A MelanieM Audiobook Review : I Heart Boston Terriers by Rick R. Reed and Tom Askin (Narrator)

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Love at first sight can work for dogs as well as humans.

When Aaron finds Mavis, an emaciated and timid Boston terrier, at a pet adoption fair, his heart goes out to her—irrevocably.

When Christian, who is manning the adoption fair for the Humane Society that fateful autumn Saturday, finds Aaron, his heart goes out to him—irrevocably.

I Heart Boston Terriers is all about embracing love, whether it’s for someone who walks on four legs, or someone who walks on two. The Boston terrier Mavis’ journey back to wholeness and finding her forever home runs parallel to the story of two men discovering one another at just that perfect moment—a moment that defies logic, propriety, and common sense.

But then when do the dictates of love follow a rational course?

Come along for a journey about a man and his dog and see how that journey teaches him the truth about love and making a caring connection that just might last a lifetime.

I have listened to other of Rick R Reed’s contemporary romances that had dogs at the heart of the stories and loved them so I was particularly looking forward to I heart Boston Terriers. After all Reed’s own Lily is well known so I knew his affection for the breed and love for her would carry over into the story. Which it did.

In fact, for me, Mavis is the most endearing character here and the one I connected with the most. Everyone else I had an issue with, but Mavis? Nope, absolutely loved and deeply care for this abused creature looking for her forever home who for better or worse ended up with Aaron and his sister (who I disliked the most) as a impulse adoption.

Ok, now see, all my dogs are rescues. At adoption fairs here, minimum fees start at $250 not $75 but that could differ state by state. There are home visits, all sorts of things to make sure that the people adopting the animals are a good fit. Some of that comes across here, in that yes, they would have taken Mavis back (most rescue agencies will). But sending a dog home with somebody who doesn’t have the means to support him? And who is living with someone else? Uh no. Red flags all around.

I actually liked Aaron for realizing he wasn’t ready to adopt a dog but instead his sister pushed him into the adoption. That sister. Ok, honestly, this whole thing with Mavis would have ruined any relationship I would have had with that sister. But some things just didn’t ring true. She’s supposedly a “shoe whore” who overspends because she must have her designer shoes. Got that. But people that crazy over shoes handle them in certain ways. Even in a one room apartment, those shoes are gods! They buy even the poorest of shoe racks, keep them pristinely in their boxes, labeled. I mean, honey, those are Jimmy Choos! Or Manolo Blahniks or whatever designer brands you covet. What you do not do? Lay them on the floor for a traumatized dog to destroy. Not in a million years. Especially her favorites. So she can overreact like a total horror of a sibling, throw out all sorts of dire threats, use the imbalance of power that should ruin any relationship permanently against her brother, and genuinely create a nightmare where none was needed.

A total turn off.

The relationship between Aaron and Christian didn’t strike as me as better because instead of helping Aaron, Christian seemed too busy trying to get into Aaron’s pants. How about just helping Aaron and Mavis because they needed help? What a novel idea.

So yes, Christian had a heart, volunteered at a rescue organization but he seemed to push his own agenda first.

Then there was that ending or lack of one for both Aaron and Mavis. This is one book where an epilogue was definitely called for.

Finally, there was the narration. It was the first time I had listened to a story narrated by Tom Askin and I’m not sure I would do so again. His narration and voices just didn’t work for me. Combine that with a story that I was also having issues with and you come up with an audiobook I just can’t recommend.

If you love the writing of Rick R. Reed and dog stories, check out Lost and Found on audiobook and give this a pass.

Cover art: Reese Dante. I loved this cover. It, as well as the blurb, drew me to the story. Heartwarming and perfect in every way.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Listening Time: 1hr., 43 min.

Audible Audio, Unabridged, 2 pages
Published February 22nd 2018 by Dreamspinner Press (first published January 12th 2012)
ASINB079YB2QDT
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Flamecaller by Caitlin Ricci

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

When the emperor has his father killed, it’s the breaking point for Haruo, who sets out from the island of dragon shifters where he lives in search of revenge. The tournament being held to marry off the emperor’s son seems a perfect opportunity—what better way to get close to the father than through the son, after all.

Three things drew me to this story. That incredible cover, the author, and that synopsis. I have read Caitlin Ricci’s stories before and enjoyed them. That fact, combined with the intriguing plot, had me eagerly starting into chapter one.

