SERIES REVIEW TOUR for Directions by Jena Wade (giveaway)

SERIES REVIEW TOUR

BOOK 1

Book Title: Up to Code

Author: Jena Wade

Publisher: Self-published

Genre/s: m/m romance mpreg

Length: 28 000 words

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Blurb

Aiden was an Omega who needed a job doing what he loved. He never imagined he’d meet his fated mate during the interview. He was ready to bond right away, but something stopped his Alpha from claiming him. Aiden’s patience held strong, but being near his mate every day without bonding threatened to drive him insane.
Brandon owned a successful company, and he wanted to share that success with his mate and their child. But the continued thefts troubled him and the last thing he wanted to do was drag his new mate into any danger.
Danger found them anyway.

This is a 28K non-shifter mpreg novella featuring a sweet romance, a HEA, and no cliffhanger

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Excerpt

With one deep breath and a quick step I crossed the threshold and came face to face with pure sex dressed as a six-foot grown man with broad shoulders, slim hips, dirty blond hair and piercing green eyes.

Holy hell.

Mate, my mind screamed.

Blood roared in my ears as I took in his scent. Oh my God. I’d always wondered how a person knew when they’d met their fated mate. “You’ll just know” was all I was ever told by my Omega dad.

I knew, all right. I could feel it in every part of my body. I belonged to him and he belonged to me already and I hadn’t even heard him speak. All he had to do was give the word and I’d bare my neck, ready to bond.

I couldn’t form words. I never was good with people, least of all people I was attracted to. Though, that hadn’t happened in a long time. I would have to leave the house in order to meet someone and I didn’t do that very often, unless it was for work. In those cases, I kept it professional.

I didn’t feel very professional right now.

BOOK 2

Book Title: Down to Earth

Author: Jena Wade

Publisher: Self-published

Genre/s: m/m romance mpreg

Length: 26 000 words

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Blurb

Everett Surlin longed for the day that his Fated mate finally recognized him. It’d been eight years since he’d first met Matt Jenkins, he’d never imagined it take this long for his mate to realize their connection.

Matt Jenkins had done his best to put his past behind him. The abuse he’d endured as a child stayed locked away inside him, never to be shared with anyone. He’d assumed that as a result of his upbringing, he was broken and he would never have a mate. That didn’t stop him from desiring Everett and wishing that they could be together.

When tragedy strikes, Matt stays at Everett’s side, which just might be the push he needs to discover what had been there all along and a future he never dreamed would be possible.

This is a 26K non-shifter mpreg novella featuring a sweet romance, a HEA, and no cliffhanger.
This is the second book in the Directions series, but can be read as a standalone.

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Excerpt

I twirled the wedding band around in my hand, running my fingers over the smooth, silver metal. The ring had once belonged to my father, and hopefully someday it would belong to my mate.

Matt.

My body heated at the thought of my mate, as it often did. I’d known for almost a decade now that Matt was my mate.

Matt remained oblivious.

My fists clenched instinctively. I couldn’t help but feel angry at Fate for showing me my mate before he was ready. I often wondered if he would ever be ready. Usually, it was a magical moment full of marvel and enlightenment. Eyes met, fireworks burst, and nature took its course. A mate bond was established, and the couple lived happily ever after. I’d never heard an Alpha recognizing his mate before their Omega.

BOOK 3

Book Title: Back to You

Author: Jena Wade

Publisher: Self-published

Genre/s: m/m romance mpreg

Length: 25 000 words

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Blurb

Victor Docimo loved his mate more than anything, and he’s worked hard to provide Charles with the life that he deserved. He’s strived to be the Alpha that his own Father was not.

Charles spent the last twenty-six years mated to his perfect Alpha. He raised their son and managed their home. He’s tried to provide his Alpha with a family, despite the fact that he can’t have more children. After seeing Victor with another Omega, he begins to wonder if he’s enough.

Now, the two of them must face their greatest challenge yet, something that shouldn’t be possible: a broken bond.

This is a 25K non-shifter mpreg novella featuring a sweet romance, a HEA, and no cliffhanger.
This is the third book in the Directions series, but can be read as a standalone.

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Excerpt

I was about to tell my roommate I was heading home, when the air in the room shifted. I became hyper aware of everything around me and, as silly as it sounds, time stood completely still. I searched around the room, looking for what had changed, what was causing this awareness in me that made my skin tingle. Then, I locked eyes with him.

Victor.

Something in the back of my mind whispered his name to me. I knew him. Though I had only seen him one time and spoken to him for less than a minute. He made his way over to me, the crowd parted for him as he moved through the room. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to look away.

When he finally reached me, he smiled. There was kindness in his eyes, but also a heat and arousal that set my body on fire, and we hadn’t even touched yet.

“Charles, right?” he said.

“Mate.” My hand flew to my mouth. I couldn’t believe I’d said that aloud. I realized that it was the truth. The man, Victor, standing before me right now was my mate.

He chuckled. “I was hoping you’d notice this time.”

About the Author

Jena began writing in January of 2013 as a New Year’s Resolution—and so far she has stuck to it!

She lives in Michigan. By day she works as a web developer, and at night she writes. Born and raised on a farm, she spends most of her free time outdoors, playing in the garden, or riding her horses. She also helps run the family dairy farm.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win a choice of ebook from Jena’s backlist.

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SERIES REVIEW TOUR SCHEDULE

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?? This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?

By that I mean the paragraphs or pages the author writes before you get started into the book? I’m an avid reader of these things and love them deeply. I often find that I feel that I know more about why the author felt compelled to write this story or why it’s situated in the location it’s in or even given a more in depth look at a main character because of what an author has written prior to starting their story.

But what the hell is it called?

Most, might have referred to it as The Foreward, myself included. Wrongo! That would have had to have been written by someone else, not the author themselves. For correct usage see the flash fiction anthology Impact with it’s foreward by J. Scott Coatsworth.

So it would be either Introduction or The Preface. How many of you know the difference? I needed a refresher course myself so I went looking for definitions and correct usages for all three. A lovely blog, BPS Book Blog, supplied this succinct roundup:

From the BPS Book Blog:

… here are some definitions and descriptions – supported by the dictionary and the august Chicago Manual of Styleand proven to be helpful in my work as an editor and publisher – that my authors have found of assistance.

THE FOREWORD

A foreword (one of the most often misspelled words in the language) is most often written by someone other than the author: an expert in the field, a writer of a similar book, etc. Forewords help the publisher at the level of marketing: An opening statement by an eminent and well-published author gives them added credibility in pitching the book to bookstores. Forewords help the author by putting a stamp of approval on their work.

THE PREFACE

A preface is best understood, I believe, as standing outside the book proper and being about the book. In a preface an author explains briefly why they wrote the book, or how they came to write it. They also often use the preface to establish their credibility, indicating their experience in the topic or their professional suitability to address such a topic. Sometimes they acknowledge those who inspired them or helped them (though these are often put into a separate Acknowledgments section). Using an old term from the study of rhetoric, a preface is in a sense an “apology”: an explanation or defense.

THE INTRODUCTION

If a preface is about the book as a book, the introduction is about the content of the book. Sometimes it is as simple as that: It introduces what is covered in the book. Other times it introduces by setting the overall themes of the book, or by establishing definitions and methodology that will be used throughout the book. Scholarly writers sometimes use the introduction to tell their profession how the book should be viewed academically (that is, they position the book as a particular approach within a discipline or part of a discipline). This latter material is appropriate for a preface, as well. The point is that it should appear in the preface or the introduction, not both.

What brought all this on?

As I said I always read them. To bring me knowledge, insight into the story, what the author was thinking when they were writing it…all sorts of things. They aren’t always labeled correctly but I love them dearly.

The one that launched this one was the Introduction to Ryan Field’s Pretty Man, a M/M reworking of Pretty Woman. He writes about the total lack of any happy gay literature in the 20th century and his need to “fill the bill”. Ryan Fields now writes “happy romances” as a gay man for the youth today looking for literature much as he once did. How this got me thinking on so many levels (and researching).

Thankfully, there are so many positive and happy examples to point to from books to movies* these days (not tons amounts true in the movies more much more. Look at but there are now LGBT movie channels) so progress has been made. Plus there is a veritable flood of Quiltbag fiction out there now to quench the thirst of those looking for happy endings for LGBTQIA couples. The more writers the merrier I say.

But lets return to gay fiction of the 20th Century. What books do you find or comes to mind? Are they all tear fests?

Here are some that I found and the dates they were published:

Tales of the City (Tales of the City Series #1) by Armistead Maupin 1978
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown 1973
Maurice by E.M. Forster 1913
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood 1964
Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig 1976
A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White 1982
A Queer Kind of Umbrella (Pharoah Love, book 5) by George Baxt 1995

I also found childrens books about Daddy’s Roommate (1994) and My Two Uncles (1995) so I was wondering about the author’s timeline. Some early 20th century classics are devastating certainly (Gore Vidal, James Baldwin to name just two), but a sea change had started with Stonewall and its ripples spread out and impacted everywhere and everything, media included.

Anyhow….see what a Introduction can do to me? Laughing….

How to you feel about Forewards, Introductions, and Prefaces? Do you read them? What do you learn, if anything from them?

And how do you feel about the 20th Century’s lack of feel good romantic gay fiction? True or False?

As to Pretty Man…well, that review will come up and it caused me to do some thinking as well. More on that later.

Now here is what our upcoming week is looking like. Happy Reading and Listening!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 19:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Do You All Read the Whatchamacallit?
Release Blitz – In The Shadows – TL Travis

Monday, August 20:

Cover Reveal – Marina Vivancus – In This Iron Ground
Release Blitz – RJ Scott – Last Chance
Review Tour – Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) – Annabelle Jacobs
An Alisa Review : Love Spell by Mia Kerick
A MelanieM Review : Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) by Annabelle Jacobs
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Threepeat by KC Wells and Parker Williams

Tuesday, August 21:

Book Blast – A Thread in Time by Jess Thomas
SERIES REVIEW TOUR – Directions by Jena Wade
DSP Cover Reveal Heart of a Redneck by Jodi Payne/BA Tortuga
An Ali Release Day Review: Hex and Candy (Strange Bedfellows #1) by Ashlyn Kane
A Jeri Release Day Review: Rocking the Cowboy by Skylar M. Cates
A Lila Release Day Review: Art House (Buchanan House #6) by Charley Descoteaux
A Lucy Release Day Review: Wanted Bad Boyfriend by TA Moore

Wednesday, August 22:

Audio Review Tour – Changing Lines – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Blog Tour Circle of Trust by Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicolas Bella
Riptide Tour Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood
A Free Dreamer Review: Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves
A MelanieM Review : Dark City by Sarah Kay Moll
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Shelter from the Storm by Kate Sherwood

Thursday, August 23:

DSP Cover Reveal Femme Faux Fatale by Susan Laine
Of Princes False and True” by Eric Alan Westfall
Harmony Promo Beau Schemery
An Ali Review Death Days by Lia Cooper
A VVivacious Review Of Princes False and True by Eric Alan Westfall
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Last Chance by R.J. Scott
An Alisa Audiobook Review Sweet Nothings (Amuse Bouche #1) by T. Neilson and Simon Ferrar (Narrator)

Friday, August 24:

Book Blast Born to be Wild by A.L. Simpson
DSP Promo Remmy Duchene on Tempt Me
A Stella Release Day Review: Midnight in Berlin by JL Merrow
An Alisa Review: 2230: The Perfect Year by CM Corett
An Alisa Review Up to Code (Directions #1) by Jena Wade
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Sun and Shadow (Day and Knight #2) by Dirk Greyson and Andrew McFerrin ( Narrator)

Saturday, August 25:

Looking Forward by Michael Bailey Release Blitz
Media Blitz – FINDING MY WAY HOME BY KENDEL DUNCAN
A MelanieM Review: Pretty Man by Ryan Field

*Gay Movies with Happy Endings!

Love, Simon
Big Eden
Jeffrey
Touch of Pink
Boys (Jongens)
Maurice
The Birdcage
The Way He Looks
Shelter
Beautiful Thing
Were The World Mine
G.B.F.
Kinky Boots
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

And wait there’s more!

1) All Over the Guy
2) Boy Culture
3) East Side Story
4) Fourth Man Out
5) Friends & Family
6) God’s Own Country
7) Long Term Relationship
8) Latter Days
9) Salt Water
10) Save Me
11) Trick
12) Yossi

We Missed National Book Day? This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Apparently we here (well, me, haven’t talked to the others) missed National Book Day which was 2 or 3 days ago. Mea Culpa! Of course, every day here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is book day but I like to think we help to celebrate books every chance we get! So I went looking for the actual information and found out lots about book celebrations throughout the year and all over the world. Pretty cool stuff actually.

And of course, thought you all should know about it. So here it is. And it helps me to remember that September is National Literacy Month. We normally see Charity Anthologies appear to help support LGBTQIA youth in need during that month. LGBTQIA shelters, local PFLAG Youth YA libraries (yep, they exist), and so much more. September will be here before you know it. So if you have any local shelters (addresses etc) to contribute, please send them in. We keep a list going.

Book Day Celebrations – Days-Weeks and Months! These are the approximate dates as they can change every year:)

World Book Days by country
January is National Book Month
Third full week in January is National Book Week
Last full week in January is Celebrity Read a Book Week
February 23 – Printed Book Day
March 2 – Unesco World Book Day
March 2 – UK World Book Day
March 28 – Children’s Picture Book Day
April 2 – International Children’s Book Day
April 16 – Book-of-the-Month Club Birthday
April 23 – World Book Days by country
April 3 through May 6 – Children’s Book Week
June is AudioBook Month
September is National Literacy Month
September is when the annual 2 day National Book Festival is held
American Library Association (ALA) Banned Book Week is the last week of September
October is National Book Month per National Book Foundation
October is National Information Literacy Awareness Month
First full week in October is Great Books Week
December is Read a New Book Month

Saturday things Redux!

We sent out a call for reviewers. Check out the post here. And then contact either Stella or myself about reviewing for us. If you love books, this is the place to be!

Review Redux! I reviewed Forged in Flood by Dahlia Donovan on Saturday. I think it’s her finest story yet. And it’s a tough one to read on many levels. Three men, a triad, lost everything, when they drove drunk after graduating from university. That subject matter alone will get people. It cost them their future in rugby due to disabilities, and each other due to a deep abiding guilt, shame, rage, and more. This is the story back to each other. Just amazing. Did I say it was only 130 pagesI have to agree that there seems to be a lot of diversity in this day and age than there was maybe five, ten, or fifteen years ago. There’s a lot of gay couples surfacing on tv dramas these days and in books asexual, pansexual, demisexual individuals are being written in as main characters and have their own stories whereas a several years ago those terms weren’t present in m/m fiction (well none of the fiction I read). Even in the media there are celebrities who are coming out as gay, pansexual, bi, etc.

Representation and Romance Stories.

We’ve been talking about the increasing LGBTQIA representation in fiction and here are some of the comments from two of our readers:

H.B. “I have to agree that there seems to be a lot of diversity in this day and age than there was maybe five, ten, or fifteen years ago. There’s a lot of gay couples surfacing on tv dramas these days and in books asexual, pansexual, demisexual individuals are being written in as main characters and have their own stories whereas a several years ago those terms weren’t present in m/m fiction (well none of the fiction I read). Even in the media there are celebrities who are coming out as gay, pansexual, bi, etc.”

Ami: “As an asexual and aromantic reader, it warms my heart that ACE/ARO have started to be represented in romantic fiction.

Having said that, I still feel that it is mostly focused ONLY in the LGBTQIA books or genre. In my own opinion, it’s not enough. Yes, ACE falls in the queer spectrum, but there are a number of ACE who also identify themselves as heteroromantic asexuals. I guess until I see more ace representatives in MF romance, not just Queer romance, I still think there’s room of improvements.

Lately, I see more “diversity” in mainstream romance more focused on race — meaning representing non-White people. I think it’ll be nice to see more MF romance with trans* as well, or heteroromantic pansexual, or even bisexual in MF romance.”

I agree with you both. I want to see diversity as the norm, not as something we need to point at as a goal. Or even to the point its past mentioning. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Alas and alac…I can’t even get through an audiobook where someone states things like “acting like a teenage girl”. Really? Maybe teenagers, yes. But can’t we at least bury the sexist phrases? I’m so done with stuff like that. “Maning up” “Acting like a girl”….all the poisonous ways we demean the sexes, divide the genders. So maybe we still have a long way to go in a lot of ways. But I will take whatever forward motion however miniscule. Positivity!

Sigh.

Now to this week at the blog.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 12:

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
We Missed National Book Day?

Monday, August 13:

DSP Cover Reveal Gateway to Love by Sarah Hadley Brooke
DSP Dreamspun Promo Liv Olteano
Release Blitz – Michelle Woody’s Merrick The Art Thief
Release Day Blitz To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen
An Alisa Review An Arranged Mating by Jane Wallace-Knight
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Love in Spades (Four Kings Security #1) by Charlie Cochet and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: A Courageous Ride (The Bullriders#3) by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)

Tuesday, August 14:

DSP Cover Reveal Calculated Magic by SJD Peterson
Release Blitz – Sky Full Of Mysteries – Rick R Reed
Release Blitz – Bitten By Her (Regent’s Park Pack #4.5) – Annabelle Jacobs
An Alisa Review:Exercising Restraint (Different Dynamics #2) by Tamir Drake
A VVivacious Review : Sky Full Of Mysteries by Rick R Reed
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Super for You Bad for Me by Asta Idonea

Wednesday, August 15:

Something About Us by Riley Hart Release Blitz
Series Review Tour for Revving It Up Series by W.S. Long
Review Tour – Goal Line (Harrisburg Railers #6) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
Release Blitz – Boyfriend Or Bust by Claire Castle
A MelanieM Review: Goal Line (Harrisburg Railers #6) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
An Ali Review: To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen
A MelanieM Review: Gifts Given (Boystown #10) by Marshall Thornton

Thursday, August 16:

In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: To See The Sun by Kelly Jensen
DSP Publications Promo Jayne Lockwood
Promo Jackie North on Shoulder Season (World of Love)
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Salt Magic Skin Magic by Lee Welch
A Lucy Audiobook Review: Love You so Hard (Love You So Stories #1) by Tara Lain and Narrator: Ry Forest / Stephen Kurpis (Vitruvian Sound)
A MelanieM Review: Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories by Andrea Speed

Friday, August 17:

DSP Promo Sean Michael
DSP Promo Charley Descoteaux
Blog Tour Don’t Let Go by Andrew Grey
An Alisa Release Day Review: Tempt Me by Remmy Duchene
A Lucy Review: Challenging Chance (Love Letters #3) by Anyta Sunday

Saturday, August 18:

Blog Tour for Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood
A MelanieM Review: Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood

Representation and Romance Stories. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Representation and Romance Stories.

Last week I went to brunch with some of my MD/VA/DC group of LGBTQIA authors, publishers, bloggers, and readers. It’s a lively group and after a while some of the discussion turned to how the Asch community was represented in the fiction released at the certain publisher. The overall feeling was that the asexual community (given that is a broad spectrum itself) was well represented in our opinion (not so in an author’s not in attendance which is what sparked the conversation).

Wow, how things have changed in just a short time. I can remember when that really wasn’t the case.

There was a time not that long ago where all the stories were strictly M/M or F/F, no bi, no trans, no asch, no intersex, pansexual, or any of the quilt bag spectrum as my friend J. Scott Coatsworth calls it .

Now that has changed. Or at least I feel it has. I’m reading more and more stories where happily the Quiltbag community is well represented. More stories, outstanding and moving stories that feature main characters that fall anywhere along the LGBTQIA lineup…not just the L and the G.

What must that mean for the Quiltbag readers to see their reflections in fiction? Finally? I can only begin to imagine.

I know some are better represented that others. But overall I feel the move is for inclusion. Diversity. And not just in science fiction which is where I first saw and still see a huge amount of LGBTQIA stories that have beings of various sexualities, genders, and accepting societies (logical right?) Plus I do read a lot of stories. So maybe I’m biased.

What do you all think? How is the LGBTQIA community represented in fiction today? In romance stories? How has it progressed? Is one sector more represented over others and why do you think that is? Where do you see improvements? Where the least?

Is there stories you have read that have made an impact on you? What are they?

Tell me how you feel….I really want to know….

Now for this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words….

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, August 5:

Release Blitz – The Selkie Prince’s Fated Mate by J.J. Masters
Representation and Romance Stories.
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, August 6:

BLITZ Death Days by Lia Cooper
Series Recap Blitz – Montana Series – RJ Scott
Blog Tour: Hard to Hold by Jaclyn Quinn
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Risk Taker (Mixed Messages #3) by Lily Morton
A MelanieM Review: Savior (415 Ink #2) by Rhys Ford
A MelanieM Review: Hard to Hold (Haven’s Cove #3) by Jaclyn Quinn

Tuesday, August 7:

Blog Post – Brave For You – Crystal Lacy
DSP Promo BA Tortuga
DSP Promo Tara Lain
A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Missing Ingredient by Brian Lancaster
An Alisa Review Step Into Love (Taboo Love #2) by Lili Draguer
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Mammoth! (Repeating History #3) by Dakota Chase
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review :Truth & Betrayal by KC Wells

Wednesday, August 8:

BLITZ 2230: The Perfect Year by CM Corett
DSP Cover Reveal Chapman Brown
Release Blitz – Goal Line – RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
DSP Promo K.A. Mitchell
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Rainbow Rodeo by BA Tortuga
A Jeri Review: A Dangerous Dance (Haven Hart Universe #3) by Davidson King
A MelanieM Pre-release Review: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow

Thursday, August 9:

DSP Promo Andrew Grey
Harmony Promo Dakota Chase on Mammouth and Repeating History
Release Blitz – Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch
Taught by Tarilyn Sparks Release Day Blitz
A Free Dreamer Review: Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch
A Lila Review: Cold Like Snow by Sita Bethel
An Ali Review: Love It Like You Stole It by Ki Brightly

Friday, August 10:

DSP Cover Reveal Andrew Grey
DSP Dreamspun Promo Brian Lancaster on The MIssing Ingredient
In the Spotlight: The Long Way Around by Quinn Anderson
Salt Magic Skin Magic by Lee Welch Author Blog
A Caryn Release Day Review: Shoulder Season (World of Love) by Jackie North
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Be Still My Heart (Four Kings Security Book 2) by Charlie Cochet
A Lucy Audiobook Review : Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville #1) by Aimee Nicole Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Saturday, August 11:

Release Blitz – KA Merikan’s Gray’s Shadow (Kings of Hell MC)
A MelanieM Review: Forged in Flood by Dahlia Donovan

A Romance Must Have Heart! Romance Do’s! This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

A Romance Must Have Heart! Romance Do’s!

A romance must have heart. Seems like such a simple idea. Such a central idea! Shouldn’t every romance ideally have heart? But you would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) at the number of romances I read where the heart of the story, the love, the romance as it were was just left out of them.

Or bled out of it at some point by as aspect of the characters or their romance or even the ending.

Maybe its the lack of chemistry between the characters that kills it, or the relationship dynamics themselves. Doormats anyone? I don’t have enough fingers for the amount of times reviewers have told them they just didn’t “like” either the development of a character or a romance between characters. That it killed the story for them. No chemistry.

Sometimes its in the initial meeting of the characters. Gay for me for example (a trope I’m not fond of). You “turned” gay for someone? Ugh no. I far prefer gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual …those stories where the person discovering their sexuality whatever that maybe. Guess we are back to boxes and titles. And treatments, of course. That can do it as well. Take a heart out of a story.

How about how the couple goes about their relationship? Can that suck the life out of the romance for you? I know it can for me. See doormat above.

And then there’s the ending. So many books have crashed and burned on their endings alone. The “oh, no, they didn’t end it there” stories! We all have them. The ones that left us gobsmacked. And wanting to throw said Kindles and paperbacks across the room, the romance gone, deflating the stories like some sad pinpricked balloon.

And if you can guess a book prompted all this you would be right. Shakes head. I keep forgetting they get published like that. No, I’m not going to name it.

So that’s my rant for today. It’s safe to step back into the blog! What pokes the pin into your books? What deflates the romance quicker than you can say boom? Let me know in the comments. Our giveaway is still going on until next week.

What Makes a Book Magic List Giveaway

So let’s make this official with a What Makes a Book Magic List Giveaway. Send in your comments, it will run til the end of the month and we will giveaway 2 gift certificates to 2 lucky readers. Leave your name and email address where you can be reached if chosen.

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, July, 22:

Tour – Meik & Sebastian – Obsessed by Quin Perin
An Alisa Review – Meik & Sebastian by Quin Perin
A Romance Must Have Heart! Romance Do’s!
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, July 23:

AUDIOBOOK TOUR – Zen Alpha by Sionnach Wintergreen
Dreamspun Promo Amy Lane on A Fool and His Manny
Release Day Blitz Imperial Stout (Trouble Brewing #1) by Layla Reyne
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Imperial Stout (Trouble Brewing #1) by Layla Reyne
A Stella Release Day Review: Broken Rules (Mended Hearts #2) by Michaela Grey
A Jeri Review: Sink or Swim (Anchor Point #8) by L.A. Witt
A Free Dreamer Review: Ardulum: First Don (Ardulum) by J.S. Fields

Tuesday, July 24:

Release Blitz – Curl Around My Heart by Londra Laine
Release Blitz – Fusion by Posy Roberts
RELEASE BLITZ Cold Like Snow by Sita Bethel
A Lucy Review: Curl Around My Heart by Londra Laine
An Alisa Review: Professor Hot Pants by by Ember-Raine Winters
An Alisa Review: Serving Him (The Retreat #1) by L.M. Somerton
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Consorting with Dragons by Sera Trevor and Philip Alces (Narrator)

Wednesday, July 25:

AUDIO Blog TOUR The Eagle and the Fox by Nya Rawlyns
DSP Promo Poppy Dennison
Release Blitz – Finding My Way Home – Doyle Global Securities #2 – Kendel Duncan
Release Blitz with – Serving Him by L M Somerton
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Blyd and Pearce by Kim Fielding
A MelanieM Review: Lucky Days (Boystown, #9) by Marshall Thornton
A MelanieM Review Smoke in the Mirror (Road to Blissville #5) by Aimee Nicole Walker

Thursday, July 26:

DSP Promo Kim Fielding on Blyd and Pearce
Risk Taker by Lily Morton Release Day Blitz
A Dangerous Dance by Davidson King Blog Tour
A MelanieM Review: The Eye of Ra (Repeating History #1) by Dakota Chase
A Stella Release Day Review: Alpha Unit One, New York by Chris T. Kat
A Lucy Review: Erik the Pink by Matthew J. Metzger

Friday, July 27:

Release Blitz – Brave For You – Crystal Lacy
Cover Reveal – Mia Kerick Love Spell
Impact Flash Fiction Anthology Tour
DSP Promo Michaela Grey
A Free Dreamer Review: Dark (Expedition 63 #2) by T.A. Creech
A MelanieM Review: Impact Flash Fiction Anthology
A VVivacious Release Day Review:Alpha Unit One, New York by Chris T. Kat

Saturday, July 28:

Release Blitz – DJ Jamison – Hearts & Health Volume 2
A MelanieM Review:The End of All Stories (Legends of Badal’Shari #1) by Julia Rosenthal

There’s More to Romance and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

There’s More to Romance …

The last couple of weeks we’ve been discussing the elements that “break” our romance books. The things that stop the reading cold or leave us with a DNF. Cheating is up there on the list. And at the end of today’s blog hand out a few gift certs and post the last of the comments on the subject.

But what about the opposite?

What in our romance stories gladdens our hearts? Makes a story jump out of the ordinary? Widens our outlook? Let’s us perceive something special about a piece of the world or aspect of falling in love that we hadn’t seen or thought of in the same way before? That in some way the author dug a little deeper into your heart with their tale, that some element that connected you so completely to the characters and their relationship hooked you, that even now, you can’t forget their love story.

Something that made that story magic beyond your expectations.

I was thinking Shelter the Sea (The Roosevelt series) by Heidi Cullinan , Clear Water by Amy Lane, and RJ Scott’s the Texas series (and attached Legacy group), Watermelon Kisses by Freddy MacKay,Antisocial by Heidi Cullinan,Tales From Verania series by T.J. Klune just for starters. Those are a few that leapt to mind in seconds. Can you guess what elements in each might have made them memorable? Have you read the stories?

Of course my list stretches for far longer. That’s merely a tease.

But each of those grabbed at my heart while stretching my mind and horizons in some way. They made me cry and laugh and fall in love. Over and over.

Quickly now…which books popped into your head? Let me know…let all of us know and why. And then I’ll fill you in next week on more of my choices and why they made my list as well.

Now let’s put a close to our Romance No’s:

From P.R.:

I’ll chime in here – so busy couldn’t comment last week but agree with most everything. My perspective is that I understand why folks can not like cheating – ONE reason folks can like rom is for escapism, and they don’t like RL intruding b/c they already have too much of that. In that way, I think rom is a type of fantasy, and I can relate. Been there. But I usually appreciate more where MCs have RL flaws, and that’s reality, which includes in a majority of straight & gay relationships, “cheating,” (I love the Boystown series). And my being a cis gay male amongst other gay guys, let me tell you – I know there is much more diversity there than depicted in m/m rom, that it’s part of the culture, and frankly that’s why many guys think gender makes a difference among authors b/c one does not often “get it.” I think personally it has more to do with targeted audience, experiences, preferences, empathy, deep understanding … and it’s all good. You said it best “Life is messy and its always been about how the author has handled the subject.” A WELL-WRITTEN TALE TRUMPS A TROPE EVERY TIME (pun intended).

Ami:

Holy! EXCREMENT!?!? WTH!!! Okay, that will be a HUGE NO for me

Furthering my comment from last week in which I can still tolerate cheating but getting really pissed off when it comes to threesome, or ‘forced’ threesomes brought me to a couple of books. “A Vintage Affair” by Josh Lanyon made me VERY angry because the love-interest suddenly brought a woman to sleep with the MC because he wanted to “challenge” the MC that sex is just sex. Then I also DNF “My Heartache Cowboy” by ZAM who also introduced threesome scene in the middle.

I guess i’m good if the threesome is stated in the beginning, or the book is marketed as threesome. But if it somehow introduced in the middle, without any warning, it’ll be huge NO for me.

And H.B. with a no on poo, “Blood play and humiliation would also bother me.”

Yep, poo is a big no for lots of us.

Very enlightening! And while cheating still remains a big no, it still comes down to the author and great writing.

Winners Announcement!

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is handing off $10 gift certs to: Chris Tharrington and ashleyomelia

Please contact Stella at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com and she will get your gift cert to you. Congratulations!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, July 8:

There’s More to Romance and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Release Blitz – Riza Curtis – The Dragon’s Thief
The Pet Stylist and The Playboy by Rebecca James Release Blitz

Monday, July 9:

DSP Promo Scotty Cade
Release Blitz for Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert
BLITZ – Nectar and Ambrosia by E.M. Hamill
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: WITH A KICK Collection #1 by Clare London
A MelanieM Review: Hard Contact (Guild Enforcer, #1) by Ali Atwood
An Ali Audiobook Review: Familiar Angel by Amy Lane and Narrator: Gomez Pugh

Tuesday, July10:

Leaning Into Forever by Lane Hayes Blog Tour
DSP Dreamspun Promo j. leigh bailey
BLOG TOUR The Wulf Chronicles by Wulf Francu Godgluck
A Caryn Review: Love Me Louder by Christina Lee
An Alisa Review A Desperate Love by J.D. Walker
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Leaning Into Forever by Lane Hayes

Wednesday, July 11:

Review Tour – Garrett Leigh – Believe (Skins #3)
Temple of Time by Geoffrey Knight Blog Tour
RELEASE BLITZ Love it Like You Stole It by Ki Brightly
A Jeri Review : Believe (Skins #3) by Garrett Leigh
A MelanieM Review: Bloodlines (Boystown #7) by Marshall Thornton
A MelanieM Review: Born of Air (Dragon Soul #4) by Sean Michael

Thursday, July 12:

Harmony Promo Annabelle Jay
Release Blitz – The Omega’s Second Chance by Kenna Grace
DSP Promo Andrew Grey
An Alisa Review: Discovery (Kinky in the City #3) by Quinn Ward
A Stella Release Day Review: Camwolf by JL Merrow
An Ali Audiobook Review: Family Man By Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton/Colin Darcy (Narrator)

Friday, July 13:

DSP Promo Z. Allora
BLOG TOUR for Badlands by Morgan Brice
99c Book Blast – Double Dare by Jeanne St. James
A MelanieM Review: Ground of Insurrection by Mell Eight
A MelanieM Recent Release Review: Galaxies and Oceans by N.R. Walker
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Balefire (Whyborne & Griffin #10) by Jordan L. Hawk

Saturday, July 14:

BLOG TOUR (Exclusive Post) Pursuing Happiness by Jessie Pinkham
Release Blitz – To Love & Protect His Omega by Quinn Michaels
A MelanieM Review: The Wolf at Bay by Charlie Adhara

Hello July. More On Romance Don’ts For You. This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Hello July.

More On Romance Don’ts For Readers

Welcome to July! The month that means the halfway point of summer, the week of the beginnings of many celebrations for Americans in the States and abroad as we celebrate our Independence Day on the 4th with fireworks and parades. and just a flood of people heading out for summer vacations (beach, mountains, tourist destinations) or good old staycations.

It’s also a time for tons of summer reading which is why I’m still talking about those Romance Don’ts or at least one of the reasons. I don’t know if you all caught Kate Sherwood’s blog last week here but she was talking about an early story of her’s where she had her mc’s cheat and the readers wrote in disgusted with her. And she felt she had broken an unwritten bond with them. The title of her guest blog? The Romance Taboo by Kate Sherwood. You can find it here. I was totally intrigued although not surprised. Its something I’ve heard over and over myself.

Another reason I’m still inquiring? That would be the Boystown series written by Marshall Thornton. Several novels in this series have either won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery or been a finalist. And deservedly so. But I wonder how many have started these stories and ended up with a DNF. And the reason being that the main character, PI Nick Nowak, rarely turns away from a hookup (underage the only exception), despite being in a relationship. Yes, its the 80’s and gay sex/monogamy was admittedly looked at differently then. But, and let me know if I’m wrong here, I get the feeling that context doesn’t come much into play when the element is cheating with regards to the main character or couple. it’s simply “no, not in my story”.

Which is a damn shame because these books and this series is simply brilliant. I’ll be reviewing more of them this week. And I’d like to know what I can possibly say to change readers minds. For me this subject hasn’t been an issue. Life is messy and its always been about how the author has handled the subject (as with any other element in their story). But this is an emotional issue in RL and it carries over into our reading. Can it ever be separated? Not sure. I hope you all will continue to chime in here. I will be handing out gift certificates next week.

And yes, I’ve been reading and loving everyone’s comments. Here is what some of you have had to say on the subject:

On Readers Romance Don’ts:

I think it depends on how the characters are portrayed. I can sometimes stand cheating characters but it has to be under certain circumstances (abuse, loveless marriage where spouse is cheating already, open relationship where both characters know and is okay with it). I really don’t like politically or religiously driven stories. Regarding sex scenes I like them enough just to spice up the read but not overtake the entire book. One every chapter is too excessive in my opinion I think maybe for a full length story I would like just maybe 2 to 4 sex scenes. Of course no sex scenes and more intimacy scenes are okay too. I think the one thing a book can’t come back from is if it kills off an important character (I’m going to exclude Andrea Speed’s Infected series from this even tho I didn’t complete the series I have plans to go back and read it after I heal from the lost of Paris). I once read a book where a main character in the earlier series was killed off in the sequel that featured new main characters. Luckily the series only had two books and there were no plans for more because I was completely turned off from it and resented that I had wasted time reading it.

I can tolerate cheating if it advances the storyline while leading to the MCs having an HEA. Regarding sex scenes, I don’t need one every chapter. The first sex scene is the most important, because that sets the foundation for future exploration, especially if one character is primarily a top or bottom. The only things that turn me off in a book are domestic abuse, child abuse, rape, and mpreg storylines.

I agree. I hate it when they kill off the pets! [my pet peeve] I just finished reading a short story this morning where a cat got thrown of a building. I was so mad!
As for romance, I’m not sure. I do a lot of ghostwriting, and my clients are often very specific that they don’t want the main characters to have sexual involvement with anyone else. Must be a big rule!

In terms of cheating. it depends on my mood — I mean, I’ve read when cheating happened, and I was okay with it as long as there’s SIGNIFICANT GROVELING happened in the book.

My romance No No are mostly about tropes… I don’t read Mpreg, I don’t read M/F/M or F/F/M. for example, rather than something in the plot.

✒

I will have to tell you all I didn’t even mention last week one of my biggest bugaboos. A romance book where one of the MC was intensely involved with his own excrement. I believe that was my very first DNF story and it was years ago. And yes, I found my limit on kink in that novel as well. Another romance don’t for me. So let’s hear from you all. More on this cheating element and any other Romance Don’ts!

Lucky readers will be chosen next week to receive gift cards. Now on this our week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, July 1:

RELEASE BLITZ – Leaning into Forever by Lane Hayes
Hello July. More On Romance Don’ts For You.
This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, July 2:

Release Blitz for Nobody Else’s by Nell Iris
Release Blitz Badlands by Morgan Brice
Release Day Blitz Magic or Die (Inner Demons #1) by JP Jackson
A Lucy Review: Nobody Else’s by Nell Iris
An Alisa Review: Challenge (Kinky in the City #2) by Quinn Ward
A Jeri Review: Wash Out (Anchor Point #7) by LA Witt
A MelanieM Review: A Time For Secrets (Boystown #4) by Marshall Thornton

Tuesday. July 3:

BLOG TOUR TIGHT QUARTERS by Annabeth Albert
DSP Promo Rhett Heath
Release Blitz Play it by Ear by KM Neuhold
A VVivacious Release Day Review: Stranger in a Foreign Land by Michael Murphy
A MelanieM Review: Tight Quarters (Out of Uniform #6) by Annabeth Albert
A MelanieM Release Day Review: From a Jack to a King by Scotty Cade
A Caryn Review: Finn (Endangered Fae #1) by Angel Martinez

Wednesday, July 4 (Happy Independence Day!) 🇺🇸

AUDIOBOOK TOUR – WITH A KICK Collection #1 by CLARE LONDON
Review Tour for Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) by Jay Northcote
REVIEW TOUR for Daniel (The Third Legacy) by RJ Scott
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Daniel (The Third Legacy) by RJ Scott
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) by Jay Northcote
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Treasure for Treasure (Being(s) in Love #7) by R. Cooper and Dominic Carlos (Narrator)
A Lucy Review: Play It By Ear by KM Neuhold

Thursday, July 5:

In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister
BLOG TOUR fo My Crunchy Life by Mia Kerick
DSP Dreamspun Promo Michael Murphy on Stranger in a Foreign Land
A Free Dreamer Review: Armistice (The Amberlough Dossier #2) by Lara Elena Donnelly
A Lucy Audiobook Review: Bromantically Yours by K.C. Wells and Narrator: Daniel Henning
An Alisa Review: That’s My Ethan by Tarian PS
A MelanieM Review: Murder Book (Boystown 5) by Marshall Thornton

Friday, July 6:

Cover Reveal for Curl Around My Heart by Londra Laine l
Review Tour and Giveaway for Stag and the Ash (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #5) by Sam Burns
Review Tour for Spark (North Star #1) by Posy Roberts
Blog Tour for Magic or Die (Inner Demons, Book One) by JP Jackson
A Free Dreamer Review: Stag and The Ash (Rowan Harbor Cycle #5) by Sam Burns
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Knitting a Broken Heart Back Together by Ari McKay
A Stella Review: Spark (North Star #1) by Posy Roberts

Saturday, July 7:

BLITZ – Leaning Into the Look by Lane Hayes
Release Blitz for Knitting a Broken Heart Back Together by Ari McKay
A MelanieM Review: From the Ashes (Boystown #6) by Marshall Thornton

Blog Tour for Love’s Magic (Revolutionary Heart #1) by Janice Jarrell (guest blog and giveaway)

I’ve been writing gay romance since I was twelve years old, only back then it wasn’t called ‘gay romance’. In fact, it had no name at all. It was the fifty’s, and it was worth your life to admit to being gay, let alone confess to being a girl who constantly fantasized about relationships between gay men. Hell, I didn’t even know what a homosexual was. I lived on a farm out in the sticks in a tiny Michigan village and I’d never, to my knowledge, even heard the word. I just knew I loved the thought of boy on boy romance. I just knew that there was something hot going on between Tom Corbett and his Space Cadets and all those guys on ‘Combat’.

Naïve as I was, I still recognized that I’d better not say anything to anyone about my weird-ass proclivities. And I didn’t. For many, many years I scribbled out my ‘gay romance’ fantasies then immediately ripped them up. For many, many years. I believed there had to be something wrong with me to be so obsessively fascinated by the idea of men loving men.

Fast forward to 1999 and the dawning of the Internet. I still hadn’t shared my love for gay romance with another living soul, and I remained convinced that there had to be something wrong with me because of my passion for gay love. I knew no one else, at that time, who shared my passion for gay passion.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered Kirk/Spock slash! I had, of course, known there was a passionate romantic link between those two. Who didn’t? But discovering the slash community, beginning with the Kirk/Spock fandom, was like a lightning strike to my mind and heart. My god! There were other women who felt as I did! And not only were they were actively writing the kind of stories I’d been ripping up for years, they were admired for doing so!

For the next twenty years I wrote slash fanfiction, mainly in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ fandom. Overall, I wrote over 337 stories, some as short as 100 words (a drabble) some as long as a series which was over 119,012 words. I enjoy writing my stories. I enjoyed the feedback I received from my readers. It was a creative release I’d been searching for my entire life and I blessed the Internet for leading me to this artistic oasis for my spirit.

But after a while it just wasn’t enough. Writing stories about other people’s characters begin to grow tiresome and repetitive. My first book, Love’s Legacy, began as an AU fanfiction story. I wrote my fandom characters in an alternative universe simply to try to extend my reach. But it fell flat.

Love’s Legacy is the story of how David Gardener and Nate Reese met and fell in love. I actually went so far as to publish it on Amazon. But it just wasn’t good enough, and eventually I withdrew the book from publication. I was still writing fanfiction and it showed. I was writing with someone else’s voice.

Love’s Magic was my very first step into writing my own characters. David and Nate are still there but they are now fully realized individuals rather than existing as a reflection of someone else’s thoughts. Colin and Josh sprang from my brain like a fiery eruption and immediately captivated my soul. Of all my characters, those two are the ones who most completely reflect my ability to step forth as a creative author, freed from any ties to the work of another.

I will always be grateful the slash fanfiction community for nurturing the budding author until she was ready to blossom into a fully realized novelist. It’s been an amazing thing to watch the gay community’s growth over these past twenty years. My own journey has echoed theirs in many ways, and I’m grateful to all those gay activists who fought to give the gay community the rights and privileges they always deserved.

And I’m grateful to the gay romance community, readers, authors, publishers and promoters, who are making these, my retirement years, the most creative ones of my life.

I hope you’ll read Love’s Magic. I hope you’ll meet David and Nate… Colin and Joshua. These dynamic, sexy, and totally adorable men carried me into a whole new world of love, romance, joy, and happily-ever-after’s. I hope they’ll do the same for you.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 82,406 words

Blurb

If you love gay romance that contains both heated passion and steadfast love, Love’s Magic is for you! Professor Nate Reese rushes to protect a female student and is severely injured at the hands of her assailant. Traumatized by the attack, Nate sets his feet on a no-holds-barred path of activism designed to force university officials into addressing the issue of on-campus assault. At the same time, terrified of losing his hard-won status at the university, his partner, David Gardener, a veteran of 12 years as a very popular Professor, is reluctant to support Nate’s militant efforts. Seemingly abandoned by his partner, Nate sees David’s aversion to his activism as indifference to the trauma he suffered. Day by day they watch as their relationship disintegrates, while still struggling to resolve the disruptive issues engulfing the school they love.

In the meantime, Irishman Colin Campbell, handsome and charismatic Sergeant for the campus police force, fights his own on-going war against campus assault. But behind his obsessive desire to gain justice for victims lies a devastating secret which could forever destroy his fiercely independent facade and expose his deepest fear. Ultimately, it is Colin’s powerful connection to a steady, dark-eyed Title IX consultant which threatens to tear down his defenses and shatter the barriers protecting his heart.

Cocky and irresistible, the dynamic police officer was everything Joshua Abrams had ever longed for in a man, but Colin simply didn’t ‘do’ relationships. Unless Joshua would settle for a one night stand, or a very short-term liaison, there was no room for him in Colin’s life. Yet even knowing this, he couldn’t keep himself from falling hopelessly in love with his ‘magic man’. Despite the passion between them, he knew his quiet, reclusive nature could never hope to entice the vibrant, freedom-loving Irishman, so eventually he begins to back slowly away.

Eventually, a disagreement over an oddly disturbing case causes Colin’s hot Irish temper to erupt and their relationship is irrevocably shattered. Heartbroken, and convinced that Colin is gone forever, Joshua flees Charlottesville without a word, leaving Colin adrift and inconsolable.

But Joshua Abrams hadn’t merely stepped over the indelible line Colin had drawn between his heart and the dangers of real love, he had burned through it like hot lava. Finally forced to acknowledge his love for Joshua and his desperate need to have the quiet, Jewish man by his side, Colin must now face the dark and long-suppressed memories which are irrevocably linked to his love for the handsome consultant. Without even a forwarding address to guide him, he vows to find Joshua and bring him home. Colin’s struggle to conquer his pride and fear in order to find the love of his life and achieve their happily ever after will touch your heart.

Four lives in turmoil fighting for the relationships they cherish, and at the heart of the struggle, a great university struggles to survive its most harrowing challenge.

June 25 – Mirrigold, June 26 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, June 27 – MM Good Book Reviews, June 28 – Bayou Book Junkie, July 2 – Love Bytes, July 3 – Two Chicks Obsessed, The Novel Approach, July 4 – Joyfully Jay, July 5 – Drops Of Ink, Sarandipity

About The Author

My name is Jan Jarrrell. I am a 74 year old retired grandmother who lives in Seattle, WA. I have been a writer of Lord of the Rings slash fan fiction for almost twenty years under the name Rakshi. I have written both RPS fiction and FPS and my list of works stands at three hundred and thirty seven, including stories as short as drabbles (stories of 100 words) and a series entitled ‘Time’ that was 119,012 words long. I have never had a work officially published, though two of my stories, Char ar’ I’ear (Earth and Sea) and ‘To The Distant Shore’ were included in the Vilya II fanzine. You can find my works on Archive of our Own and on LiveJournal under the username Rakshi.

I began writing original character fiction about a year ago and found I love it more than anything. I tend to fall in love with my characters and always want to give them that happy ending that I just know they deserve.

Reach me at: jjarrell@lovesmagic.online
Facebook: Revolutionary Heart- Love’s Magic
Goodreads Author Profile Page
Follow me on Twitter @Revolut35174972

Giveaway

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What Are Romance Don’ts For You? This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

What Are Romance Don’ts For You…in Stories of course?

I’m always interested in what turns readers on, makes them keep searching out certain authors, certain types of stories and series. The reverse is also true. I’m curious to know whats the turnoff for readers. What will kill a story faster than a full moon can make a were all fluffy?

I’m not talking about simple bad writing, paroxysms of purple prose (I sorta love those…I giggle away), and cardboard characters and unintelligible plots. No I’m talking about something that while you are reading along, the book is going fine and all of a sudden, there it is. The thing that has you going “nope, not reading further”, and you are done.

I have to admit the one I hear the most is that people don’t want their main characters to cheat. At all. It doesn’t matter whether they haven’t even met the guy they are going to have their HFN or HEA yet. They don’t want to see them with anyone else in the story.

These are readers who place a strict moral behavior line on their mcs and expect it to be adhered to.

Some readers want light, sweet romances (which does not necessarily exclude depth in storyline or characters). Others place a limit on the amount of violence or types of sex or kink they may want in the novels. Do you exclude anything other than a typical M/M coupling from your reading lists? Not judging, just curious.

And how much sex is too much?

I actually went to a couple of How to Write Romance sites to see if they addressed any of this and the answer is not really.One said not to have a sex scene in every chapter. Many recommended no instant love but to build it up gradually. Many said to learn how to write “good” sex scenes. Under one site with 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Romance novels:1

: Avoid immediate, total attraction between your story’s lovers (guess they never met Grindr or instant lust) Really

But specifics like cheating never come up. That they leave up to each individual author and their tastes.

I personally avoid novels that kill off the pets and other animals. That’s one of my things (looking at you and that horse, Amy Lane).

One recent story that I gave low ratings to didn’t even introduce the one main character’s “true love” until the last couple of pages of the story. For most of the book he was involved with a lovely intelligent man who most readers, including myself thought he would end up with, until surprise! He runs off back to Canada leaving the nice guy in Scotland and us with our jaws on the floor. Because there was no set up in the narrative and we had no idea who this person was. Stunningly awful.

So while the mc’s don’t have to be together (letters written, two povs), I must actually know who he is. Smh.

And finally, if you have a narrative bugaboo, is there a author or book that convinced you or was so well written that they made you overlook it?

Write in and let me know….there might be gifts ahead for those that chime in.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, June 24:

Book Blast Witchbane by Morgan Brice
A MelanieM Review: A Time For Secrets (Boystown #4) by Marshall Thornton
What Are Romance Don’ts For You? This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, June 25:

RELEASE BLITZ Daniel (The Third Legacy) by RJ Scott
Release Blitz – JM Snyder – Commanding Officer Thomas
Release Blitz – Speed Dating the Boss by Sue Brown
DSP Promo EJ Russell
An Alisa Review: Commanding Officer Thomas by J.M. Snyder
A Jeri Review: Something About You by Riley Hart
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Cash Plays (Seven of Spades #3) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Tuesday, June 26

Release Blitz – Spark by Posy Roberts
Release Blitz – Nic Starr’s Lies & Deception
My Crunchy Life by Mia Kerick Release Blitz
Release Blitz and Exclusive Guest Post forJanice Jarrell’s Love’s Magic
An Ali Release Day Review: Lies & Deception by Nic Starr (
An Alisa Release Day Review: Speed Dating the Boss (Cowboys and Angels #1) by Sue Brown
A MelanieM Releases Day Review: All That Glitters by Kate Sherwood

Wednesday, June 27:

Cover Reveal for Second Chance Ranch (Montana #5) by RJ Scott
Kate Sherwood on All That Glitters (guest post)
Review Tour – Tarian PS – That’s My Ethan
Series Recap Blitz/Tour – RJ Scott – Montana Series
A Caryn Review: Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister
A Stella Review Home Skillet (Culinary Kings #1) by Cate Ashwood & Sandra Damien
A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Love Me Tomorrow by Ethan Day and Jason Frazier (Narrator)

Thursday, June 28:

Release Blitz – Believe (Skins #3) by Garrett Leigh
Release Blitz – Day Of Wrath (Taking Shield #5) – Anna Butler
Release Blitz for Date Discovery by Quinn Ward
DSP Promo Nic Starr on LIes & Deception
A Free Dreamer Review: Amberlough (The Amberlough Dossier #1) by Lara Elena Donnelly
An Alisa Review: Jordan and the Secret Pack by Sam Magna
A MelanieM Review Learn with Me by Kris Jacen

Friday, June 29:

Review Tour – Love’s Magic by Janice Jarrell
Release Blitz – Sam Burn’s Stag and the Ash
DSP Promo Louise Collins
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Unfit to Print by KJ Charles
A Caryn Review: Fourteen Summers by Quinn Anderson
A MelanieM Review: Love’s Magic by Janice Jarrell
A Lucy Audiobook Review: A Full Plate by Kim Fielding and Narrator: Kenneth Obi

Saturday, June 30:

RELEASE BLITZ Love Me Louder by Christina Lee
Release Blitz + Giveaway – A Dance For Two by Colette Davison
A Lucy Review A Dance For Two by Colette Davison

More June Romance. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

More June Romance

We are still merrily swinging along mid June with our romances and finishing up with our Royals….recommendations of course! Cheeky! More below from our wonderful readers who came up with some simply great books for everyone to read. I put my own recs back in as well and hopefully by the end of the month will merge of all them into one big royal recommendation list for one and all.

I read and reviewed a story this week which fits in perfect with our romance theme, Made in Portugal by Ana Newfolk. Two men, who had their first kiss as teenagers and best friends and then were abruptly separated for years meet once again when one returns to the land of his birth. Its lovely, layered, and romantic. I loved it.

Then oddly enough, a series which is the antithesis of romance. Gritty, noir, the sex impersonal, the mc often unlikable, and yet the writing is so well done (as are the mysteries) you just have to keep reading…yes, that would be Marshall Thornton’s award winning Boystown Series. What was thinking putting them here? I definitely need a Noir Month.

Do we even have enough LGBT Noir Books?

There’s a question for you!

But the sun is shinning on our romance stories, so let’s concentrate there. More stories to come as June contineues. In the meantime.

Here is another winner of our Royal Recommendations Contest: Purple Reader. Please contact Stella for your gift card at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com

Royal Recommendations and Love Stories – Part II

Historical

Crofton Hall series by Rebecca Cohen (with some contemporary stories too)

Contemporary:

Wake Up Married Series by Leta Blake and Alice Griffiths
Suddenly Yours by Jacob Z. Flores
Marriage of Inconvenience by M.J. O’Shea
The Greek Tycoon’s Green Card Groom by Kate McMurray
First Comes Marriage by Shira Anthony
Tall, Dark, and Deported by Bru Baker

Science Fiction:

Mate of the Tyger Prince series by Shannon West (shifter aliens, humans, mpreg)

Supernatural/Paranormal:

Mage of Inconvenience by Parker Foye

Fantasy:

The Gryphon King’s Consort by Jenn Burke

Purple Reader:

There’s already some good recs here. Like H.B., I don’t keep track of weddings in books, but I did remember a few that I thought were good … they aren’t all just about the wedding, but it does figure into the story:
– Fantasy:
THE LAST GRAND MASTER by Andrew Q. Gordon
THE LODESTAR OF YS by Amy Rae Durreson
THE ENGINEERED THRONE by Megan Derr
– PNR:
TRIED & TRUE by Charlie Cochet
GUNS N’ BOYS: HE IS MINE by K.A. Merikan
– Sci-Fi/Futuristic:
MY FAIR CAPTAIN by J.L. Langley (the original unless you want yours kink free then go for the 2018 version)
IMPERFECT MATCH by Price, Jordan Castillo
Oh, I thought of a few more, so why not add several to our list 🙂 … (again, good stories where even if it’s not all about the wedding, it plays a part):
– Historical:
INTO DEEP WATERS by Kaje Harper
DAYS WITHOUT END by Sebastian Barry
– Contemporary:
A MORE PERFECT UNION – Anthology by B.G. Thomas, Coatsworth, Fessenden, Michael Murphey
WILL & PATRICK WAKE UP MARRIED by Leta Blake
PIECE OF CAKE by Mary Calmes
THE HEART OF TEXAS, and TEXAS WEDDING by R.J. Scott
THE MARRYING KIND by Jay Northcote
– Mystery/Suspense:
CRASH & BURN by Abigail Roux
HERE COMES THE CORPSE by Mark Richard Zubro
ALOHA CANDY HEARTS by Anthony Bidulka
– Purple Reader, TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com

From Ami:

TAMING GROOMZILLA by E.N. Holland (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931204-taming-groomzilla)

and

SIX NECKTIES by Johnny Diaz (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35061750-six-neckties) which revolves around wedding and wedding preparation

Now on to this week at our blog!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, June 10:

A MelanieM Review: Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves
More June Romance. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, June 11:

SERIES REVIEW TOUR for Shoes and Ties by JENA WADE
BLOG TOUR George Loveland – Up In The Air #2: West Coast
Review Tour – Ari McKay – Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun
A MelanieM Review: Ari McKay ‘s Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun
A Stella Review: My Anti-Valentine (My Anti-Series #1) by DJ Jamison
A VVivacious Review: Flowers for the Gardener by Sharon Maria Bidwell
An Ali Review Behind the Lights (Social Sinners #1) by T.L. Travis

Tuesday, June 12:

Release Blitz Twenty-One Arrow Salute by Kasia Bacon
Release Blitz – George Loveland’s Up In The Air 2: West Coast
Review Tour – Made In Portugal by Ana Newfolk
A Lucy Review: Whatever Comes First by MK Lee
A MelanieM Review: Made in Portugal (Made In #1) by Ana Newfolk
A Stella Review: My Anti-Boyfriend (My Anti-Series #2) by D.J. Jamison
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Staggered Cove Station (Coast Guard Rescue #1) by Elle Brownlee and Colin Darcy (Narrator)

Wednesday, June 13:

BLITZ – To Have and to Hold by Tamryn Eradani
DSP Promo Sean Michael
River City Tour (Other World Tour)
Release Blitz – Overtime by V.L. Locey
An Alisa Review: Wrenching by Deirdre O’Dare
A MelanieM Review: Overtime (Cayuga Cougars #4) by V.L. Locey

Thursday, June 14:

TOUR INSIDE DARKNESS by Hudson Lin
Release Blitz – DJ Jamison’s My Anti-Marriage
A MelanieM Review: Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton
A MelanieM Review: Three More Nick Nowak Mysteries (Boystown #2) by Marshall Thornton
A MelanieM Review: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries (Boystown #1) by Marshall

Friday, June 15:

Ardulum Series (Other World Tour)
Release Blitz Catch Me by Beth Bolden
Release Blitz Rainbow Place – Jay Northcote
A MelanieM Review:Two Nick Nowak Novellas (Boystown #3) by Marshall Thornton
A Stella Review My Anti-Marriage by DJ Jamison
A MelanieM Review: Silent Hearts by Cameron D. James.

Saturday, June 16:

Blitz Tour (Lori)The Recruit by Addison Albright
A MelanieM Review: Murder Book (Boystown #5) by Marshall Thornton