Category: Riptide Publishing

An Ali Audiobook Review: What Remains by Garrett Leigh and Craig Beck (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
what-remains-audiobookWeb designer Jodi Peters is a solitary creature. Lunch twice a week with his ex-girlfriend-turned-BFF and the occasional messy venture to a dodgy gay bar is all the company he needs, right? 

Then one night he stumbles across newly divorced firefighter Rupert O’Neil. Rupert is lost and lonely, but just about the sweetest bloke Jodi has ever known. Add in the heady current between them, and Jodi can’t help falling hard in love. He offers Rupert a home within the walls of his cosy Tottenham flat—a sanctuary to nurture their own brand of family—and for four blissful years, life is never sweeter. 

Until a cruel twist of fate snatches it all away. A moment of distraction leaves Jodi fighting for a life he can’t remember and shatters Rupert’s heart. Jodi doesn’t know him—or want to. With little left of the man he adores, Rupert must cling to what remains of his shaky faith and pray that Jodi can learn to love him again. 
I liked this but I didn’t love it. The story follows the relationship of Rupert and Jodi as they experience some serious problems. I don’t want to say more about it because it really can’t be discussed without spoilers. Unfortunately there is another pretty famous book in this genre with the same plot and I could not stop comparing the two. This book has the same dream like quality that makes this author’s writing style unique but overall I wasn’t drawn in like I usually am to her stories. I was never super attached to the characters either. I never felt emotion other than a little sadness and I feel like this should have been a tear jerker. I spent some time wondering if I would have been more emotional if I wasn’t comparing with the other book but I don’t think I would have been. There was just some connection missing for me in this book. So…..not bad by any means but wasn’t as good as I usually find this author’s work.
The audiobook was narrated by Craig Beck and I thought he did an excellent job.  His voice is wonderful and he did a equally good job on both of the main characters as well as the side characters.  I think this was the perfect narrator for this story.
Cover by: G.D. Leigh:  I like the cover.  It’s a nice, striking cover that immediately catches your eye.
Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 424 pages
Published January 3rd 2017 by Riptide Publishing (first published July 4th 2016)
Original TitleWhat Remains
ASINB01N1XNY5D
Edition LanguageEnglish

In the Spotlight: Working It (Ringside Romance #1) by Christine d’Abo ( guest post and giveaway)

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Working It (Ringside Romance #1) by Christine d’Abo
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Christine d’Abo here today to talk about her latest story, Working It.  Welcome, Christine!

📚

Thank you for having me here today. I’m so happy to be able to talk to you about my new book, WORKING IT, which is book one in my new Ringside Romance series. Don’t let the series title fool you, this is low on the boxing and high on sexual tension.

As an avid reader of all things romance, I personally love it when authors take chances and play around with what we consider typical romance tropes. Those situations that for whatever reason, really work for us as lovers of romance. One of my personal favorite tropes is the whole boss-assistant dynamic. There’s something wonderful about the tension that can be created when two people are working together, under pressure and in close quarters, that appeals to me.

I wanted to take this trope and do something a little fun with it. What would happen if both the characters were gay? What if they were so vastly different that under any other circumstance they probably never meet, let alone fall in love? What if they worked day in and day out in an office together?

In WORKING IT, Nolan Carmichael is working through the trauma of a serious car accident. He gets a job as Zack Anderson’s executive assistant, a position that no one at the company wants. Somehow the two of them work through their differences and fall in love.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

You can visit Christine at her website www.christinedabo.com, and chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. Want to keep up with Christine’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!

About Working It

Nolan Carmichael is getting a fresh start—new career, new company, new life. The only problem is, he liked his old life just fine . . . until an accident robbed him of his health, his job, his self-confidence, and his ability to go out in public without having anxiety attacks.

Zack Anderson has scared away his last four executive assistants. So when he hires Nolan on a whim, he’s not too worried, since Nolan will be gone within the week anyway. Two weeks later, Nolan has made himself indispensable, completely reforming Zack’s schedule, life . . . and libido.

But in a company already torn by internal politics, one wrong step could ruin both their careers. And not only are they working to reopen Ringside Gym, Zack’s retreat when he was a troubled teen, but they also can’t help themselves falling for each other. If only the rest of their lives could go as smoothly as things do when they’re alone together.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. 

This title is part of the Ringside Romance universe.

About Christine d’Abo

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

Connect with Christine:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Working It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 11, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Alisa Review: Rogue Magic by Kit Brisby

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

roguemagic_500x600While trapped in a stalled subway train on his morning commute, PR rep Byron Cole flirts with Levi, a young waiter with adorable curls. But Byron’s hopes for romance crash and burn when Levi saves him from a brutal explosion—with outlawed magic.

 

When Levi is imprisoned, Byron begins to question everything he’s ever believed. How can magic be evil when Levi used it to save dozens of lives? So Byron hatches a plan to save Levi that will cost him his job and probably his life. If he doesn’t pull it off, Levi will be put to death.

 

Byron discovers that he isn’t the only one questioning America’s stance on magic. And he learns that Levi is stubborn, angry, and utterly enchanting. Time is running out, though. Byron must convince Levi to trust him, to trust his own magic, and to fight against the hatred that’s forced him to hide his true nature his entire life. The more Levi opens up, the harder Byron falls. And the more they have to lose.

 

This was my first book by Kit Brisby and I wasn’t disappointed.  This story takes place in a world where those who have the ability to do magic are oppressed or imprisoned because of it.  And due to Byron’s uncle’s company many are quite afraid of what those with magic could do even though they have never seen it at work.

 

Byron has pretty much kept himself closed off after his parents’ deaths having to live in boarding schools and having an unloving uncle as his guardian.  He feels an instant connection to Levi when they meet which scares him since he has kept everyone but his best friend at arm’s length for so long.  He can’t help but keep thinking about Levi after his arrest and he starts to doubt everything he has ever been told about magic.

 

We get to see this story from a few different characters’ points of view and that goes a long way towards understanding the characters and also the world they live in.  Byron really has to prove himself to Levi and his friends through his actions for them to trust him, which he does with flying colors because when he decides to do something he goes at him 110%, even when his life is being thrown in to turmoil right along with everything else.  I loved how this author got the story across and how engaging it was.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

 

Cover art by LC Chase is wonderful; I love the visual we get of Levi and his curly hair.

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 328 pages

Published: January 30, 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 9781626495272

Edition Language: English

An Ali Review: Soothsayer by Cari Z.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

soothsayer-by-cari-zCillian Kelly can look into people’s eyes and see their fates. He’s running from a past filled with mistakes, lying low and selling his services on the sly. When he learns that Sören Egilsson, a man who sacrificed himself so Cillian could escape imprisonment two years ago, is somehow still alive, Cillian has to find out how. What he gets is the body of the man he loves possessed by an ancient spirit who draws Cillian into a battle to the death for the right to control Sören’s fate, and the power that comes with it.

I’ve read most everything this author has written and I’m a big fan of hers.  That being said, I think this is my favorite book that she’s written.  I was immediately drawn into this story and once I started it, I could not put it down.  It’s a fairly short book but a lot happens.  The blurb perfectly explains the plot.  Cillian is living with his mother’s best friend and trying to keep a low profile.  He’s been kidnapped in the past by people who want him to do bad things for them with his power.  While he’s currently doing alright, Cillian lives with a horrible regret from his past that he can’t seem to let go.  When the chance to right the wrongs he’s done comes up, Cillian jumps at the chance to make amends despite the danger to himself.  This leads Cillian, Soren and an Icelandic land spirit that acts like a teenager, to head out across the United States on a crazy road trip.  A road trip that includes bar fights, mobsters, roller coasters, paint ball fights, hand held missiles, cowboys, more ancient spirits, waffles and blowing stuff up.  

The plot is fast paced and super entertaining.  This is the kind of story that would make a great movie.  In addition to the fun plot, there are also a lot of emotions.  The author was able to weave a complex emotional story between Cillian and Soren and it was a relationship I totally bought in to.  I was rooting for these two the entire way.  I loved Cillian as the main character but I think the author did a great job on all of the side characters too.  There a lot of them but they are all fleshed out well and they are all unique and add purpose to the overall plot.  The spirit was just as important as Soren and actually had more on page time.  He stole every scene he was in with his petulant demands.  He made me laugh out loud more than once.

 I think this book has something for everyone and will appeal to a lot of readers.  It’s unique, romantic, funny and filled with great characters.  This is one I would definitely recommend.

Cover by Natasha Snow:  I love the cover.  I think it’s eye catching and gorgeous and it fits the story perfectly.

Sale Links: NineStar | Amazon | Nook

ebook, 184 pages
Published: January 30, 2017, NineStar Press
ISBN: 9781945952524
Edition Language: English

A VVivacious Release Day Review: Making Love by Aidan Wayne

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
 
makinglove_500x750Carla is a cupid working in the Puppy Love division but what she wants more than anything is to shoot a True Love match but her understanding of the chemistry that goes into making a love match is poor to say the least.
 
Leeta Absinthe is a succubus who finds herself in an odd position, as a part of a largely aromantic species, Leeta is a succubus looking for a love match. But since succubi and incubi are such a notoriously infamous species, it’s unlikely that she will ever find a cupid to help make her match.
 
But Carla and Leeta are the perfect match, Carla wants to shoot a True Love match and that is exactly what Leeta wants, true love but as these two start to work together, they might just discover something they never unexpected.
 
I loved this story, it was very interesting. I read it in a single setting. I loved the premise of the story, it was intriguingly unique.
 
Carla is a bubbly cupid, who can’t help being optimistic and I loved how much she wanted to shoot a true love match. I adored her personality on the whole. She was the cutest.
 
Leeta is a succubus and I truly didn’t know much about succubi going into this book but I have now been thoroughly educated. What I loved Leeta was her straight-forwardness. She knew what she wanted and she made the right steps to getting it. It was refreshing to see a character who knew herself so well.
 
Carla and Leeta made an awesome match and I truly think that the author got the formula to making love exactly right with these two.
 
I loved the world this book is set up in. It was extremely interesting but I do feel that this book needed a little more world-building and I do have a lot of questions about this world. Also the specifics of love were very confusing but I loved how the author did his best to make us understand and at the same time appreciate the complexity of love.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. I felt it was perfectly written, had amazing characters and a well-executed plot-line.
 
Cover Art by L. C. Chase. I loved the cover. The background has such a cupid-y feel and the stances on the cover for both Carla and Leeta, really gets their personalities across. This cover was such a great one.
Sales Links
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Book Details:
ebook, 92 pages
Expected publication: January 30th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleMaking Love
ISBN 1626495351 (ISBN13: 9781626495357)
Edition LanguageEnglish

In the Spotlight: Making Love by Aidan Wayne (giveaway)

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Making Love by Aidan Wayne
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Aidan Wayne today.  Welcome, Aidan!

Hey everyone, Aidan Wayne here! Wanted to welcome you to the blog tour for my latest release, Making Love. Throughout the week I will be sharing behind-the-scenes information about Making Love, and the inspiration behind it. Please feel free to participate in and comment on the tour. By doing so, you also get the chance to receive a $15 Riptide gift card!

About Making Love

Carla the cupid is an excellent shot, but her chemistry is so bad that most of her matches don’t last. Her dream is to shoot a True Love pair, but until her scores improve, she’s relegated to the Puppy Love division of Aphrodite Agency.

Leeta, a succubus, is looking for a True Love match. Which is highly unusual, as most succubi are aromantic. But Aphrodite Agency—her only hope—turns her away because the receptionist can’t believe she’s not just looking for an easy meal.

Carla agrees to take Leeta’s case on freelance. She figures it’s a win-win: Carla gets to put a succubus’s True Love match on her résumé, and Leeta gets to find her True Love! Except as Carla tries to find a match for Leeta, she finds herself maybe . . . relieved when the matches don’t end well. And Leeta seems to be getting pickier and pickier. Things will never work out until Carla learns enough about chemistry to figure out who’s truly best for Leeta, and until Leeta can admit what—or who—she truly wants.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/making-love

About Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne is a big believer in character-driven stories with happy endings. This is not to say that stories can’t contain a little (or a lot) of grief, just that at the end of it all expect there to be bandages and hugs. They particularly like to write about minority characters because damn it, they deserve happy endings too.

When not writing, Aidan enjoys practicing aerial, martial arts, and ASL, and watching reality cooking shows. They are probably in the middle of twelve projects as you read this.

Tumblr: justsayins.tumblr.com
Twitter: @justsayins
Website: aidanwayne.wordpress.com

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Making Love, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 4, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Stella Review: Whiteout (Seasons of Love #1) by Elyse Springer

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

whiteout_600x900Noah Landers wakes up one day with a headache and no memory of where—or who—he is. Jason, the man taking care of him, tries to fill in some of the blanks: they’re in a cabin in Colorado on vacation, and Noah slipped on ice and hit his head. But even with amnesia, Noah knows Jason is leaving out something important.

Jason O’Reilly is sexy as hell, treats Noah like he’s precious, and seems determined to make this the romantic getaway they’d apparently dreamed of together. But Noah’s more concerned that he’s trapped alone with Jason in the middle of a blizzard while his slowly-returning memories bring hints of secrets and betrayal.

Noah’s not sure what’s the truth and what’s a lie. But as he learns who he is—and who Jason is to him—he’s forced to reevaluate everything he believes about himself, about loyalty . . . and about love.

Noah wakes up from a fall and can’t remember his own name and who is the person with whom he is sharing a cabin on Christmas time in the middle of a blizzard. He seems to be Jason, his boyfriend but is this the truth? Are Noah and Jason their true names?

Whiteout is the first book in the Season of Love series by Elyse Springer and the author debut novel. A lovely debut book, well written, engaging and with loveable characters. I’m so happy I found a new author I truly enjoyed.

In Whiteout we see Noah slowly get his memories back, flashback after flashback. We see him doubt Jason and their love, but he can’t deny (and it’s clear for the reader too) the attraction and chemistry between them. We see him finally remember everything and be brave and honest with himself and Jason. The book is divided into two parts, in the first one the plot is focused on the MCs, being in a cabin in the middle of nowhere there is really no space for secondary characters. And there, I started to understand where the story was going but I was very curious to see how the author would develop the novel. I have to say I loved this book very much, although it didn’t surprise me in the plot, it surprised me in the development, especially in the second part. I loved how determined Nathan was at showing Jason who he really was and how powerful his love was. I liked the secondary characters I met later and I can’t wait to read their own stories.

I can say Whiteout was a success to me and I’m very interested in reading the coming books even if not all of them will be mm stories. Highly recommend it.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is well done, I like the artist style and all the covers in this series are well done and fitting.

Sales Links

Riptide Publishing

BOOK DETAILS

only listed at Amazon in paperback

Kindle Edition, 276 pages

Published January 23rd 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-62649-511-1

Edition Language English

Series Season of Love #1

RIPTIDE Tour: Whiteout by Elyse Springer (giveaway)

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Whiteout (Seasons of Love #1) by Elyse Springer
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Natasha Snow

Read an Excerpt/Purchase it here at Riptide Publishing

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Elyse Springer here today to talk about her recent release, Whiteout.  Welcome, Elyse!

~

Hello! I’m Elyse, and welcome to the blog tour for my new release, Whiteout! This is the first book in the Seasons of Love series, and I can’t wait to introduce you to Noah and Jason.

About Whiteout

Noah Landers wakes up one day with a headache and no memory of where—or who—he is. Jason, the man taking care of him, tries to fill in some of the blanks: they’re in a cabin in Colorado on vacation, and Noah slipped on ice and hit his head. But even with amnesia, Noah knows Jason is leaving out something important.

Jason O’Reilly is sexy as hell, treats Noah like he’s precious, and seems determined to make this the romantic getaway they’d apparently dreamed of together. But Noah’s more concerned that he’s trapped alone with Jason in the middle of a blizzard while his slowly returning memories bring hints of secrets and betrayal.

Noah’s not sure what’s the truth and what’s a lie.  But as he learns who he is—and who Jason is to him—he’s forced to reevaluate everything he believes about himself, about loyalty . . . and about love.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/whiteout

About Elyse Springer

Elyse is an author and world-traveler, whose unique life experiences have helped to shape the stories that she wants to tell. She writes romances with LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, and believes that every person deserves a Happily Ever After. When she’s not staring futilely at her computer screen, El spends her time adding stamps to her passport, catching up on her terrifying TBR list, and learning to be a better adult.

She’s always happy to chat with other readers, and you can find her online at:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Whiteout, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 28, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!