Sigh.

What I found was more along the lines of an author’s outline for a novella than an actual story that was complete with fleshed out characters, relationships that had some depth to them, back histories that went beyond the shallow, and a foundation that made some sense.

This surprised me considering the author, which is why Flamecaller seems more like an outline of a story than an actual one. The potential here is marvelous, especially with regard to the emperor’s son. But do we get any of the necessary background on him to make sense of his actions or subsequent feelings? No. Does the author give the readers any understanding of how certain important plot elements as I will call them (no spoilers) run genetically through family lines? No. Nothing. She just throws facts out there and leaves them unsupported and whole sections of her story moorless. That goes for the whole island is crying thing as well and Haruo’s family. See statement above.

I won’t even get started on that ending which is preposterous no matter how fairy tale-ish this story became.

No, my hope is that sometime in the future, this gets pulled back, and properly rewritten into the novel it’s crying out to be. Unless you are a hardcore Caitlin Ricci fan, I’d wait and see if that happens to read this story imo.

Cover Art :Michelle Seaver. This cover is absolutely gorgeous as well as pertinent to the story. It’s one of the things that drew me to read the blurb. Love it.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 45 pages
Published March 14th 2018 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781684311965
Edition Language English

A Caryn Release Day Review: The Architect and the Castle of Glass by Jade Mere

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve read fantasy, and this book definitely lives up to the genre. The universe created is a little bit middle east, a little bit steampunk, a little bit of magic in a world just entering an industrial age. The cast includes a spoiled but genius aristocrat, his eccentric brother who sees things not of this world, a reclusive and secretive prince and his insane mother, and the man who calls himself brother to the prince. It’s long (as a fantasy book should be), and this is the first in a series, but it does end with closure of the initial story arc, and no cliffhanger (thank God, because those drive me crazy!)

The protagonist of the story, Takhi, starts out as an arrogant, selfish, entitled jerk. He’s the son of the ambassador, wealthy, aristocratic, given all the things wealthy men can give to their children. The only thing he wants, though, is to be a famous architect. His country is peaceful and meditative, and has been essentially sealed off from the largest and most modern country, Vatalokit, and that is the only place Takhi feels his genius will be appreciated. So he runs away, convinced that the only reason he is not already renowned as the greatest architect is because his country is backwards and resists innovation. Although I knew that he was going to be humbled and come out a better man – because that’s how fantasy works and this book follows the formula – I have to admit the process took so long I almost gave up on him. Truthfully, that’s probably more realistic, but I kept getting angry at him until the end of the book for being so conceited and self-absorbed, and because it led him into quite a few TSTL (too stupid to live) situations.

Takhi was recruited to serve as architect for the prince of Vatalokit, to convert his castle into a weapon. The castle itself is almost like another character – it is made of obsidian, dark, brooding, and strangely alive (Howl’s Moving Castle kept coming to my mind, but really it is nothing like that!). People who stay in it too long tend to go a little crazy. At the castle, Takhi met Rye – a man the prince rescued from the slums and who is now the closest thing the prince has to family. Takhi didn’t know why the prince wanted such a weapon, and didn’t believe the flimsy reasons the prince gave, but he thought only of making a name for himself, and was going to do that however he could.

The entire book was really well written, steadily paced with a natural plot evolution. I got irritated at Takhi many times and wanted to skip past the consequences of his stupidity, but it was worth it in the end to hang in there. The romance aspect of the story is almost peripheral, with only hints of interest from Rye and Takhi, and they are not together until the very end of the book. There was more written interaction between Takhi and his twin brother Sorjian, who actually became my favorite character. The reveal of the secrets of the castle, and the prince’s plotting, was abrupt and the only really jarring exception to the plot progression, and left several threads hanging, but I think those will be taken up in the next books in the series, and I’m looking forward to reading them!

Cover art by the author is typical of a fantasy book, pretty, and probably why I kept picturing Howl’s Moving Castle every time I thought of it….

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 230 pages
Expected publication: March 27th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640802629
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Bone to Pick by T.A. Moore and Michael Fell (Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

This is a highly enjoyable, very-difficult-to-solve mystery adventure. Both MCs have issues with relationships so though they don’t want romance, they do have sexual chemistry and they act on it. Plus, there’s a dog—a police dog named Bo—who stole the show, as far as I’m concerned.

