to give away. To enter to win leave a comment and an email address where you can be contacted. The contest ends June 4 at midnight.

Writing with Humor by John Inman

I was recently asked how and why I temper the impact of real issues with humor.

Well now, there’s a question and a half, huh?

Questions about why I write the way I do always go flapping over my head like distraught pigeons, because I honestly never know how to answer them. My motives are a mystery even to me. They always have been.

I do know there are times when I’m trying to delve into serious issues in a story and it’s an uphill battle for me to not start cracking jokes or going for a laugh. I’m talking about my writing here. In real life I’m much too shy to shoot for a belly laugh from anybody. I’m the guy sitting in the corner behind the potted palm slurping down cocktails to calm his frazzled nerves and trying to be inconspicuous. On paper, however, I’m fearless.

I honestly had not thought about it before, but behind every one of my comedies — SHY, HOBBLED, SPIRIT, LOVING HECTOR, SERENADING STANLEY — (I’m leaving out PAULIE because the only serious aspect to that story was the fact that everybody wanted to get laid, and I mean seriously.) Taking those other stories in order, the serious issues are Social Anxiety, Murder and Kidnapping, just plain Murder, Physical Abuse, and with STANLEY, an apartment building full of crazy people and the MC’s Inferiority Complex.

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Even my serious novels have a good deal of comedy interwoven into the story. Take A HARD WINTER RAIN, for instance. With all the people being violently mowed down left and right, that one simply cried out for mood lighteners. So I gave them to the reader through the gallows humor of two homicide detectives chasing down a serial killer. JASPER’S MOUNTAIN, too, had its lighter moments. How could there not be an underlying comedic tone when the main character had three dogs, two cats, a couple of baby pigs, and a shitload of alligator lizards infesting his mountain retreat?

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I think even in the most serious story lines, there is a need to lighten the mood now and then. I realize I go a little overboard with my humor sometimes, but still it serves a purpose. I know when I’m reading a long, sad, morose tale of abuse or angst or heartbreak, I require an occasional chuckle just so I won’t set the book aside periodically and toddle off to the bedroom to blow my brains out.

When I was a high school kid back in Indiana about a thousand years ago, I remember my English Lit teacher giving us an assignment to write a story about ancient Rome. Growing up in Switz City, Indiana, with a population of 212 people, and with only one stoplight, one feed store, one tiny market where the clerk doled out change from a cigar box, and about a gazillion churches, I had, of course, never been to Rome in my life, ancient or otherwise, and unless I was sorely mistaken, I was pretty sure none of the other kids had been there either.

So instead of writing a story about something I knew absolutely nothing about, I wrote a commercial. A commercial like you might have seen had ancient Rome been bombarded with endless hours of mindless television shows like we are. (Yes, even as a kid I hated TV.) Remember Cal Worthington and his dog Spot (who was actually a tiger) hawking used cars all over TV? That’s the type of guy I based my commercial on. Only Cal wasn’t Cal anymore. He was Calicus. And he didn’t sell cars, he sold chariots. Calicus stood there in his lot full of used chariots, his toga flapping around his pale skinny legs, touting the wonderfulness of his inventory in a loud booming voice, while his bigass pet elephant, Spot, followed him around like a Corgi.

I fully expected to get an F on the assignment, but strangely enough Mrs. Donahue (who I always thought hated my guts) –see? I was paranoid even then — well, Mrs. Donahue gave me an A+ and asked that I read my creation in front of the class, which I refused to do because I was just too damn shy. My best friend at the time, Linda Strietelmeier, of brave German stock, took pity on me and offered to read my story to the class in my stead.

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I still remember the kids laughing at my silly commercial as Linda stood at the podium reading it out loud. Even sourpuss Mrs. Donahue cracked a smile or two. I sat there looking down at my lap, blushing up a storm, and loving every fucking minute of it. Looking back now, I do believe that day was the beginning of my need to write comedy.

It isn’t a pretty story, I know. But it is my own. And as true as the day is long.

So in answer to the question, how and why do I temper the impact of real issues with humor, the answer is — I have no choice. It’s just what I do, what I am, how I write. There is no big mystery to it. I’m just doing what I enjoy doing. And in truth, I think the answer to the question is pretty simple.

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Not only am I simply wired that way, but maybe even more to the point is the fact that I’m doing it because that’s the kind of writing I like to read.

And what better reason is there than that?

Author Bio:

John has been writing fiction for as long as he can remember. Born on a small farm in Indiana, he now resides in San Diego, California where he spends his time gardening, pampering his pets, hiking and biking the trails and canyons of San Diego, and of course, writing. He and his partner share a passion for theater, books, film, and the continuing fight for marriage equality. If you would like to know more about John, check out his website at—-

Follow John Inman at:

If you are unfamiliar with John Inman and his stories, I have listed a few,ok a lot of my personal favorites below. Check them out and prepare to start laughing. It’s the only way to go. Those marvelous covers are by artist Paul Richmond except for Spirit whose wonderful cover was done by Reese Dante.

Review: Love Comes Home (Senses #3) by Andrew Grey

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Architect Gregory Hampton’s son, Davey, is playing in a Little League softball game and having difficulties with pitching and hitting where he had none before. Then a stranger approaches Gregory with a startling suggestion…that Greg should take Davy to an eye doctor for an examination. The diagnosis is frightening. Davey has a genetic occular disease that has just kicked in with the result that Davey’s sight is degenerating rapidly, and eventually he’ll go blind. Suddenly life is all about helping Davey adjust to his impending loss of eyesight and a romance with the handsome businessman he just met has to be relegated to the background. Or does it?

Wealthy businessman Tom Spangler had no sooner met architect Gregory Hampton and arranged to go on a date when a call arrives to disrupt their evening. Sometime during the evening, Greg’s son Davey had completely lost his sight and a traumatized son is in need of his father. After ferrying them both home, Tom waits to hear from Greg. And while he waits, Tom researches how to help Greg and his son, Davey even though he is not even sure the man and his son will accept his help.

One of the things that Tom has researched is beep baseball. Here balls and bases make sounds to enable the visually impaired to participate in Little League. When Tom spearheads an effort to form a team so Davey can continue to play the game he loves, it draws Tom and Greg closer and brings Davey back to the game he thought he would never play again. But Greg’s ex wife has returned with a plan in mind for Davey that will reject everything that Greg, Tom and Davey have worked so hard to accomplish. With a threat to Davey’s happiness at stake, what will Tom and Greg do to ensure his safety and future?

Love Comes Home is the third story in the Senses series and it is a lovely one. The previous story focused on Howard who is blind and his lover, Gordy, both of whom are a strong presence here in Love Comes Home as part of the village of people who help Davey accept his blindness and move forward. Once again, Andrew Grey’s story is centered on someone who is blind but in this case it is a young boy who turns blind almost overnight due to a genetic ocular disease no one knew he had until puberty sets it off. Up until then Davey is a highly athletic, normal boy being raised by a single dad, Greg Hampton.

Andrew Grey’s characters comes across as totally believable human beings, albeit sometimes a little too nice given some of the circumstances they find themselves in. Gregory Hampton is high on my list of favorite characters here as a single dad who puts his son first, including his own wants and needs. His reactions when informed of his son’s diagnosis seems so authentic as he reels between denial and acceptance, not for himself at first but for Davey. Then later, Grey shows Greg’s own grief set in and its both wrenching and raw. Davey too feels all too authentic as a young boy who thinks his life is over until he is shown how to move forward with his disability by a close knit circle of friends. Tom, however, is a little more too, too everything. Too wealthy, too handsome, too great a boyfriend and potential stepfather to Davey. I just wish he had a tad more flaws to make him less a knight in shining armor and more a lonely man looking for love who finds a family as well. A flawed human being for me is always the more interesting and absorbing person to read about. Tom seems almost too perfect to be read and that lessens the romance for me as well.

Andrew Grey has indicated that he has done a mountain of research towards this book and it shows. From the classes that Davey is immersed in to teach himself how to read and write Braille or to simply function in every day life, the author moves his characters through the necessary steps towards Davey’s independence and acceptance at exactly the right pace for a family still trying to deal with Davey’s disease and altered lifestyle. It’s a wonderful journey and it culminates in Davey’s introduction to Beep Ball and the formation of a team of children like Davey in that they are sight impaired.

Ah, Beep Ball. What a splendid sport. And through Grey’s descriptions we are able to visualize how Davey and the other kids step forward with enthusiasm for some and trepidation for others to have fun, be a part of a group and play a sport that was thought impossible to participate in for some kids and parents. We get the laughter, the dropped balls and the tears that flow as parents realize just what it is that they are seeing. Be prepared for a sniffle or two yourself. This really made the story for me.

Romance is well represented here. There is the slowly evolving love between Greg and Tom, marked only by the hiccup arrival of Greg’s ex wife. That part of the story seemed odd and less realized. Absent for 2 years, she appears with demands about her son’s future. It never comes across as though that is her true reason for her appearance. The reader will keep wondering when “the other shoe” will drop and her hidden agenda will be revealed. But that aspect is dropped and the resolution between all the parties comes off as a little contrived. This is probably my biggest issue with this story.

But that element aside, I loved this story. Davey and his journey towards acceptance of his blindness, the manner in which Howard and Gordy helped Greg through the challenges they all faced, the realistic and heartwarming manner in which I felt I knew this group of friends by the end of the story….those are all terrific reasons to buy this book. The romance too will keep you smiling as well as the picture of a new family formed by love at the end. So charming, so heartfelt, and imminently enjoyable too.

Cover design is both lovely and relevant.

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published March 7th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 6th 2014)
ISBN 1627986626 (ISBN13: 9781627986625)
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesSenses #3

Books in the Senses series include:

Love Comes Silently (Senses, #1)
Love Comes in Darkness (Senses, #2) (Howard and Gordy)
Love Comes Home (Senses, #3)

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