Category: Publishers

A BJ Review: Y Negative by Kelly Haworth

Rating:  1.5 stars out of 5

Y Negative coverIn the last surviving cities of a ruined world, the concept of “woman” has been forgotten to history. Those unfortunate enough to lack a Y chromosome live as second-class citizens in a world dominated by mascs.

Ember is Y negative. He is scorned, bullied, abused by every masc he encounters, at work and at the gym. Not even his Y negative roommate cuts him any slack. He wants so desperately to be accepted as a masc that he’d rather buy black market testosterone than food. Something’s gotta give—he needs a change in his life, but has no idea how to find it.

Jess is a masc with a passion for studying the recovery of their devastated world. His boyfriend is pressuring him for more commitment, and his father expects him to take over the family business. He can’t wait to get away from civilization for his seasonal research out in the wild.

When Jess offers Ember a job, their lives collide in the isolated wasteland, and their initial attraction turns into a relationship that horrifies those around them. Soon their struggle to stay together and to be who they are turns into a fight for their lives.

This is going to be a hard review to write, but maybe that is fitting since the story itself was hard for me to read. It became clear as I got further into the book that this was not a story for me. For one thing, when I read a story, I need to feel a connection to at least one of the characters in order to fully engage with it. I didn’t feel that here. Didn’t feel any sort of chemistry between the characters.

The writing style didn’t work for me either, it actually seemed to distance me rather than draw me in. At various parts of the book, I despised pretty much every character, and that is saying something as I’m an easy-going sort of person.

At a few parts I just sat there staring at my kindle with my mouth open. Really. For example, a scene where Jess and Ember are first intimate, Jess’ appalling reaction at seeing him, his lack of caring even when he had to have known how he’d hurt Ember since he’d screamed out his pain and we know from a prior scene the walls are thin… then just telling him an hour later to get out there to work. OMG. No. Especially when Ember was right back to wanting him as if it didn’t happen a few pages later.

And try as I might, this story left me confused, frustrated, and alternately pissed off with various characters. Perhaps if there had been some sort of backstory in the book to explain why women were no longer thought of as women but as Y negatives and well, to explain so much more. Because I was confused.

After finishing the book, I read an article by the author that was published on this site a while back. Perhaps I should have read it before the book, it might have helped a little. But considering that math and science aren’t my thing, it still had my eyes crossing a bit. However, I recommend it prior to reading the story.

Overall, the premise is interesting, but the delivery of it didn’t work well for me personally.

The cover art by Jay Aheer made me look at this story, its dark and haunting and interesting.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 317 pages
Published November 16th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN 1626493332 (ISBN13: 9781626493339)
edition languageEnglish
url
other editions (2)
Y Negative
Y Negative

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : The Subs Club (The Subs Club #1) by J.A. Rock

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

TheSubsClub_600x900Dave is hurting and angry. He’s lost one of his closest friends in a scene gone wrong. Hal was asphyxiated when Bill, the Dom working with him, left the room to get him water, and the rope around Hal’s neck wound too tight. Dave and his closest friends, Gould, Kamen and Miles all hung out together with Hal and shared a close bond as submissives from the time they first entered the lifestyle. Not knowing where or how to direct his anger when he finds out Bill has been allowed back into the club where Hal died, he comes up with the idea to form The Subs Club in Hal’s memory. It’s set up as a blog where submissives can review Doms and rate them on how well they follow safe practices. The blog quickly takes off but with unexpected results—both Doms and other subs are up-in-arms about the rating and review process, arguing that the rating system violates a Dom’s privacy. What started out so simple has ripple effects which eventually impact most of the group, including Dave himself.

Early in the story, concurrent with the events which led to forming the Sub Club, Dave encounters a Dom he refers to as Pornstache. Though ostensibly very plain, something about him captures Dave’s attention, and when he and his buddies are looking over the Fetlife profiles one evening, he realizes that Pornstache is actually The Disciplinarian. In a fit of temper that anyone would have the audacity and ego to call himself a name like that, Dave applies to be one of the Disciplinarian’s subs. He’s immediately rejected. Knowing his answers were bratty, he tries again, being a bit more honest, and he gets his appointment. But once there, the experience isn’t what he thought it would be, and he leaves dissatisfied and angry. His temper and general brattiness are just not conducive to good submission, but deep in his heart he wants to find a Dom who will make him obey, give up control, and find peace.

Trying again and finally getting to know the man behind the Disciplinarian persona, Dave learns his Dom’s name is David—an omen of good fortune or a doomed coincidence? Pushing David’s buttons is sometimes as easy as calling him D instead of Sir, but Dave’s the one who learns that David is not so easily pushed into rash behavior. It isn’t until he’s finally giving up control to D that he realizes his emotions have been all over the board this year in a frantic effort to keep his friends from sinking into grief and despair after Hal’s death, and he never allowed himself time to grieve. Could this be why he’s acting out so much recently? Is the solution as simple as giving up complete control to David? He reminisces that he knew as soon as he first saw Pornstache, he wanted to have sex with him and have the Dom spank him and hopefully make his life better, but now he’s giving up control like he’s never done before, and he’s afraid he’ll never get it back.

He’d thought submitting to D was going to be simple, but it’s far from that, and some of Dave’s most introspective moments are the best passages in the book. Thinking about Hal’s death and his reaction to it, helping the others to heal from the grief, actively hating and badmouthing Bill are all things he’s been doing to keep the focus away from what he really needs. He finally realizes if he stops focusing so hard on others, he might actually be able to think about what he could do with his own life if he would just quit procrastinating.

I laughed out loud during some of the scenes in this story but wanted to cry during others. I love JA Rock’s sense of humor, the way these characters come to life, and the snarky attitude Dave displayed, all while endearing himself to me as the damaged brat he is. One of my favorite lines was his description of D: “He was wearing a casual sweater and khakis, looking like Daniel Boone had discovered a sale at LL Bean.”

As soon as I finished this story, I immediately sat down to register my first impressions. Top of the list is I love a story where a sub meets a Dom who is up to the challenge of finding what really makes him tick. This brat has found the perfect Dom in The Disciplinarian. The second thing I love is that the Dom is not some gorgeous hunk of manhood with toned abs and arms to die for. D is a perfectly ordinary-looking man who leads a quiet, simple life before Dave bursts in to turn his world on its axis.

There’s plenty of conflict between D and Dave, between Dave and his friends, between Dave and the owners of the club where Hal died, and finally, between Dave and the members of the Sub Club. This book is highly entertaining, educational, humorous, thought-provoking, and gives us a beautiful love story to boot. I highly recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance, and especially to those who enjoy BDSM themes. I plan to be first in line for the next stories in the series.

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Cover Art by Kanaxa shows a cane against a red argyle background. The background, using different colors, will be repeated throughout the series, and a different BDSM-related symbol will be displayed on the cover each time. I like the way the general look of the cover links all the stories in the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Get Your Kink On with J.A. Rock’s The Subs Club! A Special Guest Post Just For You by J.A. Rock (

TheSubsClub_600x900

The Subs Club (The Subs Club #1) by J.A. Rock
Publisher:  Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Purchase it and read excerpts here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have J.A. Rock here to talk about her latest series, The Sub Club and to share a promo video she made.  Get your kink on here with The Subs Club!  Happy Reading.  Welcome, J.A. 

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Hi! I’m J.A. Rock, and right now I’m touring the internet talking about my latest release The Subs Club—Book 1 in The Subs Club series. Thanks so much to the blogs that are hosting me on this tour, and be sure to leave comments on the tour posts for a chance to win your choice of two backlist ebooks and a $10 Amazon gift card!

Complicated Sandwich

This blog post is really just an excuse to share “Complicated Sandwich,” a Subs Club promo video my roommate and I made. And the video itself was really just an excuse for the two of us to eat a giant sandwich. We love eating.

We had a lot of fun shooting this—and major props to Chris, who has zero interest in BDSM or romance novels, and yet was totally on board when I said I wanted to do some creative promo for my new book series.

“Complicated Sandwich” follows the two of us through a delicious meal comprised of an extremely long sandwich and very large glass of wine, as Chris attempts to find out what The Subs Club is about, and I try to convince him it’s just about people eating sandwiches. But when he pushes me for details, I finally snap and school him on BDSM using our sandwich as a metaphor.

Naturally, what might look like a simple shoot was riddled with complications. Our sandwich kept falling apart, and had to be staked together. The dog, whose only job was to eat a tiny sandwich off the floor—a role she’s been training for her whole life—stole the top part of the bread and attempted to walk off-screen with it. I bought us real wine instead of grape juice, and didn’t really think about what that would mean if we had to do multiple takes… (What it meant was that I took a five-hour day nap after filming).

But we suffered for our art. And we give you “Complicated Sandwich.” Plus a blooper reel, which shows how real the struggle was.

Watch “ HYPERLINK “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0nwFn77EY&feature=em-upload_owner”Complicated Sandwich.”

Watch HYPERLINK  \l “t=4m37.2s”the blooper reel.

About The Subs Club (The Subs Club #1)

TheSubsClub_600x900A year ago, my best friend Hal died at the hands of an incompetent “dom.” So I started the Subs Club, a private blog where submissives can review doms and call out the douche bags.

A perfect example of the kind of arrogant asshole I mean? The Disciplinarian. He has a pornstache. He loves meat, stoicism, America, and real discipline. And he thinks subs exist to serve him.

But . . . not everything about him is awful. His Davy Crockett act just seems like a cover for his fear of intimacy, and part of me wants to show him it’s okay to get close to people. And, I mean, sue me, but I have fantasized about real discipline. Not role-play, but like, Dave, you’re gonna be thirty in four years and you still work in a mall; get your ass in gear or I’ll spank it.

Not that I’d ever trust anyone with that kind of control.

I’m gonna redefine “battle of wills” for the Disciplinarian. Or I’m gonna bone him. It’s hard to say.

—Dave

About  The Subs Club Universe

After the death of their friend Hal at the hands of an irresponsible dom, submissive friends Dave, Kamen, Miles, and Gould band together to form the Subs Club—an organization seeking to expose dangerous local doms. The club slowly evolves as romances blossom, loyalties are tested, and tensions mount in a community already struggling for unity in the wake of Hal’s death.

From domestic discipline to knife play to fashion paraphilia, and from family drama to new jobs to first loves, the members of the Subs Club explore life’s kinks inside and outside of the bedroom as they attempt to let go of the past and move forward.

About the Author

J.A. Rock is the author of queer romance and suspense novels, including BY HIS RULES, TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, and, with Lisa Henry, THE GOOD BOY and WHEN ALL THE WORLD SLEEPS. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama and a BA in theater from Case Western Reserve University. J.A. also writes queer fiction and essays under the name Jill Smith. Raised in Ohio and West Virginia, she now lives in Chicago with her dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

Website:   “http://www.jarockauthor.com/” 
Blog:  http://jarockauthor.blogspot.com/” 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jarockauthor” 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ja.rock.39

SubsClub_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Subs Club, J.A. Rock is giving away two titles from her backlist and a $10 Amazon gift card! Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 12, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway! Don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win! Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Book Spotlight is on Tivi’s Dagger by Alex Douglas (excerpt and giveaway)

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Tivi’s Dagger by Alex Douglas
 Release Date: December 2, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Blurb

The son and heir to a noble, Nedim Melchion has always been used to the more illicit pleasures in the high society of the Divine Kingdom of Lis, where laws are harsh and punishments harsher. So far his money and status have protected him from the grim realities of life…but now that the Protectors who police the land have a new leader, life has taken an unwelcome turn for the worse.

What could be more unfashionable for a noble in his prime than being forced to wear a pilgrim brown tunic while trudging through the dangerous mountain kingdom of Methar to pay homage to the Gods at an ancient shrine? Bound to serve by a Rite invoked by his devout older brother, Nedim can do nothing but count the footsteps until he can get back to his friends, his favorite tavern and his decadent ways. But as he and his traveling companions are guided through the land of the love gods by a handsome young monk, will Nedim find reason to change his ways?

 

Pages or Words: 61,000 words
 Categories: Erotica, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

The monks had provided so much breakfast that by the time we finally set off, I felt bloated and idle. Mother Kiti had offered Brin some bottles of wine for the journey, which – much to everyone’s disappointment – he had refused. My spirits dipped as I contemplated what lay ahead, all of which was to be endured in a condition of unwelcome sobriety. A foot-numbing trudge through a land full of poisonous creatures and mistrustful inhabitants – not to mention the apparently treacherous cavernous pass Brin had neglected to inform us of – to a little-known shrine in the back arse of nowhere, where I would kneel to the Thirteen, none of whom I believed in, and force words of penance I did not mean to spill from my mouth, all in order to satisfy my brother.

It was remarkable how firmly Brin believed that I would return to Lis a changed man – not the same wretch who would, after having visited the holiest of sites, resume drinking and fornicating as I had every intention of doing. Brin’s convictions had always been his strength and his tragedy. He had fully believed the Protectors would welcome him back into the fold right up until the moment they stripped him, held him down and forced the burning brand against his flesh. For a moment I felt sorry for him, but then I stumbled on a stone and wrenched my ankle. When I’d limped off the pain, I trailed sullenly behind the group, cursing my brother once again and feeling more than sorry for myself.

What would they say at the Duck and Swan if they could see me now? Nedim Melchion, heir to the Melchion title and fortune, a desirable bachelor in his prime who had the pick of the most beautiful and discreet women the city had to offer – not to mention the finest wardrobe – now to be seen trudging along behind a donkey on a rocky mountain path sporting muddied leathers and a dismal brown pilgrim’s tunic. The situation could not be any worse. I would be a laughingstock, and would surely not hear the end of jokes about “filthy adventurers” – the travelling, sword-for-hire types upon whom the nobility of Azmara looked down from great heights.

I was no stranger to travel, but even in the most basic surroundings I had always prided myself on maintaining at least a modicum of style and grooming. From what I had learned from others who had undertaken such a journey, it appeared that pilgrims were required to show their devotion by being dirty and unkempt at all times, concerned only with spiritual matters. Taking in the mountain landscape around me, I comforted myself with the thought that at least there were few about who would see me in such a dismal condition.

Lana was striding along at the front with Brin and Kari while Kel led the donkey back down to the bottom of the path, where Matativi’s statue sat staring blindly into the distance, the dagger tucked once more behind its back. We turned left onto a narrow path which maintained a gentle downhill trajectory. The air was lush and smelt of rain on pine leaves and the mist had lifted a little, revealing thick forest to the left side and a plunging drop on the other. When the pebbles I kicked went over the edge, their fall was a distant rattle.

Snippets of conversation drifted to my ears over the crunch of my boots and the song of morning birds.

“So you know a little of our language,” Kari was saying to Lana.

“When I was a girl my family employed a nanny who hailed from these parts. She spoke of Methar often and sadly, as if she could never return home. I never really understood why.”

Kari scratched his chin, deep in thought. “Perhaps she was a criminal or an apostate, an outcast. Only the truly desperate among us seek employment in Lis.”

Brin’s hands formed fists, but he said nothing.

Lana tugged at her long braid thoughtfully. “Perhaps. But I do not understand. We also do not favor your God, yet you freely allow us passage through your land.”

Kari seemed to consider Lana’s words for a moment. “There is an old saying here, selire meteen. It means something like look to your own. The affairs and beliefs of outsiders do not concern us. But for those who have turned their backs on our Lady, Methar can be a cold place.”

“Perhaps it is not so different from Lis after all,” Lana said with a sidelong glance at my brother, then began making safer conversation about the beautiful scenery around us and the different birds and beasts she hoped to see on our journey. Thoroughly depressed, I tuned out Lana’s gay chatter and listened to the rush of a nearby stream and the silence of the mountains that loomed all around us.

On a normal day back in Azmara I would not yet have arisen from my bed. The servants would be laying out the finest silks and leathers for me to don before I would indulge in a long and lazy lunch on my balcony, gazing out over the harbor where the trading boats were docked, a hive of colorful activity. When the wind blew in from the east, it would carry the scent of spices and fruit and jasmine. In the evening I would make my way to my private rooms at the Duck and Swan where my friends – men and women like me, heirs to nobles, idle and beautiful and completely lacking in devotion – would be lounging on the plush cushions, eating fat purple grapes from golden bowls. The innkeep would serve the finest smuggled wines and any woman I chose, and then the evening would begin – drinking games, filthy jokes that would have made the Protectors’ ears wither and fall off, culminating in some wholesome bedplay, should the whim seize us. All of which I was supremely talented at, and enjoyed immensely.

The beauty of being born into money meant that as long as I took a few rudimentary precautions, none of Lis’s harsh Immorality laws would ever apply to me. If I’d been a believer, I would have kissed the feet of all thirteen Gods in gratitude for my privilege. The Protectors were powerful, but they did not have enough men to prevent all the land’s sins. To compensate, they employed private citizens as their eyes and ears, and a coin purse slipped into a pocket could render them blind and deaf in no time.

I was so deep in my memories of those wonderful nights at the Duck and Swan that I had not noticed that Kari had fallen into step beside me until he spoke.

Buy the book: Torquere Books

 

Meet the author:

Alex Douglas is an author at Torquere Press.

 

 

Where to find the author:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B015D83KHS?ref_=pe_1805931_64002121

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

December 9:

The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Chris McHart, Bonkers About Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Charley Descoteaux, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, KathyMac Reviews, Velvet Panic, BFD Book Blog, Book Lovers 4Ever, A.M. Leibowitz, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Jessie G. Books

December 10:

Havan Fellows, Parker Williams

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a E-copy of ’Tivi’s Dagger’ by Alex Douglas, must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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