Category: Publishers

A BJ Review: Peripheral People (Ylendrian Empire) by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Peripheral People coverCorwin Menivie and Nika Santivan solve cases the old-fashioned way until they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team on the force. While Gavin and Nika hit it off right away in more ways that one, Westley rubs Corwin the wrong way right from the start, and not only because he avoids psys for reasons of his own.

A bit of a fluke occurs when West’s talent reads a corpse other than the one they were there to investigate and puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer that kills with his mind. Soon Nika and Gavin are sharing a room, and Corwin finds himself spending more time with the quirky West.

I’ve read stories in this world before, so the world building is always excellent. This one had more of an urban fantasy type feel for me than the outer space sci-fi I’m used to with this series. Well-written, excellent characterization, but the pace was slow for me in this one. I felt the book was probably longer than it needed to be. That said, it was an enjoyable read.
West is a quirky high level psy who’s had some trouble with getting too involved in his cases, taking too much risk to the point of endangering his ground and best friend, Gavin. Past cases haunt him, and his power is so strong and pervasive it gives him nightmares. When Nika and Gavin get together, he finds himself turning more to Corwin who he thinks as a null. When the truth about Corwin comes out, the two begin to get closer in ways neither have done before.

I enjoyed all four of the characters in this book. Nika was an exceptionally well done kick-ass female, not something we see a lot of in M/M romance. Kudos to the authors for that.

While there is violence and gore in this, most of it takes place inside the mind rather than in the physical world. An interesting twist. The felt the connection between the two MC, but I would have enjoyed it if there was just a bit more of the hot times. There were a couple, but for the length of the book, there could have been more.

This book has mystery, romance, and sci-fi elements all woven nicely together with a very satisfying ending. I’ll continue to read more in this world as it comes available.

Cover Artist: Simoné. This cover is just stunning. Take a look the entire art (as the cover is just one side) here. Perfectly captures this story. Bravo.

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


Book Details:

ebook, 430 pages
Expected publication: May 11th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492684
edition languageEnglish
seriesYlendrian Empire

Ylendrian Empire (Universe)

The Ylendrian Empire universe is a series of loosely-connected space operas written by Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth.

Fast-paced heists, gritty paranormal mysteries, rescue missions in far-flung exotic jungles . . . the character-driven adventures and romances of the Ylendrian Empire are a chance to explore a new set of stars, with just enough spice to keep you wanting more.

Currently available:

The Balance of Silence
The Slipstream Con
In Discretion
Peripheral People

Find out more about the Ylendrian Empire at http://ylendrianempire.com

Celebrate with Author Heidi Belleau & Artist Vivian Ng on the REV New Cover Reveal and Collaboration! (giveaway)

  • ApplePolisher_400x600

New Cover Celebration with Author Heidi Belleau and artist Vivian Ng!

Nothing makes a reader sit up and take notice then the cover art on their books, whether the books are in print or eBook format.  Covers pull us in and give the readers hints to the story and characters.  What better way to bring a story back to life than a new cover?  Here we celebrate new covers for the Rear Entrance Video stories, the author and artist and their collaboration!

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Re-Covering Rear Entrance Video – Vivian Ng’s Process

Hi, I’m Heidi Belleau! Over the coming days I’ll be touring the web showing off the gorgeous new covers for my queer NA rom-com series Rear Entrance Video, all about a diverse house of Vancouver roommates who wind up running a dilapidated porn store.

Today on the tour, Vivian Ng tells us about her process designing these gorgeous covers:

I got brought on to do these covers by Heidi and worked under the direction of L. C. Chase (who I’m gonna add are both really great to work with). Essentially I was told that I’d be doing a re-cover that would appeal more to a broader audience, which I interpreted as, play down the sauciness, and play up the portions of the book that speak to a general YA fiction crowd. I feel like it’s worth noting that I actually went and read all three books. I don’t think that’s usually something illustrators can afford time-wise, but I was given a generous amount of time and I knew I would be much more confident submitting whatever the product ended up being if I’d seen the work myself instead of relying entirely on summary docs and art direction (not that those things were lacking). Also I was genuinely curious about what was in the books!

So, just as a general theme all three books have something to do with the main character struggling with self-expression in their personal and professional lives. And what I picked up from reading them as a way to represent that on the covers was how Heidi centred on clothing as a significant part of how her characters constructed and expressed themselves. I also had this idea that flat colours, neatly arranged objects, and slightly messy hand-lettering already have some precedent in YA book covers. From that core idea I basically just had to play around with composition, text, and colour under L. C.’s direction.

Vivian brought us lots of different concept sketches, which we’ll be featuring later in the tour. Riptide’s art and marketing people worked with me to narrow down our favourite choices, then tweaked those designs until we had a very gorgeous, cohesive set of images that really spoke to the books.

Vivian’s focus on clothes and objects worked really great to represent:

Christian’s carefully structured image—occasionally knocked into disorder and chaos—for Apple Polisher,ApplePolisher_400x600

 

and Rob/Bobby’s experimentation with femininity and androgyny as he came into himself as bigender/genderfluid in Wallflower,

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and lastly, Austin’s attempt to fit kink (and queerness) into his life and identity as a hockey player in Straight Shooter.

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Be sure to check out the series at Riptide (and don’t forget your coupon code to get a great deal on Apple Polisher!), and also give the artist, Vivian Ng a visit: http://viivus.tumblr.com.

Rear Entrance Video (Universe)

Welcome to Rear Entrance Video, Davie Street Village’s very own backdoor triple X store! The peep show booths are sticky, the sex toys are out of stock, and nobody’s collected any late fees in months.

Enter the store’s new manager, uptight teacher-hopeful Christian Blake, and his four misfit college roommates from Noah Hadley’s house for wayward gay boys: reluctant landlord Noah, mysterious bad boy Max, vain jock Austin, and awkward gamer geek Rob. Together, they’ll try to run the store . . . without letting everything they’re hiding—from the world and each other—run it into the ground.

Stories in the Rear Entrance Video universe include:

  • Apple Polisher (Rear Entrance Video, #1) by Heidi Belleau
  • Wallflower (Rear Entrance Video, #2) by Heidi Belleau
  • Straight Shooter (Rear Entrance Video,#3) by Heidi Belleau

 

 

About Heidi Belleau and Vivian Ng

 

Author: Heidi Belleau

Heidi Belleau was born and raised in small town New Brunswick, Canada. She now lives in the rugged oil-patch frontier of Northern BC with her husband, an Irish ex-pat whose long work hours in the trades leave her plenty of quiet time to write.
She has a degree in history from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in British and Irish studies; much of her work centred on popular culture, oral folklore, and sexuality, but she was known to perplex her professors with unironic papers on the historical roots of modern romance novel tropes. (Ask her about Highlanders!)

When not writing, you might catch her trying to explain British television to her newborn daughter or standing in line at the local coffee shop, waiting on her caramel macchiato.

Connect with Heidi:
Blog: www.heidibelleau.com
Twitter: @HeidiBelleau

Goodreads: goodreads.com/heidibelleau
Email: heidi.below.zero@gmail.com

Cover Artist: Vivian Ng

Vivian Ng is an illustrator and occasional comic artist living in Mississauga, Ontario, working mostly in watercolour, ink, and digital media. Vivi’s hobbies include watching children’s cartoons, reading fanfiction, and drawing entirely too much fanart.
http://viivus.tumblr.com
https://twitter.com/VViiNNG
http://cargocollective.com/viivus-draws/

Apple Polisher (REV #1)

Buy it here at Riptide Publishing.
This straight-A student has a dirty little secret.

ApplePolisher_400x600Christian Blake dreams of being a kindergarten teacher, but making the grade means maintaining a squeaky clean image: no drinking, no drugs, no swearing, no sex. And definitely no falling for his new roommate—tattooed bad-boy Max, who may or may not be a drug dealer.

Most of all, it means no working at a porn store. But Christian’s aunt has cancer, and her beloved Rear Entrance Video will go bankrupt if Christian doesn’t take over managerial duties. Soon enough, Christian finds himself juggling sticky twenty-five cent peep show booths, a blackmailing employee, and a demanding professor who likes to make an example of him.

And then there’s Max, who doesn’t know anything about the store, but hates Christian’s preppy sweater vests and the closet Christian forces him into when they’re together. Max just wants Christian to be himself—even though Max is keeping secrets of his own. Christian struggles to find the impossible balance between his real life and the ideal one he thinks a teacher needs to live . . . all while trying to keep his aunt’s dream alive without losing his own.

Wallflower (REV #2)

Buy/find out more about Wallflower here at Riptide Publishing.
This gamer geek has a pretty little secret.

Wallflower_400x600Art student and MMORPG addict Robert Ng has always been a loner, but he’s recently made it his goal to make more (IRL) friends. Which is how he winds up working nights at Rear Entrance Video, shilling sketchy porn and blowup dolls as a favor to his roommate. The longer he works there, though, the more he realizes he’ll never be truly happy until he becomes the person he is online: his female persona, Bobby.

Bobby is cuter and funnier than Rob is, and a thousand times more popular with boys. Becoming Bobby IRL presents its own set of challenges, though . . . especially when you’re sitting on the fence between two genders, only one of which has caught the attention of your seriously cute customer/classmate.

Dylan Ford is a six-foot Inuit comic book artist who always says what’s on his mind, and screw anyone who doesn’t like it. As rough as he appears, though, Dylan has a soft spot for Rob. But will out-and-proud Dylan still want Rob if he’s not all man?

Straight Shooter (REV #3)

Buy/find out more about Straight Shooter here at Riptide Publishing.

This macho jock has a crooked little secret.

StraightShooter_400x600College hockey player Austin Puett is in trouble. Unless he starts treating his flamboyantly gay roommate with respect, he’ll lose his room and his job at Rear Entrance Video. But Austin’s got a not-so-straight secret of his own: nothing turns him on more than insults implying he’s gay—even though he’s definitely not!—and all his old coping methods have stopped working.
Pure desperation drives him to rent a Mischievous Pictures porn flick about straight men tricked into servicing Puck, a male dominant. Instead of letting off steam, though, it just leaves him craving more, more, more, and suddenly, Austin finds himself at Mischievous Pictures Studios for an audition. After all, you can be Gay For Pay and still be straight . . . right?

But meeting Liam Williams, the real person behind Puck, confuses Austin even more. Liam really seems to like him as a person, and Austin likes him back. And while Gay For Pay’s okay, what does it make Austin if he still wants Liam when the cameras aren’t rolling?

 

Contest

Giveaway at Riptide Publishing….

Use coupon code REVRECOVER to receive $2.00 off the ebook price of Apple Polisher!

Get Your Science Fiction Fix with Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore on Peripheral People and Summer Reading (guest post and giveaway)

Peripheral People cover

Are you a lover of science fiction?  Need a new book to read and universe to dive into?  We have Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth here to talk about their latest story in the  Ylendrian Empire series, Peripheral People.  They also have a reading list of books for you, some of which I hadn’t read before and have put on my TBR pile!  Check it all out below and don’t forget to enter the contest for the giveaway as well.  Follow them at every stop on their tour!

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Hi, we’re Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth. The kind people here have invited us to stop by and tell you a little about our newest book, Peripheral People. A standalone novel in the Ylendrian Empire series, Peripheral People combines elements of romance, science fiction, paranormal, and crime drama in the intense, galaxy-spanning hunt for a psychic serial killer. Hot on the trail and hot for each other (in the sense that they’d both prefer to be set on fire than work together), the imperial agents who stumble into the case must evade terrifying mental traps, their own volatile relationship, and the discovery that someone in a higher pay grade may not be so keen on their quest for justice.

We’re thrilled to be with you today, and we’re looking forward to any questions or comments you might have.

Summer Reading List – Interstitial Investigations

Interstitial fiction is some of my favourite stuff- the books that fall between genres, neither one thing or another because they’re more than both. Below are some interstitial works I love, collected in handy list form so you can check them out before heading off for a summer holiday.

Point of Hopes by Melissa Scott and Lisa Barnett


Point of Hopes cover 2The argument could be made that these are straight-up fantasy, but what puts them firmly in the interstitial category for me is the clever mystery that could nearly stand on its own. The fantasy setting, a world where astrology is a vital part of everyday life, is rife for all kinds of plots. The two main characters, Nicholas Rathe and Philip Eslingen, enact an uneasy alliance to find a growing number of missing children, and learn more about each other in the process. Pleasantly diverse in an understated way, the cast features many women in strong supporting roles, and an honest, unfussy queering of the culture. There are several other books in this series.

Hellcat’s Bounty by Renae Jones

Hellcat's Bounty coverSpace western. Lesbian space western romance, in fact. The western elements in this story are so lovingly crafted there were times I honestly forgot it was taking place on a space station. That said, the rich detail of Rosewood Station was glorious, and there were moments when I could lose myself in the tiny little self-contained world sitting on the edge-of-forever. The two combined are a tapestry of old-world values and new-world problems. Lush with saloons, tea houses, amoeba-hunting rakehell heroines, and backroom doctors who know the cure for a ruptured spacesuit and a broken heart, Rosewood is a claustrophobic frontier made no less wild by being stuck to the side of an asteroid.

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

Widdershins coverThe first book in Hawk’s Whyborne & Griffin series, this is a fantastic blend of paranormal, historical romance, eldritch horror, and mystery. Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne is a master of languages, and he can’t resist the lure of translating the text brought to him by private investigator Griffin Flaherty. That it just happens to lead them both into a murderous plot to resurrect a madman isn’t really Whyborne’s fault. Whyborne’s best friend, Dr. Christine Putnam, is a cantankerous, trigger-happy joy in every scene she’s in. There are currently six books in the series, with at least two more planned.

The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse by Keith Hartman

The Gumshoe the Witch and the Virtual Corpse cover 2Noir-style mystery wrapped in a near-future Atlanta where religion plays a huge role in day-to-day life, Wiccans have their own news media, and someone is digging up corpses and crucifying them. The gay private investigator is looking for his missing partner (a psychic witch), the Cherokee seer is merely asking the courts to uphold a 19th century land deal that ceded them most of northern Georgia, and poor Benji just wants to turn 15, preferably without getting grounded for life when his Baptist parents find out his girlfriend is a witch. There’s a deeper science fiction element to the plot that I can’t mention without spoiling things, but suffice it to say, this book is as interstitial as it gets. With ten different first-person POV characters, this book is like a bag of literary potato chips- there’s no way you’re going to read just one chapter.

Peripheral People by Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth

Peripheral People coverMy own contribution to the world of interstitial fiction, Peripheral People is a science fiction romance paranormal mystery. It pits psychic cops and imperial agents against a violent killer who only leaves mental fingerprints- and a string of dead bodies littered across the ‘verse. Irascible Inspector Corwin Menivie has secrets to keep, he’s stuck with Westley Tavera, psychic Reader extraordinaire, and neither one of them is sure which is more dangerous- the traps left by the murderer they’re hunting, or the ones already waiting in their own minds.

Interstitial fiction is all about drawing from multiple genres and writing a story that lets all of those elements shine. I hope I’ve mentioned a few books here that send you looking for all the great stories that live between.

                    About the Authors….

Reesa Herberth was born in Nevada and spirited away to California before moving to Hawaii, where she grew up on the Big Island. She tried Arizona for a few years, then lit out for the D.C. area, where her nomadic itch is regularly curbed by the nightmares of urban traffic. She’s held a handful of the requisite crazy writer jobs, including book store overlord, office goddess for an artisan ice cream maker, and cheese-cup scrubber at an organic goat dairy.

Michelle Moore has a well-documented obsession with travel, television, frappuccinos and flamingos. These, however, come in a distant second to her love of writing. Most evenings she can be found huddled over her laptop at the local Starbucks, dividing her time between actually writing and pretending to be a barista.

Michelle and Reesa have been writing together for over fifteen years. They are currently working on more Ylendrian stories, and a petition to have cat hair recognized as a form of currency.

Twitter:

Michelle Moore – @marigotc

Reesa Herberth – @reesah
Facebook – Ylendrian Empire Fan Page
Websites:
Michelle and Reesa Write
Ylendrian Empire

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Giveaway

Contest:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by Riptide Publishing. Enter to win a  Peripheral People Prize Pack: includes a book-themed soft cooler, a handful of recommended reads, and the winner’s choice of a title from Michelle and Reesa’s backlist.Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About Peripheral People (Ylendrian Empire) by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore

Peripheral People coverCorwin Menivie and Nika Santivan are decorated veterans of the Imperial Enforcement Coalition, and are perfectly capable of solving cases the old-fashioned way. When they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team to emerge from the Psionics Academy, it could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to crime fighting, or the makings of a quadruple homicide.

During a routine investigation, West’s talent puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer who traps his prey in a deadly mental playground. Then the killer starts baiting the team, laying psychic landmines at crime scenes and exposing IEC secrets. The strain of the case binds the agents closer together—so close that Nika and Gavin start sharing a room, and even the curmudgeonly Corwin finds himself as occupied with West as he is with the murders.

But as West’s visions of death grow more violent, the only way out for all of them may be straight through the mind of a monster. If they’re not careful, they may forget which side of the hunt they’re on.

Buy it and read an excerpt at Riptide Publishing.

Book Details:

ebook, 430 pages
Published May 11th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492684
edition languageEnglish

The Ylendrian Empire universe is a series of loosely-connected space operas written by Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth.

ylendrianempire-color-transparentbg-nocopyrightFast-paced heists, gritty paranormal mysteries, rescue missions in far-flung exotic jungles . . . the character-driven adventures and romances of the Ylendrian Empire are a chance to explore a new set of stars, with just enough spice to keep you wanting more.

Currently available:

The Balance of Silence
The Slipstream Con
In Discretion
Peripheral People

Find out more about the Ylendrian Empire at http://ylendrianempire.com

– See more at: Riptide Publishing’s Ylendrian Empire’s page.

In the Book Spotlight: The Playhouse (a Superpowered Love Story) by Katey Hawthorne (guest post and giveaway)

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The Playhouse (a Superpowered Love story) by Katey Hawthorne

STRW In The Spotlight Header
Published by Looseid LLC
Cover Artist P.L. Nunn

Here’s Katey Hawthorne on writing her first F/F story and her Superpowered Love series….

Hello, and thanks for letting me drop in, Melanie! I’m running around celebrating because the very first f/f book in my Superpowered Love series, The Playhouse, just came out yesterday. It’s about—well, yes, there are superpowers, but it all takes place in a summerstock theater. Sounds like a weird combo, but it works… hopefully.

There are some pretty serious undercurrents in the book too, though, and that’s what I want to talk about a little here. While Lily’s dream is to make her beloved Playhouse more viable, Genevieve, the starlet who has her full and undivided romantic attention all summer, brings new goals to the table. Goals like better representation for people of color and minorities on the small town stage. (See also, Genevieve’s character stat entry on my website, where she goes on about her Les Miserables fanfiction.) Lily is, of course, delighted at the prospect and throws her heart and soul into that, as well.

Now to get personal. The reason I write queer characters all the time is because I wanted more of that as a kid. I wanted to see myself reflected in characters who lived crazy lives, loved interesting people, and yeah, maybe even had some superpowers. I’m writing the books I wanted to read, books that have queer people finding their happiness. But there’s more work to be done. More women, more people of color, more gender non-conforming people, more responsible representation of all kinds is my goal.

 Giveaway: So tell me: what would you like to see more represented in fiction? What pieces of you and your friends do you think deserve more reflection and attention? Leave a comment with a suggestion or thought, your email address where you can be contacted  and be entered to win a copy of The Playhouse!

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Author is providing the book, thank you, Katey!

The Playhouse Blurb

Summer has been Lily McBride’s favorite time of year since she was a kid, because that’s when the Brookesville Playhouse opens its doors. Now that she’s an adult and works as their tech director, Lily wants more for her beloved Playhouse: a larger audience, a longer season, and exciting shows to draw new patrons.

This year, though, she also wants Genevieve Mason, a pretty starlet-in-the-making from the local university, recruited for the season’s tech crew. Genny throws her heart and soul into the place too, adding her own dreams of representation to the ‘must-have’ list, and using her sweet voice and surprising flare for pyrotechnics to draw the crowds in droves. They work so well together, it’s not long before their summer crush blossoms into a steamy affair.

Lily’s falling hard, but always feels like Genny’s holding something back. And then there’s the dreaded Brookesville Arts Council—supposed to be a support system for all things cultural, instead dragging the Playhouse down with their old-fashioned stubbornness. There are a lot of hurdles to jump and egos to deflate before they can get what they want, both for the theater and from each other.

Sales Links:   Loose id   (special sales price of $4.99)

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Author bio: Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills.

Contact/follow Katey at:

A Stella Review: Lonely Hearts (Love Lessons #3) by Heidi Cullinan

 

Rating:  4,5 stars out of 5

Lonely Hearts coverWith the quiet help of his wealthy family, Sebastian “Baz” Acker has successfully kept his painful past at bay. But as the end of college draws near, his friends—his buffer zone—are preparing to move on, while his own life is at a crippling standstill.With loneliness bearing down on him, Baz hooks up—then opens up—with Elijah Prince, the guy Baz took a bullet for last year. The aftershocks of their one-night stand leave giant cracks in Baz’s carefully constructed armor. For the first time, the prospect isn’t terrifying.

Accustomed to escaping his demons by withdrawing into his imagination, Elijah isn’t used to having a happy herd of friends. He’s even less comfortable as the object of a notorious playboy’s affections. Yet all signs seem to indicate this time happiness might be within his grasp. When Baz’s mother runs for a highly sought-after public office, the media hounds drag Baz’s and Elijah’s pasts into the light. In the blinding glare, Baz and Elijah face the ultimate test: discovering if they’re stronger together…or apart.

“People moved on. Everyone did, eventually. Everyone but Baz”.

Elijah Prince is finally in a safe place. He’s really been through hell. After spent some time on the streets and being almost killed by his father, he’s trying to live his life. He’s got a job at a cafeteria for the summer and he’s waiting to move to the White House (not the one you’re thinking about, but if you have read Fever Pitch you already know it). Now it’s starting the real struggling, dealing with a lot of fears and panic attacks. Used to take care of himself since he was just a little baby, he’s not comfortable to receive kindness, to be cared of. He hides himself behind walls so high. Elijah is very lonely and unhappy. He’s not able to accept something, he’s scared of be a friend and have a friend. He always kept his pain closed away.

“[Elijah]I mean, I know I push people away, hurting them first so they can’t hurt me. I’m trying not to do that with most people, but I can’t stop with him. I want” […]“I want…him. A lot.

I maybe get a few good tries at not preemptively attacking him, and I fail…but he actually gets more aggressive then. The more I try to run, the more he wants me. I feel like he’s led me way out into the deep water where I can’t swim, and any second he’ll leave me to drown.”

“What in the deep water makes you so scared?”

It was a raging sea of terrible darkness in his mind. Huge, black, stormy. The emotion shafted him like cold light. “Loneliness. The water is full of loneliness.”

Sebastian “Baz” Acker has already saved Elijah once. But when Elijah’s dad tried to kill his son, Baz took a bullet in the shoulder to save him. And the need to protect the young man is still strong, still there in his soul.

Baz’s family is really rich, his uncle is a senator and his mum is running for a prestigious role in politic. When she wants him to attend a fundraiser with a boyfriend, Baz soon thinks about Elijah. After had sex at Kelly and Walter’s wedding, he had totally ignored Elijah for over a month. Baz is attracted to him cause Elijah is the only one to antagonize and keep him to his toes, to threat him as a normal person, where everyone in his life babies him.

Of course what started as a fake boyfriend is becoming to Baz a real one, he wants more from Elijah for the first time after a long time. He too has a painful past, physically and in his heart too, it’s time for someone to saves him from the daily pains he has to endure due to his disabilities and from the guilty he still feels about a dramatic event he couldn’t control.

“I…love you. I’m scared and I don’t want to, not anybody, but I do. Love you. And I don’t think I can stop.”

Hot breath exhaled on his cheek as Baz sighed, then nuzzled his temple. “I love you too.”

The story is detailed,  a specific feature of Heidi Cullinan’s writing style. It follows the MCs’ life together very well, let’s us know them and their feelings, their fears and most of all their incredible family, not the bloody one, but the true, faithful and stronger protective family of amazing friends. While both their families are non existent, there are a lot of people around them, their real family. There is a huge, pretty well-defined second characters cast: Marius and Damien are Baz best friends: Pastor Robert and his wife Liz, I loved how they cared for the boys, how they helped them in their job hunting or in their everyday activities. When Liz told Elijah “Oh, sweetheart. Come inside and let me wrap you in a blanket” I was so ready to let her adopt me too. Besides meeting Kelly and Walter (Love Lessons) and Aaron and Giles (Fever Pitch), Ed from Dance With Me appears in Lonely Hearts. I particularly liked when an author does this kind of mixing of  choices, I always crave to know more and more after the HEAs of my favorite couples. The book starts with Elijah taking part at the wedding of Kelly and Walter (Love Lessons) and I was so happy to know more about them, especially re-meet them at their wedding, a Disney theme wedding!

Apart from the not so ordinary lives Baz and Elijah have, one being trashed and left disabilitated, the other being almost killed by his own father (previous books), the story felt to me pretty real, especially in the dialogues between the characters. Only one thing I didn’t like: the easy way both of them used anxiolytics. Being there and struggling a lot to put them away, I wasn’t so comfortable at reading the easy way they took them and mixed with alcohol. At the same time I could understand the need and I so appreciate how the author chose to develop this need in the end.

I had to think a little about it, cause I honestly can say at the beginning it was hard to me to override what my mind was telling me and just let my heart show me how much I was loving the book, no matter what was happening at the moment. Most of all where the weed, alcohol, and xanax lead to some hot moments between Baz and Elijah. Nothing new in it because Heidi is really the QUEEN of hot scenes (have you read Special Delivery or Dirty Laundry? You know what I’m talking about).

I can’t talk of course of the ending but I want to tell you is just fantastic. It made me cry a little too. Just a little prayer to Heidi, I’m ready to begging, please can I have Lewis/Lejla in the next book, please?

Highly recommended. A great book with perfect writing.

Cover art by Kanaxa. I’m particularly loving this series’ covers. Really well done.

Sales Links:  Samhain Books     –    All Romance (ARe) –   Amazon  →  preorder/ Buy It Here

Book Details:

Warning: Contains sex in a Tesla, sex in a cupboard, sex under a piano, kinky role play, and a cappella RuPaul songs. Just a couple of boys groping, battling, then finally loving their way to becoming men

ebook
Expected publication: August 11th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
original titleLonely Hearts
ISBN139781619226692
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.com/Lonely-Hearts
seriesLove Lessons #3

Love Lessons series
Love Lessons #1
Frozen Hearts #1,5
Fever Pitch #2
Lonely Hearts #3

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Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Wedding Favors (A Bluewater Bay story, #7) by Anne Tenino

  • BWBlogo_WebRating: 5 stars out of 5

WeddingFavors_1200x1800HR-1Twelve years ago, Gabe Savage let his best friend’s brother get away. In fact, he encouraged him to leave Bluewater Bay by breaking off with him before they even got started, because he knew the artist within Lucas Wilder would never have a chance to fully develop if he stayed in this small backwoods town. Now, Gabe wants him back, and unknown to Lucas, this Gabe has all the patience in the world. All he has to do is treat Lucas like a skittish colt and wait for him to see that they belong together.

In the meantime, Lucas comes back to Bluewater Bay only because his best friend, Audrey, is marrying his brother—a fact he is shocked to learn. He’s to be her Man of Honor, and once the shock wears off, he packs up and heads north. Then he learns that Gabe Savage, that sexy redhead with the body of a real man, is going to be the Best Man, and he wants to run back to California.

Lucas has recently broken up with his partner, and since they not only owned a home together, but Lucas sold most of his artwork in his partner’s gallery, Lucas feels alone and adrift, unable to decide where to relocate so that he can pursue his art. Bluewater Bay is the last place he’d want to settle, but Audrey actually does him a favor by dragging him home. It’s not until she coerces Lucas into sculpting favors for her wedding, and she suggests that he can set up a studio at Gabe’s tree farm, that Lucas starts to suspect that there may be a master plan in place.

Gabe had never really believed that Lucas would return to town, but now that he has, he’s willing to go along with Audrey and her fiancé Zach and provide the space for Lucas. There’s certainly a better chance that he’ll have the opportunity to explain that he never meant to break Lucas’s heart all those years ago; at least, he hopes he can get the chance. He does get that chance, and eventually more, and the two pick up where they left off and go much further than either expected. Both men have matured, and Gabe is the macho, big, sweaty male that Lucas finds extremely hot and dominating in their relationship. Lucas is the kinky, sexy, subservient guy of Gabe’s dreams. But neither has learned to truly communicate their feelings, and they seem headed to disaster as the wedding approaches, and Lucas prepares to leave.

This one is my favorite in the Bluewater Bay series, so far. It amazes me that so many wonderful authors have come together to create this series in which each book is distinctive, yet fits in the series, often has overlapping characters, yet brings its own unique and interesting story to light. Anne Tenino has done an outstanding job with this one. There’s some angst and heartache for both men as they work through their past and show fear for their future. But there’s also humor, amazing secondary characters (Lucas’s father and his pot-growing operation for one), and there’s hope, romance and an emotional journey that brings them to deep and abiding love.

A super story! This can easily be read as a standalone as there’s little overlap with characters from other books. It’s for all those who enjoy reading about reunited lovers, hairy, sexy outdoorsmen, artists who see the beauty all around them, and just simply for all lovers of M/M romance. Don’t hesitate to pick this up.
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Cover design by LC Chase depicts two handsome young men—one dressed casually, one as a rugged outdoorsman—superimposed on a background of a barn and rural scenery. This photo matches both the MC’s and the story content perfectly.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 325 pages
Published April 13th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 11th 2015)
original titleWedding Favors
ISBN139781626492929
edition languageEnglish
seriesBluewater Bay #7
charactersLucas Wilder, Gabriel Savage

Bluewater Bay Universe….WolfsLanding_transparent

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Aleksandr Voinov, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, and Jaime Samms. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Books in this Universe include with links to our reviews: