Category: Science Fiction

Love LGBTQIA Science Fiction? Check out Sunny Moraine on Writing, and her release, Fall & Rising (guest blog and contest)

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Fall & Rising by Sunny Moraine
This title is part of the Songs of Slipstream universe
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by Kanaxa

Sales Link at Riptide Publishing

Welcome to the Fall and Rising blog tour!

I’m Sunny Moraine and Fall and Rising is a story I’ve been trying to make happen for some time. On finishing its predecessor Line and Orbit, I knew Adam and Lochlan’s story couldn’t be over. I knew, in fact, that it was just beginning. In Fall and Rising I wanted to continue to explore their journey, as well as the ways in which their tumultuous meeting and the battle that followed have affected the people they love. In short, this was a world I wanted to return to. I’m very pleased that I was able to do so, and I’m very excited to share the result with you.

On this tour I’ll be talking about the process of writing the book and what it taught me about writing in general, the trials and tribulations of passing through the world of the story, some of the tools I used to put me into a place where I could tell that story, and some of why I wanted to write it at all.

Giveaway

I’ll also be giving away a signed copy of the print edition of the book, along with a set of two hand-made (by me) agate, copper, and glass beaded bracelets inspired by the world of Fall and Rising. Additionally, you’ll have a chance to win one of two e-copies!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you for the giveaway. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 5th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to leave your email so we can contact you if you win! 

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It’s always interesting to return to a universe you’ve been away from for a while.

I wrote Fall and Rising over a period of months a couple of years ago. It was the second version of the book; I scrapped the first version because I didn’t think it worked and rewrote the thing mostly from scratch. So I wrote it, I was reasonably happy with it after some editing, and then I did two things: I put it away and didn’t look at it again for a bit, and I started sending it to places in the hope that they might offer to pay me money for it.

(It took a while for the latter thing to bear any fruit)

What that meant in practical terms was that I didn’t go back to the universe of Adam and Lochlan and their friends for a few months. I worked on other projects. I focused on other things. The universe was still there, rattling around in my head, and it was still accessible. I just didn’t go there for a while.

Then I (finally) sold Fall and Rising to Riptide – along with its followup and third book in the trilogy, Sword and Star – and I had to dive back in for the editing process to commence.

It felt strange. You know how you might have these places you know inside out, in which you feel very comfortable? But then maybe you leave them for a time. When you return, even if nothing much has changed in your absence, everything looks just a little bit off somehow. Your memory has shifted, and nothing quite matches what’s in your head. It’s almost like a kind of deja vu; you know you know this place, but you’re also not completely sure that you do. It’s familiar, but your feeling of comfort has been lost.

That’s what returning to this universe was like for me. I knew these places, these people, this history and this lore, but I didn’t walk back in with any particular ease. It took me some time to settle and feel comfortable again. I had to get reacquainted with the layout. I had to have conferences with some characters. So what’s up with you right now? What’re you doing? What’s your goal here, what are you hoping to get out of this?

It worked, it was fine, but there was a period of difficulty, and the only thing to do was soldier through.

I think this is something that often keeps writers from finishing long projects. I know it’s gotten in my way more than once. The fear that if you return to something you haven’t touched in a while, not only will it not be as good as you want it to be, but you won’t even recognize it. You’ll try to get back into that universe and you won’t know where anything is. You won’t know anyone. They won’t know you. You’ll get lost and no one will be inclined to help you out, and in the end you’ll just wander away having wasted your time, and feeling uncomfy.

I don’t think that’s an unreasonable fear. But as fears go, I try to remember that it shouldn’t stop you from trying. Because that universe is still inside you, and it is still yours. Your people will know you when you arrive. You’ll gradually remember where things are and how things work. It might not even be nearly as difficult as you imagined.

It might even feel like coming home.

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Book Blurb

Adam Yuga is on the run. Three months ago, a miracle saved him from the deadly genetic illness that threatens the entire population of his former home, the Protectorate. Now he and his lover Lochlan are searching for a way to heal his people. When they receive a mysterious coded message promising hope, they make a desperate grab for it, and are imprisoned—by the very race they want to save.

On Lochlan’s distant homeship, a young pilot named Nkiruka faces an agonizing choice: stay with her lover Satya and live a life of happy obscurity, or become the spiritual leader—and the last and only hope—for the Bideshi. Nkiruka doesn’t want to lose Satya, but worse, she fears she lacks the strength to carry anyone through the coming storm, let alone her entire people.

Threads of chance and destiny draw the three together. With the fates of civilizations in their hands, they prepare for a final conflict that might be their only chance for survival—or that might destroy them all.

Author Bio

Sunny Moraine’s short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Nightmare, Lightspeed, Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History, and multiple Year’s Best collections, among other places. They are also responsible for the novels Line and Orbit (cowritten with Lisa Soem), Labyrinthian, and the Casting the Bones trilogy, as well as A Brief History of the Future: collected essays. In addition to authoring, Sunny is a doctoral candidate in sociology and a sometimes college instructor; that last may or may not have been a good move on the part of their department. They unfortunately live just outside Washington DC in a creepy house waith two cats and a very long-suffering husband.

Connect with Sunny:
Website:  “http://sunnymoraine.com/”
Goodreads:   “https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3149946.Sunny_Moraine”
Tumblr:   “http://dynamicsymmetry.tumblr.com/”
Twitter:   “https://twitter.com/dynamicsymmetry”
Facebook:   “https://www.facebook.com/sunny.moraine”

 

Songs of Slipstream

The future isn’t an easy place to live. Humanity is split into two warring factions: one is determined to bring all of human-explored space under its control, and the other travels the stars in massive homeships, carrying with them the ancient stories and traditions their foes have rejected.

On the sparsely populated frontier, renegades, bounty hunters, and pirates maintain their own rule of law. Government is nonexistent. Ethics are a luxury. Greed is the order of the day.

And on the worlds unexplored by humankind lurk wonders and dangers beyond imagining.

One thing you can say for the galaxy, regardless of which faction you’ve chosen: life there is never boring.

A MelanieM Review: Potato Surprise: A Brimstone Prequel (Brimstone 0) by Angel Martinez

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Potato Surprise coverBefore Ness, before Corny, before Leopold and Heckle and Mac, there was just Shax and Verin and a newly stolen, er, acquired cargo ship. Join Shax on his first adventure in space in which a pampered demon prince has a lot to learn.

When a steel trap of celestial and infernal politics threatens to close around them, Shax and Verin flee Earth’s system in a stolen ship, leaving everything behind. It’s an elegantly simple plan, with a new ship and a new life as carefree brigands among the stars.

But the ship seems to hate them, and in order to have any sort of life they need funds. A frightened man offering them a contract to deliver three mysterious crates comes just in time, and Shax is sure their troubles are over. Out of his environment and in over his head, Shax scrambles to understand the players and the consequences of his new life. With cargo that’s not what it seems, shadowy motives around every turn, and a gorgeous rogue named Julian for a dash of added confusion, Shax’s grand schemes of a new start may be his demise before he can even begin.

First of all. Angel Martinez.  Let’s just get that  out of the way.  That author’s name is all I need to pick up a book.  The title Potato Surprise in combination with science fiction certainly added that dash of anticipation of  the quirky, the oddball, the unexpected, and the highly imaginative.  You will get all that here. Loved it.

Potato Surprise is a prequel to Brimstone (a collection I grabbed up after reading this wonderful story).  Here we get our first introduction to the space faring or fleeing demon Shax, his companion Verin, and their  newly acquired ship, renamed The Brimstone.  The Brimstone has a delightful IA with a drag queen personality, Ivana Cockatoo!  Together the three of them form a slightly less than formidable ship of privateers, willing to trade/ship  merchandise legal or otherwise, especially otherwise across the galaxy.  This includes those surprising potatoes.

Angel Martinez’ imagination is fearless.  Her demons  may know other demons that fit within our prescribed notions of what demons should look like and how demons should act, her demons may even be related to demons that act that way.  But Shax?  He is one surprise after another, loyal, with an endless and often troublesome appreciation for the “pretties”,  his charm is as boundless as his enthusiasms.  I adore Shax.  Verin  is a little more hard core or perhaps hard shell,..hard to say.  The other books I just now reading let me have more of a feel for his character and background.  But here Verin is a solid, loyal as well, presence in both the stories and in Shax’s life and he anchors the stories.   Verin may blow smoke, but there’s definitely fire behind it.

Oh, Ivana!   Ever since Kirk ended up temporarily with a flirtatious computer on the Enterprise, IAs with entertaining or wildly scary personalities have appeared in stories and screen plays.  I love Ivana Cockatoo.  Ivana immediately embraces the new name and new owners.  They certainly are a better fit for Ivana than the previous owner and this IA jumps into the new life with a joy that’s downright infectious.    Ivana is an equal partner in crime and party here, and valued family member.

Why Shax and Verin had to flee Earth is only sketchily filled in here.  More details come in the later stories.  There is a planet side romance, don’t all pirates have one?  That has its own tender, loving element of its own.  There are moments of beauty, scenes of glee and disgust, then its time to leave once more.  Off on more adventures, more travels and certainly more transactions that will get them into danger and the money they need to continue charging through the galaxy together.

The Brimstone’s crew has me hooked good and proper.  This prequel did that job beautifully.  I love Shax, Verin, and Ivana.  I can’t wait to see how far Angel Martinez takes this crew and what amazing things and places they get to go and what mayhem they commit when they get there.  Let me tell you floating bovines is in your future if you love this as much as I do!  Its not to be missed!

Cover art by Fredi McKay.  Wild and includes elements from the story, although not as I had pictured them in my imagination.

Sales Links:  Mischief Corner Books  |  All Romance (ARe)  |

Book Details:

ebook, First, 120 pages
Expected publication: August 29th 2015 by Mischief Corner Books, LLc
original title: Potato Surprise: A Brimstone Prequel
edition language English
series Brimstone 0

Anna Butler is Here Talking SciFy, Aliens, Romance and Heart Scarab! (Author Interview, Excerpt and Contest)

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Heart Scarab (Taking Shield #2) by Anna Butler
Release Date: July 22, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: Adrian Nicholas

 Sales Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Kobo

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Anna Butler, author of Heart Scarab.
Hi Anna, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

First, thank you for hosting me today. I’m delighted to be here.

Heart Scarab is the second of the Taking Shield series, which charts the life and loves of Shield Captain Bennet. Taking Shield is both a sweeping sci-fi story (old school sci-fi with spaceships and lasers, aliens and handsome heroes) and an equally sweeping love story. I should warn you, though, that it isn’t a romance in the sense that it won’t be what most m/m romance readers would expect.

Thousands of years after an alternate-universe Earth went dark, the people of one of her colonies, Albion, are struggling in a war that’s probably unwinnable, against aliens called the Maess. Although humans have been fighting the aliens’ cyborg drones for over a century, they haven’t seen a real, organic Maess. Set against the war, is the love story between Bennet and Fleet Lieutenant Flynn. They meet in the first book, Gyrfalcon, but for various reasons theirs isn’t going to be an easy love. They meet and part several times before the end. In Heart Scarab, Bennet’s return after being declared missing in action, presumed dead, puts intolerable strain on his relationship with his long term partner, Joss, but paves the way for a reunion with Flynn.
As for me, I worked for the UK civil service for many years as a communications specialist, working on everything from marketing employment programmes to running an internal TV service. These days I’m concentrating on trying to make it as a writer, combining my love of old school science fiction and m/m themes. I live in London with my husband and our cockapoo, Molly. We’re currently house hunting, looking for a country retreat.
• Do you buy a book because of the cover, the blurb, or something else?

That depends. I won’t say that I buy books *because of* either of those things, but if I’m trawling Amazon or a bookshop they do influence which books I’ll look into and which I’ll then consider buying.

I’m a very visual person, so the cover will catch my eye first. Truly, all the advice you read about getting a good cover that tells the reader something about the story, really holds true. Terrible cover, and I probably won’t even get to the blurb to see if it’s worth pursuing.

If the book comes to me as a recommendation, I’ll usually not let the cover influence me too much (beyond a wince if it’s dire).

Best possible tool – the ‘look inside’ feature on Amazon, or the sample. That really gives you a feel for if you’re going to get on with this author and book.

• What does ‘romance’ mean to you?

‘Good storytelling’ and ‘strong characters’ and ‘lose yourself for an hour here’—heartfelt emotion and drama, eroticism, sex scenes in which the feelings and the relationship matter as much (more?) than the physical gymnastics, an ending that is happy/enriching/hopeful. Stories about love. Sometimes about loss. But ultimately uplifting stories that leave you feeling good.
• What are your current projects?

I’m currently working on the fourth Shield book, The Chains Of Their Sins. On the current timetable, it will be published around this time next year, so I have a little time to polish it up! In this book, Bennet and Flynn are thrown together again, but it isn’t all hearts and rainbows. In fact, it isn’t hearts and rainbows at all…

• What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Not to edit as I go along. I have a terrible habit of tinkering with what I’ve written so far, trying to perfect it, rather than ploughing on to the end and then editing in its entirety. It is a bad habit, because I can spend hours dithering over word choices and syntax when I should be forging on with the plot. Scrivener helps because it’s a separate folder and document for each chapter, so going back to the beginning to read is several steps more complex than in a word processing programme like Word. Scrivener is breaking me of some bad habits!

• Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people.

I’ve ridden in the circus ring.

I was about five, and my parents took my sister (then about three) and I to a small circus visiting a nearby town. The clowns brought in a Shetland pony, trained to do tricks as part of their routine, and at the end the Ringmaster asked for a volunteer to ride it. I was down in the ring almost before the man finished speaking. I can just about remember noise and light and a lot of people’s faces as I rode three times around the ring, led by the chief clown. He had a red coat and blue trousers and that’s all I remember about him. The pony was called Pickles.

Thank you, Anna, that was wonderful!

Now more about Heart Scarab.

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Blurb:

Telnos is an unpleasant little planet, inhabited by religious fanatics in the festering marshlands and unregistered miners running illegal solactinium mines up in the hills. But the Maess want Telnos, and Shield Captain Bennet’s job is to get out as many civilians as he can—a task that leaves him lying on Telnos while the last cutter of evacuees escapes in the teeth of the Maess invasion.

Bennet is listed missing in action, believed dead on a planet now overrun by Maess drones. His family is grieving. His long-term partner, Joss, is both mourning and guilt-ridden.

And Fleet Lieutenant Flynn? Flynn is desolate. Flynn is heart-broken… no. Flynn is just broken

Pages or Words: 97,900 words

Categories: Gay Fiction, Science Fiction

Excerpt:

Flynn liked kissing. In fact, Flynn considered himself something of an expert in the art. He’d tried it in all its forms, from the first tentative pressing together of juvenile lips that had you wondering what all the fuss was about, to the discovery that if you just opened your mouth and, you know, kind of moved everything, your tongue suddenly had a lot more positive uses than just allowing you to articulate clearly and swallow things without choking. Flynn got the hang of it, ran with it, and never looked back.

 

Soft kisses and hard kisses; kisses that were wet and slobbery with people who didn’t know exactly how to hold their lips to get the best and sexiest effect, and wet and sexy kisses with people who did. Kisses that turned the blood to molten lava and kisses that cooled you as you came down. Kisses that inflamed and kisses that soothed; feverish kisses and languid after-sex kisses. Kisses that meant only good fellowship and casual affection, and kisses that were desire incarnate.

 

Flynn had not only tried them all, he’d made them his own. He was considered by all the relevant authorities to be rather a specialist in the area.

 

Flynn really liked kissing. He had been gratified by the discovery that Bennet liked it too. Because now he could add slow kisses to the repertoire. Kisses so leisured and intense the world came to a stop while a hot tongue moved over his lips, explored each and every tooth down to the last molar, while teeth pulled at his bottom lip, biting it gently until it was swollen and hot and heavy, and he had to lick his lip to cool it and met Bennet’s tongue with his. Only then, would Bennet’s mouth close over his and start a real in-earnest kiss that lasted several more centuries. Those were kisses Bennet seemed to specialise in.

 

Flynn was always willing to take tips from another expert. A man should always try to extend his technique.

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About the author:

Anna Butler was a communications specialist for many years, working in UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to running an internal TV service. She now spends her time indulging her love of old-school science fiction. She lives in the ethnic and cultural melting pot of East London with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockapoo.

Where to find the author:

annabutlerfiction@gmail.com
Website and Blog
Facebook
The Butler’s Pantry (Facebook Group)
Pinterest
Twitter

Final

 Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize:

–  a copy of my novella, FlashWired (epub, mobi or pdf) on every stop to one random commentator

–  Chance to enter a rafflecopter for

                      (i)   top prize of an Amazon gift voucher (is $50 overdoing it? It makes for a decent prize!)

                      (ii)  second prize, winner’s choice of a Heart Scarab ipad cover or kindle cover

                      (ii)  third prize, a Gyrfalcon iPad cover

Must be 18 years of 18 or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Code:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Dates & Stops: Wednesdays July 22 – November 4, 2015

22-Jul

Prism Book Alliance

29-Jul

Just Love Romance

Bayou Book Junkie

5-Aug

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

12-Aug

Andrew Q. Gordon

19-Aug

My Fiction Nook

26-Aug

Joyfully Jay

2-Sep

The Hat Party

9-Sep

Inked Rainbow Reads

16-Sep

Velvet Panic

Molly Lolly

23-Sep

Emotion in Motion

30-Sep

BFD Book Blog

Jessie G. Books

7-Oct

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

14-Oct

MM Good Book Reviews

21-Oct

The Novel Approach

28-Oct

Amanda C. Stone

4-Nov

Butterfly-O-Meter

 

A Paul B Review: Needing Noel (Moon Pack #14) by Amber Kell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars                   ★★★★

Needing Noel coverNoel lost his first mate and their daughter to a fire more than ten years ago.  Will he be able to accept his second mate after such a devastating loss?

Noel Thistleborn has spent the last few years as personal assistant to the king of the fae.  He tries to keep busy to help him forget about the fire that killed both his mate and their daughter.  As part of his duties, he must organize the dragon-mating ball that is being put on by King Kylen.  While he would prefer not to attend the ball itself, Kylen has ordered all single fae must show up.  Kylen gives a concession to Noel in that he can make a brief appearance before he may leave for the night.

Hartmut (Hart) has had a crush on the dragon leader for a number of years.  However, Rhaegar has recently met his mates, a fae and a wolf shifter.  Now he wants the same kind of unconditional love that he sees his friend has.  He hopes that the upcoming ball being held by the fae king to help dragons find their mates will produce some positive results.

When Hart arrives at the ball, his dragon smells something wonderful and indicates to Hart that his mate is in the area.   He tracks Noel down and tells him that he believes Noel is his mate.  Noel tells Hart that he has already had a mate and he does not want another one.  When Hart explains that unlike fae, dragons may only get one mate and that he just wants to get to know Noel better, Noel agrees to a dinner date.  However, having been initially turned down by Noel, Hart wonders if it is even worth the bother.

As the party is winding down, Rhaeger informs Noel that while Hart is a dragon, he has a soft heart.  Just as he is ready to leave, Noel is confronted by his former brother-in-law and is told that the fire almost ten years ago was not what it may seem.  Could either his first mate or his daughter still be alive?  How will Noel convince Hart that he does truly want him while finding answers to questions his brother-in-law put forth?

This fourteenth book in the Moon Pack delivers, as have previous books.  I have enjoyed how Ms. Kell has expanded the universe in the series.  This has allowed her flexibility to keep the series continuing to great success.  The one issue I did have with the book was the epilogue.  While it does further the overall Moon Pack storyline of Anthony becoming a full fledge god grandson of Zeus, the three characters in the epilogue appeared no where else in the book except for brief mentions by the main characters in the story.  Those who have not been reading the series might not know what to make of seemingly extra material.

The cover design by Meredith Russell is simply stunning.  The top half of the cover has our two protagonists shirtless standing in some room.  The bottom half shows Hart’s dragon either landing or about to take off with his wings fully extended beside the fae castle.

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

Book Details:

Ebook:  84 pages
Published:  July 17, 2015 by Amber Kell Books
ASIN:  B011YXUIVC
Edition:  English
Series:  Moon Pack

  • Attracting Anthony (Moon Pack #1)
  • Baiting Ben (Moon Pack #2)
  • Courting Calvin (Moon Pack #3)
  • Denying Dare (Moon Pack #4)
  • Enticing Elliott (Moon Pack #5)
  • Finding Ferro (Moon Pack #6)
  • Getting Gabe (Moon Pack #7)
  • Hunting Henry (Moon Pack #8)
  • Inflaming Inno (Moon Pack #9)
  • Judging Jager (Moon Pack #10)
  • Keeping Kylen (Moon Pack #11)
  • Loving Leif (Moon Pack #12)
  • Marking Mikel (Moon Pack #13)
  • Needing Noel (Moon Pack #14)

A New Reviewer Arrives and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Good morning!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday!  Today our group of reviewers expands with the addition of Jeri.  We are so happy to have her here and be able to expand our circle of reviewers and ability to share more books and authors with all of you.

 

Here is a little bit about our latest reviewer….

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Jeri

Jeri has been a reader as long as she can remember. Reading past bed time with a flashlight was the norm. Always a fan of romance novels, she discovered M/M stories on a website and was immediately hooked. With the advent of eBooks and the ease of sticking to her favorite genre- traditional romance books are very few and far between.

A 40 something mom of a preteen, and even working full time, knitting and crocheting as a part time job and keeping a house, she finds the time to read everyday. She loves sharing what she’s read and getting readers excited about a new book.

Please join us in welcoming Jeri to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  We are so happy to have her here and look forward to reading her thoughts and reviews on stories, books, and authors in the genres we love.  We are still looking for a YA LGBT reviewer to join Aurora, so if you  know any teenager or NA who loves to read and write, see if they would like to join Aurora as our YA/NA reviewer (with their parent or guardian’s  permission of course).

We have so many wonderful books that cropped up in this week’s review schedule.  For me, Alex Beecroft’s Trowchester Blues series continues with the amazing  Steel Blue Chain, a story that challenged my perceptions of love and romance and had me thinking about pain and acceptance.  It’s quite the story.  Mika reviews Santino Hassell’s Sutphin Boulevard.  This is a new author to me and possibly to you.  Check out what Mika found upon reading the story.  Paul is on a paranormal tear through all things shifters, scify, and possibly supernatural, starting with Breeding Stations by Chris T. Kat.  Stella reviews a older release given new life and new readers with an adorable new cover (new readers that include Stella) with Crossing Borders by Z. A. Maxfield. And Barb our Zany Old Lady has LA Witt and Aleksandr Voinov’s On the Clock (a Market Garden story) also being released this week.  Oh and that story with the spiders I was telling you about?  Obsidian Sun by Jon Keys?  Look for that as well.

Jeri’s reviews start next  week!  Until then, happy reading and have great week!

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, July 26:

  • A New Reviewer Arrives and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 Monday, July 27:

  • Chris T. Kat ‘Breeding Stations’ book blast and giveaway
  • A Coffee Sip Peak at “What No One Else Can Hear” by Brynn Stein (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Its 3 Times the Trouble with Havan Fellows ‘Synchronous Seductions’ (excerpts and contest)
  • A Paul B Review: Breeding Stations by Chris T. Kat
  • A Mika Review: One Snowy Night by Louise Lyons
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: On the Clock (Market Garden #8) by Aleksandr Voinov & LA Witt

Tuesday, July 28:

  • Cover Reveal:Beyond the Surface by Felice Stevens excerpt and contest
  • Skye Jones’ Claimed by Desire Tour and Giveaway
  • A Paul B Review: Remy’s Painter by A. C. Katt
  • A MelanieM Review: Fall Out by Meredith Russell
  • There’s a New LGBTQIA Press In Town – Welcome, NineStar Press!

Wednesday, July 29:

  • Lexi Ander’s Sumeria’s Sons Series Continues with ‘Surrounded by Crimson’ (giveaway)
  • A Stella Review: Crossing Borders (Crossing Borders #1) by Z.A. Maxfield
  • A Paul B Review: Needing Noel by Amber Kell
  • A MelanieM Review: Obsidian Sun by Jon Keys

Thursday, July 30:

  • Loves Get off to a Shaky Start with MLR Press ‘Earthquake’ collection (excerpts and contest)
  • Its Back to Trowchester with  Blue Steel Chain by Alex Beecroft (giveaway)
  • A MelanieM Review: Blue Steel Chain (Trowchester Blues #3) by Alex Beecroft
  • A Paul B Review: Sharing a Demon’s Blood by Charlie Richards

Friday, July 31:

  • Prickly Business blog tour with Piper Vaughn and Kenzie Cade
  • A Paul B Review: Kissed by Death by Andi Anderson
  • A Mika Review: Sutphin Boulevard (Five Boroughs #1) by Santino Hassell
  • A MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Playground by Parker Williams  (PF Altered States 2015)
  • Best Book Covers of July 2015

Saturday, August 1:

  • Cover Reveal for Eden Winters ‘Redemption’ (excerpt and contest)
  • Favorites Books of July 2015

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A Sammy Review: Tin Man (Bliss #1.5) by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Everything in his life that should have been profound had been nameless. Life and death, fucking and killing—it should have been profound. It should have resonated. He wanted it to, with Ace. He just wanted something to matter, for once.

Tin Man coverAshoka “Ace” King is known as a crim, as are most people living in District Three. Between Morality Laws and rules that target those without jobs or homes, life in Tophet isn’t easy for those not in the upper realms of society. On top of it all, they all have to be on the constant look out for the ATU, a police force known to kill at random.

One unlucky night, Ace runs into a member of the ATU. He’s forced to make a split-second decision that puts his life in danger and makes him a target for the ATU. What he doesn’t expect is for that decision to lead him to Soren Lau, the ATU agent who just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger when ordered.

After a sordid tryst, the two become irrevocably entwined. But they’re on two different sides, and when fate brings them together yet another time, they both have to make a choice and decide which side they want to end up on.

“What would you do?” he asked. “If you were me, standing at the edge of the world. Would you run back toward solid ground, or would you jump?”

“I caught you once, didn’t I?”

One of my favorite things in books is when they are able to build this world that feels so vivid it’s nearly tangible. I was hoping to get that out of this book, and I did. The authors managed to weave in details of life in Tophet without making the book heavy with them, they intrigued me as a reader and made a society that I felt lucky to get to see and lucky to not have to live in… or do I?

Sometimes I think I can read a bit too much into things. My career involves social justice and advocacy, so upon reading this, bells went off in my head. A society where the people meant to protect us are causing harm, particularly to those in poverty? A society that marks people as criminals like it’s a brand that will forever be embedded in their skin? A society divided not by right and wrong but by the money in your pocket? So yeah, let’s just say I connected with that, and as much as it pained me, it was so wonderfully done. This society that is labeled as dystopian but somehow resembles bits of our own? If that’s not intriguing and thought-provoking, I don’t know what is.

But onto other matters, the characters. Ace and Soren together managed to create this almost devastating couple that shouldn’t work but did. Soren is questioning his role and all he’s dedicated himself to, and Ace is struggling just to survive. But these characters are anything but weak. Being able to watch them in their own battles was a real treat, especially when it resulted in their growth.

My absolute biggest complaint is that I wanted more. It ended just as it was getting good, and while I was satisfied to an extent, I definitely will be wanting more not only of this universe, but also these characters. Where do they go from here? I don’t know. I hope that I’ll find out though.

I really appreciate the cover art by L.C. Chase. It is very simple but provides a stark image and helps me visualize Soren without giving me all the intricacies of detail that readers like to fill in for themselves.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 134 pages
Expected publication: July 20th 2015 by Riptide
ISBN139781626493285
edition languageEnglish
seriesBliss #1.5