Category: STRWCS

Lone Wolf Has Come to Bluewater Bay! On Tour with Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt (book tour and contest)

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Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/Aleksandr Voinov/L. A. Witt blog tour for the latest installment in the Bluewater Bay series, Lone Wolf!BWBlogo_Web

Contest: Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of one eBook off each of our backlists (excluding Lone Wolf) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 28th, and winners will be announced on December 29th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

LoneWolf_400x600LONE WOLF Blurb:

Hunter Easton is screwed. Fans, producers, and his agent are all chomping at the bit for the next book in his wildly popular Wolf’s Landing series, but he’s got epic writer’s block and is way behind deadline. Then he reads The World Tree, a fanfic novel by his online friend “Lone Wolf.” It isn’t just a great story—it’s exactly what the series needs.

Kevin Hussain is thrilled when “Wolf Hunter” wants to meet up after reading The World Tree. When Wolf Hunter turns out to be Hunter Easton himself, Kevin is starstruck. When Hunter tells him he wants to add The World Tree to Wolf’s Landing, Kevin is sure he’s being pranked. And when their online chemistry carries over—big time—into real life, Kevin is convinced it’s all too good to be true.

The problem is . . . it might be. The book deal, the sex, the money—everything is amazing. But fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and Kevin is left wondering if Hunter really loves him, or just loves his book.

Book Details:  

Buy It Here!  A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Read
Author: Aleksandr VoinovL.A. Witt
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-239-4
eBook release: Dec 22, 2014
eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-240-0
Print release: Dec 22, 2014
Word count: 96,000, Page count: 358
Type: Standalone
Cover by: L.C. Chase
This title is part of the Bluewater Bay universe.

 

Author Bios:

EPIC Award winner and Lambda Award finalist Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London, where he works as a financial editor. His genres range from science fiction and fantasy to thriller, historical, contemporary, thriller, and erotica. His books were/are published by Random House Germany, Samhain Publishing, Riptide Publishing and others.

If he isn’t writing, he studies sports massage, explores historical sites, and meets other writers. He single-handedly sustains three London bookstores with his ever-changing research projects. His current interests include special forces operations during World War II, the history of chess, european magical traditions, and how to destroy the world and plunge it into a nuclear winter without having the benefit of nuclear weapons.

Visit Aleksandr’s website at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com, his blog at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com, and follow him on Twitter, where he tweets as @aleksandrvoinov.

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer currently living in the glamorous and ultra-futuristic metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a disembodied penguin brain that communicates with her telepathically. In addition to writing smut and disturbing the locals, L.A. is said to be working with the US government to perfect a genetic modification that will allow humans to survive indefinitely on Corn Pops and beef jerky.

This is all a cover, though, as her primary leisure activity is hunting down her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who is also said to be lurking somewhere in Omaha.

L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

A Mika Review:  The Devil’s Ride (Sex & Mayhem #2) by K.A. Merikan

Rating:   5 out of 5

The Devil's Ride coverTooth. Vice President of the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club. On a neverending quest for vengeance. The last thing he needs is becoming a permanent babysitter for a male hooker.
Lucifer. Fallen. Lost. Alone.

After a childhood filled with neglect and abuse, followed by his mother’s suicide, Lucifer set out into the world alone. There was nothing for him out there other than taking it one day at a time. As the bastard son of the Coffin Nails club president, Lucifer never got much fatherly love. So when the Nails show up at the strip joint Lucifer works in, the last thing he expects is to be put in the custody of Tooth, Nails Vice President famous for his gruesome interrogation techniques. The man proves to be the sexiest beast Lucifer has ever met. He is also older, straight, and an itch Luci can’t ever scratch.

Tooth’s life came to a halt twelve years ago. His lover got brutally murdered, police never found the perpetrators, and all leads were dead ends. To find peace and his own justice, Tooth joined the Coffin Nails, but years on, he’s gotten nowhere with the case, yet still lives on with the burning fire for revenge.
Babysitting a deeply scarred teenager with a talent for disappearing is the last thing on his bucket list. He promised himself to never get attached to someone like him again. To make sure the openly gay boy is safe in the clubhouse, Tooth is stuck keeping an eye on him. The big, blue, attention seeking gaze is drawing Tooth in, but fucking the president’s son is a complete no-go, even when both their feelings go beyond lust.

What Tooth doesn’t know is that Lucifer might hold the key to the closure Tooth so desperately needs.

Tooth is my biker hubby! I have spoken exclusively with Kat about my significant hatred of Stitch. I was hoping that the next biker was still a bad ass but loveable. Well, I asked and boy did she deliver. People, Tooth is amazing in every sense of the word. I loved everything about this book. It was a slow burner for sure. It was very different from book 1 in every way it could be. I kept telling myself that this was a rainbow, fluffy biker book. I loved it, I enjoyed the sentimental side of the story. Seriously, I do not know if I’ve ever read a biker book where the treatment, and judgment of such a club was welcoming. Sure everything was peaches and cream, but I expected the worst and I was shocked how easy it was. I love Luci, he was damaged from his past, but he slowly but surely gave himself over. I honestly was right with Tooth in wanting to protect him. One thing I was worried about was the age gap and I wanted it to be far bigger, I do not think 19-32 was that bad. I was hoping for 40’s to early 20’s but I was happy with what we got instead.

Tooth was careful, trusting, and just downright sexy. From his first moments on the page, I was enthralled with him. Every biker character brought something different. For all of Priests’ misgivings I was proud of him. He was not the father that Luci needed in his earlier life but he was adjusting. I kept thinking of how this big bad biker club in Detroit was going to be okay with a cute blond twink living in the club, nothing dramatic happened. I don’t think the derogatory word “f*&” was used more than once. I am really impressed the level of acceptance that was portrayed by the mc club. I liked the Priest admitted he wasn’t perfect, that was a great viewpoint to put forth.

The romance was hot, and at times really beautiful because of both mc’s history. I do not know how I feel about some of the plot storyline. I think it could have been different, but as it was plausible, it didn’t take away from the story for me. I did not know how I was going to feel with the Satanist route, but again it didn’t take away from the story. Every biker had all Lucifer’s different names. It was funny at times, and I honestly will miss Bell. I hope we get a novella, or another book for them. I’m definitely rooting for these two.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It was not that BDSM heavy, it was hurt/comfort at most. It was Tooth needing to redeem himself because of his past, and Luci needing someone to love him. I would recommend this to lovers of all things bikers, this duo made me fall in love with bikers all over. They showed me that not everybody in the biker world has to be nasty or rude. Some people are accepting of certain things.

Cover Art by Natasha Snow. I loved it. I kept looking at the cover, wishing I could see Tooth’s face. I really think it showed  a visual picture of Tooth, his masculinity while he was really caring and sweet.

Sales Links:    All Romance (ARe)      amazon        buy it here
Book Details:
eBook, 489 pages
Published December 5, 2014 by Acerbi&Villani ltd.
ISBN:
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity #3) by Josh Lanyon

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The Boy with the Painful Tattoo coverStill dealing with the fallout from their recent investigation and murder,  mystery author Christopher “Kit” Holmes decided to overcome his misgivings and move in with his lover and fellow mystery writer, Julian Xavier “JX” Moriarity, a decision that has precipitated a move to San Francisco and a new house.  What could go wrong?

Well, almost everything.  With boxes still piled all around them, JX heads off to the Murder at Midtown conference, leaving Kit to ponder on the wisdom of this latest move…relationship and house.  Still, nothing  prepares Kit for the dead body under the Styrofoam beads in the crate that should have contained his old and treasured china.

Packing will have to wait while more mysteries pop up to solve along with dead bodies.  Who is the dead man?  Why is he in Kit and JX’s crate?  And importantly, what happened to Kit’s china?

I have been waiting for another book in the Holmes & Moriarity series since December 2010 when I finished the marvelous story, All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity #2).  The aftermath of the murders and events of that novel were nothing short of earthshattering. And that story left me wonderfing what would happen next…to both our main characters as well as their relationship.  Now, four years later I finally have my answer with The Boy With The Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity #3). Well, sort of, and I couldn’t be happier.

I said “sort of” because as any fan of Josh Lanyon’s and his stories know, nothing is ever a sure thing, including an absolutely happy resolution with his characters or their relationships.  Whether it is Adrien English and his lover, the tormented, closeted Jake Riordan (who make guest appearances here), or Kit Holmes and JX Moriarity, the foundation on which their lives and relationships is built lies on shaky ground, a terrain where you almost expect to see the fissures and cracks that habitually appear to threaten their relationship, sanity, and in some cases, their lives.  Also well known to us fans is that the source for some of these ruptures and interruptions spring from and are self inflicted by the complex, introspective and wounded men that Josh Lanyon writes so well.

We live in the mind of Kit Holmes in this series and what a mind that is!  Highly intelligent, questioning, somewhat quarrelsome, and introspective, Kit’s emotionally and mentally scattered when we jump into their new life and home on Chestnut Lane.  His decision, prompted by the awful events in the last book, to move in with JX has seen him give up his home in Southern California to move with all his treasured belongings to San Francisco where JX can be close to his ex wife and nephew (long story, read the books).  And at every step and moment we know (as we are listening into his internal monologue) that Kit constantly questions whether he has done the right thing, if their relationship will work out, and how will they juggle the changing dynamics that the reversal in their career fortunes is introducing into their partnership.  There is so much stuff crammed into that brilliant skull that it would be exhausting for all trying to untangle it if it wasn’t also so marvelously entertaining.  And wouldn’t Kit just hate that!

I adore Kit in all his difficult, brooding glory but I have also fallen in love with  JX, a  man with his own “quieter” set of issues and problems.  JX is an author whose career is on the rise just as Kit’s popularity as an author and mystery genre is falling out of favor.  But whereas Kit’s wears his foibles and somewhat contentious nature like a well fitted suit, JX’s flaws and complexities are far more subtle, needing a major crash, explosion or even murder to bring them out into the open.  The juxtaposition of these two strong personalities as they struggle to maintain a relationship or investigation makes this series and this book always absorbing and highly addictive.

How can you not love a man whose just had the best, most explosive sex of his life,, and then spends the next moments pondering (internally of course) what’s wrong with it, them and himself?  All while still in bed, naked and sweaty?  If, as Socrates says “an unexamined life is not worth living”, then Kit Holmes is living life to the fullest!

And there are more joys to be found with this latest installment of Holmes & Moriarity.  Their move onto Chestnut Lane has brought them a curious neighbor with the wonderful name of Emmaline Bloodworth.  Any one with a familiarity of British cozies should be rubbing their hands together in anticipation.  Here is our (and Kit’s) first introduction to her:

I saw a small person of indeterminate sex, dressed in baggy clothes. At first glance it appeared that one of the garden gnomes from next door had come to life. And had something to say about it.

“Good morning!” the gnome greeted me. She had one of those fluting, high voices that brought to mind Sunday school teachers and curators at the most macabre exhibits at the Tower of London. A voice like an ice pick through your left eye socket. “Welcome to the neighborhood. So sorry to disturb you on your first morning, but the movers must have broken one of the sprinkler heads along your front walk.”

“Oh. Uh…okay.”

As I seemed to be missing the point, she said kindly, “Water is shooting up like a geyser out there. There’s a drought going on, you know.”

She was probably in her sixties, but unlike my former mentor Anna Hitchcock, no effort here had been made to stave off the ravages of time. Not that she looked ravaged. Beneath the wide brim of her hat I could just make out twinkling blue eyes in a round and rosy face.

And yes, she has a cat which just happens to resemble in name and appearance the feline that figures so largely in Kit’s mystery novels.  Another mystery to solve?  I hope so.

And then there is Inspector Ishwar “Izzie” Jones, SFPD and JX’s former partner, Rachel Ving or Ving the Merciless as Kit’s agent is known who wants Kit to write Swedish type mysteries, JX’s ex wife and former sister in law Nina and Gage, her son and his nephew (really, you must read the first two stories).  The Boy with the Painful Tattoo is chock full of the most wonderful characters and intriguing situations you could hope for, especially in ones that act as secondary storylines along side the primary ones of murder most foul and a relationship still looking to find solid ground, albeit temporarily.

Yes, I loved this book, yes, I adore this series and I think any lover of mysteries (M/M or otherwise) will as well.  Combine a terrific mystery with two believable and charismatic men trying to balance lives, love, and careers and you have author whose series and main characters should be on everyone’s Must Have, Must Read lists.   I can’t wait to see what happens next in the lives of Holmes & Moriarity but if you are new to this couple, start with the first mystery where they are reunited in Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes & Moriarity #1).  Continue onto All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity, #2), before arriving here at The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity, #3).  If you’ve been good or perhaps very, very naughty and good, you might find them in your eReader stocking!

I love Josh Lanyon and this story is just another reason why he should be on everyone’s top list of authors whose stories you must have.  Consider The Boy With The Painful Tattoo one of my Highly Recommneded Reads!

Cover art by L.C. Chase.  Love the cover.  It has that sort of Noir feel to it of the older mystery novel covers. Great job.

Sales Links:  Josh Lanyon        All Romance (ARe)         amazon                  buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 228 pages
Published October 5th 2014 by Just Joshin (first published October 3rd 2014)
original titleThe Boy with the Painful Tattoo
ISBN139781937909376
edition languageEnglish
seriesHolmes & Moriarity #3

Books in the  Holmes & Moriarity series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the timeline of events and relationship history:

Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes & Moriarity #1)
All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity, #2)
The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity, #3)

 

A MelanieM Review: Texas Fall (Texas #6) by R.J. Scott

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Texas FAll coverLife with the Campbell-Hayes family is never dull.   Their enlarged family is settling in, Jack is busy with the preparations for the equine therapy school for children with special needs as well as their regular training and breeding programs.  Meanwhile Riley has agreed to take on a new assistant and both travel to Mexico on an exploratory mission.

Just when things seem to have settled down, threats of imminent danger appear on the horizon.  Hostile forces are at work on the other side of the border and the trial featuring Vaughn and Darren’s (as well as Robbie, Eli, Liam and Marcus) goes explosive.  With this extended family, anything can happen.  Once more events will challenge Jack and Riley’s love and family. Watch the characters you have come to love rise to the occasion yet again.

How I love this family and series by RJ Scott.  Texas Fall, the new Texas series story, is like a welcome visit with a beloved family member.  You know that whatever surprises they may have packed in their suitcases they brought along on the visit, you will be entertained, absorbed in their stories, and so happy to have them in close proximity once more.  Those warm feelings engendered by this couple have grown deeper since Riley and Jack added their special needs son, Max, who I adore and twins Connor and Lexie.  Somehow instead of stretching their story thin by adding more characters to this already extended family, it has only enriched it and made it more heartwarming, especially with the addition of Max.

In Texas Fall, RJ Scott is juggling a number of elements.  Max is getting older and a little more independent which brings its own challenges, Haley too is growing up and her teen years arrive with the normal amount of teenage woe.  All the various aspects of growth regarding the Campbell-Hayes brood is handled warmly, realistically and with a sort of wry familial humor that comes with having raised your own children.  And yes, these sections are among my favorites.  I love how each child’s personality comes into play from scene to scene.  They are as much individuals as their older counterparts, just as they should.

New characters that arrive in recent stories like Texas Christmas are back with continuations of past events and challenges to their current situations.  That would be Marcus and Liam as well as Robbie and Eli.  Plus Sean and Eden will figure largely into the drama and trauma that occurs within this story.  Does it ever feel overboard or crowded?  No more than a huge kitchen filled full of family during the holidays.  You know the feeling, lots of noise and commotion to go along with the chaos, confusion, love, and joy.

Yes, there are some very serious moments here.  Riley and his assistant run into heart-wrenching trouble on the other side of the border. And the aftermath is handled by Scott with the sensitivity and seriousness it needs.  How it all falls apart and then back together again is one of the anticipated joys and gratifying aspects of this ever enlarging Texas family.

If you are already in love with the Texas series, then you have probably already scarfed this story up.  If you are new to the Campbell-Hayes family, don’t start here.  Return to the beginning and The Heart of Texas and work your way through all the trials, tribulations and triumphs in store for these men and their families.  Heartwarming?  Absolutely.   It’s a perfect gift for the Holidays, whether it is for yourself or someone else.  I am happily recommending Texas Fall and the entire Texas series.  Happy Reading.

 

 

Cover artist Meredith Russell.  How adorable is that cover.  Love it.

Sales Links:  Love Lane Books   All Romance (ARe)      amazon       buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 160 pages
Published 2014 by Love Lane Books Limited
url http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/texas-fall-texas-6-cover-reveal-art-by.html
seriesTexas #6

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

The Heart of Texas (Texas, #1)
Texas Winter (Texas, #2)
Texas Heat (Texas, #3)
Texas Family (Texas, #4)
Texas Christmas (Texas, #5)
Texas Fall (Texas #6) fon

Virtual Tour: Two Alone In Dublin by Lucy Carey (contest and book tour)

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Lucy Carey is here on her Two Alone In Dublin tour to introduce her book to our readers. Check out the blurb and excerpts below, along with my interview with the author towards the end.

Here’s Lucy Carey and Two Alone In Dublin!

 

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Contest: Lucy will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link provided to enter and for all additional contest details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Two Alone in Dublin

by Lucy Carey

BLURB:

Surrounded by one million people in Dublin city, two women feel very alone. One a university student from a small town in the Irish countryside, the other an adventurous spirit from a city in Brazil, they’ve both been searching for the other among the irritations and noise of everyday life…
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Excerpt:Cover_Two Alone in Dublin

Mariana hadn’t worn this shade of lipstick in an age. She painted the brash, bright-red gloss around her full lips, rubbed her lips together and pouted. This was her going-out colour, a colour guaranteed to make her feel sexy and confident and womanly.

Had it really been so long since she had been on a date? she wondered. Despite this being her go-to colour for dates, it had been buried in the bottom of her makeup bag.

She checked her teeth for lipstick and, finding none, stepped back to look at her full reflection in the mirror.

She had chosen a form-fitting dress in a colour to match the shade of her lipstick and she adjusted the cups of her bra, to push her cleavage higher in its V-neck.

This, she thought to herself, must be what Susie had described as “putting your best foot forward.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lucy Carey, Lesbian and Bisexual Romance and Erotic-Fiction Writer

I am a 30-year-old bisexual author who writes the kind of fiction I think other LGBTQ women want to read.

As someone born and raised in Ireland, let me assure you: our country is beautiful…and so are its women.VBT_TwoAloneInDublin_CoverBanner

I aim to introduce you to the best of both—the stunning scenery of the Emerald Isle and its funny, complex, gorgeous, lesbian and bisexual women. I hope you enjoy it.  Contact me at:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8565141.Lucy_Carey

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucy-Carey/1432435577012573

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Alone-Dublin-Lesbian-Story-ebook/dp/B00NKQEZ3Y

 

 My Interview with Lucy Carey

 

Q. What was your inspiration for the story?

It was almost a typical “girl meet girl” story. I regularly attended a coffee shop where this beautiful barista, who was Central or South American, worked. She was very warm and always happy to chat. We had a bit of a connection—she flirted a little and I flirted back—but I was too nervous to do anything about it.

I haven’t seen her in years but in my head, I’ve built a whole story around her—where’s she’s from, what might have happened if I’d made a move, etc. That backstory helped to lay the groundwork for Mariana, the Brazilian woman in my story, “Two Alone in Dublin,” who encounters a stressed-out, lonely college student named Susie who she feels an instant connection to…

Q. Do you have a muse?

I’d love if I did! No, sadly, it’s just me plugging away at my writing, no special inspiration involved. I’m not sure if I believe in the idea of “the muse” anyway; it seems to me that to rely on something outside yourself for inspiration is to give control of your story away. But I may be overthinking that!

Q. Do you work on one project at a time or many?

I wish I could work on one at a time! My biggest issue as a writer is forcing myself to focus on one story when I have so many different stories I’d like to read and write. Also, my day job involves some drier writing, so by necessity, I write the paycheck stuff in the daytime and the passion projects at night.

Q. Hero or Antihero? Who would you chose and why?

Give me a good antihero over a sappy, boy/girl scout hero any day! The antihero always seems to be having more fun—or at least, they seem like more fun to be around. As a former chain-smoking, often truant teenager, I identify more with the antihero, I think. In my head, I’m a badass. In reality, I’m in bed by eleven and never break the speed limit these days…

Q. People say write what you know. Do you think that is right or even important?

I think that piece of advice has been repeated so often as to be completely useless by now. Sure, it’s good to draw on your own experiences and emotions, as I did with Mariana for “Two Alone in Dublin”—but eventually only writing what you know will severely limit what you can write. I find writing about what you don’t know a better exercise sometimes. By that I mean that your characters should not always act in a way you’re used to or have the experiences you’ve had. Otherwise, nothing of any imagination would ever get written.

Q. What is the first book you read that really meant something to you?

I really loved “Little Women” when I was a little girl, not just because it focused primarily on female relationships but because I identified with Jo—headstrong, tomboyish, and occasionally putting my foot in my mouth with my sense of humor. She is an especially enjoyable and impressive character given the year that she was written.

Q. What do you find sexy in a man/woman?

I love a dirty sense of humor and a twinkle in someone’s eye—that applies to women and men (I am bisexual). I also like very individual people with their own sense of style: be that vintage, rockabilly, tidy, scruffy0 or whatever. As long as someone’s working it with confidence, I’m interested.

Q. What’s next up for you?

I have a couple of projects on the go (I’m trying to focus on one at a time, I swear!). I’m currently writing a longer lesbian romance that will be novel length (as opposed to a novella). Additionally, I’m working on some short, erotic pieces—a world away from the gentle romance of my current book.

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay story) by L. B. Gregg

Rating: 4 stars out of 5BWBlogo_Web

Something About Ari coverFrom the moment I met Ari as a bright, energetic child on his first day of school, I was hooked. I loved that kid! But I loved him more as a man, a handsome man who returns to his hometown to win over his childhood best friend and the love of his life, Buck Ellis.

Ari and Buck were inseparable from the time they first met. As opposite as night and day, Ari was a tiny bundle of energy who couldn’t focus on schoolwork and talked non-stop. Buck was big and awkward, very bright, but an introvert at the top of his class and headed to college and a bright future. Both were gay, but neither told the other. It turns out that both loved the other, but that went unsaid as well. When Ari ran away from home, leaving Buck behind shortly before their high school graduation, he didn’t share his reasons with Buck and he never contacted him again. Coincidentally, that was the same day that Buck’s mother was killed, leaving him to seek custody of his young brother and start the struggle to raise him alone. It was the lowest time in Buck’s life and he needed Ari desperately, but Ari wasn’t there.

These are all things we learn when Ari shows up back in town, as a cast member of the new werewolf series which has begun shooting in Bluewater Bay and “coincidentally” as Buck’s new neighbor. Buck isn’t interested in getting together with Ari— he’s full of resentment and hurt that’s built up for the last five years since Ari left town. But Ari chips away at Buck’s façade, and the fun of this story is in watching the dynamic between the two. It’s light, and short, and just the perfect kind of book to give your mood a pick-me-up. Of course Ari wins Buck over, and the guys are on their way to their HEA by the end of the story. This one is a definite must, especially if the stories of Backwater Bay have found their way onto your TBR. Be sure to grab this and enjoy it as the treat it is. Hint—this would be a great stocking-stuffer!

The cover Art by L.C. Chase depicts a very grown up and handsome Ari, against the backdrop of his hometown, Bluewater Bay. The cover is perfect for the story, showing the man the readers will come to love within a few hours.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing     All Romance (ARe)   amazon            buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 95 pages
Published November 10th 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 8th 2014)
original titleThere’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay Story)
ISBN139781626491694
edition languageEnglish
series Bluewater Bay #2

Bluewater Bay series, one location, different authors:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by LA Witt
There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay Story) by LB Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by ZA Maxfield coming Dec 2014
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov coming Dec 2014
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau coming in 2015

 

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield

Rating: 5 stars out of 5BWBlogo_Web

Hell On Wheels coverI am totally hooked on this Bluewater Bay series! Each book is better than the previous one, and that’s saying a lot, considering the amazing list of authors Riptide has engaged for this series. In this story, Spencer Kepler-Constantine comes to Bluewater Bay to renew his recurring role in the Wolf’s Landing television series being shot in the town. He arrives on the heels of the sensational breaking news that his husband of six months, Peter Kepler-Constantine, has impregnated a famous Hollywood actress and left him for her. To make matters worse, his rental Mercedes has broken down outside of town.

Nash Holly is out riding his Ducati, enjoying the speed and the feel of the breeze along the Washington coast when he comes upon the parked car. Aside from nearly crashing into it, he’s intrigued by what it’s doing there. Nash happens to be the manager of his dad’s auto repair shop, a shop that specializes in foreign cars so he decides to step up and offer assistance. One look at Spencer and he’s lost in those gorgeous gray eyes. Convincing Spencer that he’s not a maniac, Spencer invites him in out of the rain and while sitting together, waiting for the tow truck Spencer had called, the two find themselves immediately attracted. Nash decides to help the uptight guy relax with a quick handjob. Thinking no more of it, he takes off when the tow truck driver arrives.

To make a long story short, the attraction between the two men develops further, and during the time that Spencer is in town filming, it escalates. But it’s more than just sex for both of them, and despite the fact that Spencer is estranged from his husband, Nash and Spencer create a safe space for each other while the beginnings of a relationship form without them even trying.

During this same time, other events in Nash’s life seem destined to throw him into upheaval. First, he finds out his widowed father has been seeing someone, and it’s getting serious. Then, his sixteen-year-old sister, Shelby, who has been wheelchair-bound since she was three, decides that she wants to exert her independence by applying to the Students Abroad Program. It’s bad enough that his twin is away at college and Nash already feels the hole in his life, now Nash finds it harder to cope with the fact that both his father and his sister don’t seem to need him anymore, and taking care of them has been his primary purpose for years. How can a caretaker exist without someone to take care of?

When Peter pulls a spectacular stunt to get Spencer back during Spencer’s late night television interview, Nash happens to be watching. He’s disgusted by Peter’s grandstanding, but he also knows in his gut that Spencer is going to allow him back into his life. Just what Nash needed—one more hole to fill.

The author gives us a wonderful wrap-up to this story and provides Nash with a perfect HEA. But before we get there, we get to know a man with so much character, so much life, that I became immersed in his story and invested in his future happiness. I loved Spencer as well, but my emotional investment was with Nash. And somewhere around the 75% mark in the story, it occurred to me that the feelings I was having were the same feelings I experienced when I read “St. Nacho’s” for the first time. I was left with that same warm emotional attachment to the character as I was in that original story, one that I read nearly three years ago. I haven’t felt that with any of Ms. Maxfield’s other works since then, and I’m so happy to have found it again because she was one of the authors who originally hooked me on this genre.

I highly recommend this series to lovers of M/M romance. Each author is uniquely talented and brings a new perspective to the series. This one is perfect for those who enjoy a hero with a heart of gold. As Spencer put it when describing Nash’s role in his life: “You’re necessary because you make my heart lighter and my mind clearer and my work meaningful, as long as I get to come home to you at the end of the day.” Aww, what more could I ask for than that?

Buy this book. You won’t be sorry. Oh, and it’s not necessary to read the others in the series. Each can be read as a standalone, though you’d be missing out on a great series.

The very nice cover art by L.C. Chase depicts the two young men who are the MCs in the story.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing     All Romance (ARe)        amazon         Buy It Here

Book Details:

book, 225 pages
Published December 1st 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 29th 2014)
original titleHell on Wheels (A Bluewater Bay Story)
ISBN139781626491724
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/hell-on-wheels
seriesBluewater Bay #3

 

Bluewater Bay Series-written by different authors:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt
There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay #2) by L.B. Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau