A MelanieM Review: Dawn and Dusk (Day and Knight #3) by Dirk Greyson

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

For Scorpion agents Day and Knight, their relationship is slow to develop, and trust is hard to build. Then Day’s brother, Stephen, goes missing, and Day finds out more about him than he ever dreamed. Day’s first reaction to Stephen’s disappearance is to try to get to him as fast as possible.

Knight initially holds him back so they can attempt to find out what they’re walking into. But when Knight sees Day’s desperation, he steps in to help and tries to calm the man he’s growing to care about, even though the trail is cold and clues are scarce.

When Day witnesses his brother being shot live on television, he loses the last of his control. Despite the lack of answers, Day is more determined than ever to find out what happened. Stephen was all the family he had left.

Bone-deep fear and adversity threaten to tear Day and Knight apart, but facing unimaginable hardship together might finally cement the bond between them.

I have to say that Dawn and Dusk (Day and Knight #3) by Dirk Greyson is my favorite and best story of the series so far.  Tightly told, high on suspense and mystery, it still never forgets that the readers wants agents Dayton (Day) Ingram and Knighton (Knight) to deepen their personal relationship, letting that aspect shine here.

Family is a big thread in this series and with these men.  For Knight, its the wife and boy he lost, their memories and guilt he battles with, and the killer he hunts and who eludes him.  It’s also the biggest obstacle between himself and a relationship with Day.  For Day, a family also represents both his biggest wounds and closest ties, just like Knight in some ways.  The loss of his parents and tightknit family unit, the foster homes, and then being claimed by his older brother and being raised by him, his only relative and family.

If Day has an Achilles Heel, its his brother Stephen and that’s exactly where Day takes an emotional hit when his brother goes missing.  A normally “together” Dayton becomes unraveled when nothing adds up about his brother’s disappearance, the facts he “knows” about his brother, and then the shocking newscast of a man looking like his brother being assassinated on the air.

This is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, action, drama, and high suspense and I just adored it.  I normally catch up on the series with a audiobook and missed out on the superb narration of Andrew McFerin so I’ll wait for that when this comes out in that version but reading it still made my heart race in places.

Stephen has been a figure on the circle around Day in the last two books so it’s great to get him fleshed out here.  Its also necessary as he’s been so much a part of Day’s history and emotional backstory that Stephen is another puzzle piece that is  now nicely slotted into place ini Dayton’s character makeup.  There are other terrific characters here, including Knight’s ex-Marine friend, Colt Holsten, He was a great addition and I could easily see a book or series written about him.

There were vivid descriptions of the desert, intricate plot twists and turns, and some delightful movement forwards in Day and Knights relationship, enough to leave this reader totally satisfied.

All in all, I loved this story and can’t wait to see what the next story brings. How they deal with their new relationship and revelations in the desert. Oh my!  This series just keep getting better and better.  And yes, I want to hear the audiobook version too.

Cover art: L.C. Chase.  Great cover, that works for the story, characters and series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 178 pages
Published May 6th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634772792 (ISBN13: 9781634772792)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Day and Knight :

Day and Knight

Sun and Shadow

Dawn and Dusk

Books, Donations, and Little Libraries. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Books, Donations, and Little Libraries

I was walking by a bench last week and saw a paperback laying on it with no one around.  That’s a sight I can never resist so I walked over and picked it up.  Jane Austen’s Emma looked up at me all worn and obviously well read.  I opened the cover and there was a bookplate that read “Read me and Leave me for someone else to Enjoy.”  As tempted as I was to take it home, I left it where it was because I had read it , taking a leap of faith just much as the reader who left it there that someone who would need it would pick it up, read it, and then pass it on in another spot.  A book chain of love and letters hooking people together.