Children have gone missing over the past ten years, not often enough or apparently connected enough for anyone to link them until the recent disappearance of a ten-year-old boy. FBI agent Javi Merlo is assigned to the case and he’s not particularly happy about working with a dog and his cop handler. But that’s too bad because not only does Cloister Witte have plenty of experience with his dog, he also has personal experience with the disappearance of his own brother many years ago—a brother who was never found. But he’s dedicated and committed to his task and won’t stop until he finds the boy—dead or alive.

Javi doesn’t trust Cloister, though, and continually pushes him away from the case, but Cloister plods along following his own leads and his two-plus-two investigation style eventually leads to four. This isn’t a typical romance, and in fact, it ends with the case solved and with the men in bed, but not in love, so it’s a HFN at best. But it honestly doesn’t matter because the mystery itself is so good. It’s exciting and fast-paced with just the right amount of snarky ’tude from both MCs. And, of course, the dog is the hero at the end of the story so the dog lover in me was quite happy.

The narrator was new to me and he did a very good job with the voices, which were definitely different and easy to pick out. On the other hand, I hated the voice he gave to the mother of the missing boy—I wanted to smack her so bad. She was entitled and bitchy and nasty and the voice he gave her fit her personality like a glove. So yes, he did a good job—enough to evoke a lot of emotion from me, so that’s a win in my book.

I highly recommend this audiobook version to those who enjoy an interesting whodunit topped off with two sexy law enforcement MCs and a dog named Bo.

Cover art: Anne Cain. Love the cover. Interesting and it pulls your eye into the character and details.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Length: 9 hrs

Audible Audio
Published February 22nd 2018 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published August 14th 2017)
Original TitleBone to PicksettingSan Diego, California (United States)
California (United States)

Parker Foye on Research , Procrastination, and the new release Mage of Inconvenience (author guest blog)

Mage of Inconvenience by Parker Foye
Dreamspinner Press
Dreamspun Beyond

Cover art: Aaron Anderson

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Parker Foye here today talking about writing, research and Mage of Inconvenience. Welcome, Parker.

♦︎

Research …and Procrastination by Parker Foye

Hello, and thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for hosting the final stop on my blog tour! It’s been a lot of fun celebrating the release of Mage of Inconvenience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it too.

Today I’m answering questions about research: Does research play a role in choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?

I’ve posted a bit on Twitter recently about how difficult it is to find methods of magic World of Warcraft hasn’t named already, so research has been on my mind lately. Honestly, it usually is; I primarily write speculative fiction, but set in the world we know. This tends to involve two threads of research/development: real world locations, and whatever I’m using as a magical system.

Though I’ve set spec fiction stories in historical periods before, Mage of Inconvenience takes place in a contemporary setting. When I started writing this story, I lived in a small town in Ontario, and this is where I located West’s home. Julian, meanwhile, has an office in Toronto, and a cottage elsewhere in the province. These locations were places I knew, or could easily research with added local insight, and I thought I was being quite clever to choose these settings. But then I moved over 4,000km across the country.

Thank you, internet.

The internet is less helpful when it comes to making up magical systems, aside from checking someone hasn’t done it first (see the comment about WoW above). But this is actually something I really enjoy doing, and one of the reasons I write in this genre. Making the impossible possible but flavouring it with things we can relate to—for example, with the magic in Mage of Inconvenience, I imagined something like a magical DVLA (DMV, for those of you across the pond!), with all the connotations that invokes.

Creating magical systems is one of the (many) areas where beta readers and editors are invaluable. Their insightful questions really helped draw out and solidify how magic and its corresponding bureaucracy worked in this story, cementing the foundation for how the marriage of convenience comes to be in the first place.

But, absorbing as it can be, the problem with research is knowing when to stop! I’m a chronic procrastinator and can trick myself into researching all day long, but at some point it’s time to close the browser and start cranking out words.

Or write a blog post or two.

What about you guys? Any favourite methods of procrastination? Asking for a friend…

Mage of Inconvenience

Can they find the magic in a practical union?

West is on the run from his werewolf pack, but if he cannot renew his magical defenses, he won’t get far. What he needs is a mage….

Julian is part of a wealthy and ancient family, and one day, his legacy will include his mother’s vast library of spell books—and the knowledge he needs to correct his past mistakes. But his inheritance comes with a stipulation: he has to be married before he can collect. What he needs is a husband….

