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On 9/11, firefighter Nick Fletcher’s world changed forever. He’s unable to rid himself of survivor’s guilt, made worse by the secret he hides from his family and co-workers. Nick’s life is centered around helping burn victims, until he is reunited with the man he’d once loved but pushed away. Now he has a second chance at a love he thought lost forever.

For fashion designer Julian Cornell, appearances mean everything. His love affairs are strictly casual, and the only thing he cares about is making his clothing line a success. A chance encounter with the man he loved long ago has Julian thinking for the first time in years there may be more to life than being seen at the best parties and what designer labels to wear.

When Julian’s world takes an unexpected turn, it’s Nick who helps him regain perspective on what matters most in life. Julian, in turn, helps Nick accept who he is and understand he isn’t responsible for tragedies he couldn’t prevent. Lost love found can be even sweeter the second time around and after all the years apart, both men learn to look beyond the surface to find the men they are inside.

—

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Joker (Executioners #2) by J.M. Dabney

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Joker, what a misnomer, but Jackson Webb’s friends were idiots. He’d joined Executioners almost three years earlier after the lead singer King caught him playing his guitar behind his garage. It broke up the monotony of his life, but once he got bored he’d move on to another distraction. He wasn’t nice. He sure as hell wasn’t friendly. He was what he was, his friends handled his attitude and standoffish nature just fine. At thirty-eight he was pretty sure he was too stuck in his way to change shit now.

Demetri “Dem” Urban was settling into a new life in the middle of nowhere. Okay, he was hiding from everywhere in a kitchen as far removed from his five-star kitchen back in New York. Gideon invited him to stay with him and his wife for awhile just until he could get everything back on track. He didn’t see it happening, but he had to admit the scenery wasn’t bad even if the man had the personality of a rabid, man-eating bear. Dem did like a challenge and that fit Joker Webb perfectly.

My first sighting of Joker was in Ghost (Executioners, #1), a deeply moving story that served as my first introduction to D.M. Dabney and that author’s interlocking series (Twirled World Ink, Brawlers and Executioners and hopefully more). Of course, I started with the most recent in the series which has turned out a fascinating, fortuitous move and I’m now moving backwards to the beginning series. And Joker aka Jackson Webb has appeared everywhere, a dark, violent presence, sometimes just a fleeting reference, sometimes more as a participant in a rescue or beatdown, but Joker has been an enigmatic thread running through three series who now when ready in Dabney’s mind, explodes into the cacophony that is his heartrending, beautiful and oh so memorable story.

Forewarning. If you’ve read Ghost, which is where I fell in love with Joker, you knew peeling back the edges of Joker’s armor would be like staring into the abyss. His past is stomach churning and even though the abuse and descriptions of what happened to him is handled “off stage” , there is no space for your mind and heart to run from his scars…physical, mental, emotional that are revealed here. They feel intense, all too real, and full of suffering of the unimaginable kind. For some of you, these are triggers and you should be aware of the impact they will have. Even if they aren’t triggers, prepared to have the abuse that Jackson suffered stay with you long after the story is over, which is as it should be I suppose.

Jackson is the town vigilante/Paladin and his friends’ worry now that Harper has found love, happiness and safety with Ghost. Jackson aka Joker is still on his mission to protect and deliver his own forms of justice to those thugs/bullies in town who have been under the protection of the old corrupt (and now dead) Sheriff. Given that mission it’s no surprise that he’s often found in one of the jail cells, with his friends called to bail him out. Outside of jail, his little dog Killer is his constant companion and yes, unacknowledged therapy dog. He’s violent, untouchable, moody, and broken. Yet everything about him shouts need. I wanted his story from the minute I met him in Ghost. And love him completely.