It did get me thinking of course…

Where do old books go?  Those beloved paperbacks, those dogeared, slightly yellowed copies of stories that sit on shelves and then you wonder what to do with?  Maybe you have several copies of the same book, having bought it a couple of times over, not remembering it was already in your collection (aye, the number of times that happened to me).  Maybe you were somewhere and just had to read it again…spur of the moment binge reading! Yep! That happens too.t didn’t stop there.

My neighborhood is sort of quirky. We have all sorts of people living here, ages, races, families, always have, its sort neat and packed away in a hollow where the houses don’t really turnover, Bernie Sanders signs never age, and everyone seems to know one another and argue over turtles in emails online.   So I wasn’t surprised to see a neighbor with a car whose cars are always sagging under the weight of books go slowly down our road, loaded to the roof once again.

Turns out she collects them for Free Libraries. Everywhere.  Should have known someone who helps me liberate shrubs headed for the landfill would do that.

Not familiar with Free Libraries?  LIttle Free Libraries?  Be still my heart!  They are cropping up everywhere!  In parks, front lawns, neighborhood circles, anywhere you can think to put a small box…that’s a place for a free library.  Load it up with books.  Take one, replace it with one.  There’s a site online with instructions on how to make boxes like the one above?  Kim Fielding even   wrote a wonderful story called, of course, The LIttle LIbrary!.

It’s a wonderful way to share those books that overpopulate your shelves and attic while sharing your enthusiasm.  And in a way you are becoming another link in the chain of people connected by  their love of books, worlds outside their own, and a need for something more.

Want to know more?  Check out

Little Free Library | Take a Book • Share a Book

We are going to talk more about donations, bookplates, next week.  Let me know your thoughts as well.
Also running….
If you all were to suggest a Literary Event for the calendar, what would it be?  An International LGBT Romance Story Day?  Triad in Lust Day?    Quiltbag Aliens HEA Day?  Give me some titles for our own special September literary events.  Let’s call it our LGBTQIA Literary  Event Title Giveaway!  Have your title chosen and we will have Stella set you up with a $10 gift card from Dreamspinners.  Giveaway runs through September 22.
  Meanwhile, we have a great week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
A new reviewer, Chaos Moondrawn starts in with her first review this week, I’m reviewing the 11th book in the Boystown series from Marshall Thornton,  Lila is reviewing the new C.S. Poe, Barb has the new Cordelia Knightsbridge, and so much more.  It’s going to be quite the week.  So don’t miss out on a day of it.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 9:

  • The Enchanter’s Flame by Michele Notaro Blog Tour
  • A Stella Review: Courted by Sarah Hadley Brook
  • A Stella Review:  Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn
  • Books, Donations, and Little Libraries
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, September 10:

  • Review Tour – RJ Scott – Second Chance Ranch
  • Blog Tour Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington
  •  BLITZ High Time by Keelan Ellis
  • A Lucy Review: Falling into Love (Family Found #1) by Kris T. Bethke and Nell Iris
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Second Chance Ranch (Montana #5) by R.J. Scott
  • A MelanieM Review: Dawn and Dusk (Day and Knight #3) by Dirk Greyson
  • A Stella Review: Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington

Tuesday, September 11:

  • Blog Tour A Ferry of Bones and Gold by Hailey Turner
  • DSP Promo Leigh Dillon on Raising the Bar
  • BLITZ Sentinel by Karrie Roman
  • A Vivacious Review: Breaking the Bonds (Cascade City Pack #2) by Rebecca James
  • A Lila Release Day Review: The Mystery of the Moving Image (Snow & Winter #3) by C.S. Poe
  • A Caryn Release Day Review: The Second Time Around by Rowan McAllister
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:   New York Nightwings Collection by V.L. Locey

Wednesday, September 12:

  • In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge
  • Review Tour – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
  • Cover Reveal – Love’s Trials by Janice Jarrell
  • A MelanieM Review:  In This Iron Ground by Marina Vivancus
  • A Lucy Review: Promises by Ruby Moone
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Sentinel (Until You #2) by Karrie Roman
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Thursday, September 13:

  • Blog Tour – That Feeling When by S. M. James
  • DSP Promo Andrew Grey on All For You
  • Release Blitz – His Heart Or Mine (The Individualists Series #1)by C S Joyce
  • A Vivacious Review: The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead
  • A MelanieM Review: Heart’s Desire (Boystown #11) by Marshall Thornton
  • A Stella Review: That Feeling When (#lovehim #1) by S.M. James

Friday, September 14:

  • Book Blast for We Have a Decision by Steph Marie
  • Release Blitz – Darcy – RJ Scott & Meredith Russell
  • Review Tour for Safe Place by Jay Northcote
  • An Ali Review:Shaker of Earth (SPECTR Series 2, #5by Jordan L. Hawk 
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: To Love Again by Andria Large
  • A Barb the Zany Old  Lady Review:  Safe Place (Rainbow Place #2) by Jay Northcote
  • An Alisa Review: The Long Way Around by Quinn Anderson

Saturday, September 15:

  • New Release Blitz Tour – Leta Blake’s Any Given Lifetime
  • The Hunt by J.M. Dabney & Davidson King Release Blitz
  • An Ali Review:  On Andross Station by J.C. Long
  • A MelanieM Review: Loving A Warrior by Melanie Hansen

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Raising the Bar (States of Love) by Leigh Dillon

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

 

Destin Bellingham has inherited a problem. Thanks to his late playboy father, Destin faces putting a For Sale sign on his family’s historic horse farm. Getting his talented stallion, Black Sambuca, into the Grand Prix show ring would put Bellmeade back on the map—if only someone could make “Sam” behave like a show horse.

Disgraced top rider Tonio Benedetto has his own problems, but he can work magic with difficult jumpers, so Destin hires him despite his bad-boy reputation. The street-smart, openly gay loudmouth from Miami and the closeted, buttoned-down son of Old Dominion Virginia make a rocky pairing, but time is running out to save Bellmeade from bankruptcy.

Opposites attract, sparks of tension grow into flames of passion. But if Tonio fails to tame Sam, will true love become a lost cause too?

I really enjoyed this latest romance from the States of Love line at Dreamspinner Press.  Raising the Bar (States of Love) by Leigh Dillon hits a number of chords with me, starting with the state (Virginia) and horses, a long time love.  I’ve been around shows and show barns here in the East all my life so the world she writes about is vert familiar.  I have the horses and being in Maryland?  I know the scenery she’s talking about (and the towns) in Virginia like old friends.

The author did a great job with both.

They serve as a backdrop for the romance between Destin Bellingham, breeder and farm owner, and rider Tonio Benedetto.  I liked both the characters. Also had my issues with the instant love relationship between them.  I don’t always have that if the author can make a great argument for it and has a basis or chemistry between the characters.  I’m just not sure that I got that entirely here in this story.

The relationship between Tonio and the Sambuco Black?  I believed in that 100 percent!  That rocked!  Dillon had that relationship down pat.  That man and horse got each other and the reader knew it.  What a great character Sam was! Boy, have I known a horse or two like him in my time.  Not with his talent but his attitude and smarts.  Makes you both want to kill them and laugh your ass off.

The one between Destin and Tonio?  Needed some work even though they were jumping into bed, and love and total commitment.  Didn’t quite believe it in one month’s time.

Had the book and the relationship stretched over a longer length?  Absolutely because the ground work (as you do with any horse) had been laid.  And the epilogue, which took place in the Spring showed the growth that I wished we could have  been present to watch.

The only other thing?  If you are going to have a element in a story, like Destin and the Maserati, then close it out.  Don’t leave that aspect of the story open.  Even a line to finish that thread off is preferable than to leave it hanging.

I think Raising the Bar (States of Love) by Leigh Dillon has so much going for it.  A dynamic relationship between man and horse, a passionate one between two men, and a bright future.  At 91 pages, that was a lot to enjoy.  The States of Love line from Dreamspinners Press is a real hit and this story is another reason why.

Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht.  What a perfect cover for this story.  That’s Tonio and Sam to a T  going over the jump, and Destin too. Love it.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 91 pages
Published September 7th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN13 9781640807365
Edition Language English
setting Virginia (United States) 

C.C. Dado on HEA and their new release Denying Fate (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

Denying Fate (A Series of Fates #1) by C.C. Dado
Dreamspinner Press

Cover Art: Brooke Albrecht

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have C.C. Dado here today on tour for their story Denying Fate. Welcome, C.C.

Thank you for having me on your blog.
I added an excerpt but this question you had made me laugh:
Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?
I am HEA all the way. I read a book once where the love interest died in a car accident at the end and I’m still mad about it. That was like 9 years ago. 🙂
Denying Fate Blurb:
 A Series of Fates: Book One
 

Fate is a funny thing. Some try to cut its threads, while others wrap themselves in it like a blanket.

Young wolf shifter Max is cocky and crass. Unlike others his age, he has yet to discover a talent that will serve his pack. Since childhood, he’s been convinced the pack alpha is his mate, but Alpha Christian cannot envision unfiltered and directionless Max taking the place of his elegant mother at the head of the pack. As Max begins to build a life with his best friend, he also begins to see that maybe what he thought was inevitable was all in his head, and it’s time to move on.

Or are they both denying fate?

Excerpt:
The drive to the lodge was quiet. Max occasionally caught Christian’s eye in the rearview mirror, the moment made more intimate by the darkened forest surrounding them, as long as he could ignore his best friend currently falling asleep next to him.
As much as Max loved Seth, he kind of wanted to push him out of the moving vehicle, just so he could be alone with his mate. But since that wasn’t going to happen, he took the time to study him instead. He’d always thought of him as “Christian,” even though his official title was Alpha Christian.
His alpha, his mate… God, he was beautiful and strong. The best leader their pack had ever had, even surpassing his father in Max’s eyes. His only flaw was the fact that he wouldn’t acknowledge Max as his mate—it was a pretty big flaw, as far as mate flaws went, for sure. Max wasn’t certain why Christian denied him, but he knew that was his mate in front of him, his wolf knew that was their mate. Max would not give up on him, even if his best friend didn’t believe it would happen.
They were getting closer to the lodge. The gravel road jarred Seth’s head around onto Max’s shoulder. The vast pack land encompassed two hundred mountainous acres, which included the small town of Easter Valley. History had taught them how important their need for privacy was. Today their pack was over eighty shifters strong and growing, but it hadn’t always been that way. Their pack members were hunted in the sixteenth century for their ability to shift from man to beast. What was left of the pack had fled, seeking a safe haven, and eventually they created their own, a secured commune, and along with it, the small town of Easter Valley. The town was built outside the gates of the commune, allowing them to be a part of the human world while giving them the space they needed to be pack.
Max sighed as they reached the lodge that sat along a ridge overlooking the town. Christian shut off the truck and hopped out. The Hummer was so high that it put the alpha face-to-face with Max when he opened the side door. Max didn’t move. The look on Christian’s face was one he hadn’t seen often—regret, a smell rarely mixed with his scent.
“Does it hurt?” Christian asked, brushing the back of his fingers along Max’s bruised cheek.
“A little,” Max said, glad Seth had fallen asleep, because he knew the smell of arousal was rolling off him like heat waves in the hot desert sun. And Seth was always the first one to pop his cherry of hope when it came to Christian ever claiming him.
About the Author
A little about me:
I write about painfully awkward, usually embarrassing, romance because long confident gazes followed by sexy dancing NEVER happens to me. I am a native of the Pacific Northwest, and will probably never leave. I’m like a hypochondriac sundae, with claustrophobic sprinkles, and a big cherry of anxiety on top, so I don’t travel much. I read to relax my mind, so I love getting lost in someone else’s story, even if it is only for a little while.
Twitter: @C_C_Dado
Giveaway
The author is generously giving away an eBook copy of their story Denying Fate to one lucky reader.  Leave a comment below and your email address if chosen.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

BA Tortuga on 5 Top Things to Do with the Uncles from ‘Two of a Kind’ (new release tour and guest post)

Two of a Kind by B.A. Tortuga
Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have BA Tortuga here today with a special post direct from Uncles Ap and Daddy. from Two of a Kind.  Welcome, BA.

