Review: Wicked Winds (3.5 Elemental Elements Pulp Friction 2014) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Wick Templeton and Ned Harris have begun to settle into their relationship after the traumatic events of the past year. So when Ned decides to go west to Arizona to check on an old friend, Wick goes with him. That each man’s past is about to collide in Mountain Shadows, Arizona, is something neither saw coming.

Can Ned’s past break the men apart when Wick’s past pulled them together? What waits for them and their relationship on top of the mountains of Arizona, and what surprises lie in store for Wick and Ned that will change the way they look at each other forever?

Wick, Wick, Wick. How I love that man! I became addicted to him in Havan Fellows’ Wicked Ways series from Pulp Friction 2013 and now he’s back and I couldn’t be happier. But this time, it’s Wick who is along for the ride and its Ned’s mission they are on. Quite a switch up. And that strange change about of roles continues throughout this story. What an astonishing group of surprises, no shocks, really, that are in store for us all, characters included.

Ned is there to find an old friend. Wick is there to figure out how that friend fits into their newly established relationship. That and check up on Cannon and the problems he has been hearing about from Chance and Rory. Mountain Shadows is just one violent episode away from a complete meltdown on many fronts and Wick and Ned are there to add flame to the fire.

This is a short story and almost anything I can say about the plot falls into spoiler territory as the shocks start immediately when we find out just who Ned’s friend and partner was. Didn’t see that one coming. The implications are huge for all and the guns and knives are out the minute Wick’s opens the doors on his and Ned’s rental car.

Wick and Ned are never good at talking about their relationship, what it means to them and where it’s going. But that will have to change and it does in an astonishing manner. The emotional confrontations here are intimate, painful, angry and no amount of scared. But who comes apart is just as unexpected as the rest of the story. Fellows’ plot eddies and swirls, with elements from last year’s series intermixing with those of this year’s Elemental Connections. It works and the mixture proves as explosive and addicting as all the rest.

Will we see them all again? Not sure because no one is sure what happens next. Not the characters nor the readers. And that’s the way I like my mysteries…and my men, uh characters that is. Rowen and Wicked, what a fabulous duo! I can’t wait to see what Havan Fellows has in store for them next. Stay tuned.

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love it.

Buy Links: All Romance ebooks (ARe) Amazon Wicked Winds

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Published August 6th 2014 by Appleton Publishing Avenue
ASINB00MHVFDPM

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round 3 and 4 Side Stories:

Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (a In From the Cold story)
Wicked Winds by Havan Fellows (PF2014 3.5)

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Review: Out in the Cold (In From the Cold #4) (Pulp Friction 2014 #14) by Lee Brazil

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The summer is coming to an end and with it, Dr. Cannon Malloy’s temporary job at the hospital and his stay at Mountain Shadows. And now that Cannon should be preparing to say his goodbyes to Flaggstaff and the people he has gotten to know so well, he finds that’s the last thing he wants to do. His reluctance to leave especially applies to the relationship that has grown up between himself and Prof.Finn Lorensson. Cannon has figured out that he loves Finn but what does Finn feel about Cannon? That Cannon sets out to explore. He wants to wine and dine and plain romance the heck out of Finn before its too late.

But Finn Lorensson has other things on the mind, huge problems that are getting bigger and bigger. His brother Siggy is due in court on the trumped up rape charge, And someone is out to get Finn at all costs. Finn is beginning to think that Cannon is safer far away from him and Mountain Shadows even as the thought of Cannon leaving seems unbearable.

What happens when romance and danger collide? Will the evil hunting Finn keep the men apart just when love has found them both?

This story and series (like its companions) is getting harder and harder to review. Why? Because the reviewer ends up saying the same things repeatedly. The standards here are so high for excellence in character, plots, and writing that its hard to find something new to say. But I’ll give it a whirl.

Out In The Cold is the penultimate story in Lee Brazil’s In From The Cold Pulp Friction 2014 group series. There are five stories individually and then one sixth story written by all four authors for a finale. So as you can imagine, things are getting ready to explode for all the characters living in Mountain Shadows. The past is returning in multiple ways to each and every one. Old friends are showing up. So are old enemies and lovers. And you can feel the mountain air crackle with suspense.

Lee Brazil’s Cannon Malloy is a character that has found himself in Mountain Shadows. He’s come into his own skin and sexuality over the course of the stories. And that solidification of character has made him someone the readers can love. What a redemption for a man who almost single handedly destroyed Chance Dumont (from the PF2013 series). Then Cannon was a figure of contempt and pity. Now? Lee Brazil has painstakingly turned this persona around until we believe in him as much as he has begun to. What a tremendous journey we have been on with him.

The person who has not only witnessed that turn about but caused most of it is Prof. Finn Lorensson. An intelligent, Thor lookalike, Finn has layers upon layers to him. And all those layers are in love with Cannon Malloy. Finn is deeply connected to his town and the people there, including his brother, Siggy. Siggy is in trouble and it points back to Finn. Finn has had problems at the college he teaches at, and they inadvertently involved Cannon as well. Brazil has taken great care to make Finn as vulnerable, and fallible as possible to offset the image of a Nordic god made human. Finn needs his human frailties in order for the readers to connect with him and for Cannon to believably fall in love with him. Give us someone too perfect and it just wouldn’t work amidst this oh so human cast of characters. How I love Finn too with his sense of honor and loyalty.

Someone is out to get Finn, no matter the cost to him and those around him. With Out in the Cold, Lee Brazil’s narrative turns the proverbial corner as the race is on to the finish. The plot set up is done. The suspense has been building as has the mystery. Now as Cannon’s opens himself up to the pain of rejection in his quest for love from Finn, the stakes are heartbreakingly high for each man. How high becomes apparent by the end of the story. Danger is everywhere. It”s personal, it will get physical, and the anticipation is nigh killing me here.

What a magnificent series, what a fantastic set of characters and mysteries to boot! Will Cannon and Finn make it to their HEA? I can’t wait to find out! Neither will you. I hope you have been following along with me with this series (and their connected series). But if this is a new story, or author, then make haste and check out the list of the Pulp Friction 2014 authors and series at the bottom of the review. Read them in order. They are like the best bonbons in the world. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop. These are fictional delights for the soul and all of them will have their special place on ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014!

Buy Links: All Romance (ARe) Amazon Out in the Cold

Cover art by Laura Harner. Everything about these covers works wonderfully. The PF2014 logo with the mountains at the top, the models, and the landscape at the bottom. Perfect for the story and for branding the series!

Book Details:

ebook
Published July 31st 2014 by Lime Time Press
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #14,

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round 4.5 Side Stories:

Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (a In From the Cold story)
Wicked Winds by Havan Fellows (PF2014 4.5)

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Review: Moving Mountains (Separate Ways #3) by Laura Harner

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Lord Jamie Mainwaring isn’t sure what the future holds for him. The devastating betrayals of the last mission aboard the Caribbean cruise have left him feeling emotionally battered and shaky. The closer Jamie looked at the events that caused the death of his lover and almost his life, the more deceit he uncovered. Soon Jamie realizes that he has been manipulated and lied to for most of his life. Shattered and uncertain, Jamie realizes that there is only one man he can trust and turn to in this web of manipulation and deception….the man he left behind twice, Detective Remy Remington.

Detective Remy Remington and Miguel “Miggy” Rojas have moved forward in their lives together in Phoenix, Arizona. Their security business has taken off, and so has their relationship. Partners in everything, from a business to adopting one of the unfortunate boys from the London mission, Remy and Miggy are happy together. But all that is about to change.

Remy’s former chief at the PD is dead, Remy’s name scratched in the dirt by his body. Miggy was once an addict as was his twin sister. Now she reappears on their doorstep and trouble is following her. And on top of all that, Jamie arrives needing support and assistance from Remy, a situation that leaves Miggy unsettled and more than a little jealous.

With so many problems needing investigation and personal issues unsettled, the danger is just beginning for all three and it might just cost them their relationships and their lives.

If you are anything like me and fell in love with all three main characters in the Separate Ways series…Lord Jamie Mainwarring, Det. Remy Remington, and Miggy Rojas…then this is the book that will leave you feeling as devastated as Jamie did at the end of Oceans Apart. Make no mistake, this is as outstanding a story as it is emotionally wrenching. And that fact alone will have people hurling their books at walls, howling and bawling buckets here. Why? Because Laura Harner puts us and her characters through the proverbial wringer in Moving Mountains, a book you will hate to love.

In Continental Divide and Oceans Apart, we watched the dance of attraction and deep connection that developed between Lord Jamie Mainwaring and Detective Remy Remington. First in a case in London involving missing young boys and murder in Continental Divide (Separate Ways #1), then on a gay cruise on an ocean liner in Oceans Apart. On each occasion and mission that brings them together, the timing is off although the attraction remains white hot. Both characters (and satellite ones) are superbly written. These are nuanced, layered personas, easy to believe in and even easier to love and connect with.