Then comes Dem, a man from a loving home who sets his eyes on Joker, knows that he and that broken man are somehow ‘meant’ for each other like his mom and dad. Dem is unique. Some see him as broken too. Dem is also a character you come across in Ghost, but here Dem becomes a complete person. I loved his parents, the background Dabney supplies for him and his reasons for being in this small town. He’s pretty easy to fall in love with himself. In the book, it all makes perfect sense as do the characters. Dabney’s characterizations and writing is so good, so perfect for the themes the author chose and the paths the story needs to take, that all I could do is be pulled in, totally absorbed by the drama and evolving relationships.

Dem’s pursuit of Joker shakes the man to his emotional and mental foundation. It’s everything he fears and has no reason to understand. Love. J.M. Dabney creates two of the most perfect, broken, believable characters and then takes us on their journey towards a love only they can find with each other, and a small dog named Killer. At times, your heart will break over the blackness and evil suffered, sometimes your breath will catch with hope as they get close at times a relationship only to see it crash under the weight of the past and reality, and finally your heart gets to soar with laughter and love at what the author has wrought out of darkness and pain.

How I love Joker (Executioners #2) by J.M. Dabney and the entire series. I highly recommend it and Ghost. Start with Ghost and then read Joker. And look for all my reviews of the Twirled World Ink, and Brawlers series by J.M. Dabney to come. I’ll be covering them all and the evolution of a universe.

Cover Design: Winterheart Design. I think the cover captures Joker perfectly.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Published August 29th 2017
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL https://www.jmdabneyauthor.com/executioners
setting Georgia (United States)

Series Executioners:

An Ali Release Day Review: Rim Shot by Skylar M Cates

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Can college roommates go from friends to lovers?

Kyle: I’m confident that with hard work, my position as point guard can carry me from rural Indiana to the NBA. I also know I’m attracted to guys, but admitting it might disappoint my father, who is all I have in this world. I have big dreams, so I’ll stay in the closet. As long as my life remains scandal-free, I have a shot.

Micah: My large family can’t spare the money to help with my education, but that won’t stop me from studying medicine. I needed to get out of the house I was sharing with my ex before I went insane. Luckily, I heard about a guy looking for a roommate. Living with a straight jock won’t be easy, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

This was a sweet story about two college students who become roommates and then lovers. Kyle is a basketball player who is in the closet. He’s afraid that his sports career will suffer if he comes out. Micah is a pre-med student works two jobs to put himself through school. As the two young men begin to fall for each other they have to make some serious life decisions.

I liked both of the MC’s and I thought the author did a good job of developing them. I also enjoyed the fact that they fell for each other slowly and the romance unfolded in a manner that felt believable. The ending was a strong HFN and I felt like that was a good ending for two young men in college with some many ways life could possibly go in the future.

My only complaint was that the overall pacing of the story felt a bit slow to me. Not a lot really happens until close to the end of the book.

Overall I found this to be an enjoyable book and it is one that I would recommend.

This cover was done by Kanaxa. I think it is an average cover. There is nothing that really makes it stand out to me and it is one I will probably forget as new books come across my ereader.

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 210 pages
Expected publication: September 29th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
Original TitleRim Shot
ISBN139781635338881
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: First Season (Harrisburg Railers #2) by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Layton wants success, Adler wants family, how can love make both these things possible?

Layton Foxx works hard for what he has. The condo, the career, the chance to make his mark, is all down to the sacrifices he has made. With tragedy in his past, he doesn’t want or need love. Then he meets Adler Lockhart, the extroverted, sexy winger for the Harrisburg Railers and abruptly he can’t avoid love even if he wanted to.

Adler Lockhart has had everything handed to him his whole life. Cars, villas, cash, college tuition at the finest Ivy League schools. The only things he doesn’t have are parents who care or the love of a good man. Then Layton walks into his privileged life and shows him what real love can be like.

First of all, this book has oodles of elements that just set off the book sparklers for me. Starts with the authors because I love R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey, then moving swiftly to the facts that you also have hockey players (be still my heart), a opposites attract trope and a good dollop of hurt/comfort? Count me in!

When you mix that all together in the story First Season, it all comes together in a romance that hooked me in from the very start, made me love its characters from the main couple to the secondary cast and kept me invested as well as connected in everyone’s story. First Season is the second in the Harrisburg Railers series and while you don’t necessarily have to have read the first one , it does help to give you background information here on the couple Layton Foxx is coming to help. They make appearances is as does the next person getting his story.

But your heart and focus is on Layton and Adler and their slow, awkward, often painful dance towards love and a relationship. I absolutely loved Ads. At one point he’s described as a Irish Setter, ginger, bouncy, lots of energy, maybe a small attention span….you can so see it … totally adorable in the huge body of a hockey player. He also has almost no filters in his brain…so what he’s thinking is out his mouth without a checkpoint with obvious ramifications. All because of a upbringing with parents that had little to do with him and left him with no social skills. Talk about someone hungry for love and a home.

Then he meets damaged Layton Foxx who comes from an opposite background, but one where he can’t stand to go back to. PTSD and a pain-filled past has him trapped in another way and landed him in a job filled full of his worst nightmares…jocks. Watching Layton having to navigate his way around while trying to do the best for his clients AND deal with the confusing attentions of Adler? The dynamics are interesting, heartbreaking, funny, and often a bit convoluted even to the people involved themselves.

Locey and Scott also address the professional side of hockey and coming out, the costs to the team, the individual players etc. I thought this was handled beautifully.

First Season came very close to a 5 star rating but I felt that parts of Layton’s story and his clear lack of recovery needed to be further addressed. I wasn’t sure if Layton was still in therapy (I could have missed it to be honest), but the extent of his trauma I thought needed more attention here. Not in details but in their relationship and his family towards the end after Adler and Layton decided they were it for one another. A phone call and a comment about one portion of their sexual life didn’t quite get to the depth of the trauma they are dealing with.

Others may feel the authors dealt with it to their satisfaction.

Either way, I feel it’s a wonderful story. One I absolutely recommend. It has memorable characters, a team of hockey players to love and a series to look forward to each new release! Bring them on!

Cover art by Meredith Russell. The artist does both characters justice in a terrific cover. Love it.

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 229 pages
Published September 27th 2017 by Love Lane Books Ltd
ASINB073HGLT5X
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Harrisburg Railers

MA Church on Research, Characters and her latest story ‘Dragon’s Hoard’ (Dreamspinner Dreamspun Beyond Tour)

Dragon’s Hoard by M.A. Church
Dreamspinner Press
Dreamspun Beyond

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Expected publication: October 1st 2017
Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have M.A. Church here today on her Dragon’s Hoard tour. Welcome, M.A., please tell us a little something about your latest release.

✒︎

Hey everyone! I’m M. A. Church, and I’m here to talk about my latest release, Dragon’s Hoard from the Dreamspun Beyond line at Dreamspinner Press. When I first heard Dreamspinner was opening a new house line featuring paranormal themes, I was beyond excited, lol. I’ve wanted to write a dragon story for a long time, and this seemed like a sign!

How much of yourself goes into a character?

Every character has some personality trait of mine. It may be the one-liners, or the snarky attitude, but there’s always some part of me there.

Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?

I always research my books, but I end up doing more for certain ones. Most of my stories tend to take place in present-day, so there’s that contemporary edge to the stories that needs to make sense to the reader. When I’m doing paranormal, I research folklore/myths, plus how an animal responds in its natural setting. Even if I’m writing sci-fi, I’m researching things. But I do also love making up worlds and cultures.

Do you have a favorite among your own stories? And why?

That would be The Harvest series. It was started right after my mom died, and I credit it with helping me get through one of the hardest times in my life.

Blurb

To be loved by a dragon is to be treasured.

A hundred years ago, werewolf Alpha Montgomery took a risk driven by desperation—he borrowed money from the ancient dragon Warwick Ehecatl, putting up the pack lands as collateral. Now the debt is due, and dragons don’t forget—or forgive. Warwick demands Montgomery’s son, Avery, and three businesses as compensation. As an Omega, Avery knows he is basically useless to his pack, so he might as well agree. He soon has second thoughts, though. Warwick is fearsome, and he’s free to do as he likes with Avery.

Warwick knows his race’s reputation, and he even admits some of it is deserved. But he’d rather cut off his tail than let his innocent mate’s light go out. It won’t be easy, but buried deep, there’s something between them worth safeguarding.

House Line Dreamspun Beyond | #5

Genres: Urban Fantasy / Werewolves/Shapeshifters

Excerpt

Warwick grabbed the reins on the runaway dragon inside of him, desperately trying to control the thrashing creature. Ye gods! His dragon wanted the Omega, badly, which was shocking. His kind usually paired up long enough to procreate, and if the female became pregnant, she went off on her own to have the egg. She raised the offspring, and once the fledgling reached adolescence, they were on their own.

Sometimes dragons had sex with each other for fun, but relationships never lasted long. Their kind tended to get on one another’s nerves, which led to fights. It was why they didn’t often mate with dragons or other paranormals, but there were a few who managed to make it work.

Warwick preferred short-term connections where it was understood there were no commitments. He’d never been interested in mating. But now suddenly his dragon was interested in that Omega… and wanted to claim him as his own.

Warwick was stunned. But the hazel-eyed Omega standing outside almost accomplished what rarely happened with dragons. The wolf hadn’t even been trying—and that was the frightening thing.

He jerked his gaze away from the young wolf. The last thing he needed was to betray his sudden interest. Never would he give an opponent that kind of knowledge, even if his dragon was all but wagging its tail in excitement. With a mental thrust, he tried to settle the vexing creature. He certainly didn’t need this right now, and especially not here.

About the Author

M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full-time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or watching HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.

She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Contact M.A.:

Blog: http://machurch00.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomoretears00
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nomoretears00
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Church The Harvest
FB fan page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/theharvest00
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MAChurch
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M.A.-Church/e/B007A8JA4C
Email: nomoretears00@hotmail.com

Review Tour and Giveaway for Joker (Executioners #2) by JM Dabney

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 38,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Winterheart Design

Executioners Series

Ghost (Book #1) – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Joker, what a misnomer, but Jackson Webb’s friends were idiots. He’d joined Executioners almost three years earlier after the lead singer King caught him playing his guitar behind his garage. It broke up the monotony of his life, but once he got bored, he’d move on to another distraction. He wasn’t nice. He sure as hell wasn’t friendly. He was what he was, his friends handled his attitude and standoffish nature just fine. At thirty-eight he was pretty sure he was too stuck in his ways to change shit now.

Demetri “Dem” Urban was settling into a new life in the middle of nowhere. Okay, he was hiding from everyone in a kitchen as far removed from his five-star kitchen back in New York as he could get. Gideon invited him to stay with him and his wife for a while just until he could get everything back on track. He didn’t see it happening, but he had to admit the scenery wasn’t bad even if the man had the personality of a rabid, man-eating bear. Dem did like a challenge and that fit Joker Webb perfectly.

Author’s Note: This story contains scenes of a violent nature, mentions of rape and torture (All off page from characters pasts) and severe abuse. If you, as a reader, find this objectionable or triggering in any way, you can skip this story without losing the transition to the next book

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 star Review here.

September 25 – OMG Reads, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Bonkers About Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews

September 29 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Jessie G Books, BooksLaidBareBoys, Au Boudoir Ecarlate, MM Good Book Reviews

October 4 – Dog-Eared Daydreams

October 6 – Bayou Book Junkie, Sarandipity Reviews

Author Bio

J.M. Dabney is a multi-genre author who writes mainly LGBT romance and fiction. She lives with a constant diverse cast of characters in her head. No matter their size, shape, race, etc. she lives for one purpose alone, and that’s to make sure she does them justice and give them the happily ever after they deserve. J.M. is dysfunction at its finest and she makes sure her characters are a beautiful kaleidoscope of crazy. There is nothing more she wants from telling her stories than to show that no matter the package the characters come in or the damage their pasts have done, that love is love. That normal is never normal and sometimes the so-called broken can still be amazing.

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Review Tour and Giveaway for First Season (Harrisburg Railers #2) by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Length: 55,700 words approx.

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Harrisburg Railers Series

Blurb

Layton wants success, Adler wants family, how can love make both these things possible?

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 4.5 out of 5 star review here.

September 27 – The Smut-Brarians, My Fiction Nook, Xtreme Delusions, The Way She Reads

September 29 – Au Boudoir Ecarlate, Joyfully Jay, We Three Queens, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

October 2 – Diverse Reader, Making It Happen, Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews

October 4 – Jim’s Reading Room, BFD Book Blog, MM Good Book Blog Tour

October 12 – Wicked Reads, Padme’s Library

October 14 – Nessa’s Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie

RJ Scott is the bestselling romance author of over 100 romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men and women who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
www.rjscott.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/author.rjscott?ref=ts&amp;fref=ts
www.goodreads.com/author/show/3432558.R_J_Scott
twitter.com/Rjscott_author
www.librarything.com/author/scottrj

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Dr. Who, Torchwood, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

Website: http://vlloceyauthor.com/
Newsletter – http://tinyurl.com/ksul5rs
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/VL-Locey/124405447678452
Readerís Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439154279700674/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/vllocey
Pinterest-http://www.pinterest.com/vllocey/
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807700.V_L_Locey
My blog- http://thoughtsfromayodelinggoatherder.blogspot.com/

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A Stella Review: The Half Wolf by Jay Northcote

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

The Half Wolf is the first paranormal story Jay Northcote wrote (I think!) and although lately I’m strongly glued to the contemporary genre, I loved this new release quite a lot. Simply because Jay gave me everything I like to find in my readings: love, family, supportive second characters, and loveable MCs.

The love story between Quinn and Kellan was well developed. I was able to know their own stories and see the important people in their lives. and then they meet and the impossible (to Quinn) happens. His life is changed forever. Both MCs have strong personalities, positive attitudes, big hearts. They are enjoyable and easy to love. Plus some secondary characters are very memorable and amazing, it was so beautiful to see these young men surrounded by so many good persons who are ready to be part of the same family.

I found the plot, with the little mystery, very interesting, nothing too big, but just right to give the author the chance to create later the perfect ending. I have to say I particularly liked the epilogue, it was exactly what I was hoping to read, what I wished not just for Quinn and Kellan, but for Ruth and Tash too, or for Allana.

I want to recommend The Half Wolf, I think the author did a great job, maybe it wasn’t a surprise because he is an amazing writer and I have loved all his stories I read so far. I hope he will write another story here, maybe a sequel, and give me another great paranormal book.

Cover art is gorgeous.

Sales Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2wRSr2I

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ynPnww

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 193 pages
Published September 26th 2017 by Jaybird Press
ASINB075WYY8HF
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Ali Review: A World Apart by Mel Gough

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Ben Griers is the darling of Corinth Georgia’s Police Department—intelligent, handsome, and hardworking. Thanks to his beautiful wife and clever daughter, Ben’s family is the envy of the town. Yet desperate unhappiness is hiding just below the surface.

When Donnie Saunders, a deadbeat redneck with a temper, is brought to the Corinth PD as a suspect in a hit-and-run, Ben finds himself surprisingly intrigued by the man. He quickly establishes Donnie’s innocence but can’t shake the feeling that Donnie is hiding something. When they unexpectedly encounter each other again at an AA meeting in Atlanta, sparks begin to fly.

With his marriage on the verge of collapse, Ben is grateful for the other man’s affection. But he is soon struggling to help an increasingly vulnerable Donnie, while at the same time having to deal with the upheaval in his own life. Ben eventually realizes that they cannot achieve happiness together unless they confront their darkest secrets.

I went into this rather excitedly as hurt/comfort is one of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately there were many things about this book that did not work for me. First off the language of the story is really off. It’s set in the US south but the author is from the UK. The story ended up being a hodge podge of what she thinks the South sounds like (insert all the stereotypes you can think of) and then throw in a bunch of British words like “wanker, poof, etc). There was one character who was a British expat but it just didn’t make sense to me that the other characters would talk like this.

My next issue was that it was insta-love. I had a hard time buying this. These are two very different men and they have a lot of issues to work through and I just couldn’t see what attracted them to each other and why it would happen so fast. I found the relationship completely unbelievable and I was not invested in it at all.

My last issue was that there was too much going on. There were too many issues/subjects/topics to count. I wish the author would have just focused on one or two and developed those more. This was one of those “everything but the kitchen sink thrown in” books and those are always pet peeves.

Unfortunately nothing about this book really worked for me. I did not enjoy it and will not be rushing out to try anything else by this author. There are so content warning tags on this story so please note those if you are going to check this out.

Cover: This cover was done by Natasha Snow and I think it is nicely done and eye catching.

Sales Links:

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Book Details:

book
Published September 18th 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781947139886
Edition LanguageEnglish

Louisa Masters on Writing Romances, Characters and her latest story ‘The Bunny and the Billionaire’ (author guest interview and giveaway)

The Bunny and the Billionaire by Louisa Masters
Dreamspinner Press
A Dreamspun Desires Title

Expected publication: October 1st 2017
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Available for PreOrder at Dreamspinner Press | Books2Read

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Louisa Masters here today in our interview chair. Welcome, Louisa!

✒︎

~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Louisa Masters ~

♦︎How much of yourself goes into a character?

I like to think it’s just the right amount! There’s definitely a little bit of me and my perspective in all my characters, but they absolutely aren’t all me. They do and say things I would never dare to, or refuse to do and say things I would (and do) quite happily. For example, Ben, from my upcoming release The Bunny and The Billionaire, wears his clothes until they’re threadbare. The book opens with him wandering around Monaco in shoes so worn his big toe has popped out. I’m no clotheshorse, but I would never do that—mostly for fear of what my grandmother would say! He’s also a nurse, which is a profession I admire greatly but freely admit I couldn’t handle.

♦︎Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?

Definitely! Even as a little girl, I liked stories with happy endings best, and looking back, I can see that my favorites always had a romantic thread through them. As a teenager I mostly read romance behind closed doors, and epic fantasy and sci-fi out in public (where my parents could see). As an author, I never even considered anything other than romance—those are the stories I want to write. Maybe one day I’ll give fantasy a proper shot, too—romantic fantasy, of course! Or a space opera. I love space opera, and it’s not easy to come by, especially m/m. If anybody has suggestions for great ones, I’d love to hear about them.

♦︎Have you ever had to put an ‘in progress’ story aside because of the emotional ties with it? You were hurting with the characters or didn’t know how to proceed?

I have several part-done stories that I really hope to get back to one day. Some I stopped working on because they weren’t flowing at the time, and some I was just too inexperienced to develop properly. I don’t write “angst” very well, although I do like to read it, so I’ve never hurt a character so much I couldn’t pull us both through it.

♦︎Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

I’m not actually firmly on one side or the other. I love a good short story or novella, and sometimes a HEA in those can feel rushed. As long as the promise of a HEA is there, I’m completely satisfied.

♦︎Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?

Almost exclusively. I do occasionally slip in something a little different, especially if it’s been highly recommended by someone I trust, or is by an author I’ve loved for a long time, but romance is my mainstay. I read my first “official” adult romance at age eleven, and have never looked back. It’s been astonishing to see how the industry has changed over the past twenty-five years.

♦︎How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going?

Honestly, I adore it. There will always be something special about reading a paper book, but I think most truly voracious readers see the ebook as a wonderful thing. I usually read anywhere between three and seven books a week, depending on length and my schedule, and I frequently reread—I can count on two hands the number of books I’ve sold on or given away in my whole life, and most of those were gifts from people who thought they knew what I’d like. I have over two thousand paper books, and I just don’t have the shelf space for them. Most are boxed up in storage, which means they’re not accessible at three in the morning when I wake up desperate to reread. My nearly two thousand ebooks, on the other hand, are always right by my bed or in my bag.

Ebooks are also wonderful when traveling. When I was nineteen, I studied for two months in Italy. More than half my suitcase was books. I calculated very carefully how many books I thought I’d need, refrained from reading new releases for several months, and then packed up about thirty-five books and lugged them across the world and back. On the other hand, last year I went on a two-month odyssey across Europe, and brought my tablet with me, buying ebooks as the ones I wanted were released.

I can’t see the ebook industry failing, not when it means bookworms can buy books from bed at two in the morning and begin reading them instantly. For that alone, I will always love it.

♦︎What’s next for you as an author?

In a couple of days, The Bunny and The Billionaire will be released by Dreamspinner Press’s Dreamspun Desires line. I’m so excited about this book! Category romance was such a huge part of my early romance reading years, and will always have a place in my heart. Writing one myself was something I thought about, but it didn’t click into place until DSP opened it up for the m/m market.

I have a short holiday story coming out in December, which I think anyone who’s been forced to shop two days before Christmas will appreciate, and I’m currently working on another category-style m/m romance, featuring one of the characters from The Bunny and The Billionaire.

The Bunny and The Billionaire

Released October 1 by Dreamspinner Press

Spending their fortunes and losing their hearts.

Hardworking Australian nurse Ben Adams inherits a substantial sum and decides to tour Europe. In Monaco, the home of glamour and the idle rich, he meets French billionaire playboy Léo Artois. After getting off on the wrong foot—as happens when one accuses a stranger of being part of the Albanian mafia—their attraction blazes. Léo, born to the top tier of society, has never known limits, and Ben, used to budgeting every cent, finds it difficult to adjust to not only Léo’s world, but also the changes wealth brings to his own life.

As they make allowances for each other’s foibles, Ben gradually appreciates the finer things, and Léo widens his perspective. They both know one thing: this is not a typical holiday romance and they’re not ready to say goodbye.

Giveaway

Louisa is giving away five swag packs to mark the release of The Bunny and The Billionaire. Enter to win! Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. https://tinyurl.com/yag5gasq

About the Author

Louisa Masters started reading romance much earlier than her mother thought she should. While other teenagers were sneaking out of the house, Louisa was sneaking romance novels in and working out how to read them without being discovered. She’s spent most of her life feeling sorry for people who don’t read, convinced that books are the solution to every problem. As an adult, she feeds her addiction in every spare second, only occasionally tearing herself away to do things like answer the phone and pay bills. She spent years trying to build a “sensible” career, working in bookstores, recruitment, resource management, administration, and as a travel agent, before finally conceding defeat and devoting herself to the world of romance novels.

Louisa has a long list of places first discovered in books that she wants to visit, and every so often she overcomes her loathing of jet lag and takes a trip that charges her imagination. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she whines about the weather for most of the year while secretly admitting she’ll probably never move.

Find Louisa on Facebook and Twitter:

www.facebook.com/LouisaMastersAuthor

@authorLouisaM

★★★★99 SALE ALERT★★★★

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Dragon’s Hoard by M.A. Church Dreamspinner Press Dreamspun Beyond

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Expected publication: October 1st 2017 Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Blurb

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About the Author

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The Bunny and the Billionaire by Louisa Masters Dreamspinner Press A Dreamspun Desires Title

Expected publication: October 1st 2017 Cover Artist: Bree Archer Available for PreOrder at Dreamspinner Press | Books2Read

~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Louisa Masters ~

The Bunny and The Billionaire

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About the Author

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Dragon’s Hoard by M.A. Church
Dreamspinner Press
Dreamspun Beyond

Expected publication: October 1st 2017
Available for Purchase at Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

The Bunny and the Billionaire by Louisa Masters
Dreamspinner Press
A Dreamspun Desires Title

Expected publication: October 1st 2017
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Available for PreOrder at Dreamspinner Press | Books2Read