West and Julian can help each other, and at first they don’t want anything further. But as they dodge meddling cousins, jealous rivals, and an insidious drug, it becomes clear that their lives are entwined in ways they never imagined—and they’re in greater danger than they thought possible.

Buy the book at Dreamspinner | Amazon CA/COM/UK | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Parker Foye writes speculative-flavored romance under the QUILTBAG umbrella and believes in happily ever after, although sometimes their characters make achieving this difficult.

An education in Classics nurtured a love of heroes, swords, monsters, and beautiful people doing stupid things while wearing only scraps of leather. You’ll find those things in various guises in Parker’s stories, along with kissing (very important) and explosions (very messy). And more shifters than you can shake a stick at.

Used to living out of a suitcase, Parker is currently of fixed abode in the UK but still travels regularly via planes, trains, and an ever-growing library.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

March Winds Blowing In a Fresh Start. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

March Winds Blowing In a Fresh Start

We end this tumultuous month as we started it…with the high winds blowing bringing with it all sorts of changes. To my mind, and with Spring in mind, I’m hoping these will be positive ones, showing new growth and a new start for tomorrow. Isn’t that what Spring is all about?

True, some of the new starts can get a little shaky. Those March winds are fierce. First tries don’t always end up like we want. Small seedlings droop in unexpected snows, and kites get caught up in trees. But then the sun comes up, the temperatures rise, and yes the winds finally die down….and boom, back on track again. The ability to absorb and move forward, the strength to be resilient…well, we see it time and again.

So this week let’s finish out March and get a brand new start in April! Let’s look at romance, new loves, maybe even renewed love no matter the age. Spring is a time for growth in our romance novels. What new things have you all noticed, if anything? New issues that the authors have incorporated? New ways in which they’ve kept it real (if contemporary) and fresh (no matter the genre). So this is the start of ….

What’s New In LGBT Romance Fiction Giveaway?

Give us your thoughts. Maybe tell us ways in which you think it can be improved or that it has improved over the last few years. What stories have made you think? Stopped you with elements so current and relevant that it resonated with you? Leave your comments with you email address. Giveaway will continue until April 14th. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Now for this week’s reviews and tours! Let our week take flight!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, March 25:

March Winds Blowing In a Fresh Start.
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

Monday, March 26:

Retro Review Tour – Ann Gallagher’s The Left Hand Of Calvus
DSP Dreamspun Promo Parker Foye
Review Tour – Lynn Michaels – Out Of The Ocean
A MelanieM Review : The Left Hand of Calvus (Warriors of Rome #1) by Ann Gallagher
A VVivacious Review: You’re My Everything by Lily G Blunt
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Bone to Pick by T.A. Moore and Michael Fell (Narrator)

Tuesday, March 27:

Blog Tour – The Rescuer by Eric Huffbind
Book Blast – Love Worth Fighting For by Dara Nelson
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT TOUR Moon Illusion by Michelle Osgood
In Our Spotlight:KIM FIELDING on The Little Library
A MelanieM Review: Flamecaller by Caitlin Ricci
A Caryn Release Day Review: The Architect and the Castle of Glass by Jade Mere
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Little Library by Kim Fielding

Wednesday, March 28:

Blog Tour Bones of Belief by Jess Thomas
RELEASE DAY BLITZ INVITATION TO THE BLUES (Small Change #2) by Roan Parrish
A Stella Review : One Under by JL Merrow
VVivacious Review: You’re My Everything by Lily G Blunt
A MelanieM Audio Review : I Heart Boston Terriers by Rick R. Reed and Tom Askin (Narrator)
A MelanieM Review: Squared Away by Annabeth Albert

Thursday, March 29:

Release Day Blitz Hug It Out by Davidson King
Leaning Into the Look by Lane Hayes Blog Tour
Release Day Blitz: Hug It Out by Davidson King
A Lila Review: Bad Seed by Gareth Vaughn
A Stella Review: The Little Library by Kim Fielding
A MelanieM Review The Rescuer by Eric Huffbind

Friday, March 30:

Release Blitz Riza Curtis – Rended Hearts
PROMO Men of London series by Susan MacNicol
Release Blitz – You’re My Everything by Lily G. Blunt
A Caryn Release Day Review: Summer Ride by Susan Laine
A MelanieM Review:Dragon Magic by Megan Derr
An Alisa Review Promises Part 4 by A.E. Via

Saturday, March 31:

An Alisa Review Promises Part 4 by A.E. Via
A MelanieM Review: Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon

A Lila Release Day Review: Going Off Grid (States of Love) by S.J.D. Peterson

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Clay and Elliott are working toward a dream—working sixty-hour weeks for one of the oil companies that recently sprung up in North Dakota. The pay is good, but is it a fair trade for never seeing each other? The point becomes moot when the company folds, like so many others, and the couple is left with a difficult choice.

