Book Blast: Morticia Knight’s Dangerous Wish Book Tour/Contest

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Its a Book Tour! It’s A Contest! And It’s A Scavenger Hunt!

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: Signed copy of Dangerous Wish. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Please take note of the Dangerous Wish Fact below. You will need it in order to enter the Rafflecopter entry for the contest!

Book Name: Dangerous Wish (Uniform Encounters 6)
Although part of a series, all installments can be read as standalones. For more information, visit Morticia Knight’s author page at Totally Bound:

Set Ablaze (Uniform Encounters 1):Hunky fire chief Eric is out of the closet after twenty years of marriage. Can he find true love, or will a spate of arson fires destroy his chances with Tom, the sexy young firefighter?
Arresting Behaviour (Uniform Encounters 2):Native American Quinn and Detective Jake come from two opposing worlds. But when opposites attract, the result is explosive.
Lust Emergency (Uniform Encounters 3): The new ER doctor is smoking hot, and the exotic African American paramedic can’t keep his eyes off of him. Tricky relationships and subterfuge at a Phoenix sex club almost drive a permanent wedge between the two, but a bombing at City Hall changes the endgame.
Guarded Desires (Uniform Encounters 4): A sexy young National Guardsman, a snarky bear of a DEA Agent and a vicious Mexican drug cartel. Someone’s going to be sorry.
Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5):Police officer Zach and Fire Marshal Daryl would be perfect together—if they would ever quit fighting long enough to find out. A devastating fire and the secret behind it almost keeps them from getting what they really need—each other.

Author Name: Morticia Knight
Author Bio:

M/M Erotic Romance author Morticia Knight enjoys a good saucy tale – after all, who doesn’t? Since she loves several genres, you may find your heroes in a contemporary, historical, paranormal or sci-fi setting. One of her passions is bringing people’s fantasies to life on the page, because life is too short for even one boring moment. Her stories are volcanic in heat, deep in emotion, and sprinkled with doses of humor.

When not indulging in her obsession for books, she loves the outdoors, film and music. The Pacific Northwest is the ideal spot to enjoy both hiking and beachcombing. Once upon a time she was the singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She now resides on the northern coast of Oregon, where the constant rain and fog remind her of visits to family in England and Scotland when she was a child.

She is currently working on a new series about men in uniform entitled Sin City Uniforms and a BDSM spin-off to the Gin & Jazz series entitled The Hampton Road Club.

Cover Artist: Posh Gosh
Publisher: Totally Bound
Buy Link: Totally Bound Amazon US Amazon UK

Dangerous Wish Blurb:

Love is a dangerous emotion that EMT Jared won’t risk. But it looks as though a sweet and sexy National Guardsman is about to make him wish for that—and much more.

EMT Jared Li loves his job, his friends and clubbing. There’s nothing like a night of fun getting glammed up, throwing on some heels and shaking his ass to the latest Britney tune. Life is all about having a good time with as many hot guys as possible.

Dan Harrison has been in the National Guard for about six months and out for not much longer than that. At twenty-two, he’s somewhat innocent, a little shy and not interested in meaningless hook-ups. One night at a karaoke bar changes everything for him when his fellow Guardsman Joseph introduces him to his friend Jared. Dan’s never met anyone like the luscious twink who’s filled with so much life and laughter.

A night of passion shakes them to their very cores. Jared really likes Dan, but doesn’t want to get caught up in any type of exclusive thing. Dan wishes there could be more between them, but is willing just to be friends in order to remain near the androgynous stunner.  Hanging out strictly as friends proves to be almost impossible for them both. Not only does Jared continuously lust after the muscular soldier, but he’s also falling for the caring and compassionate man. Dan’s every sex fantasy stars Jared in one of his daring club outfits, but his heart is what really matters and it’s already been lost to Jared.

A traumatic event breaks down the barriers between them and gives them the chance to be together the way they both want. But after Dan is called up by the Guard to assist at a natural disaster, the same bravery that Jared admires in Dan might be the final thing that separates them forever.

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Dangerous Wish Fact: Fact #7 – EMT Jared Li’s favorite heels are a sparkling silver, but he’s decided they’re too uncomfortable to dance in. (you will need this for the contest).

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Excerpt:

There was a line to get in.

Unbelievable.

It wasn’t even a Saturday night. And it wasn’t as if they were in Phoenix, for heaven’s sake. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with it. Mesa and the surrounding ‘burbs might have underestimated their gay population just a tad. Although, he wasn’t so sure they should all be standing on display out on the sidewalk dressed as they were. He was fairly certain that picketing and hate crimes weren’t completely out of the question.

“Sorry, it’s not usually this crowded unless it’s ladies’ night.”

Dan frowned at him, obviously puzzled.

“If you’re dressed as a lady, you get in free.”

Dan’s mouth formed a small ‘o’.

The door to the club opened and a few people exited, another few ushered in.

“Dammit.”

“That’s okay, Jared. I don’t mind waiting.”

“Oh, that wasn’t what I meant. They’re playing Crazy Law, my favorite Kazaky song, and I’m not even in there to dance to it. Where’s the justice?”

He wrapped his arms around himself. If he’d known they would be stuck outside, he would have brought his jacket. It hadn’t seemed like it would be worth the hassle to bring it to only go from the cab right into the club then back out again. Jared startled as Dan wrapped his bomber around his shoulders.

“Oh, Dan, no. You’ll be cold.”

Dan shrugged. “I’m fine. I’ll consider it part of my non-active duty training.”

“I’m not sure how a scantily clad gay man in heels fits in with your Guardsman training.”

Dan chuckled, his dimpled smile drawing Jared’s gaze.

“What I meant was that we do various types of scenarios that you might encounter in a battle situation, such as extreme heat or cold. As a matter of fact, there’s an unusual heatwave predicted for this time of the year, so Joseph and I are headed out to the Mojave Desert this weekend for some extreme heat training. We’ve done it before, but they have some new exercises planned.”

“Wow.”

Jared let his eyes wander over Dan’s muscled torso now that he’d sacrificed his coat to Jared’s cause and Jared wasn’t so vainly caught up in his own fashion drama. The tight black T-shirt that had some sort of rock music festival logo on it hugged Dan’s body perfectly. Jared hadn’t been oblivious to the stares they’d been getting. Although he was sure that Dan was completely unaware they were drawing any attention, Jared made it his business to be aware of any and all attention he might be drawing. It was clear that their fellow would-be clubbers thought they were a couple. That the muscular stud he stood next to was the top to his very cute bottom. Somehow, the idea didn’t bother him.

“So, Dan, what other manly military exercises have you done?”

Dan regarded him with a lazy smile. “Well, my favorite one was the pre-dawn vertical insertion.”

Jared dropped his mouth open. “Excuse me? That sounds dirty.”

“It can be if you land wrong.”

Dan chuckled, leaning in, his warm breath giving Jared gooseflesh as it hit the skin on his neck.

“It’s a parachute drop.”

“Oh my God, you are so bad.”

Tour Dates/Stops:
August 8: Kimi-Chan, Rainbow Gold Reviews
August 11: Hearts on Fire, MM Good Book Reviews
August 12: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Love Bytes
August 13: The Hat Party
August 14: Prism Book Alliance
August 15: Tara Lain
August 18: Parker Williams, The Blogger Girls
August 19: Emotion in Motion
August 20: My Fiction Nook
August 21: Decadent Delights, Lee Brazil
August 22: Smoocher’s Voice
August 25: Amanda C. Stone
August 26: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
August 27: LeAnn’s Book Reviews
August 28: Reviews and Ramblings
August 29: Nephylim

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

A MelanieM Review: Finding Jackie (Vasquez & James #3) by Lou Sylvre

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

After the heartbreak of Delsyn, Luki Vasquez and Sonny Bly James are hoping for some peace and quiet. And a honeymoon. Luki and Sonny are heading to Hawaii to get married, and then off for an RV honeymoon. But once again their past comes back to shatter the calm and put all they love in danger.

An informant from Luki’s old days at ATFA has a message for Luki. It’s a little garbled but another clue appears when one of Sonny’s art pieces is missing and a note written in blood marks its reappearance. The final clue comes from a phone call from a drug lord whose path Luki and Sonny crossed when Delsyn was kidnapped and drugs found on Sonny’s land. It was a time marked by deaths of the guilty as well as the innocent and the reverberations are still continuing to haunt their lives. To make Luki pay, his nephew Jackie has been kidnapped by a sadist.

Now the hunt is on to save Jackie. To do so, Luki has to return to the FBI, a move Sonny is extremely unhappy over even if he understands the necessity. Luki and Sonny put their future on hold and gather their resources to hunt for a loved one once again. It will take a family to save one of their own. Luki’s, Sonny’s, and those that work for Luki. Even a dog named Bear. And even if they are in time to save Jackie, will there still be a sane Jackie left?

Outstanding. Finding Jackie was outstanding in every way a story needs to be. Compelling, anguished, layered, and detailed only where it needs to be, this story continues the events started in Loving Luki, the first in the Vasquez and James series. After the gut-wrenching plot of Delsyn’s Blues, this story finds Luki and Sonny already married, having done the deed in Washington State where its legal. But Luki and Sonny are men with emotional overtones and layers that reach into their pasts and heritage, so a marriage in Hawaii suits them spiritually as well as setting the stage for the first part of their new life together. It’s there we find them gathered together with family and friends to celebrate a union as deeply complicated as the men themselves. And their bliss and happiness is as shortlived as the readers.

For DA Marcone, the drug lord whose step children ignited the events in the first book, is looking to revenge their deaths and deal out paybacks for the damage his reputation suffered in the bargain. In his employ is a sadist who is Marcone’s top man and his “go to” killer. As Marcone starts “tying up” loose ends from that disasterous drug deal, he targets Luki’s fragile nephew Jackie as his target to make Luki pay and deliver a message to all who might want to take on Marcone in the future.

Sylvre’s plot is horrific and it will tear into your hearts because you have been there along the way from Luki’s initial discovery of the boys, their damaged pasts, and their settling in with Luki’s uncle in Oklahoma. They should have been safe in their new home. But unbeknownst to all, Jackie’s vulnerability had already caught their notice and his safety was an illusion. As is most peoples.

Sylvre understands the damage inflicted on the innocent, that its impact may be lessened but it is never forgotten. Whether it is the pain Luki carries on his face and soul, or the damage from the abuse Jackie and his brother suffered at the hands of their insane father, its complications and imprint is lasting. Luki has continued to suffer from the effects of that day at the lake when those he thought were his friends carved up his face and his emotional foundation. Jackie’s father sexually abused him and his reasons were both insane and grounded in family as well. How each boy moved forward was in keeping with their support or lack of it and their own emotional base to start with. Lou Sylvre brings us into their minds and emotional makeup in a manner that’s both intimate and crushing. This especially comes into play when we enter Jackie’s mind while in the hands of the sadist. Every moment feels like we are in the mind of a teenager under physical and emotional duress of the worst kind. We don’t, thankfully, get the details as to what has happened to him since his capture but just enough to feel his terror at what’s coming next. It will put your stomach in knots as you wait along with Jackie for his rescuers to arrive.

That element intertwines with Luki, Sonny and company trying to figure out where Jackie is being held and by whom. Sylvre builds this aspect of the story in bits and pieces as they fit together separate clues to form a whole and a destination. The climax is arrived at skillfully and with great suspense.

And then there is Bear, the chow mix, who went missing at the end of the last story. Bear is back! Apparently he never left and is a huge part of this story as it evolves. Love Bear too. You almost need this element here to bring a leveling agent to a story so full of anger, pain,and horrific crimes against the young and innocent.

And finally, Lou Sylvre brings her story full circle in a manner that is totally satisfying and emotionally needed. Did I love Finding Jackie? Absolutely! And so will you.

Consider this story one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords highly recommended reads and series. Pick up the first story and then just keep going. The series is over but not your enjoyment and journey into the minds and romance of Luki Vasquez and Sonny Bly James. Make their acquaintance today!

Cover Artist: Reese Dante. Love these covers, love the series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance eBook (ARe) Amazon Finding Jackie

Book Details:
ebook, 270 pages
Published May 17th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published May 16th 2013)
ISBN139781623804893
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3812
seriesVasquez & James #3
Books in the Vasquez and James series to date in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and events that transpire:

Loving Luki Vasquez (Vasquez & James, #1)
Delsyn’s Blues (Vasquez & James, #2)
Finding Jackie (Vasquez & James, #3)
Saving Sonny James (Vasquez & James #4)
Yes (A Vasquez and James Novella)
Because of Jade (Vasquez & James #5)

SE Jakes is On Tour with Not Fade Away (Hell or High Water, #3.5) (contest)

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Prophet and Tom are Back! And SE Jakes’ got them! Don’t miss out on this interlude in the Prophet and Tom saga! You can find the entire series here at the Riptide Hell or High Water page or check out my reviews of all the previous stories: Daylight Again, Long Time Gone, and Catch a Ghost.

Not Face Away (Hell or High Water #3.5) Blurb:

Truth or dare.

Ever since superspy Cillian moved into Prophet’s building, their game of Steal the Couch has been funny to Prophet, but a thorn in Tom’s side. Then Prophet gets bored one night during an ice storm and insists on playing another simple game with Tom: Truth or Dare. In exchange for one of Prophet’s truths, Tom steals the couch one last time.

But Prophet’s truths are never easy—Tom should know that by now—and this one raises questions neither of them quite know how to answer. In response, Tom finds himself laying claim to Prophet in the most basic way he knows how. And also finds that he doesn’t mind it in the least when Prophet returns the favor.

This novelette is set between book 3 and book 4 in the Hell or High Water series.

Book Details:

Author: SE Jakes
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-099-4
eBook release: Aug 18, 2014
eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-220-2
Print release: Aug 18, 2014
Word count: 8,400
Page count: 52
Type: Part of a Series
Cover by:L.C. Chase
This title is # of the Hell or High Water series.
– See more, read more at Riptide‘s Not Fade Away Book page.

The previous books in the Hell or High Water series are:

Hell or High Water Series

About the Author

SE Jakes writes m/m romance. She believes in happy endings and fighting for what you want in both fiction and real life. She lives in New York with her family, and most days, she can be found happily writing (in bed). No really…
SE Jakes is the alter ego of New York Times bestselling paranormal and romantic suspense author Stephanie Tyler.
Connect with SE:
• Website: sejakes.com
• Tumblr: sejakes.tumblr.com
• Twitter: @authorsejakes
• Facebook: Facebook.com/SEJakes
• Email: authorsejakes@gmail.com
• Goodreads author page: goodreads.com/S_E_Jakes
• Goodreads author group: Ask SE Jakes

In Our Author Spotlight: Lee Brazil on Writing, Pulp Friction and Growing Up! (contest)

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Lee Brazil’s In from the Cold Series – Pulp Friction 2014 Elemental Connections!

Lee Brazil stopped by today to talk about Pulp Friction, his series In from the Cold and writing. He also brought along a terrific contest for you all to enter. Look out for the details Lee has supplied towards the end of his guest blog. Good morning, Lee!

Good morning all! Thank you, Melanie, for letting me steal your blog for the day. *sips coffee* For those who don’t know me, I’m Lee Brazil, author of m/m Romance with Breathless Press, Evernight Publishing, Totally Bound and Pulp Friction. It’s Pulp Friction that brings me here today. I’m getting ready to start working on my fifth In From the Cold book of the year, the final single title in the series.

So I thought I’d take a short break and begged Melanie to let me do a giveaway on her blog. She very kindly said yes, and then I realized…That meant I’d have to write a blog post of some sort to go along with the giveaway. Instantly, every idea deserted me. I could almost see the little buggers out the corner of my eye, like will-o-th’-wisps vanishing in droves, sparks dying out and leaving me in darkness, wondering why I do this to myself.

Then a review caught my eye…and reminded me of something. In the Out in the Cold series, Finn has always fancied himself as something of a Prince Charming, a knight in shining armor out to save the downtrodden and rescue the prince. And I thought, what about you?

What did you always want to be? What did you picture yourself as when you were ten?

That’s a kind of complicated question, because I wasn’t very steadfast at the time. I’d watch a great movie and picture myself as a character in it…Say Star Wars. I’m pretty sure that Finn would have been Luke Sky walker. Other people would choose Han Solo. I’m pretty sure that some even wanted to be Darth Vader.

Me? I wanted to be Obi Wan Kenobi.

Watch Star Trek, and people were clamoring to be Kirk, Spock, McCoy even. Not I. Hero of the galaxy? Saving the universe from Klingon oppression through sheer bravado, courage or heart? (Did you ever notice the similarities between Star Trek and the Wizard of Oz? But that’s a different post) I had a slew of favorites from Star Trek…but if you made me choose, and I could be only one? I wanted to be Scotty. Screw the universe, save my ship!

So as an adult, I have been several things. I was a student for what seemed like forever, at the whim of red tape and bureaucracy. I worked retail, and fast food, and even did a stint as a phone operator updating directories. Then I was a teacher, and I learned that Obi Wan hid a lot of his real feelings from us. Teaching is a grand profession, and it was full of moments of sheer exhilaration and joy. BUT… It is also one of THE most frustrating and wearing of professions. So yes, I did sort of fulfill my childhood ambitions to teach, but after fifteen years I retired, somewhat dis-spirited.

Today? I write. I have a hard time sometimes curbing the instinct to “teach” – i.e. write blogs on correct grammar and word usage etc. But I enjoy writing immensely and I think that I wouldn’t have made it here without that fifteen year stop in America’s classrooms.

As for Scotty? Well, my ship is a hundred year old farmhouse and sometimes it seems like keeping it standing is a full time labor of love.

What about you? Who did you think you would be when you grew up?

Leave me a comment here and tell me what you wanted to be when you were ten, and you’ll be entered to win a random drawing for a $10 ARE gift card.
*Contest begins Friday Aug. 15th and ends Friday August 22. One entry per person, winner selected by random number designation and notified via email. (Must provide valid email with comment). Winner will be selected Saturday-Sunday Aug. 23/24 and notified/announced Monday Aug. 25th.

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Author Name: Lee Brazil
Author Bio:
Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.

Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.

Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don’t fit?

Then turn the page and see… there you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.

I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now, it’s why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.

If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and that’s the best thing in the world to be if you ask me, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.

If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.

Author Links:

Twitter: @leebrazil
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Author Page
Blog: Lee’s Musings
Facebook

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

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love it.

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

Book Details:

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

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

Round One:

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

Round Two:

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

Round Three:

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

Round Four:

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

Round 3 and 4 Side Stories:

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

Round Five: to be released

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

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

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

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Details:

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

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

Round One:

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

Round Two:

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

Round Three:

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

Round Four:

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

Round 4.5 Side Stories:

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

Round Five: to be released

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

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Review: Dissonance (Blue Notes #6) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Lord Cameron Sherrington’s life feels very empty since he lost his love, opera singer Aiden Lind. Of course,it was his own fault. Cam cheated on Aiden not once but numerous times until Aiden finally left him for good. As Cameron always expected Aiden to do. Aiden was much too good for Cameron and he knew it. Now he hears from Aiden that Aiden and Sam are getting married and the depression that it brings on seems endless.

As Cameron tries to figure out how to move forward in a life without goals, disaster strikes from the last place he expects, the family business. Cameron is being framed for money laundering by someone who wants to takeover the business and the FBI want to bring Cam in for questioning. Cam flees the authorities but with all his accounts depleted or frozen, he is friendless, helpless, and on the streets.

Galen Rusk plays his trumpet in NYC Subways for the shear enjoyment of playing and people watching. When Galen finds a man in dire straits in the tunnels, he recognizes him from the times Cam has stopped by to listen and leave him tips. Now the tables have turned, and Galen offers Cam all the protection and sanctuary he can afford. And soon, bonded by need and their desire for each other, a tenuous relationship forms that neither man is prepared for.

When love appears, all the troubles and fears threaten to break the men apart even before their relationship has been given a chance to succeed. Can Cam and Galen overcome their pasts to grab onto the love in front of them or will it be lost forever in the pain and uncertainties of the present?

I have been such a fan of this series since its inception. The marvelous blending of passion, music and drama in story after story keeps bringing me back into the lives of these musicians, their music and the men who love them. For not only is love the key to their happiness but so is the music that flows through their lives, no matter the melody or instrument. It sustains them, it speaks for them, and it consoles them when all else is falling apart around them.

The shear vitality and musicality to Shira Anthony’s writing makes these characters and their stories ones to hold close to your heart. It is so easy to revel in all the romance, passion and yes, even pain, that life brings to them all as we watch them overcome the obstacles on the path to a future and happily ever after. But of all of them, I believe that Cameron and Galen are my favorite couple of the Blue Notes series. How astonishing!

After having lived through the turmoil and devastation of Aiden Lind’s life in Aria (Blue Notes #3) and the major role that Lord Cameron Sherrington played in Aiden’s pain, I never thought I would see the reclamation of such a cad. In that story, Cam was an unadulterated terror. A selfish, spoiled brat of a man who was used to getting his way and a bully when that didn’t happen. Talk about your unlikable character! But over the next several stories, hints were creeping in that all was not well with Lord Cameron. Glimpses of vulnerability and regret were seeping in, especially when it came to his actions towards Aiden. Soon people were clamoring for Cam’s story.

Here Shira Anthony tears off the cover of Cameron’s assuredness and arrogance to reveal a past of pain, neglect and perhaps something darker that even Cameron had repressed. It’s a slow process of pulling back the layers that Cameron has so completely piled on top of his memories. Anthony prolongs that aspect of this story in a manner that makes it feel not only authentic but hauntingly real as well. From the events that trigger Cameron’s memories to the stress and strain of his situation that brings Cameron to the breaking point, the author’s descriptions pull us into his life so completely until we are there, teetering on the edge of the precipice with Cameron. And Cameron is not the only one here whose past has immobilized him and any relationships he might attempt. Galan is just as wounded as Cameron. Both men must deal with their problems and pasts before they can decide to move forward together.

What a wonderful and absorbing story in every way.

Textured portraits, a story full of plots guaranteed to secure our interest and emotions, and an ending that brings the men together with favorite couples from previous novels. And on top of all those amazing ingredients, Shira Anthony folds in the music that so represents these characters and their journey, separately and together. What music it is! Such an eclectic selection. From the iconic sounds of Billie Holiday to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, we sway to the music that flows through this narrative, pulling us along. There’s some of my all time favorites here. “Moon River’, sung by Audrey Hepburn , Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine”, and so many others. A complete soundtrack and links are listed below. Check them out or better yet, listen as you read.

I loved Dissonance. It’s a joy in every way. It will be on ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014 lists this year. Pick it up and start reading now. Yes, you can read it as a stand alone but do yourself a favor, and read the others first. You will appreciate Cameron’s journey so much more if you know what went on before this book. I highly recommend Dissonance and the entire Blue Notes series. Get started on it today.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook All Romance eBook (ARe) Dissonance (Blue Notes) ” Dissonance

Cover Artist: Catt Ford. Lovely cover, works for the story and for the branding of the series. Great job.

Book Details:

ebook, 240 pages
Published August 8th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632161826 (ISBN13: 9781632161826)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5291
seriesBlue Notes #6
charactersDavid Somers, Alex Bishop, Aiden Lind, Lord Cameron Sherrington, Galen Rusk
settingNew York City, New York (United States)

Books in the Blue Notes series can be read as standalones but it helps to read them in order to understand the various relationships and time line. Listed below are all the stories in the Blue Notes series. The author has noted that she considers it a series of interrelated, classical music themed standalone novels that can be read in any order.

Knowing (Blue Notes, #0.5) a free read at Goodreads
Blue Notes (Blue Notes, #1)
The Melody Thief (Blue Notes, #2)
Aria (Blue Notes, #3)
Prelude (Blue Notes, #4) by Shira Anthony and Venona Keyes
Encore (Blue Notes, #5)
Symphony in Blue (Blue Notes, #4.5)
Dissonance (Blue Notes #6)

Shira Anthony’s Dissonance Sountrack:
Dissonance Playlist:

“Night and Day,” by Cole Porter (Ella Fitzgerald):
“Ain’t Misbehavin,” by Fats Waller (Fats Waller):
“Moon River,” by (Audrey Hepburn):
“Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers):
“Blue Moon” (Billie Holliday):
“Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin):
Partita No. 2, by Johann Sebastian Bach (Hillary Hahn):
Prelude No. 4, by Frederic Chopin (Khatia Buniatshvili):
“Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin (Leonard Bernstein):
Haydn Trumpet Concerto (Wynton Marsalis):
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” Variations by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Natalie Schwamova, age 11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezvj-De6bxY
“Vocalise” (Rachmaninoff): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVyza9jzw18 (Luka Sulic, cello), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW630zFA93Y (Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano)
Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, 2nd movement (adagio):
“Summertime,” from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (Ella Fitzgerald):
Bach, French Suite, Sarabande (Merce Villanueva Molas):

Sunday expectations , Sounds of fall in the air and the week Ahead at ScatteredThoughts

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Sunday is upon us once more. How quickly it seems to come around each week. Normally I would be outside planting, weeding, enjoying the gardens and the dogs but the sounds I hear lately remind me that fall is coming and preparations need to be made. The whites, yellows and purples associated with late summer, early fall flowers are out in full force. The “Daisy Mae:” Daisies are hanging in there, the Black-Eyed Susans have thwarted the deer, and the purples of liriope, False Dragonhead, and Great Blue Lobelias are just starting to make their presence known.

Overhead flocks of Canada Geese and Snow geese are reforming, heading to the marshes surrounding the Bay in huge masses, reading for migration and winter. My feeders are being emptied at an astonishing rate after piddling interest all summer long. Some leaves have started falling, and the sunlight has that slanted, cooler look to it that proclaims that the Summer Solstice has passed and it is filtering the landscape through an autumnal lens.

The pruning shears are out, the mulch bags waiting for someone other than me to cover the beds. The hummingbirds are still here, the feeders still full, and the offerings in the yard are getting scarcer by the day.

It also means that GRL is fast approaching in October and I hope soon to be able to make an announcement about a new reviewer here at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords. I love fall. Its every bit as beautiful to me as Spring and Summer. In fact it may be my favorite of all the Seasons. Brisk, clean air that puts a snap to your step as your walk and a little color in your cheeks. I know the dogs are happier…its terrier weather for sure.

Ahhh, the sounds of change is in the air…how sweet, how promising, how wonderful!

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Now for the upcoming week ahead at Scattered Thoughts….

Monday, August 11:

Blue Notes continues with Shira Anthony’s Dissonance Book Tour (contest)
Book Blast: Cate Ashwood’s Wholehearted Audio Book Tour (contest)

Tuesday, August 12:

On Tour with Rory Ni Coileain’s SoulShares Series (contest)
Lou Hoffman is Here with Key of Behliseth, a YA Book Release (contest)
Review: Dissonance by Shira Anthony

Wednesday, August 13:

Review: Wicked Winds by Havan Fellows
Review: Out in the Cold by Lee Brazil

Thursday, August 14:

In the Author Spotlight: Jason Lloyd and his release, Queer Dirty Laundry (contest)
Review: Devil’s Own by Susan Laine

Friday, August 15:

In the Author Spotlight: Lee Brazil on Writing, In From the Cold, and More (contest)
Review: You Can’t Go Home Again by Michael Murphy

Saturday, August 16:

Review: Queer Dirty Laundry by Jason Lloyd

Review: Prevailing Winds (Separate Ways #4) by Laura Harner

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

“Please don’t go.”

Words that would haunt Lord Jamie Mainwaring long after he boarded the plane departing Phoenix, Arizona. After the deaths and destruction of the past events, Jamie feels that leaving is his only recourse, even if it means leaving once more the man he loves, Det. Remy Remington. Jamie watched Remy’s mouth form those words at the airport as he went through the doors to get on the plane. But it was too late for them and for the love that had followed them across oceans and continents for the last two years.

Brokenhearted and grieving, Remy watches Jamie leave him once more. But returning home, he finds that Jamie isn’t the only person leaving him. Toby is confused, shattered and angry…at Remy and the world. Toby flees his home and safety looking for answers to his past. What Toby finds in Las Vegas is nothing but trouble,

Fate has a way of pulling Jamie and Remy back together. Jamie’s is asked to get involved in one more case for the British special agency he used to work for. Remy leaves home looking for Toby and both paths intersect in Las Vegas where a corrupt prince, the lost boys from London, and Toby are intertwined in a mess of abuse, pain and potential death. Jamie and Remy must put all their past issues aside and come together to find and rescue Toby before the prince can destroy them all. Will Remy and Jamie finally prevail and find a future together for them as a family? Or will the coming storm destroy them once and for all?

Prevailing Winds, the Separate Ways series finale, is that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the icing on the cake and the cherries on top of the sundae! This is the story that is the salve for the wounds left behind by the tumultuous events and anguish of the last three books and I couldn’t be happier. For three bloody, suspense filled, painfully frustrating stories, Laura Harner has been developing her rollercoaster ride of a relationship between Lord Jamie Mainwaring and Det. Remy Remington.

From the moment they connected in London over missing boys, to the betrayals on the ocean cruise and the devastation of the events in Phoenix, the relationship dynamics between these two has been fascinating to watch as the men connected, fled, reconnected, and separated again and again. What has made it so endlessly addicting is that we understood why the separations had to happen, the mental and emotional changes each character had to undergo in order to make a relationship (any relationship) work, and all the obstacles that life and their jobs as well as nationalities placed in their paths. It wasn’t just one thing that kept them apart….but a boatload. Harner carefully built up wall after wall between these two wonderful characters. Walls made up of Remy and Jamie’s childhood issues and abuse, requirements of their individual jobs, and even personal outlook on long term relationships and ties. Throughout each story we waited for the barriers to start to fall. And they would start breaking down, a few bricks here and there. Only for us to watch the walls firm up again at the end of each story. Frustrating, authentic, and it made great reading.

And as skillfully as Harner built up those barriers, then she had to slowly and realistically break them down. And that took time. And three, no four books to accomplish that because Remy and Jamie are still working on their problems and expectations for each other and a long term partnership well into Prevailing Winds. This time, its Toby on the run and Remy following in his wake. And their paths intersect with Jamie on a mission in Las Vegas.

The point of view flows back and forth between Toby and Remy and Jamie. Toby’s scary predicament is heightened by this format as the danger increases the deeper the investigation goes and the closer the men get to finding Toby. Gut wrenching at times, the anticipation is overwhelming towards the end as we rush towards the denouement! Plus there’s not just one, but several here. Loved this part of the story. In fact, loved it all! So will you.

The writing is taut, smooth and fluid. The plot’s mechanisms are lovingly orchestrated for maximum excitement and anticipation. Oh, and for our total satisfaction as well. But you must read these stories in the order they were written, in order for the character development and situations to make sense.

This is one heck of a series and a great way to end it! Love the book, love the characters, and Las Vegas was the perfect place to bring it all to a head!

I highly recommend this story and series to all lovers of action, adventure and a long denied romance that finds it’s happily ever after!

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Prevailing Winds

Cover Art by Laura Harner. This cover is very different in design from the other three but it works great for the story.

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 198 pages
Published July 23rd 2014 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB00M3AV0YA
edition language English
url http://lauraharner.com/series/separate_ways_series/
seriesSeparate Ways #4

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

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

Review: Delsyn’s Blues (Vasquez & James #2) by Lou Sylvre

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

After the deranged events of last summer, things should have gotten better, less complicated for fiber artist Sonny James and security specialist Luki Vasquez. Instead, it all sort of imploded. Sonny sent Luki away while his nephew Delsyn recovered from his ordeal at the hands of his kidnapper. And while Luki roamed Chicago wondering where it all went wrong, Sonny hid in his house, haunted by guilt and plagued by his fears. Both separate, alone and missing each other.

Then the unthinkable happens and Luki is called back to Port Clifton, to help Sonny deal with his grief, and a police investigation that points to Sonny as their main suspect. Sonny is drowning under the depths of his feelings of guilt and remorse. He has raised a barrier between himself and Luki that Luki is finding hard to pull down. But just as those barriers seem to be shattering, a man from Sonny’s past comes between them and their future.

All around Luki and Sonny is shrouded by the mists from their past and the uncertainties of their present. As more violent acts occur and the investigations widen, Luki and Sonny aren’t sure who they can trust, even each other.

A voice singing the blues points the way, but will Sonny and Luki hear the sad refrains in time to save them all?

Delsyn’s Blues is the second book in the Vasquez and James series from Lou Sylvre. The first story, Loving Luki Vasquez, pulled me into these amazing characters with their haunted pasts and complicated lives. Each character is so different from each other and others that I have read about. Especially Sonny Bly James, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Yakama and a fiber artist whose weavings are highly sought after. The minutiae of Sonny’s craft is intriguing, especially his dyes. It gives him an unexpected depth of background and unique quality to his character. Sonny is grounded by his art, his mind awash with colors, designs and fibers of all types. He is a person who seems scattered by those who don’t know him. And Lou Sylvre is slowly revealing Sonny’s depths and complications book by book. What an amazing journey we are on with these characters.

But Luki Vasquez, of Basque and Hawaiian roots, is Sonny’s equal with his Hawaiian ethnicity a large measure of Luki’s personality and family support system. Luki’s past is one he wears on his face, but the scarring inside goes much deeper than the one that bisects the side of his face. He too has a past full of pain and trauma, only some of which we know about. Both men find strength in their native heritage and that is so important here in Delsyn’s Blues where both Sonny and Delsyn are/were tribal dancers each in their own manner of style and dance. This element of Delsyn’s Blues and the series are one of its highlights for me. Luki and Sonny’s close connections to their heritage provides a foundation for each man and a support system if they choose to use it.

Around these two multidimensional characters flow plots of great intricacy and deceit. And it reverberates from one story to the next, the past like a river who continues to overflow its banks and cover all the events to follow, its dirty waters touching everything and everyone in its path. Delsyn’s Blues opens one year after the end of Loving Luki Vasquez. The men are separated and Delsyn is in a wheelchair due to his prior blood loss. What a painful beginning for all, readers and characters alike! From that moment on, we are in for one shock after another. And it won’t stop until the book is over.

Are there things here readers will have issues with? Certainly, but Sylvre’s books have always had that element of realism and sometimes life just sucks to put it bluntly. And once you get past the first shock, the rest of the story is gripping, suspenseful, and yes, frustrating. I had a few more issues with this story than I did with Loving Luki Vasquez. One issue? I figured out almost immediately who one of the villains of the story is. While I wish the author had made that a little harder to guess at, I found the anticipation she built around that person’s identity reveal rewarding.

But my honest issue here? Totally inconsequential but it bugs the heck out of me. A drug dealer’s dog appears and goes along for the ride for about 1/3 to 1/4 of the story. He becomes a real character. He’s important until he totally disappears from the story, at least as much as I can figure. He’s there then he’s not. What happened to the darn dog? Continuity! It makes even the smallest things important when it is flawed. So, if someone out there can tell me what happened to Bear, please I beg you tell me. Did I miss something or did he really disappear? (Note: I heard from the author, the dog is still around and latched onto Luki. We will see more of him later.)

Disappearing dog notwithstanding. I still highly recommend Delsyn’s Blues. It’s an absorbing story and its characters continue to grow in depth and backstory. I love it when that happens. Now on to Finding Jackie (Vasquez & James #3)! Remember, please to read all these books in order. It’s important for character development and for understanding the events that occur.

Cover art by Reese Dante. I love these covers, so beautiful and perfect for the stories and series.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Delsyn’s Blues

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 309 pages
Published January 1st 2012 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB006SBC6KM
edition languageEnglish
seriesVasquez & James #2

Books in the Vasquez and James series to date in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and events that transpire:

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