Category: Self Published

A Paul B Review: The Harvest: A Tah’Narian Christmas (The Harvest #3) by M.A. Church

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars    ★★★★★

The Harvest 3It has been five years since last we checked in on the planet of Tah’Nar.  Keyno and Dale are raising their six-year-old twins, Radeon and Szin.  While Radeon has inherited the Tah’Narian genes, Sziin, who is mostly human,  can usually hold his own against his twin.   The most important thing is that they still share their special link that they developed while Dale was carrying them.

As the calendar turns toward the end of the year, Dale is feeling the pull of what would be the Christmas season back on Earth.  While Dale has introduced some human traditions into his new world such as young (baby) showers, he misses the family gatherings at Christmas time.  While the religious aspects for the holiday might not go over on his new home planet, he feels that the idea of family celebrations and the spirit of good will towards all would go well in Tah’Narian society.

Unknown to Dale, his mate Keyno has sent a ship back to earth to give Dale just what he wants.  He has arranged with Dale’s parents to ship the traditional Christmas decorations that are found on Earth.  While the idea of cutting a tree down is antithetical to Tah’Narian culture, he compromises and plans to dig up a tree to use for the season before replanting it after the celebration.  Keyno has also arranged for all their friends to join in the celebration.  Dale receives the ultimate surprise when the ship lands and more than just the decorations have arrived from earth.

This is a warm holiday story that provides a glimpse into life several years after the ending of The Harvest set of books.  The twins along with their friend Takeo play the role of energy filled six year olds well.  It is almost like having a set of triplets when the three of them are together.  You can tell that Keyno and Dale are still very much in love and will do anything to make each other happy.  This is a perfect side story to the series.

The cover art by Alicia Nordwell is spot on.  It shows the pink Christmas tree with presents underneath sitting next to a window in Dale and Keyno’s tree house.  It is the perfect cover for the holiday story.

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

Book Details

Kindle Edition, 70 pages
Published November 30th 2015
ASINB018STI75E
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Harvest #3h

Series:  The Harvest

  • Taken (The Harvest #1)
  • Journey’s End (The Harvest #2)
  • A Tah’Narian Christmas (The Harvest #3)

Coffee Sip and Book Break with Grein Murray’s ‘Forever Joshua’ (excerpt and giveaway)

Forever Joshua E-Book Cover

Forever Joshua (The Joshua Series #3) by Grein Murray
 Release Date: December 14, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Grein Murray
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis from Book Cover By Design

Blurb

Joshua and Michael’s marriage has been going well until the letters arrive. Disturbing letters show up threatening to out Joshua as an ex-porn star. As the letters escalate so does Joshua’s fear. When the stalker strikes, Joshua’s loved ones need to pull together to help Joshua, but can they do what needs to be done to make Joshua safe?

 

Pages or Words: 150 pages
Series should be read in order
 Categories: Erotica, Gay Fiction, Romance

Excerpt

Christopher peeked around the door frame of Michael’s bedroom. “We have someone that can help us.” Kyle and Christopher parted and in walked someone that Michael hadn’t seen in a while. It was probably the last person he thought could (or would) help, Tristan.

Buy the book:  Amazon US  | Amazon UK  | Amazon CAN | Amazon AUS

Banner300x250

Meet the Author

When I’m not writing I like going to concerts. Music is a big part of my life, I’ve played bass guitar since I was a teen. I love nature and enjoy hiking and working with causes that help protect our planet and wild animals.

I have loved books all of my life and have always enjoyed escaping the ordinary world by getting lost in a good book. I read a lot of different genres of books but have fallen in love with MM. I support the gay community and hope one day people will see that love is love and that it is a beautiful thing no matter your gender, race or religion. Joshua and his story have been in my head for years but I never took the time to write it.

With encouragement from some fellow authors and friends I took the leap and now all of you can get to know my characters and I hope you love them as much as I do.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Mikky’s World of Books, Happily Ever Chapter, BFD Book Blog, Alpha Book Club, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Book Lovers 4Ever, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Velvet Panic, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, Inked Rainbow Reads

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $5.00 gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

A Bj Review: Souls in Bondage series (#1, 2, & 2.5) by Lex Valentine

Rating:    4 stars out of 5 (for the series overall)

I’m reviewing this series together as they are all short and fit together like a glove.

Broken Bonds (Souls in Bondage #1) – 5 stars out of 5  ★★★★★

Broken BondsThe one thing Haven Noel wants for his Christmas birthday is for his master, Kellen, to love him. But the wonderful Christmas Eve Haven plans for his master goes awry and instead of receiving his master’s love, Haven ends up on the street without his collar. Heartbroken, Haven heads to the club where he and Kellen originally met, only to find it closed.

With a blizzard descending and nowhere to go, Haven curls up on the club doorstep, courting death. Hopeless and shattered, on the verge of losing consciousness, he makes a wish for Kellen to find happiness some day. Two angels with a vested interest in Haven and Kellen’s happiness hear his wish and conspire with Kellen’s family to save Haven’s life, bring love back to Kellen’s heart and give them both the best kinky Christmas ever.

A little bit of a Dicken’s redux, but I love retelling of fairy tales and beloved old stories! Read in one sitting! A Dicken’s classic within a D/s relationship? Heck, yeah. This well-written story captured my attention from page one and didn’t let go–I couldn’t stop reading except to wipe my leaky eyes, because it had tears rolling down my cheeks. I don’t care if it was a bit sappy, in fact, I loved that about it. The characters were perfect for me–broken boys are a big favorite. A darker sort of holiday story but with a HEA ending that was just right.

Then later, I purchased the audiobook and listened to it on a longish car trip. Warning, do not listen to this while driving… even if it is a re-read. Its even more poignant on audio! I had to keep blinking away the tears. Lovely story in both print and audio.

Book Details and Sales Links:    Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Published December 24th 2012 by Amazon Digital Services
ASINB00ASZC00U
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSouls in Bondage #1

Bitter Bonds (Souls in Bondage #2) – 4 stars

Bitter BondsDominant Jake Conrad isn’t going to get involved in another relationship with a submissive. Burned by two former submissives, Jake vows never to collar one again. Then his best friend Ray brings him a sub like no other. Finn is damaged and bitter, although not as bitter as Jake. The white haired submissive has secrets and talents Jake never dreamed of and the lure of Finn’s need to submit calls to Jake’s soul.

Everyone Finn has ever loved walked away from him. He fears caring for anyone when he knows the outcome will shatter his heart again. When Finn falls for Jake, he gives his lover the ultimate gift, a chance to have the dreams he set aside years before even though he knows that if Jake accepts the gift, he’ll walk out of Finn’s life forever. A slave to his love for his Dominant, the submissive finds his true strength in easing Jake’s bitterness even at the cost of his own happiness.

After book one blew me away, I had very high expectations for this story. First off, I was delighted to get a re-visit and almost a follow-up with Kellan and Haven which tied things up even more nicely. YAY.

This sweet story centers on the angels helping Jake and Finn. The BDSM elements are pretty mild, there is plenty of delicious angst, and there’s a slight paranormal slant. But this one is not at all the total heartwrencher that book one was for me. I enjoyed seeing inside the insecure Dom who thought he’d failed his other subs. I’d have liked to seen a bit more exploration of the two characters as I didn’t quite connect with them as deeply as I had with those from the first book. If you like angsty stories with BDSM and damaged guys, then this one should fit the bill nicely.

Sales Links :   All Romance (ARe)   |   Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 10th 2013 by Winterheart Books (first published June 9th 2013)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Souls in Bondage #2

Subs for Lunch (Souls in Bondage #2.5) – 3 stars

Subs for LunchBest friends Micah, Haven and Finn find a new sandwich shop called Mouthwatering Subs. When they talk the owners into selling them some T-shirts, naughtiness ensues. The three submissives invite their dominants out to their favorite club, Darkness, for a night of fun jumpstarted by the suggestive T-shirts. A worried Finn just wants Jake, his overworked dominant, to relax. Haven is looking to bring some laughter to his usually serious Dom, Kellen. And mischievous Micah has the tallest order to fill. He’s hoping for a public spanking. Will his normally possessive Dom, Nick, bare Micah’s ass in the club for all to see? It’s a night of fun and frolic for the three subs and their sexy Doms.

Although we revisit the characters from books one and two, the tone of this book is entirely different from books one and two. This one is playful and light revisit to the couples. It was cute, and the subs get a bit bratty for those who enjoy that. We get to explore the friendship that has developed between the three subs we meet in the prior books. But it ended before the talk between Micah/Nick that I’d been waiting for, darn it!! I don’t feel that it moved the storylines forward much. There are three couples in this series: Kellan/Haven, Nick/Micah and Jake/Finn. There hasn’t really been a book dedicated to Nick/Micah as MCs yet, but I hope that there will be in future.

Sales Links:  Amazon | All Romance (ARe)
Book Details:

ebook, 45 pages
Published April 1st 2014 by Winterheart Books
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSouls in Bondage #2.5

The first two covers in this series are different from the final one… I love the black and white of the first two with the red accent and they are both hot. The final one rather sticks out as different, which for me was disappointing.

Mannies Incorporated Series is Back with Three To Get Ready ( Mannies Incorporated #4) by Sean Michael (excerpt and giveaway)

three to get ready

Three To Get Ready ( Mannies Incorporated #4) by Sean Michael
 Release Date: December 18, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Sean Michael
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Sean Michael here today to celebrate the  release of Three To Get Ready. Welcome, Sean.

Thank you for helping me to celebrate the release of Three To Get Ready, a Mannies Incorporated story.

So usually, I’m usually knee deep in frigid temperatures and lots of snow at this time but this year there is no snow, there are no cold temps, it’s early fall or mid-spring weather. At the end of December. This makes me sad.  Christmas cookies, however, make me happy, no matter what the weather is doing outside.

Cookies are one of the things that help manny Dan and his charge Nathan bond over in Three to Get Ready. Together they make all sorts of cookies, but the first ones they bake together is peanut butter. I myself do not like peanut butter cookies. I don’t actually like peanut butter in anything sweet aside from paired with jam in a pb&j sandwich. So I’m not going to be sharing any peanut butter cookie recipes. I will however share one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Maple Cookies. This is also a very Canadian recipe as it has real maple syrup in it. They have the added benefit of being very easy to make – which for me is always a requirement!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Maple Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 c. real maple syrup

Directions:

Cream those together really well.

Then add an egg and a teaspoon of vanilla

In a separate bowl, sift together 4 c. flour, 2 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients

Roll into 1 inch balls and place on greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheets

Press a walnut into the top of the ball – I try to use a whole section so it looks like wings

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

A couple of these cookies and a glass of milk would be a wonderful snack to munch on while enjoying Three to Get Ready.

Sean

Smut fixes everything

Now more about Three To Get Ready ( Mannies Incorporated #4) by Sean Michael

Banner300x250

Blurb

Single father Jack Jones is in dire need of a new nanny. His five year old son Nathan is legally blind, he has twin baby girls arriving in less than two months and the girl currently working for him is leaving at Thanksgiving to go home and continue her higher education. If Mannies Incorporated doesn’t come up with a viable candidate soon, he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Dan Miller is on the hunt for a new job. He’s had some great placements with Mannies Incorporated, many as Manny to multiple birth families to get them over the hump. He even has experience with special needs children, so the job he’s interviewing for looks like it’s right up his alley.

When Dan arrives at Jack’s house, he discovers that this Jack Jones is his Jack Jones, the man he was in love with during college, and who broke up with Dan because Dan wanted children. Will Dan and Jack be able to put the past behind them and work together, or will their past keep them from having a future together?

Pages or Words: 64,000 words/190 pages
This book can be read as a standalone
 Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

Dan Miller followed the instructions on his GPS to one Jack Jones’ house for his interview. He was trying to decide if it was a good or bad omen that he’d dated a Jack Jones. It had ended, so maybe bad. On the other hand, they’d ended because Jack didn’t want kids and he did, which was better to learn early on, before they’d invested a lot of time in each other, right? So good sign.

Chuckling at himself, he went over what Drake at Mannies Inc had told him about the family.

Single gay dad, one special needs son – the boy was nearly six and clinically blind. Apparently he could see general shapes if they were high contrast and he could see lights and light contrast. There were twin girls on their way. In a couple of weeks in a few weeks in fact.

Newborns were Dan’s favorite. He loved that new baby smell. He loved their chubby little cheeks and limbs, their fat bellies and how quickly they changed.

After reading the file, he’d had to agree with Drake that he seemed like a really good fit for the family.

The position was live-in, so he paid close attention as the condo came into view. Not far from the beach, it was a decent size, not too big, but not tiny. The front was neat and he could see the backyard was fenced in.

Pulling into the drive, he turned off the engine and took a deep breath. Okay. Interview time. He climbed out of the car, with his best ‘I’m the perfect man to look after your kids’ face on.

He knocked on the front door.

“Daddy! Maddie, someone is here!”

“I’ll get it, man. Hopefully this one will work for your daddy, Mr. Picky. I have to leave the week of Thanksgiving. I have to.”

The door opened and a lovely dark-skinned young woman stood there with a skinny little boy in thick glasses. “Hey there. Can I help you?”

“Hi, Dan Miller. I’m here to see Mr. Jones?”

“Sure. Come on in. I’m Maddie, Nathan’s personal assistant.” She winked at him.

“Very nice to meet you.” He shook her hand.

Then he turned his attention to the little boy. “Hey there, You must be Nathan.”

“Uh-huh. Nathan James Jones.” One hand was held out. “Pleased meeting you.”

Dan took Nathan’s hand and shook it solemnly. “Pleased to meet you, too.”

“Hey there. Sorry, man. I was paying some bills. Crazy life.”

Dan looked up at the familiar voice and blinked. Strong jaw, blond curls, and the bluest eyes in the history of the earth — that was Jack. His Jack.

Dan felt like he’d been poleaxed.

His Jack who didn’t want kids, no way no how was he fucking crazy for even suggesting it.

“Jack?” Oh, smooth, Dan. Clearly it was Jack. Hell, even if he couldn’t believe his eyes, the folder he’d gotten from Drake had said the guy’s name was Jack.

“Dan? Danny? Oh, my God!” Jack’s eyes went wide. “Look at you. You look amazing.”

He kind of hated the way Jack’s words made him stand a little taller, a little straighter. “So do you. The years have been good to you.” Twelve years. Shit, things had changed in that time, that much was obvious, but not how just a glance from those devastating eyes could make his cock perk up. That hadn’t changed a damn bit.

Buy the book::Amazon |All Romance Ebooks

 

BannerTemplate

Meet the Author:

Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to “Chicago.”

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

18-Dec: Inked Rainbow Reads, Gay Book Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Kirsty Loves Books, Dawn’s Reading Nook

21-Dec: Sassygirl Books

22-Dec: Open Skye Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, Book Lovers 4Ever, Foxylutely Book Reviews

23-Dec: Velvet Panic

24-Dec: Unquietly Me, The Novel Approach

25-Dec: Havan Fellows

28-Dec: Up All Night, Read All Day, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

29-Dec: MM Good Book Reviews, Prism Book Alliance

30-Dec: Bayou Book Junkie

31-Dec: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, The Hat Party

1-Jan: Happily Ever Chapter

4-Jan: QUEERcentric Books, Full Moon Dreaming

5-Jan: Making It Happen

6-Jan: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

7-Jan: Multitasking Mommas, 3 Chicks After Dark

8-Jan: Molly Lolly, A.M. Leibowitz

11-Jan: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

12-Jan: Jessie G. Books

13-Jan: Bonkers About Books

14-Jan: Love Bytes, Alpha Book Club

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Three To Get Ready’ by Sean Michael.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Aurora YA Review: Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me by Becky Jerams

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Reasons to love A Nerd LIke Me 2Scotty Williams is the nerdiest 17-year-old at Havensdale College – and proud of it. However being a nerd can have its downsides, particularly when you’re constantly being targeted by the school bully Taylor Raven and his cronies. As Scotty tries to navigate his final college years with the aid of his best friend Olive, he also finds himself on the radar of the mysterious and intimidating Vincent Hunter, toughest guy in the Sixth Form. Is Vincent really as bad as he seems? Will Scotty’s darkest secret ever be revealed? Can he ever just finish his last few college years in peace? But most importantly… will any guy ever find the reasons to love a nerd like him?

The Wattpad hit “Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me” by Becky Jerams comes to Kindle for the first time in a new and improved edition. With over 2.4 million reads and counting, the first draft has resonated with readers across the world and been compared to authors such as John Green and David Levithan. Recommended for fans of teen drama and unconventional romance.

The biggest stand out in this book was the characters. At first glance, you might go into expecting some pretty typical teenage characters that you see a lot in YA media. I certainly went into it with that expectation, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. Both Scotty, Vincent, and all the side characters, were very complex, and they all had their positives and negatives. There were certainly things that either Scotty or Vincent did that made me shake my head at one or both of them, but it was never enough to push them away from being likable characters. What it achieved for me, instead, was to give them more depth as characters and represent the fact that while neither of them were necessarily perfect, they were both trying, and they were both endearing and cute characters to me.
As far as the plot, it was one that I had seen before, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well done. The characters were what made the book seem more original, to me, but the plot wasn’t necessarily boring, it seemed more familiar to me than overdone. I definitely didn’t get bored reading, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were a few spots when it seemed a little like perhaps the book was being stretched out, but when the pace slowed for maybe a few pages, it would get back on track pretty quickly so that didn’t bother me too much.
One thing I really enjoyed was the author’s style in writing. They definitely seemed to have a distinctive voice that left a good mental rhythm in my head as I read it. Based on this book I’d say they have a really developed voice, and that’s one of the best things about reading a book to me. I always look for different styles in the books I read, and ones that will be interesting to me. In this case, I was definitely interested by it. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA and especially fans of contemporary books that focus more on characters and relationships.
Cover art review. The cover is very simplistic, which I don’t necessarily mind. I would have maybe liked a little bit more than there was, and I don’t know that it would necessarily draw me to the book. However, it’s clean, and succinct, so I think it does the job.
Sales Links:  Amazon | Buy It Here
 
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 508 pages
Published October 12th 2015
ASINB015VL47M4
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Sammy Review: Rock Rod Studios Presents (1-3) Series by Emory Vargas

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Alex UndoneAlex comes again, no longer concerned with the consistency of his semen. His primary concerns are staying conscious and not sobbing for his mother or something equally horrific. He’s down a wormhole of ecstasy and it’s terrifying.

After an incident with a past roommate, Alex isn’t entirely sure he’s totally, completely straight. So when the opportunity to earn some extra and much needed money through gay porn comes up, Alex is open to the option.

He’s not expecting to realize just how much he enjoys being with guys, and he’s definitely not expecting to meet Peter, the sexy, tattooed temporary secretary. Peter’s not into relationships, but the two can’t seem to shake the connection between them, and besides, Alex could really use some help with understanding all the gay stuff. After a couple shoots, Alex may just walk off with a whole lot more than some extra cash.

“What base is fuckmachines?” Alex asks.

“Home run.” Peter turns the kiss into a quick, nipping thing that almost wakes up Alex’s incredibly worn out sex drive. “We’re basically married now.”

I went into these three books with an open mind. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect other than hopefully some delicious smut. I definitely got that, but I also was surprised by some of the other things that came out of this series.

First, I’ll mention that these three stories are a super quick read. They’re perfect for when you have just a couple hours of downtime, or maybe if that’s all you can justify with all the other work you have to do. They were a fun little reprieve for me. You do need to read them all in order, otherwise it’s like picking up a fork and expecting there to be your favorite cake on it and realizing that it fell off before it got to your mouth. Yeah, total bummer.

I wasn’t expecting the nice little drops of humor that were laced throughout each of the books. Alex was naive but not in a completely annoying way. It was believable and sweet and silly.

The one thing that I had some issues with were revealing Peter’s past. As someone who works in a men’s inpatient rehab, I felt like the entire issue was a little footnote, and I’d encourage authors to not include something like that if you aren’t going to give it the time of day in the actual story.

Also, I like angst. No, I love angst. I would’ve adored if there was just a dash of that here, but alas, there was none. I think that will work great for most people, but for me I just wanted more emotions.

All in all, a nice introduction to the author and a sexy little series.

The covers by Emory Vargas are simple, but I think they fit the stories just fine. They work together and you can tell they’re all for the same series, which I appreciate.

Sales Links Amazon:  Alex Undone  |  Opening Alex |  Alex On Top

Books in the Series Reviewed with links to Goodreads pages:    

 

A BJ Review: Cinder: A CinderFella Story by Marie Sexton

Rating:  5 stars out of 5       ★★★★★

CinderEldon Cinder would give anything to see Prince Xavier one last time, but only women are invited to the royal ball. When the local witch offers to make Eldon female for just one night, he agrees.

One spell.

One night.

One dance.

What could possibly go wrong?


I adored this short, well-written story based on the fairy tale, but with a M/M twist. This book drew me in and was an smooth and easy read. The way the couple fell in love was all I could have asked for. The prince (THE PRINCE! for heavens sake) was the one to treat Eldon like he mattered when his real family treated him like dirt. Xavier showed him what it felt like to simply have someone care what he thought and felt. . . and when you’ve lived a life where no one much cares what you feel or would ever think to notice and question your emotional state. . . . well, it was touching and insightful and perfect for me.  This book so cute I wanted to pinch it’s cheek.


This short novella is a gorgeous little GFY with just the right amount of angst and romance with the barest sprinkling of sex. There are a bit of girly bits since Eldon’s fairy godmother turns him into a girl to attend the ball, but the breasts/bits are just temporary and Eldon is very much a male. I enjoyed the ending (wasn’t sure that it would end well!), but YAY Prince Xavier saves the day! And the descriptions of how Eldon felt during the brief stints of being in a female body were done well (not over the top as could have been).

All the elements of the fairy tale were there, the magic, the slipper, the ball, the fairy godmother (well, witch in this case). But we were also given a fun, goofy dog (Milton), humor, fishing and two men in love who got their HEA. A perfect fairy tale that made me dream and smile and swoon.

The cover with its magical forest at night, the soft blues tones, the lovely topography, and the slipper/boot is all around awesome. But the slogan on front is kick-ass and made me smile. It says “It’s all fun and games until somebody loses a shoe.”

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


Book Details:  

Kindle Edition, 86 pages
Published February 16th 2014 by Marie Sexton (first published February 4th 2012)
ASINB00IHQEYOW
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersEldon Cinder, Augustus Alexandre Kornelius Xavier Redmon

A Stella Review: Out of the Blues by Mercy Celeste

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Out of the BluesWhoever said you can’t go home again should change that to should not go home again. As in EVER!

Mason Foxworth swore on his grandmother’s bible never to return to the small Georgia town he sort of grew up in. And for eight years he’d succeeded in keeping that promise. Until his twin sister decided she needed to get married…back home…and she’d invited their parents. Wasn’t this going to be a just a fabulous weekend?

Since leaving the Marines, Kilby Adams rarely ever left his farm and now here he was in Georgia, as best man at his stepbrother’s wedding. Out of his comfort zone and with too many people that he doesn’t know Kilby has nothing to keep his mind off the past except the gorgeous brother of the bride.

And wouldn’t you just know it, there was only one room left at the Inn and Kilby would have to share it, with Mason, who was straight and….yeah, this was going to be one hell of a weekend.

Out of the Blues was nothing I was expecting. Of course I didn’t read the blurb, I was almost in the dark, but it is a Mercy Celeste book, her name is a guarantee to me. Reading this story was a lovely and emotional journey, with quite a lot of angst that had me putting down the Kindle for a moment. I shed some tears and had some laughs, and at the end the book left me satisfied and with a smiley heart.

What I most loved in Out of the Blues were the main characters: Kilby and Mason were both the perfect (just cause they are imperfect) characters I learn to love in Mercy’s writing. She gave them both a huge baggage to carry on their shoulders, with similar, and different at the same time, heavy experiences, impossible to forget. Both of them went through some really emotional times, they came out a little broken but they are so strong. I liked how their new born love allowed them to be weak and almost defeated. They have a great personality, I couldn’t have enough of their thoughts and words and feelings. Mason and Kilby were unforgettable. Every book should have characters like these ones.

I didn’t give the book five stars cause something in the writing bothered me a  little, not sure what, maybe it’s personal, maybe not, perhaps too many suspension points,  or the broken sentences, that yes they made the dialogues more realistic but sometimes were too much and made me lose my train of reading.

I want to highly recommend Out of the Blues to anyone who loves emotional story, full of angst and with well done characters, second ones too. Moreover if you like GFY, this is for you.

The cover art by Jay Aheer is very eye catching and fitting. It probably is one of my favorite of this year.

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 219 pages
Published November 9th 2015 by MJC Press
ASINB017SXYXLS
Edition LanguageEnglishsettingGeorgia, United States (United State

A BJ Review: A Policy of Lies by Astrid Amara

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

A Policy of LIes coverTwenty years ago, Levi Kaszeri survived a brutal rebellion on the mining colony of Tarus 9. Now as an aspiring reporter, Levi has a mission: to expose the massacre to the public, and bring the men responsible to justice. But after a violent attack, he is rescued—then seduced—by Tiergan Seoras, a young doctor with a dangerous past and a slave tattoo. Soon Levi finds all of his investigations leading him back to Tiergan. And he begins to fear that the best lover he’s ever had may also be his worst enemy.

Let me start by saying the title is VERY apt. This author came on my radar when I read and adored Song of the Navigator earlier in the year. That book impressed me so much that I nominated it for several categories in the M/M Romance’s member awards. Then I read an anthology, Charmed and Dangerous, and wouldn’t you know my favorite story of the group among a stunning cast of authors was Astrid Amara. Of course, I had to read more.

Nice world-building (some of the details were great, like the domed biospheres), sucked me in pretty quickly and kept me hooked with its fast pace, enjoyable female character, seriously sick-ass bad guy(s), and some serious twists. Plenty of action.

The POV character, Levi, is nuanced and well-drawn. We see the whole story through his eyes, and it was amazing to watch all the details coming together for him. Levi seemed stupidly trusting and a mite unobservant in some cases given his status as a investigative reporter and all he’d survived in his past. His single-minded quest for revenge perhaps put blinders on him at times.

Despite (or maybe because of) his mystery, Tiergan fascinated me from the start and that just kept growing as I learned more about him, his strength and sensitivity, his need to help others, his delighted love of birds, and all that we learn about him in the end just about broke my heart.

The characters had chemistry and heat, and would have enjoyed more interaction between them outside of the sex. What was there, I liked a lot, but more would have built up the emotional connection a bit more for me. And the way they jumped right into sex the same night together after Levi had been mugged and beaten pretty badly enough that Tiergan had to do some surgery on him seemed a bit rushed. Despite that, I couldn’t put this down. Highly recommended.

The cover is sexy but it doesn’t do anything to tell me that the genre is sci-fi or much else about the story.

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


Book Details:  

ebook, 181 pages
Published September 9th 2008 by Loose Id (first published September 2008)
Original TitleA Policy of Lies
ISBN139781596327689
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL http://www.astridamara.com/pl.html