Should they find comparable work somewhere else, or is it time to throw caution to the wind and go after their goal—years earlier than they intended?

What they’ve always wanted is to be together and have time to enjoy it, so they follow their hearts. They’re going off the grid and fixing up an old cabin so they can be self-sufficient. But when they go from all the conveniences of the modern world to outhouses, solar power, a shoestring budget, and more mosquitos than they ever thought possible, will they find there’s such a thing as too much time together?

Going Off Grid is literally a story about living in the middle of nowhere. Almost like a manual on how Clay and Elliott remodeled their cabin and spent their winters in it. At moments, it felt too detailed and other parts just glanced over.

The romance between the main characters takes place before the story begins. They are an established couple suffering from a lack of time together. It’s obvious they still love each other and they do their best to maintain their relationship. Their love is beautiful even when the reader is not a witness to it.

As for the setting, the descriptions in the story could have been taking place in any oil loving state like Texas or Oklahoma. I don’t think I learned any new details about North Dakota. It was easy to forget the location.

Overall, it is another nice story by one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, there’s nothing memorable about it to make the story unique.

The cover by Reese Dante fits most of the State of Love series and it gives the reader a small glimpse of the plot.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner| Amazon | NOOK

ebook, 78 pages
Published: March 23, 2018, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781635338935
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: One Under (Porthkennack #9) by J.L. Merrow

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

London Underground worker Mal Thomas is staying in Porthkennack to recover from a traumatic experience. Getting some more bad news from home is the last straw—until big, blond museum curator Jory Roscarrock steps up to offer some comfort.

A doctor of English Literature, Jory should be in a prestigious post at a top university. But a youthful indiscretion has led him to abandon academia to come back to his home town, Porthkennack, and the controlling family he’s never really felt a part of. He’s delighted to find a kindred spirit in the young Londoner.

But Jory’s family hurt Mal’s best friend deeply, and while Jory’s desperate to repair the damage, his own mistakes threaten to keep them apart. Meanwhile Mal’s torn between his feelings for Jory and his duty to his friend—and his fears that a failed relationship could be more than his shattered confidence can take.

The Porthkennack universe is one that I deeply love. A seaside small town in Cornwall, with a long history of smuggling and sea bourne carnage in its past, it’s behind the facade of the pleasant shops, pubs, and yes, even a museum or two, the stories here show that some haven’t entirely left that way of life behind. With each new tale, some historic, most not, the town’s people, the culture of the place, the “society’, and the dynamics continue to unfold. Aren’t’ we lucky!

In One Under by JL Merrow, the angst driven characters are Mal Thomas and Dr. Jory Roscarrock, each with elements in their past their are trying to recover from and move past. For Mal, his are far more recent. A man committed suicide in front of the underground train he was driving and it’s left him traumatized, unable even to get into a car. For Jory, it’s his family and their past. From a father who committed suicide, a mother’s death, to older siblings who seem to hate him and relationships that don’t work out, his issues too seem buried in his past.

I love these men, especially Mal. What a wounded soul he is. And Jory too, a solid, intellectual giant who is so clueless at times you wish you could shake him. I thought the characterizations were terrific. Mal as the traumatized train driver suffering from PTSD was easily a sympathetic figure. His “dithering about” his relationship with Jory over it’s impact on his best friend honestly irritated most of the time. You wished the communication was far better between these two men. However, taken into consideration the mental and emotional state of Mal, I kept coming back to the idea that anyone who was suffering from PTSD as bad as he was and in the shaky emotional frame of mind, wasn’t going to be making the most rational of decisions. So yes, perhaps, Merrow was (whether I liked it or not) right on target here too.

Same goes for Jory, his relationship with his frankly appalling older siblings and his willingness to remain static in parts of his life. Odd but again given his weird background, perhaps not. It takes these two men coming together to get them moving forward again in both of their lives, first separately and then finally as a couple.

Cover by: Garrett Leigh. The covers by Garrett Leigh are amazing. From the composition to the color tone, she captures the heart of the characters and the location. Love it.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 249 pages
Expected publication: March 19th 2018 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleOne Under
ISBN 1626496862 (ISBN13: 9781626496866)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Porthkennack #9

SJD Peterson on Self-Sufficiency and her new release Going Off Grid (author guest blog)

Going Off Grid (States of Love) by S.J.D. Peterson

Dreamspinner Press
C0ver Art: Reese Dante

Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press

Going Off Grid

According to several news articles, smartphones are rendering teenagers lonely and distressed. As a parent, I find myself questioning if I had done the right thing giving my kids cell phones in their early teens.

When I was young, the worst thing that could happen would be getting grounded to the house. We played outside until the street lights came on, used our imaginations, played kickball, tag, built forts and rarely did we sit in front of a TV. Now, admittedly we only had about six channels and the laptop hadn’t yet been available but still….

I can also easily admit that the cell phone has given our children access to a whole new big world we didn’t have available, but that too comes with a price. I’m curious how you would do if your cell phone was taken away. For those of you who are parents, how would your children react to be taken off line?

In my upcoming novel Elliott and Clay turn their backs on technology and move off grid. They are willing to give up many of lives convinces for what they deem is most important—time with each other.

Could you do it? Could your kids?

Imagine, taking a vacation from technology. Where would you go? The mountains? The beach? Without cable and the internet what would you do to occupy your time? How long could you do it? A week? A month? Forever?

Inquiring minds want to know

~Hugs~

Should they find comparable work somewhere else, or is it time to throw caution to the wind and go after their goal—years earlier than they intended?

SJD Peterson, better known as Jo, hails from Michigan. Not the best place to live for someone who hates the cold and snow. When not reading or writing, Jo can be found close to the heater checking out NHL stats and watching the Red Wings kick a little butt. Can’t cook, misses the clothes hamper nine out of ten tries, but is handy with power tools.

Visit Jo on

Twitter: @SJDPeterson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJD.Peterson

Blog: www.sjdpeterson.com

Email: sjdpeterson@gmail.com

Tour and Giveaway: One Under by JL Merrow

One Under (Porthkennack #9) by J.L. Merrow

Riptide Publishing
Cover Art: Garrett Leigh

Purchase Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host JL Merrow here today to talk about her latest story, One Under. Welcome, JL.

✒︎

Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here today as part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of One Under, the second of my contemporary MM romances in the multi-author Porthkennack series. One Under features a romance between two characters readers of my first Porthkennack book, Wake Up Call will have already met: Mal Thomas and Jory Roscarrock—although you’d be forgiven for not recalling Jory’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Wake Up Call!

About One Under

London Underground worker Mal Thomas is staying in Porthkennack to recover from a traumatic experience. Getting more bad news from home is the last straw—until big, blond museum curator Jory Roscarrock steps up to offer some comfort.

As a doctor of English literature, Jory should be in a prestigious post at a top university. But a youthful indiscretion led him to abandon academia to come back to his hometown, Porthkennack, and the controlling family he’s never really felt a part of. He’s delighted to find a kindred spirit in Mal.

But Jory’s family hurt Mal’s best friend deeply, and while Jory is desperate to repair the damage, his own mistakes threaten to keep him and Mal apart. Meanwhile, Mal is torn between his feelings for Jory and his duty to his friend—and his fears that a failed relationship could be more than his shattered confidence can take. Jory must convince Mal it’s worth risking everything for their love.

About JL Merrow

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through is a 2013 EPIC ebook Award finalist. She is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Connect with JL:

Giveaway

To celebrate this release, one lucky winner will receive their choice of a book from JL’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 24, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

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Mage of Inconvenience by Parker Foye Dreamspinner Press Dreamspun Beyond

Mage of Inconvenience

About the Author

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March Winds Blowing In a Fresh Start

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, March 25:

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Tuesday, March 27:

Wednesday, March 28:

Thursday, March 29:

Friday, March 30:

Saturday, March 31:

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Going Off Grid (States of Love) by S.J.D. Peterson

Dreamspinner Press C0ver Art: Reese Dante

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One Under (Porthkennack #9) by J.L. Merrow

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Mage of Inconvenience by Parker Foye
Dreamspinner Press
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C0ver Art: Reese Dante