Cordelia Kingsbridge has 5 Fun Facts and a Riveting Romance with ‘Can’t Hide From Me’ (blog tour and giveaway)

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Can’t Hide from Me by Cordelia Kingsbridge
R
iptide Publishing
Cover by: G.D. Leigh

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Cordelia Kingsbridge here today on tour with Can’t Hide From Me. Welcome, Cordelia!

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Hi! I’m Cordelia Kingsbridge, and I’m pleased to welcome you to the blog tour for my novel Can’t Hide From Me. Thanks so much for checking it out!

Five Fun Facts About Can’t Hide From Me

1. The novel’s original title was From the Ashes. This is why Ángel’s codename is Phoenix, and by extension, why the rest of the San Diego team has codenames sourced from various mythologies.

2. I first started thinking about this novel in the summer of 2012. I still have the Word document of the original outline and character sketches, which are interesting to read now after so much time has passed. The vast majority of CHFM turned out very different from that early conception – for example, the team was once going to be FBI instead of ATF, and Charles’ name used to be Alexander. I even have the research that I did into the inner workings of the FBI back then, which I’m saving in case I need it for future projects.

3. I struggled with the plot for at least a year before I finally figured it out. Believe it or not, I came up with the basic framework for CHFM – the beginning and ending, as well as a few big moments in the middle – without actually knowing who Ángel’s stalker was. But of course it was impossible for me to move forward or get the plot to gel without that information. It wasn’t until I realized who I wanted the villain to be that the entire plot clicked and fell into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. After that, CHFM flowed more smoothly for me than anything I’d written before.

4. I had to do some very interesting research along the way. Among the highlights: which firearms are popular with Mexican cartels, what polygraph examinations look like, how guns are hidden inside cars for smuggling purposes, how a person could introduce a suspect package into a federal building without raising red flags, what it feels like to be tasered, and other things I can’t reveal without major spoilers. I hope whichever NSA agent is monitoring my internet searches enjoys the man-on-man erotica!

5. I changed some of the major relationship moments based on feedback from my readers. I first posted From the Ashes online as a WIP (work-in-progress), as I had with my previous novels. One of the advantages of this approach is that it gives you real-time feedback on which aspects of the novel are coming across the way you want them to – and which really aren’t. In this case, I realized along the way that the conflict between Charles and Ángel was weighted too much in Ángel’s favor. Without meaning to, I’d been presenting Ángel’s side of things in a more sympathetic light and leaving out or glossing over Charles’ own very valid grievances, and the relationship came off as unbalanced in a way I definitely hadn’t intended. Seeing this, I went back through the novel once it was complete and changed a lot of the conversations and other details to balance things out before I even submitted it to Riptide for consideration. Feedback from my readers has always been vital to my writing process!

About Can’t Hide From Mecanthidefromme_600x900

Charles Hunter’s team is on a mission to extract an unidentified ATF agent from an undercover job gone wrong. All they’ve got to go on is the rendezvous location—until Charles recognizes the ex he hasn’t seen in years. Their “simple rescue mission” is about to get a lot more complicated.

For Ángel Medina, adjusting to life after his cartel nightmare is hard enough without confronting memories of a failed relationship. All he wants is a fresh start. But when a violent stalker lashes out from the shadows, Ángel realizes his nightmare is far from over.

As the stalker’s obsession escalates and bodies start dropping, Charles and Ángel are thrown together in a desperate search for the culprit. Tempers flare and old passions reignite, drawing them back into the same turbulent relationship that once ended in disaster.

But the stalker isn’t letting go—and the next strike might hit straight through the heart.

Available from Riptide Publishing: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/cant-hide-from-me

About Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Can’t Hide From Me, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide Publishing gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 8, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

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

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
alaska-hunt-audioFor Alaska Wildlife Trooper Zanebono Fusca, it’s just another summer in Anchorage until a slew of inexplicable fatal bear attacks sets the city reeling. As far as Zane is concerned, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s besieged with his own demons, coping with personal loss and an identity crisis that clutches him worse than a grizzly’s pickaxe-sized fangs. Ten years before, he hoped Alaska would bring him a sense of his manhood. Now the “last frontier” could put him in an early grave.

Zane’s role to protect Alaska’s teeming wildlife gets even more tangled when handsome twenty-five-year-old Joshua Gaffner arrives seeking the details of his uncle’s gruesome death. But Alaskan officials have few answers. Against his better judgment, Zane takes Joshua deep into Anchorage’s far-flung backcountry-populated with eccentric recluses and ego-driven ecologists-in search of the truth. As the bizarre attacks increase, Zane and Josh continue to push for clues to crack the mystery. Finally Zane unravels a shocking discovery that makes the pieces fall into place. The trouble is Josh stands in the perfect position to become the next victim.
 
This was just an average story for me.  I was drawn to it by the wildlife plotline and that part I enjoyed.  It seemed like a well researched topic by the author.  I was very interested in what was going on with the bears and who was behind the mystery part of it.  Unfortunately I didn’t connect with either MC.  The author had a writing style that didn’t work for me and as a result I felt the MC’s conversation was odd in places.  I also didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters and Zane in general bugged me.  Some of the things he said and did didn’t set well with me.  He’s not a person I would care for in real life.
My biggest issue though was the narration by John Solo.  I really disliked it a lot.  I skimmed over some other reviews of this audiobook though and it seems most other people really liked the narrator so this is probably a case of “it’s me not you.”  For me though it really didn’t work.  
Cover Artist: TL Bland:  I think the cover is pretty good and is a good representation of the story and the characters.
Audiobook Sales Links
Audiobook Details:
Audible Audio, 10 pages, Listening Length: 9 hours and 21 minutes
Published August 15th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published August 5th 2012)
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Edition LanguageEnglish

Jump into the Mystery and Romance that is ‘Investigating Julius Drake’ by Daisy Harris (tour and giveaway)

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Investigating Julius Drake by Daisy Harris
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by Michelle Fairbanks

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

 

Welcome to the Investigating Julius Drake blog tour! I’m Daisy, the author, and I’ll be sharing excerpts from the book, as well as extra information about the characters, location and story. Up until recently, Seattle was my home town, and I’ve stolen plenty of locations and institutions as settings for Investigating Julius Drake. Together, we’ll take a tour through the twisty-turny, damp and caffeine-addled world that my protagonist, Henry Walker, finds himself in. Grab yourself a double, almond, split-shot, extra-foam latte, pull up a chair, and join us! And don’t forget to comment for a chance to win a $30 Starbucks gift card. Drink like a Seattleite and enjoy.

About Investigating Julius Drake

After arriving at Seattle’s prestigious Clinton Academy, fourteen-year-old Henry Walker realizes he won’t fit in. If he’s going to run with the rich and powerful, he’ll have to hide his modest background, his lack of interest in girls, and most importantly, his fascination with his handsome but troubled classmate Julius Drake.

When Julius draws Henry into the investigation of a classmate’s suicide attempt, Henry can’t resist the case—or Julius. Soon, Henry’s not only facing the truth about his feelings for Julius, but also risking his life to unmask a social media imposter. “The Other Woman” is manipulating his classmates, searching out their vulnerabilities, and driving them to desperate actions. Julius himself is at risk, what with his callous parents threatening to send him away, and his mental health taking a beating both at school and at home.

If Henry’s going to save the day and get the boy of his dreams, he’ll have to stop worrying what everyone thinks and stop pretending to be someone he’s not. Most of all, Henry will have to be honest about who he loves.

Available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/investigating-julius-drake

About Daisy Harris

Born into the psychedelic wonder that was the seventies, Daisy Harris has had an interesting life so far. She’s been to Catholic school and Ramones concerts, danced to MC Hammer and Flo Rida, made the honor roll and Phi Beta Kappa, survived cholera, faced bed bugs, and she’s been a hair’s breadth from shipwreck twice. (Three times, if you count sea kayaks!)

Daisy has been a lifelong reader, devouring romance, young adult, urban fantasy, and nonfiction alike. In her professional life, she’s written medical copy and edited scientific papers. However, since 2012, she’s devoted her energy to writing gay romance full-time. That’s okay, because now on the weekends she reads medical studies for fun.

As far as Daisy’s concerned, the best things in life happen by accident. Though she’s gotten better at planning over the years, she still writes, lives, and plays by the seat of her pants. Her books are a happy mix of mysteries, romantic comedies, and coming-of-age stories, more often than not inspired by the great films of the 1980s.

Daisy lives in Seattle in a house full of dogs and children. When she’s not writing gay fiction, she can be found riding her exercise bike and testing the outer boundaries of her food processor’s potential. Every once in a while, she goes out to pay homage to the party gods of her youth—and maybe to find a little trouble.

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Investigating Julius Drake, one lucky winner will receive a $30 Starbucks Gift Card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 8, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Paul B New Release Review: Unsafe Exposure (Hidden Wolves #4) by Kaje Harper

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

unsafe-exposure-by-kaje-harperWildlife artist Dylan Shore is accompanying his sister Frankie as she being Northwestern University.  He decides to go to the zoo to see if he can find anything interesting to draw.  Sitting at the wolf exhibit, a group of young men come up to him and ask why he did not pay respect when he came into pack territory.  Thinking his only way to prevent from being killed by this gang, he runs.  While he can outrun most everybody, these four not only keep pace but are actually gaining ground.  Only when a car pulls up along him does Dylan find an actual escape route.  He jumps in the car and they put the gang behind them.

Alex is a statistician doing medical research in Chicago.  As fourteenth in the Seattle pack, he is the lowest ranking werewolf there.  When he sees a strange werewolf running from members of the Chicago North pack, he decides to give the man a break, hoping the others don’t recognize him or his car.  After all, as a low ranking visiting wolf, you don’t want to piss off your hosts.  As he gets to know Dylan, there are two things that surprise him.  First, Dylan is a gay werewolf.  Second, Dylan has no clue that he is a werewolf.  It is no wonder that Dylan does not understand pack protocol.  With members of the Chicago North pack after both of them, Alex must now educate what it means to be a shifter.  But when both are captured and taken to a military research facility, Alex’s mission changes.  Now he must keep both of them, along with a young shifter boy, alive in order to escape.  When the escape occurs, it will have far reaching consequences for the werewolves not only across the country, but the world.

I have enjoyed Kaje Harper’s Hidden Wolves series from the start.  This is the fourth book (not counting two  interlude titles) to the series and as such should be read in order in order to understand the over-arching story lines. The series is a bit darker than most shifter series.  The emphasis is on pack politics and hierarchy, along with doing what wolves need to do to advance.  In fact, Aaron calls his mate “eleventh” during official pack business.   They are human wolves.

As for this book,  I like that the first part of the book focused mostly on the new characters that are introduced here.  There are mentions of the leader of the Alpha Council and the alpha of the Chicago North pack but do not play a major role until later.  In fact, the main characters of the previous books do not appear until two thirds of the way through the book.  Simon and Paul’s two kittens (both of whom think that they are wolf pups) make a cameo as well.  I await the next book in this series.

I like the cover by Winterheart Designs.  It has our two young men causally dresses as if going out in the Chicagoland area.  Below them is the skyline for Chicago.  Above them are wolf eyes watching out over the scene.  This fits the model of the other covers in the series.

Sales Links

MLR Press LLC

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Book Details

Ebook, 393 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published:  September 9, 2016 by MLR Press

ISBN:  978-1-944770-32-7

Series:  Hidden Wolves – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

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

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sales Links

        

Book details:

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

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

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

warriors-pledge-by-ee-montgomeryOne Pure, prophecy revoked

One Great Heart Farseeing

One Changeling fooling wing

One Shining Silver from Rock

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

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

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

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

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

Sales Links

        

Book Details

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

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

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Of Reading and Writing Books ~ A World of Choices!

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

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

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

Contest Time!

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

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

Our 10 winners are in no particular order:

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

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This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, October 2:

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

Monday, October 3:

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

Tuesday, October 4:

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

Wednesday, October 5:

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

Thursday, October 6:

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

Friday, October 7:

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

Saturday, October 8:

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

 

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

Rating: 4.25 stars out of  5

a-matchless-manNone of the matches caught his eye as much as the matchmaker himself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This entire story reads true.

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

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

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

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Book Details:

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

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

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

A Free Dreamer Review: Faire Secrets (The Faire Folk #4) by Madeleine Ribbon

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

faire-secrets-by-madeleine-ribbonZion’s life is falling apart. His home burned down, his obnoxious ex-boyfriend is scheduled to get out of jail, the managers of the magical Renaissance Faire expect him to do a month’s worth of work in days, he hasn’t seen his sick sister in nine months, and he’s discovered a hidden room filled with secrets in the rubble of his library.

Usually, spending a few hours practicing rope bondage would be enough to clear Zion’s head, but not this time. This time there’s too much going wrong, and none of his problems are going away. In fact, life is throwing him yet another curve ball in the form of a handsome architect named Vin—the same Vin who spent all of last year trying to climb into Zion’s pants. Zion resisted then, but he’s not so sure he can do it again. He’s not so sure he even wants to.

Zion’s mountain of problems just keeps growing, and it’s only a matter of time until he gets buried beneath them.

First of all, I haven’t read the previous books in this series. I read the blurb for “Faire Secrets”, which is book four, and thought it sounded interesting. I went back and glanced over the blurbs of the previous books. Since this couple didn’t show up in any of them, I figured it should work as a standalone. Unfortunately it doesn’t. That’s totally my own fault and has nothing to do with the quality of the book/series. So I’m going to try to keep my rating as fair as possible and not punish the author for my own mistake.

The world of the Faire seems very intriguing. It looks like a lot of world building has happened in previous books and I really like the little that still happened in this book. The author has obviously put a lot of thought into her world and shows a great love for little details, which make the place even more alive and real.

Zion is an interesting man. I can’t help but relate to his work as a librarian, since I work with books as well. I always love to read about characters who truly appreciate books. Unfortunately for Zion, his world is currently in the middle of falling apart. Everything’s a mess. Usually, a bit of rope bondage helps him calm down, but that’s not enough this time. While Zion likes to be put into elaborate bondage and loves the feel of rope on his skin, he’s not into any other BDSM things. He’s neither a submissive, nor a masochist. He’s just kinky. I really liked that about him.

The sex scenes were very hot. Vin and Zion are very versatile and open to new things. The scenes were a good mix of explicit and non-explicit. Not every single time the two of them had sex was described in elaborate detail. Instead, the author chose to only show us the times when the sex was important to the plot and the relationship.

I liked that Vin was so open from the beginning. He told Zion that he wasn’t good at the guessing game and thus needed to be told explicitly what he was supposed to do or not do. I hate it when MCs don’t talk to each other and just assume things all the time!

I especially loved reading about Zion’s work with the ancient texts he found. I think those were my favourite scenes by far.

There isn’t much to complain about. The plot wasn’t exactly full of breathless suspense, but I still felt well entertained. I just wasn’t fully invested in the story all the time, which was probably a result of my lacking knowledge of previous events.

I’m sure I would have liked “Faire Secrets” even better if I had read the previous instalments. It has definitely made me curious about them and I want to read the first three parts now.

The cover by Fiona Jade is a bit generic. I think it could have done without the shirtless man. A greater focus on the books and scrolls might have worked better.

Sales Links

Loose Id LLC

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Book details:

ebook, 257 pages

Published May 17th 2016 by Loose Id

Series: Part 4 of the Faire Folk series – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

  1. Faire Fugitive
  2. Faire Protector
  3. Faire Diviner
  4. Faire Secrets

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

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Book Details:

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