And with each story, Laura Harner builds our frustration and anxiety over their relationship and personal obstacles in between them. One of these “obstacles” is Miguel “Miggy” Rojas. And old friend of Remy’s, he appears early in the series in need of drying out and support. Which he gets from Remy. Theirs is a deep, complicated relationship but the more you see of Miggy the more you come to love him as well. That’s a nifty feat for a character that by his very presence keeps our two main characters apart.

The tag line of Moving Mountains is “It’s easier to move a mountain than escape the past.” That is certainly true of the story here. Harner’s excellent plot has as many layers and complications as its characters. There are mysteries and murders to solve, connections you will never see coming, and events that will leave you in tears, just devastated at the turn of events. Yes, parts of this book are hard to experience. But the choices that Harner makes here as an author are also logical and necessary. For some fans and readers, that will be their hardest obstacle to overcome with this story and perhaps even the series.

The past certainly comes back to haunt all three characters here and as the sequence of events plays out, Laura Harner is setting the stage for the final story in the Separate Ways series, Prevailing Winds (Separate Ways #4). As we sail towards the finale, I can say that this has been a moving and memorable voyage. I have come to love these men through each intricately plotted and beautifully written story. I have loved and cried with them. And then cried some more. And wouldn’t have missed a page of it, even with all the turmoil involved.

If you are new to the series, then please start with Continental Divide to see how these two men meet and separate the first time around. Then onto to Oceans Apart and here at Moving Mountains. Then you will be prepared for Prevailing Winds, just like me. Or at least I hope we will be prepared. With Laura Harner you never know. It will be a wonderful rollercoaster, that is for certain. Consider this story and the series, highly recommended!

Cover art by Laura Harner. The simple restrained design works beautifully here.

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Moving Mountains

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 199 pages
Published October 29th 2013 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB00GAQGH00
edition languageEnglish
seriesSeparate Ways #3

Separate Ways Series in the order they were written and should be read:

Continental Divide by Laura Harner and Lisa Worrell
Oceans Apart (Separate Ways #2) by Laura Harner
Moving Mountains (Separate Ways #3) by Laura Harner
Prevailing Winds (Separate Ways #4) by Laura Harner

Review: Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner (Pulp Friction 2014 Series)

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Following his recent meltdown during a fire on Mountain Shadows and the increasing frequency of his nightmares, Scott McGregor is unsure of everything…his home, his future, and his relationship with Robby Hammond. Scott is buried under the guilt he feels about the accident that caused his disability and another’s injury. And now that he knows about Robby’s children and previous marriage, he wonders how he will fit into the new family dynamics, if at all.

Rob Hammond has gone to bring his children home from his mother-in-law’s house where they have been staying. He wants to introduce them to Scott and their new home on Mountain Shadows. He loves Scott and hopes that with his children in their home, it will send a message about how serious Rob is about their relationship and their future together.

But a new danger to Mountain Shadows campground grows bolder and soon events start to escalate out of control. When the fires flare up around them, can Rob and Scott keep each other and Rob’s family safe from harm?

With Flare-up, Laura Harner starts the journey towards the end of the series and the resolution to the Elemental Connections series finale. Events are on a collision course as more acts of vandalism and arson increase and the personal problems of Scott McGregor soar.

Laura Harner brings Rob’s adorable family into the picture at the beginning of the story. His children are endearing and it shows yet another element in Robby’s personality, that of a loving father and family man. We are given a few more hints of Rob and Scott’s background and a temporary reprieve from the suspense and dangers present at the Mountain Shadows campground these days. I just love this segment and wanted it to go on much longer. So will you.

Scott’s inability to deal with his disability and departure from the profession of firefighter is given forward movement out of the present stasis here. The author uses a wonderfully realistic method to shock Scott into looking at his current abilities and future in a pragmatic and raw way. I thought this was a necessary and authentic moment for the reader and Scott. It brought some of the dangers of being a wildfire firefighter into play and the vivid descriptions of the heat, smoke and agility needed to handle the equipment and quickness of the fires brought such a hazard and tragedy to life.

This is not a story or series you can get comfortable in. As soon as you settle in to a certain mind frame, Laura Harner is just as quick to jerk you out of it with some new aspect of her plot or new revelation about the problems and events occurring on Mountain Shadows campground and this couples relationship. It’s all about building up to some gargantuan disclosure and overwhelming event that will happen in the last stories. Laura Harner is an expert at building an atmosphere of suspense and anticipation needed to sustain the necessary momentum. And with Flare-up both the title and the plot start us running towards the fire.

I loved this. It makes me want to go back and reread all the stories that preceeded it. I want to savor the buildup and the events that Laura Harner is using as the ingredients for her series finale. This is a highly recommended story and series. Put it on your must read lists now. But make sure you start at the beginning. That’s absolutely necessary in order to understand, enjoy, and yes, savor, the full intensity and layers to this plot. Book No. 5 here I come!!!!!

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love the covers, love the branding for the series.

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Flare-up

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 72 pages
Published July 14th 2014 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB00LTED5H6
edition languageEnglish

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Side Stories or Interludes:

Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (a In From the Cold story)

Review: Tremors (Earthquake #3) (Pulp Friction 2014 #12) by T.A. Webb

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It’s when you think you have your world in order that the tremors start, signaling the earthquakes to come. Charlie Turner thinks he has everything under control. Charlie and his boyfriend, Amos Greene, are in a good place finally. He is at home in Mountain Shadows and his business is good. Even his younger brother, Damon, has ditched the bad crowd and is doing better at home. Charlie’s life is at a good place. Then his ex-boyfriend, Chip McNair, reappears and the peace is shattered.

And in the midst of all the frightening events taking place on Mountain Shadows, someone Charlie loves disappears. That disappearance and possible threat reawakens old demons in Charlie that he thought he had buried. As the tremors begin and Charlie’s foundation begins to crack, can Charlie survive and who will be there to pick up the pieces?

In a series titled Earthquakes, you just know that any sense of safety and calm will be short lived. In Tremors, T.A. Webb delivers not just tremors but the beginnings of the huge seismic waves to come that will shatter everything around Charlie and those he loves.

Webb’s romance between Charlie and the prickly Amos has settled down to a lovely relationship. We have invested ourselves not only in Charlie and Amos but in Charlie’s troubled younger brother, Damon, as well. Damon has finally come around, Amos has an enjoyable snarcastic bond with Damon, and things are good. And that’s when the tremors appears.

Chip McNair, the ex, wants Charlie back and Amos is not happy. As T.A. Webb builds the drama around the couples dance (old vs new) and the boyfriends vie for Charlie’s love, the author brings in more mystery and suspense when a person close to Charlie goes missing. From puzzlement to terror, the emotions shift as the power of the situation and angst builds. What an incredible job the author does in creating a situation fraught with apprehension, a growing sense of alarm, and then shear unadulterated pain and horror at the end.

What happens within these 40 pages is a small marvel, it’s the shattering of someone’s world, and it’s devastating. As Charlie (and others) moves from one happy state of mind to the wreckage at the end, the reader is at his side, maintaining the same sense of dread and anxiety as Charlie and the other characters around him. And that ending? Heartbreaking and real.

This is a must read story in a must read series in one of the top recommendations for this year, the Pulp Friction 2014 Elemental Connections series. But this and all the other stories must be read in order. The relationships and characters are complex, the situation around them growing ever more dangerous by the day, and the patterns between them still not apparent. So start at the beginning of each author’s series and work your way forward. I have listed them all for you at the bottom. Use it as a checklist so you don’t miss out on any of them.

Tremors is outstanding! It’s one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Highly Recommended Stories of 2014!

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Tremors

Cover art by Laura Harner. Just wonderful.

Book Details:

ebook, 40 pages
Published June 30th 2014 by A Bear on Books (first published June 29th 2014)
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #12, Earthquake #3

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Review: Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) (Pulp Friction 2014 #11) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Rowen Smithe and Mick Rutger are men that come with their own special brand of complications and impressive set of problems attached to each of them. Rowen Smithe wears his some complexities and special issues like clothing. But not all. Rowen’s other problems, like the voice in his head, are more deeply buried and waiting to come out.

Mick Rutger’s sunny disposition and impetuous manner is hiding a past that he hoped he had buried when Mick came to Mountain Shadows. Rowen Smithe, his neighbor and new love interest, has finally agreed to a dinner cooked by Mick and that is all he has been thinking about. But the dinner and its aftermath have left a wake of new problems for them both.

While Mick is weighing his next move and Rowen is doing his best to hide, an old enemy arrives at the campground. The winds of change are blowing strong. Who will be left standing after the storm has passed?

In Rowen Smithe, Havan Fellows has created a character that continues to surprise me with each new layer of his persona that comes to the surface in the Whispering Winds series. A cruel and dismissive voice in his head? Check. Self appointed guardian of the woods who will use any means at his disposal to keep all safe? Check. An overwhelming need to hide from all but a few? Check. Paranoid, competant, intelligent, and gorgeous. But is he sane? Hmmm. Not sure. He is the gift of a conundrum that keeps on giving. And boy, does he do that in spades here. Do I love this character? Indeed I do.

Havan Fellows has then paired him up with as unlikely a fellow as could be. I often think of Mick Rutger as a human Golden Retriever. Affable, good hearted, loyal, and fun to have around, Mick’s impetuous nature can get him into trouble. Handsome, quick to laugh, too quick to act, and an attention span that….squirrel…..that wanders. He is almost impossible to dislike even when you are sighing in dismay over something that he has done or said. And of all things to grab his attention, that would be the dark question mark of Mountain Shadows, Rowen Smithe. It’s a fascinating, unlikely, and perilous combination that has made this series a compulsive read for me in every way.

For the last two stories, Fellows has kept these two unlikely mates in a fight and flee sort of pattern. Mostly with Rowen fleeing. Whether it is into his cabin, into the woods or up his tree or all three combined, Mick has had to make the decision to follow when Rowen leads or pursue where Rowen has fled. It’s been funny, sad, and totally entertaining. But now a tentative peace has been obtained and Rowen has made the huge commitment to each food someone else has cooked and attend a dinner/date at Mick’s cabin that has been especially prepared for him. To understand just how big a decision that is for Rowen, you have to read the preceding stories. That’s how Blown Hard starts off and then quickly turns into something totally unexpected and sort of shocking when yet another dimension of Rowen is revealed to Mick and the reader. And neither of us was prepared for it.

Fellow’s narrative is concise, taut, and it flows quickly from start to finish, barely pausing for us to gasp at the shocks along the way. This is the darkest of all the stories to date and the most compelling to read.

This is a story of the perceived cracks in people’s characters that become exposed for the deep and camouflaged crevices they always were. And it’s not just Rowen’s flaws and elements of his character that are exposed here but some of Mick’s as well. This story is so well titled because Havan Fellows’s hard winds blow through the plot, scrapping away superficial notions and assumptions you have made about these people (and ones that they have made about each other) to leave something very fundamental and naked exposed at the end. It will leave you in a state of disbelief and in immediate need for more.

I need more. Much, much more. So will you. This (and the whole Pulp Friction 2014 author series) is a must read. But please, dont’ start here. Go running to the first book in the series. Grab it and prepare yourself for a wonderful rollercoaster ride of emotions, romance and explosive secrets! I have listed all the stories, all the authors and their interconnected series for 2014 below. Use it as a check list, don’t miss out on any of them.

Definitely one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Highly Recommended Stories, and Series of the Year!

Cover art by Laura Harner. I love these covers and Laura Harner has done a beautiful job of branding not only the series and all the Pulp Friction 2014 Mountain Shadows interconnected series.

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Blown Hard

Book Details:

ebook, First, 58 pages
Published June 15th 2014 by Appleton Publishing Avenue
ASINB00L02WUR8
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #11, Whispering Winds

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

More Winner Announcements and the Week Ahead at ScatteredThoughts

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It’s the 13th already? How the time just flies by, it will be August before we know it and there is still so much I have to do. And that’s inside, outside and at my desk. Trying different things on the blog, so if you see bits appear and then disappear, you know I am tinkering, albeit in my Scatteredway.

❖And I have a question for you all. How important is it for you to have a review blog with one reviewer or multiple reviewers? When a review blog has more than one reviewer, do you remember the individual reviewers name or just the review? This inquiring mind wants to know….thanks.

I have several winner announcements to make. The winners of the following contests are (all have been notified):

Of Madeleine Ribbon’s “Faire Protector“Contest: the winner is JeanReads2
Of Mina MacLeod’s Swords,Sorcery and Sundry Contest: the winner is felinewyvern
Of B.A. Tortuga’s Wolf Run: the winner is JillP
Of Eden Winter’s Diversion Tour: the winner is Karen R.
Of Havan Fellows’ Hidden Needs Tour: the winner is Allison H.
Eric Thompson’s “Absolute” Book Tour & contest: the winner is Serena

More to come. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to everyone who left comments and participated. You rock my world! RJ Scott’s contest is still open so don’t forget to drop by and leave a comment to be entered into her terrific giveaway.

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I have been reading lots of new authors, to me at any rate. Rory Ni Coiliean, Lou Sylvre, and Charley Descoteaux in advance of some upcoming book tours and I can’t wait to share some of their stories with you. I am also reading the next in Kendall McKenna’s Strength of the Pack series, Strength the Mate, and its blowing me away. Look for my review this Saturday.

What can’t I share? Riptide has made me promise not to talk about Aleksandr Voinov’s final story in the Scorpion series, A Taste For Poison. But do I love this story? Yes. Do I love this character and series? Absolutely. Not a romance by any means but that’s fine. That term doesn’t work for a story as brutal at times as this has been. But it is so outstanding that I would more readers would find it and spread the word. I am also reading, viewing, whatever you do with a photograph non fiction book, a book of photographs taken of different drag queens called, appropriately dr.a.g. (bookthefilm edition). The pictures by various photographers are glorious as are the drag performers inside. I can’t wait to share my review of that with you as well.

But enough of what’s still in progress, here is the week I have planned for you all this week:

Monday, July 14:

On Tour with SE Jakes and her latest release Running Wild (contest)
Book Blast with SA McAuley and “Damaged Package” Tour and Contest

Tuesday, July 15:

T.A. Chase’s Mountains to Climb “What’s His Passion?” Imprint Book Tour/Contest
Audio Book Tour: Tara Lain’s The Pack or the Panther Tour/Contest
Review: Running Wild by SE Jakes

Wednesday, July 16:

On Tour with L.A. Witt and Noble Metals, a Steampunk Romance (contest)
Review: Noble Metals by L.A. Witt

Thursday, July 17:

In the Author Spotlight: Angel Martinez and her Endangered Fae series (contest)
Book Blast: Jennifer Cie’s Down On The Other Street Story Collection (contest)

Friday, July 18:

Diana DeRicci’s “Not Quite Broken” Book Blast and Contest
Does Size Matter? Find out with Sean Michael’s Size Matters Book Tour/Contest

Saturday, July 19:

Review: Strength of the Mate by Kendall McKenna

I want to leave you all with two summer cocktails to drink if you are watching the World Soccer Cup in Brazil or just hanging out. Whether your teams lost or in the finals, here are two drinks for you:

Sangria Flora

Created by St. Germain

1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Dry White Wine
1 cup St-Germain
2 Fresh Peaches
5-6 Fresh Strawberries
6 Fresh Raspberries
1 bunch Fresh Grapes

Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Soak for approximately 15 minutes (or longer if desired). Serve in an ice-filled glass, then telephone your physician and regale him with stories of your exemplary fruit consumption. Serve with St-Germain spoon-straws to enjoy the fruit while drinking

MangoCarnivale SVEDKA Mango Carnivale
Created by SVEDKA

1 ½ oz. SVEDKA Mango Pineapple
½ oz. SVEDKA Vanilla
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
8-10 Mint Leaves
3-4 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Combine mint leaves, simple syrup and fresh lime juice in a Collins glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle. Fill three quarters of the glass with more crushed ice and add SVEDKA Mango Pineapple and SVEDKA Vanilla-then swizzle again. Top with crushed ice and then float a layer of bitters on top. Garnish with mint sprigs.

June 2014 Summary of Reviews and June’s Best Covers

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June 2014 Book Review Summary

*Key:
S series
C contemporary
F-fantasy
SF-science fiction
PN-paranormal
SP-supernatural
H-historical
HR-horror
N-Nonfiction
YA-young adult

Rating Scale: 1 to 5, 5 stars is outstanding

5 Star Rating:

Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair by Amy Lane C,S
Cold Feet by Lee Brazil C, S*
Diego (Endangered Fae #2) by Angel Martinez F, S
Isle of Waves by Sue Brown C, S*
Swords, Sorcery and Sundry by Mina MacLeod, F, S*

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

Apollo’s Curse by Brad Vance (4.25) F, SN
Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux (4.5) C, S
Duty to the Crown by Rebecca Cohen (4.25) H, S
Finn (Endangered Fae) by Angel Martinez (4.5) F, S
Let It Ride by L.C. Chase (4) C, S
Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan (4.25) F
Nothing But Smoke by Daisy Harris (4) C, S
Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon (4.25), C
The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen (4) H, S
The Dog Trainer by Owen Keehnen (4) C
Voodoo ‘n’ Vice by K.C. Burn (4.25) SF, S

3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Dinner At Home by Rick R. Reed, (3.75) C, S
Out of the Gate by E. M. Lynley (3.75) C

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

None

*rounded up to 5 stars

Best Covers of April 2014

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Photographic Covers and Non Photographic Covers:

Dinner At Home, cover by Reese Dante
Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair, cover by Catt Ford
Granby Knitting Menagerie, cover by Catt Ford
Isle of Waves, cover by L.C. Chase
Let Ir Ride, cover by L.C. Chase
Miles and the Magic Flute, cover by Wilde City Press
Out of the Gate, cover by Reese Dante
Nothing But Smoke, cover by Kanaxa

Get Diverted with Lucky, Bo and Eden Winters’ Diversion Book Tour (contest)

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Do the names “Lucky” Lucklighter and Bo Schollenberger rings any bells for you? Well, they should. Lucky and Bo are the heart of Eden Winter’s Diversion series, one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords all time favorites. Diversion, the book that started it all, is now out in its 2nd Edition. And for all of you new to the series, this is a wonderful time to get acquainted with these two complicated and undeniably sexy men.

Contest: As a part of the tour, Eden Winters and Pride Promotions has brought an eBook copy of Diversion to give away. To enter visit the Rafflecopter link here and below. Must be 18 years of age to enter. Contest ends 7/11.

At the moment there are 3 books out in the Diversion series, and a fourth on the way. So if you are like me and love to sink your teeth into a couple with multiple books to their story and more coming, then this is the series for you! Don’t miss out on the excerpt and blurb below. Here are the stories in the order they were written and should be read to understand these complex men, their growing relationship and the events that occur:

A ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords 5 – Star Series by Eden Winters:

Diversion (Diversion #1)
Collusion (Diversion #2)
Corruption (Diversion #3)
Manipulation (Diversion #4) coming soon

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Book Name: Diversion (2nd edition)

Author Name: Eden Winters
Author Bio:
Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family’s pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.

She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, “We could do this, you know.” Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ characters; hello plots and sex scenes. So far that’s produced such award winning novels as The Wish, Settling the Score, The Angel of Thirteenth Street, Duet, Naked Tails, and Diversion.

Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad Thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she’s a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.

For more information about Eden, please visit her website at http://www.edenwinters.com. Be sure to look for Eden’s soon-to-be-published works: A Matter of When and Manipulation.

To follow/contact Eden Winters use Author Links:

Book Details:
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books

Blurb:

There are good guys, bad guys, and then there’s Lucky.  Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter flaunts his past like a badge of honor. He speaks his mind, doesn’t play nice, and flirts with disaster while working off his sentence with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. If he can keep out of trouble a while longer he’ll be a free man–after he trains his replacement.  Textbook-quoting, by the book Bo Schollenberger is everything Lucky isn’t. Lucky slurps coffee, Bo lives caffeine free. Lucky worships bacon, Bo eats tofu. Lucky trusts no one, Bo calls suspects by first name. Yet when the chips are down on their shared case of breaking up a drug diversion ring, they may have more in common than they believe.  Two men. Close quarters. Friction results in heat. But Lucky scoffs at partnerships, no matter how thrilling the roller-coaster. Bo has two months to break down Lucky’s defenses… and seconds are ticking by.

Buy Link: Rocky Ridge Books

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Excerpt:

The door flew open and Lucky made a grab. He rammed Bo’s back against the wall, setting off an automated hand dryer. Lucky ignored the hot air wafting over his arm, slammed his mouth hard against Bo’s, and shoved his leg between the man’s thighs. They devoured each other’s mouths, no hesitant tender kiss, but a release of tightly coiled passion. Tongues intertwined, each man sifted fingers through the other’s hair, tugging closer.
Below their belts their bodies followed suit, Lucky rutting against Bo’s firm thigh in an old-as-time mating rhythm. I’m going to blow in my jeans and I don’t give a fuck.

Lucky’s overwhelmed brain yielded up a single clear warning: someone might walk in. Mouths joined, he danced them toward a stall without breaking contact. A condom machine hung on the wall at an awkward angle. A handwritten sign proclaimed, “Out of Order.” Damn it!

At this rate, he wouldn’t last long enough to wrap his meat anyway. He wrestled them both into a stall, and slammed and locked the door behind him.

 Tour Date: 7/3/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Amanda C. Stone, Fallen Angel Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Full Moon Dreaming, Velvet Panic, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake, Iyana Jenna, Nephylim, MM Good Book Reviews, EE Montgomery, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Havan Fellows, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Hearts on Fire, Angel Martinez, My Fiction Nook

Contest Prize: Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Diversion

Rafflecopter Code: <a id=”rc-7d5bb763″ class=”rafl” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7d5bb763/” rel=”nofollow”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src=”//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js”></script>

Review: Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Many things brought Cannon Malloy west from Atlanta. Cannon wanted to put his past behind him, including ex boyfriends and the trauma that went along with them. Cannon most importantly want to find out what it meant to finally live his life as an out gay man after years of living in the closet. But that initial step out of his self deception didn’t mean Cannon felt comfortable as a gay man until now. With help from his flamboyant neighbor at Mountain Shadows and some well applied eye liner, Cannon is ready to try once more to connect with the handsome Finn Lorensson. With a newfound sense of self-appreciation and confidence he approaches Finn’s cabin with more than lust on the mind to make up for their last unhappy encounter and repair some of the damage he caused.

But professor Finn has plenty of problems of his own, one especially that arose around a malicious student and his impact on Cannon. Finn’s unsure of how to proceed, with the student and the newly confident Cannon. Both require his immediate attention and how he handles them both might mean the end of his tenure as a professor and any chance of happiness he might find with Cannon.

Cannon finally seems over his own brand of cold feet when it comes to Finn and relationships. But how long that will last and what Finn will do about it is anyone’s guess.

Of all the interconnected Pulp Friction 2014 series, Lee Brazil’s seems the most introspective of the four. With all the others, while the characters are undergoing emotional upheavals and personal problems, they are also being impacted by outside forces and obstacles. But Cannon and Finn are grappling, almost solely, with Cannon’s past and its effect on each other and the possibility of a relationship. Cannon Malloy is the fulcrum of In From the Cold. He is the pivotal element on which most of the plot threads rest or emanate from. A character displaced after the events in Atlanta (Pulp Friction 2013), Cannon was an ambivalent character, deeply closeted, married and the cause of much pain to the main character Chance. He ran from Atlanta to Flagstaff, unable to operate due to the events that occurred in Atlanta and is floundering in his role as a professor. From a dislikable personality to one clearly in need of compassion and understanding, Brazil has moved Cannon through his journey in cautious, fearful steps to this point. It’s been realistic and painful.

Reacting to Cannon is professor Finn Lorensson, a confident, handsome man. Cannon, however, is strewing Finn’s life with stumbling blocks and obstacles in Finn’s pursuit of the skittish Cannon, the last one of which might have lasting consequences for all. I love how Brazil has taken this self assured mountain of a man and added cracks and fractures to a strong personality that seemed unbreakable. It’s a lovely, believable transformation, especially with love as the impetus behind it. With the exception of the disgruntled student who feels entitled to take what he wants, all the movement and changes made have been done so because of internal arguments and decisions, changes of attitudes and self worth. It’s an internalized and introspective storyline and its very intimacy is conveyed through thoughtful inner monologues and bouts of painful fretting on the characters part.

The other characters and plots exist in Lee Brazil’s series but sometimes it feels as though we see or feel them at the very perimeter of Finn and Cannon’s lives. Such an inward facing story structure has been a wonderful way to relate to both difficult characters and their fragile steps towards each other. But I expect that is about to change.

Cold Feet and the other three stories are at the midway point in the series and changes are about to fall on all the people involved. I expect Finn and Cannon to change their direction, and move outward to embrace the other characters and the tumultuous events occurring at Mountain Shadows. I can’t wait to see how the author folds these two back into the main story thread that flows through all the series and the evil that has clearly visited the woods around them. I love these characters, the series and the entire Pulp Friction 2014 grouping. It’s compelling, gorgeously depicted and as wide ranging as the mountains themselves, and I can’t get enough of their lives and their stories.

I highly recommend this story and series (all of them) to you. However, you must start back at the beginning to understand the scope of the stories and the characters involved. I have listed all the series for you below. Don’t miss out one a single one of them…..

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love these covers, perfect branding and great models.

Buy Links: <a href=”Cold Feet: Pulp Friction 2014 (In From the Cold Book 3) ” title=”Cold Feet At Amazon”> Amazon ARe

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 1st 2014 by Lime Time Press
edition languageEnglish
seriesIn From the Cold #3, Pulp Friction 2014 #10

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blow Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four: to be released

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

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