5 Top Things to Do with Uncle Ap and Uncle Daddy

Hey y’all! I’m BA Tortuga, resident redneck and lover of all things redneck.

Trey and Ap are two cowboys trying to raise their sister and brother’s five kids.

Really, isn’t that enough of a hook all on its own?

*grins*

The kids call their uncles Uncle Daddy and Uncle Ap. Trey “Uncle Daddy” is holding down the fort while Uncle Ap rides the rodeo circuit, to keep everyone afloat. They each wanted to tell y’all their favorite things to with their uncles.

Cole: I like to work on cars with Uncle Daddy, but I do like to rope with Uncle Daddy.

Bella: I like riding my barrel horse, April, with Uncle Ap and I like feeding April with Uncle Daddy.

Amelia:I like making cookies with Uncle Ap, and dancing with Uncle Daddy.

Bella: Uncle Daddy don’t dance!

Amelia: He does! Don’t you argue with me.

Braden: Can I pick just video games with both and shut the girls up?

Courtney: I like to play Shoot the Ladder.

Cole: I think that’s Chutes and Ladders, baby sister.

Courtney: Oh.

Bella: I like Shoot the Ladder better.

Amelia: Wanna play?

Courtney: Uh-huh.

😉

Much love, y’all,

BA

***

Two of a Kind blurb

Once upon a time, Trey Williamson and Ap McIntosh had quite the whirlwind romance—but that was before family tragedy left them the guardians of five kids. Their lives have changed quite a bit over the last six years, but Ap is still on the rodeo circuit, doing what he does best in an attempt to feed all those extra mouths.

That leaves Trey back on the ranch, isolated and overworked as the kids’ sole caregiver. Something has to give, and when Ap comes home, they’re reminded how hot they burned once upon a time. But is it a love that can withstand wrangling over time, money, and the future? They have to decide what kind of family they want to be… and whether what they share can stand the test of time.

Available at Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/two-of-a-kind-by-ba-tortuga-9841-b

About the Author

Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy’s Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds and her beloved wife, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she’s not doing that, she’s writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA’s personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has heard the call of the  high desert and lives in the Sandias. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.

You can find BA at:

Website: http:www.batortuga.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/batortuga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/batortuga/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/batortuga

Blogger: http://batortuga.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/batortuga/

Tumblr: http://batortuga.tumblr.com/

An Alisa Audio Review: Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Will a bitter bite from the past spoil a sweet romance?

Tristan Love, the youngest of seven brothers, is back in his hometown. He’s left the New York food scene and an abusive relationship behind him, but he holds his love of French pastries close to his heart and is determined to put his skills to use in a bakery of his own.

Returning to his childhood home means his meddlesome brother Simon will butt into his business, but before the bakery even opens its doors, Tristan’s delectable creations have the town’s mouths watering, and Jake, a cute mechanic, asks Tristan out. It all seems worthwhile….

That is, until the bakery burns down, Jake’s criminal past comes to light, and Tristan’s nasty ex rears his head where he is decidedly not wanted.

This was a nice story.  I liked Tristan’s determination and stubbornness to be the independent person he wants to be and with who he wants.  Jake has worked hard to turn his life around though he is constantly being looked down upon.

This was a pretty fast paced story with a few time jumps that I was unsure about.  These characters had great chemistry and weren’t afraid to support each other no matter what.  Now, Tristan’s brothers and friends warning off Jake for no reason other than having been to jail sucked and I just hurt for him when people he thought were at least kind of his friends pretty much turned their backs on him.  It wasn’t a surprise to see who the one was causing problems from the beginning.

Simon Ferrar did a nice job narrating this story.  The different voices also helped with keeping track of the story, however the whiny voice he used for Tristan just put me off from his character a bit.

Cover art by Bree Archer is nice and I liked the visual of Tristan in his bakery.

Sales Links:  Audible | Amazon |  iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 5hrs 49mins
Published July 13, 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Edition Language: English

Series: Amuse Bouche #1, Dreamspun Desires

A Jeri Release Day Review: Love and Payne (A THIRDS Universe Novel) by Charlie Cochet

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Austen Payne, THIRDS Squadron Specialist Agent (SSA) for Destructive Delta and TIN operative, has seen the worst the world has to offer, faced lethal killers, and helped bring down dangerous organizations. But nothing terrifies him more than falling in love. After years of undercover work, Austen is a master at defending himself and protecting his heart… until he meets Osmond Zachary.

THIRDS Defense Agent Osmond Zachary has a huge, doting family, yet something is missing in his life. After meeting grumpy, foul-mouthed, jittery cheetah Therian Austen Payne, Zach knows exactly what that something—or someone—is. Unfortunately Austen seems determined to avoid Zach at all costs.

When Zach foils an assassination attempt, he ends up in the killer’s crosshairs, and Austen is Zach’s best chance at staying alive. Zach hopes the crisis will bring them closer, but Austen has every intention of walking away as soon as the danger is over.

Happily ever after isn’t for guys like Austen, but Zach is determined to show him it can be.

I am a tried and true THIRDS Nerd. Adore Dex and Sloane. I’m pretty sure Dex is my spirit animal. But it was time to move on. So this book is part of the “THIRDS Universe” but it isn’t centered around Destructive Delta.
If none of that made sense, go straight to amazon and read book 1. You’ll be hooked.
But I digress. We know Austen well. He started crushing on Sloan hard, but Sloan let him down easy. But Austen was always there- on the fringes like the spy he is.
And Zach we met almost immediately way back in book 1 when Dex had the audacity to take the last bag of cheesy doodles from the vending machine. ahh memories…..
Zach and Austen have always kind of tip toed around each other. Austen refusing to admit that he was crushing hard on Zach. And Zach wearing his heart on his sleeve but not wanting to spook Austen.
So when they are thrown together with basically no escape, Austen has no defense against the charms of Zach and his entire family.
And what an enormous family! My goodness. Another world that Ms Cochet has built for us. I look forward to getting to know them.
So yes, the THIRDS universe can and will happily survive without Dex and Sloan at the center. There is still tons of action, lots of sexy times and some really sweet, swoony romance.
I absolutely look forward to more of this offshoot. Although, I have a feeling that Dex and Sloan will be making an appearance in the near future.
Cover art: L.C. Chase.  Perfect for the character and branding the series.
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 202 pages
Expected publication: September 4th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB07G76RPMT
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series THIRDS:

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Two of a Kind by BA Tortuga

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Working on a full house.

Once upon a time, Trey Williamson and Ap McIntosh had quite the whirlwind romance—but that was before family tragedy left them the guardians of five kids. Their lives have changed quite a bit over the last six years, but Ap is still on the rodeo circuit, doing what he does best in an attempt to feed all those extra mouths.

That leaves Trey back on the ranch, isolated and overworked as the kids’ sole caregiver. Something has to give, and when Ap comes home, they’re reminded how hot they burned once upon a time. But is it a love that can withstand wrangling over time, money, and the future? They have to decide what kind of family they want to be… and whether what they share can stand the test of time.

Cowboys with kids, and dancing around the L word together.  It’s a winning combination in Two of a Kind by BA Tortuga, a new release from the Dreamspun Desires line from Dreamspinner Press.

My fondness for a BA Tortuga cowboy knows no bounds and luckily for me, her stories contain two, with the occasional threesome.  For the sweetness of romance and love is always tempered by the realities of life in her novels.  Perfection is a fairy tale and something told to the kids at bedtime, if that.  No, these men, all her men, are grounded in the gritty, raw, and often painful existence of men trying to scrape by, doing the best they can to financially stay afloat, keep their families together,  and not fall asleep at the barn while mucking out stalls.  You feel their exhaustion, their wry humor, and their utter love for the kids in their care and community.

What does that all really mean?  It means these men, these kids, and town breath a vitality and believability that lets you take them to heart.  You get the decisions these men made, even how they’ve lived all these years with a minimum of communication, and yet, they are still able to rely, believe in each other.  The author has long since made us connect with them that there’s no second guessing any decisions only hoping as they struggle for a way around the current problems.

The drama is shocking and painful,  and yes, very realistic.  Things happen that quick.

The family dynamics work so beautifully for me, as much as the romance.  Probably because they are on the same level of importance.  They are all one family, although it make time a little time for the glue to harden.  Everything about this story works for me. Excerpt the length of course.

I hate coming to an end of a BA Tortuga tale.  Adios hurts when you’ve come to love everyone so.  As I do here.

Want a romance that gives you not just a couple but an entire family and perhaps even a town to love?  Full of joy, drama, laughter, and so much love it just spills over the pages?

Then grab up Two of a Kind by BA Tortuga.  I absolutely recommend it.

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza.  Adore that cover, perfection with a teddybear.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:ebook, 224 pages
Expected publication: September 4th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640807259
Edition LanguageEnglish

 

An Alisa Release Day Review: Somebody to Die For (Requiem Inc. #3) by Kris T. Bethke

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Dying is easy. New love is terrifying.

Avery Wagner quit ghostwalking when he lost his beloved anchor to cancer. Now teaching others who have the ability, he’s beginning to live again—but he’s not looking for another lover, not now, maybe not ever.

But then he meets Jameson… younger, talented, dedicated, almost perfect, even though his mouth sometimes opens ahead of his brain. And Jameson wants Avery desperately, though he’ll settle for friendship if he can’t have more.

When an emergency demands they work together in the field, Avery discovers just how perfect Jameson is. But he had a perfect love once before, and he’s scared to even consider that he might have a chance at another. Can he trust Jameson with his newly healing heart?

This has been a great series and the author continues to deliver.  We met Avery in the first book when he helped Blake and Derek and we get to see him work through the loss of his bonded a few years before.  Jameson is still in training but looks forward to having a ghostwalker to take care of.

Avery hasn’t ghostwalked in years but he does when there is trouble and it puts Jameson in even closer proximity than their developing friendship has.  Jameson will do anything to take care of Avery and has the understanding he needs.

We get to see Avery and Jameson meet and boy do they get off on the wrong foot but Jameson wonderfully shows Avery he isn’t quite the jerk he came off as.  Avery is so fragile in some ways but finds the strength to go after what he wants and needs.  There are times he seems to jump ahead when he isn’t quite ready yet and I felt it just hurt Jameson when that happened.  Jameson is about the most understanding person alive that it didn’t seem reasonable.  I really liked the story but it seemed Avery and Jameson were on are far ends of the scale for their personalities.  I look forward to more books in this universe and hope that Tyler is the focus of the next book.

The cover art by Aaron Anderson is great and it’s similar in style to the others in the series and also gives a wonderful visual of Avery.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 218 pages

Published: September 4, 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-537-8

Edition Language: English

Series: Requiem Inc. #3, Dreamspun Beyond

Tis September.  A Most Literary Month! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Tis September.  A Most Literary Month!

 

 

But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head … The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on.     

Robert Finch

September: it was the most beautiful of words, he’d always felt, evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret.     

Alexander Theroux

We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.

Henry Rollins

 

Ah,  September, that month so in between.  Neither summer or fall, sometimes too warm, often too cold at night, it wavers never quite knowing where to fall.  We’ve left  summer activities behind yet the true fall events are yet to come.  No pumpkins or fall colors…as yet.  But we know they are coming.  September fills us up with anticipation.  With expectations.   With enough everything, that it’s a month we still embrace as the quotes above reflect.

We know that September is also a month that is fond of things bookish as you can see from it’s events listing on the calendar as we previously noted.  So here again is the September literary calendar events starting with this week:

September:

September 6              Read a Book Day (this week)
September 8              International Literacy Day
September 11             Libraries Remember Day, because never underestimate the                                                                                     power of a Librarian or library card!
September 15            LGBT Awareness Day  (I know…just because I thought it should be there)
September 22           Dear Diary Day, Love Note Day (because think of how many novels and stories                                                   started from these)
September 24           Punctuation Day (enough said)

 

If you all were to suggest a Literary Event for the calendar, what would it be?  An International LGBT Romance Story Day?  Triad in Lust Day?    Quiltbag Aliens HEA Day?  Give me some titles for our own special September literary events.  Let’s call it our LGBTQIA Literary  Event Title Giveaway!  Have your title chosen and we will have Stella set you up with a $10 gift card from Dreamspinners.  Giveaway runs through September 22.

 

And just in case you missed the notice yesterday, Instafreebie has great M/M short stories up for downloading until September 4.  Check out our post with link here.  Perfect for Read a Book (or story) Day or any day of the week or month.

Happy Reading and have a safe, wonderful weekend.

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 2:

  • Tis September A Most Literary Month
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • Release Blitz – Meik & Sebastian – Obsessed 2 by Quin Perin

Monday, September 3:

  • John R. Petrie on Quarterback Crush
  • Release Blitz – Nell Iris & Kris T Bethke’s Falling Into Love
  • Release Blitz – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Somebody to Die For (Requiem Inc. #3) by Kris T. Bethke
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Rubble and the Wreckage (A Gabriel Church Tale #1)by Rodd Clark
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow

Tuesday, September 4:

  • In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow
  • Release Day Blitz Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington
  • Box Set Book Blast – Lyon Road Vets Complete Series by Sue Brown
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review:  The Quarterback’s Crush by John R. Petrie
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Two of a Kindby BA Tortuga
  • A Jeri Release Day Review: Love and Payne (A THIRDS Universe Novel) by Charlie Cochet

Wednesday, September 5:

  • Retro Review Tour – Love & Mystery Box Set – W S Long
  • Blog Tour: Time for Love by Lynn Michaels
  •  BA Tortuga on Two of a Kind
  • Release Blitz – Buckle Up by Karen Botha
  • A MelanieM Review: Time for Loveby Lynn Michaels
  • A Stella Review: Courtedby Sarah Hadley Brook
  • An Alisa Audio Review: Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Thursday, September 6:

  • Release Blitz – V.L. Locey’s Nightwings Collection
  •  Promo C.C. Dado on Denying Fate
  • Private Charter by NR Walker
  • Blog Tour Looking Forward by Michael Bailey
  • An Ali Audio Review: Romantic Behavior (Bad Behavior #4) by L.A. Witt and Cari Z./Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)
  • A Lucy Review: Stumbling in the Dark by Deja Black
  • A MelanieM Review:  Private Charter by NR Walker

Friday, September 7:

  • The Billionaire’s Wedding by Geoffrey Knight Blog Tour
  • Review Tour – Flare by Posy Roberts
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Raising the Bar (States of Love) by Leigh Dillon
  • A Stella Review: Flare (North Star #3) by Posy Roberts
  • A VVivacious Review: Love Spell by Mia Kerick
  • A MelanieM Review:  Ante Up (A Four Kings Security Story) by Charlie Cochet

Saturday, September 8:

  • A MelanieM Review: In Vino Veritas by Sydney Blackburn