A Jeri Review: Protecting Braden (Custos Securities #2) by Luna David

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

This next book picks up right where the first left off. The cliffhanger is tied up fairly quickly and then the story continues as Cade and Braden continue their smooshy love fest while he has a stalker on the loose.

Honestly, this book didn’t offer much more than the first did. More of the same but different circumstances really. We get more of Cade’s family- I really liked all of them.

In the first book there is the small issue of Cade living in and owning a business in Denver and Braden living and owning a business in San Francisco. Well that is fixed quite tidily by just moving Cade’s business to SF. Uhm, ok. What about ALL the other employees? Details like this make me crazy.

And as Cade is renovating a huge warehouse to use as his businesses new headquarters, Braden is tasked with designing the top floor for them to live in together. On Cade’s dime. No expense spared. Again, this just harkens back to bodice ripping romance novels to me.

As with the first, there is SO MUCH DETAIL. Way, way too much. I was skimming pages and pages after a while. And it wasn’t just the detail, but the stories that didn’t add anything to the main story. While I appreciate that Cade was finally opening up to Braden about some of his time in the military, we didn’t need to hear all of the stories he was telling Braden.

The epilogue was nice, but a bit tidy. That isn’t going to happen in real life. But that is why we read books, right? To escape real life.

Nice cover with tie in to the characters.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

328 pages
Published July 6th 2016
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCustos Securities #2

A MelanieM Release Day Review: You Never Know by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Hagen Wylie has it all figured out. He’s going to live in his hometown, be everybody’s friend, explore new relationships, and rebuild his life after the horrors of war. No muss, no fuss is the plan. He’s well on his way—until he finds out his first love has come home too. Hagen says it’s no big deal, but a chance encounter with Mitch Thayer’s two cute sons puts him directly in the path of the only guy he’s never gotten out of his head.

Mitch returned for three reasons: to raise his sons where he grew up, to move his furniture business and encourage it to thrive, and to win Hagen back. Years away made it perfectly clear the young man he loved in high school is the only one for him. The problem? He left town and they have not talked since.

If Hagen’s going to trust him again, Mitch needs to show him how he’s grown up and isn’t going to let go. They could have a new chance at love… but Hagen is insistent he’s not reviving a relationship with Mitch. Then again, you never know.

Wellllllll……huh. Normally, Mary Calmes can do no wrong for me. I gobble up her stories like mad, doesn’t matter whether they are supernatural love stories or contemporary romances. I just love them. But every now and again, a book like You Never Know comes around that remind me that authors are human and aren’t made to churn out amazing stories like machines. And perhaps we shouldn’t expect them to. But whatever the case, You Never Know just didn’t do it for me for a number of reasons.

It does have that second chance at love element that has served the author so well in her other novels, but not really here. I love this trope, it’s one of my favorites. But you have to feel that the couple is now right for each other, has made amends or grown substantially or done whatever it takes to have their reunion and new relationship make sense once more. And I’m not one hundred percent Calmes makes that argument here. One Hagen Wylie is back after an unrecounted horror of a tour during war time. He was captured, tortured, and the implication is, something heinous happened during his confinement. But it’s never directly spelled out. The reader, however, can read from his reactions to certain things and make their own conclusions. Its pretty obvious with his interactions with Mitch and the things he says what happened to him. But that compounds one of the problem I have with this story. The implication that love can fix anything including deep emotional trauma including PTSD and worse with one leap into bed. Uh no. So strike one.

Two, Hagen already has a love interest. It’s not Mitch, it’s an actor named Ash. So there’s time taken away from the main couple to dwell on this segment. It really doesn’t help that the pictures you get of Mitch make him unattractive in the cowardly personal sense either. Like the kids, not so the man he used to be. Or even the man he is now. He’s still seems to be all about what he wants and needs, not about what is in the best interests of Hagen or anyone else for that matter. Does he press Hagen for what happened to him? No. It’s lets have sex…that will fix it. As you can see, I never warmed up to this character or the pairing. This time unrealistic didn’t do it for me.

If you know Mary Calmes’ writing and characters, then you know how the townspeople feel about Hagen or Hag as they call him. He can do no wrong. They all adore him. They rallied around him when he was hurt and in the hospital, etc. He’s beloved by the community which he serves in a number of ways. Honestly, it’s a character type I have always loved from this author and have never gotten tired of. I love Hagen. I just never felt that any of the men in this story felt right for him. How about that? Loved the kids though.

Anyhow, I’m going to be nice and give it three stars because I loved Hagen and the kids. The townspeople too. Nobody does a warm town and community like that like Mary Calmes. Love infused! So I’m waiting on the next one to come out. Those Mary Calmes fans have already read this. Those of you new to Mary Calme, find Frog or her superlative supernatural series A Change of Heart or the contemporary Timing series. So many to choose from. But I really don’t think I’d start here.

Cover Artist: Reese Dante. It’s a gorgeous cover. But again, does it really connect me to the story?

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 212 pages
Expected publication: July 21st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781635339079
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Ali Audiobook Review: The Innocent Auction (Innocent #1) by Victoria Sue and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

London 1810.

Their love was a death sentence.

Deacon, Viscount Carlisle, was aware of the slums and gin-lanes of London. Just as he was aware of the underground traffic that furnished the brothels and bath houses with human innocents. He was also aware that the so-called justice system would hang the accused without much of an attempt at a defense, unless the unfortunate had deep pockets to pay for it.

He just hadn’t expected to be directly involved in any of it.

It started with a plea for help and ended with forbidden love, the love between a Viscount and a stable-boy. An impossible love and a guarantee of the hangman’s noose.

Will Deacon fight for Tom? Will he risk the death sentence and take that fight from the stately halls of his English mansion to the horrors of Newgate Prison and the slums of London?

Or will he realize that if he doesn’t, death will be a welcome end to the loneliness of the sentence he is already living?

This story was a mixed bag for me. I liked Deacon a lot and I enjoyed the overall plot of him inheriting his father’s responsibilities, while trying to fix the horrendous mess he had made. I found Deacon’s struggle to do right by his employees and township entertaining and I was eager to see how things worked out. I especially liked the side story revolving around Deacon’s cousin/best friend Beau. That more than anything, kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the relationship between Deacon and Beau. It was both beautiful and bittersweet and I found myself teary-eyed at one point.

The part of the story that didn’t really work for me was the relationship between Deacon and Tom. They had an interesting set up and meeting and I liked that part. Unfortunately when they meet again it’s a total insta-love. I had a very hard time buying that they would risk all that they had to risk after only meeting a couple of times. It didn’t seem realistic to me at all. I wish the author would have spent more time letting us see their relationship develop. This had the potential to be an excellent book. That being said, the epilogue was sweet and I was happy to see them get their happily ever after.

This audiobook was narrated by Joel Leslie and I thought he did a very good job. I listen to this narrator a lot and his English accent books are my favorites of his. (I’m American and I have no idea if they’re authentic or not though.) He did a good job with all of the characters and I never struggled to figure out who was speaking. He also put the appropriate amount of emotion in to the scenes.

Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend it to others. I had the above mentioned complaint but I would try this author again and I will probably read the next book in the series. If you enjoy audiobooks I would also recommend the audio version.

Cover: I liked this cover but didn’t love it. It’s a good representation of the beginning of the book but it’s a little too monochromatic for my liking. It also sets a dark feel for the book which put me off of it for a long time. I thought it was going to be a very dark, gritty read which it wasn’t.

Sales Links: Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Kindle Edition, 183 pages
Published May 31st 2017 by Victoria Sue (first published December 27th 2015)
Original TitleThe Innocent Auction
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesInnocent #1

Lynn Lorenz on Writing, Influences and her latest New Orleans story, New Orleans Second Lines (author interview)

New Orleans Second Lines by Lynn Lorenz
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Available at Dreamspinner Press

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Lynn Lorenz here today answering questions and talking about writing and her influences…welcome, Lynn!

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Lynn Lorenz

Thanks to STRW for letting me blog today about my new release from Dreamspinner Press, New Orleans Second Lines!

I’m going to answer a few questions about reading and writing…here goes!

Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing? Did you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?

I’m probably one of those few romance writers who didn’t really grow up reading romance. In fact, I didn’t start reading romance until I started writing it.

As a young teen, I lived in my local library (Nix Library in New Orleans). Because it was small, I’d read through the “kiddie” book section about the age of 12-13. My mother had to give permission for me to take out books in the adult fiction section—books by writers like Mary Stewart, Shirley Jackson, and Daphne Du Maurier. I suppose these fell sort of in the romance genre, but back in those days, the most anyone got was a kiss. All the doors were shut and we could only imagine what happened behind them.

But what I really liked in all of those stories was the edge of mystery in them. So I moved on to full bore mystery—classics writers like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth George, and Dorothy Sayers. I still love watching those British mystery series on Netflix.

In my college years, I devoured horror, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Robin Cook, to name a few.

(Notice: No Barbara Cartland or Nora Roberts. In fact, to this day, I’ve never read one of their novels and please don’t ask me about major authors, I don’t really know any.)

Then I had kids, and couldn’t read horror anymore, so I started on a few true crime stories, and more of the detective novels. I loved police procedural writers like Tony Hillerman, James Dos, and Faye Kellerman, mostly because they delved into cultures not my own.

I really didn’t read much fantasy, although I did read some paranormal like Interview with a Vampire when it came out, mostly because…New Orleans. Of course, during high school, I read classics like Frankenstein and Dracula, but perhaps I was too young to fully appreciate them.

My mother turned me onto Robert Benchley’s humor, which was so like her own. I read Fannie Flagg, of Fried Green Tomatoes fame. Love her southern humor!

Who do you think is your major influence as a writer? Now and growing up?

I wrote a lot as a teen and in college. English was my minor and I also wrote poetry, angsty stuff about boyfriends, etc. I think what influenced me the most is a mix of elements like mystery, detective stories, humor and gothic romance.

I learned how to write men by reading James Dos’s Charlie Moon, Hillerman’s Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, Kellerman’s Peter Decker, and a few other writers who got it right. But mostly by being around men my entire life. I worked in my father’s construction and electrical company, had jobs on worksites, wore a hard hat and listened to the guys and how they talked to each other.

What was missing was…the sex.

When I was about 40-45, I got bored reading what I’d been reading. Maybe it was a mid-life crisis, but I wanted books with sex. I remember asking my hubs if he had any sci-fi or fantasy books (he reads them exclusively) that had sex. He just laughed. “Nerdy scientists write these books. There’s no sex. Why don’t you write your own story?”

So I did. The very first novel I wrote was what became The Avalon Patrol, and later became Majik Reborn, Majik Betrayed, and Majik Redeemed. I created a world where majik existed, and so did a police force (inspectors) who used majik to fight crime. It sprawled. I had no idea what I was doing. When it hit 250k I broke Word. Hubs finally told me I was writing a trilogy. So I found where the story broke and divided it up. But this story was a het romance, because…sex. My protags had sex; no closed doors for me! I wrote about six novels, all het romance, sort of thinking about publication.

When I discovered gay romance something clicked. Suddenly, I realized why my male characters had so much..er…sexual tension between them. They were always one move from kissing or killing each other. My heroines weren’t exactly Mary Sues—I had to learn to write strong females and once I did, I started publishing those stories.

So I took all of the elements I love to read, and rolled them up into what I call my style. Humor for sure. Mystery. Perhaps some crime. But mostly hot as hell men who love each other and will do anything to get to their HEA.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?

HEA—it’s the only thing I write, especially when I’m writing gay romance. For my het stuff, which I write under Theodora Lane for anyone who wants to check them out, I’ll occasionally go for a HFN.

When my kids asked me why I write gay romance I told them, because everyone deserves to have a happily ever after. I told them about friends I had when I was in high school and college, wonderful people whom I loved, but who didn’t see a HEA in their futures. I explained no one should be denied it because of who they love. To me, writing gay romance is a way to reach hearts and minds. If I can open one person’s heart and mind to love with no boundaries, I’ve done my job.

My two tag lines for Lynn Lorenz are Everyone Deserves a Happily Ever After and Open Your Heart and Open Your Mind.

For Theodora Lane, it’s Step Into Her Worlds.

I hope readers who haven’t read my writing will take a chance and try something new. And this book, New Orleans Second Line, is a great place to start! For readers who know me, I hope you enjoy something familiar, second time around.

More About New Orleans Second Lines

Matt and Lane grew up together, best friends, sharing almost all their secrets. But on the last day of college, those secrets spilled in one night of passion and tore them apart, sending Matt to the West Coast and Lane home to New Orleans.

Now, Hurricane Katrina is set to destroy New Orleans. This might be the worst time to try for a second chance, but nothing can keep Matt from Lane. The man he let get away.

For Lane, no hurricane can pry him from the city, especially without Sebastian. The older man has been a dear friend and his landlord since Lane returned from college. Sebastian refuses to flee, preferring to stay in his Creole cottage in the French Quarter and ride out the storm.

Sebastian’s life becomes intertwined with Lane’s, as Matt finds out when he’s drawn into capturing Sebastian’s memoirs of being gay in New Orleans. The elder gentleman’s stories are full of surprises and lessons for the young men.

The most important ones Sebastian teaches them—and himself—are that second chances don’t come along often, and you’re never too old to fall in love.

About the Author

Lynn Lorenz is an award-winning and best-selling author who grew up in New Orleans but currently lives in Texas, where she’s a fan of all things Texan, like Longhorns, big hair, and cowboys in tight jeans. She’s never met a comma she didn’t like, and enjoys editing and brainstorming with other writers. Lynn spends most of her time writing about hot sex with even hotter heroes, plot twists, werewolves, and medieval swashbucklers. She’s currently at work on her latest book, making herself giggle and blush, and avoiding all the housework.

Also by Lynn Lorenz:

David’s Dilemma by Lynn Lorenz

When is it the wrong time to find Mr. Right? For David, that time is now. He’s caring for his homophobic father, who has Alzheimer’s, and his personal life is the last thing he has time to focus on. But when his father wanders off, David is forced to reach out to the police, in the person of Detective Travis Hart. Travis is gay, tired of the club life and twinks he can’t keep up with, and longs for a real relationship with a man who wants the same—maybe someone remarkable like David. In fact, David is exactly who he has been looking for, but Travis isn’t sure he can be the man David needs during this difficult time.

Because as David’s father sinks deeper into the disease that’s robbing him of his memories, David really needs a friend, not a lover. Though Travis is determined to support David in whatever way he can, David’s decision could lead both men into a situation with no possibility of a happy resolution.

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/davids-dilemma-by-lynn-lorenz-8012-b

https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Dilemma-Lynn-Lorenz-ebook/dp/B01NGZ9YB4

Review Tour for Luna David’s Saving Sebastian (giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Cover: Kellie Dennis @ Book Cover By Design

Blurb

Gideon McCade—weighed down by memories of his previous life as a Navy SEAL and a CIA agent—has blood on his hands. He turns to his BDSM club, Catharsis, and Dominating submissives to get him through the daily grind of civilian life. Knowing his past is too much to inflict on a life partner, he keeps his connections brief and superficial. When his former life comes back to haunt him, his desire for revenge pulls him back into the shadows, darkening his hopes for a future in the light.

Temporarily sidelining his career as a tattoo artist, Sebastian Phillips works as a composite artist for the local police department. To alleviate the inescapable burden of a congenital medical condition, he immerses himself in his art and seeks the catharsis of submission. But with life weighing heavily on his shoulders and darkness encroaching, he yearns for a contract with a Dominant that sees past the protective barriers he’s erected to the vulnerable submissive within.

When happenstance brings Gideon and Sebastian together, their connection is undeniable. The knowledge that they are both too damaged to form permanent bonds of love causes them to rely on an impersonal contract to fulfil their physical needs. But staying emotionally detached becomes impossible, and breaking their contract seems the only option. Will Gideon’s need for vengeance and Sebastian’s declining health destroy what’s grown between them, or will they help each other find their way back into the light?

July 17 – Gay Media Reviews
July 21 – Making It Happen, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
July 24 – Diverse Reader
July 26 – MM Book Escape, Jessie G Books, Bayou Book Junkie, Sarandipity

Author Bio

Once upon a timeÖ deep in the shadows of the infamous BDSM club Catharsis, Luna David, future Authoress Extraordinaire, dreamed of crafting epic gay romance novels to the chorus of whips, chains, and riding crops.

Working for the man by day, and playing caped crusader by night, she fell in love with a superhero whose alter-ego was a mild-mannered financial analyst. With the combined strength of their Evasion Superpowers, theyíre able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and escape the horrifying drudgery of peopling and adulting as often as humanly possible.

Once upon a time… deep in the shadows of the infamous BDSM club Catharsis, Luna David, future Authoress Extraordinaire, dreamed of crafting epic gay romance novels to the chorus of whips, chains, and riding crops.

Working for the man by day, and playing caped crusader by night, she fell in love with a superhero whose alter-ego was a mild-mannered financial analyst. With the combined strength of their Evasion Superpowers, they’re able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and escape the horrifying drudgery of peopling and adulting as often as humanly possible.

Luna fiercely devotes herself to her amazing family and friends, drinks coffee like the life-giving ambrosia that it is, and reads gay romance novels voraciously. And while watching a movie and cuddling is still the perfect date night for her and her superhero hubby, her favorite moments are when he makes her laugh until she cries and can’t help but fall in love with him over and over again.

Life for the superhero duo seemed perfect until the birth of twins threw their world into delightful and exhausting chaos, proving perfection always has room for improvement. Leaving big business behind, The Adorables became her full-time job. But eventually Luna realized it was the perfect time to follow her dreams, so she hung up her cape, donned her rainbow slippers and Wonder Woman pajamas, and dove into her fictional world. When not saving her little monsters from themselves or overseeing the Dungeon, Luna slays fictitious evildoers between the pages of her manuscripts.

Her books feature strong dominant males and the men they would die protecting. With love, her hero, and their monsters in her corner, Luna spends her free time writing sweet and kinky, sensual and erotic gay romance. Love has no gender and no boundaries—and Luna loves nothing more than giving her heroes the same HEA she’s been lucky enough to enjoy every day.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Luna-David/e/B01BR4HXQQ/
Webpage: www.lunadavid.com
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorlunadavid/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLunaDavid

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Cover Reveal Blitz : Fool of Main Beach by Tara Lain (excerpt)

FOOL OF MAIN BEACH,
the fifth book in the Love In Laguna Series arrives
August 21, 2017! The unlikeliest of lovers. The sweetest of loves.

Fool of Main Beach

(Love of Laguna Series, Bk #5)

by Tara Lain

Blurb:

Merle Justice wants to reach for the stars, but it’s tough to get respect when playing a teenybopper vampire on TV. Then he meets a famous director anxious to give him all he thinks he wants—and maybe a bit more. Everything’s looking up until a life-threatening encounter with some homophobes on Main Beach puts Merle face-to-face with a Sasquatch-sized hero in a pink puffer coat.

Tom Henry defies description. As unsophisticated and simple as an angel, he walks through life content with who he is and asking for very little except to care for his sister, Lily, and the dogs he loves. Then he meets Merle, the embodiment of dreams he barely knows he has. Merle knows the people who hold his future in their hands might love Tom—but they’ll never understand Merle and Tom together. Tom knows it too. With lives this far apart, who’s really the fool of Main Beach?

Pre-Order your copy now at

Also available to pre-order in paperback

Release Date:

August 21, 2017

Excerpt

Excerpt – Fool of Main Beach by Tara Lain (Sandwiches)

Merle stretched out the measuring tape and got the dimensions of the huge family space, then paced it off into dining and living areas. Once he had enough measurements to buy rugs, he wandered past the big island into the kitchen and opened each cabinet. His mind filled in the spaces with dishes and pots and pans—yeah, a lot of stuff he didn’t have. His current apartment in Santa Monica was still a transition space from starving-actor digs to TV-star quarters. TV star? He snorted softly. More like vampire of the month. Of course, he’d been lucky enough to be vampire of the month for two years.

I’m killing time. Go down to Ru’s studio and take him to lunch.

“Want part of my sandwich, Merle?”

He looked up into the truly pretty face smiling at him from the other side of the island. “I don’t want to take your lunch, Tom. I’ll go get some.”

“It’s okay. I made two sandwiches, so there’s lots.”

I should go, but—“Sure, I’d love half of your sandwich. What kind is it?”

“I’ve got peanut butter and I’ve got avocado and cheese.”

“Which kind do you like best?”

“I like them both.”

“I’ll take avocado.” He looked around the big room still covered in drywall dust, nails, and wood shavings. “Where shall we sit?”

Tom made a waggling motion with his finger.

Merle cocked his head and walked around the island to where Tom stood, towering over him. Suddenly he was flying through the air and made a little gasping sound as Tom sat him on top of the island, then grinned and easily hopped up beside him. Merle laughed. “No fair.”

“Oh, didn’t you like it?” Tom looked serious.

“I’m teasing you. I just meant it’s funny that you’re so much bigger than me.”

He shrugged. “I’m much bigger than anybody—except Billy. I’m just a little bigger than him.” He handed over his half sandwich. It was on some kind of multigrain bread and appeared to have cheese that wasn’t American.

“This looks delicious.”

“Mrs. Allison taught me to make it.”

“Who’s that?” He took a bite and was very happy he did.

“The lady I live with.”

“Oh, you live with a lady?” Duh, Merle.

“She owns the house, and I rent a room from her.” He chewed his peanut butter, which also looked like it might have some organic roots. “I help her with stuff, and she helps me too. Like teaching me about food and water and how to feed the boys.”

“Boys?”

“My dogs.”

“How many dogs?”

“Two. Fluffy and Tigger. I got them from the shelter where I work sometimes.”

“Most landladies don’t let you have dogs.”

“Mrs. A. is really nice. She doesn’t want me to have big dogs, though. Wish I could.” He chewed thoughtfully.

“You could probably get an apartment or house with enough space for bigger dogs if you want them.”

He shook his head matter-of-factly. “No. Can’t afford it.”

“I guess rentals in Laguna are pretty high.”

“Yeah, but Billy pays me good. I just need the money for my folks to take care of Lily.”

“Your sister.”

“Right.” He grinned like he was happy Merle knew her name. They chewed companionably. “You’re on TV, right?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t see TV much, but I’m going to watch this week. Mrs. Allison said I can.”

Why did his saying things like that wring Merle’s heart? “Do you like movies?”

“Oh yes. I go to movies sometimes.”

“What kind do you like?”

“All kinds. Except the ones with the words. I’m not so good at that.”

Merle’s glance snapped to Tom’s face, but Tom didn’t seem to be complaining or confessing. Just stating a fact. “Do you have trouble reading?” He tried to ask it with great nonchalance.

“Yes. That’s how Billy and I got to be friends. He doesn’t read so good either.” He grinned. “But we’re better now.”

“May I ask you a personal question? You don’t have to tell me.”

“Sure, Merle. You’re my friend.”

Again, that thump on his heart. “I know you passed the electrician’s exam. Billy tells me that’s really hard. If you have trouble reading, how were you able to do it?”

“Mrs. A. read it to me.”

He looked up from licking his fingers clean of avocado. “What?”

“I gave her the tests that were like samples, and she read them to me. And she read all the handbooks too. Then a nice guy named Burt read me the questions on the test, and I said the answers out loud.”

“So you learned everything when Mrs., uh, A. read it to you?”

“Um-hm. I remember really good.” He finished the last bite of his avocado. “Most people don’t, you know?”

Merle grinned. “Yes, I do know.”

“Do you like being on TV?”

“Yes. It’s a good job. Long hours, but I get time off sometimes. Like now.” Funny. He wanted to tell Tom. “I might have a chance to make a movie.”

Tom’s whole face lit up. “That would be really good, right? Would you like that?”

“Yes, it’d be a step up in my career. And the guy directing the movie is very well-known and respected.” He glanced over. Did Tom have the slightest idea what he just said?

“Do you like him?”

Merle smiled. Leave it to Tom to get to the heart of the matter.

Love in Laguna Series

Bk #1

Available for purchase at

Bk #2

Available for purchase at

Bk #3

Available for purchase at

Bk #4

Available for purchase at

Pre-order your copy now!

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in gay romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 40. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, Best Romantic Suspense, and more. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at Lain

Presented By

A MelanieM Review: The Wooden Samurai by Alex Morgan

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

In 1708 Japan, Hirata, a samurai serving Lord Takarada, is enjoying his elevated status in the daimyo’s army when he finds a gift, a wooden carving of a samurai on a horse. Hirata realizes he has a secret admirer, and soon discovers Matsuda, a young archer in Takarada’s retinue, has taken a liking to him.

But Hirata isn’t ready for a relationship with a man and refuses Matsuda. When he realizes he really does love Matsuda, the archer is far away with Lord Takarada in Edo Castle, and Hirata doesn’t know when they will return.

Hirata decides to convince Matsuda he is ready, but before he can put it into action, an earthquake and a tsunami destroy the daimyo’s manor.

Is Matsuda still alive? Is it too late for love to bloom between the two men?

The Wooden Samurai by Alex Morgan sets out a huge tale for itself and its far too big for its 45 pages to accomplish. That’s a sad thing because I loved the premise and this sort of story is just the thing that always hooks me in. I love stories of feudal Japan and samurai, especially if they get their history correct and can make their settings come alive as Alex Morgan did. Lord Takarada’s manor is a living, breathing small village unto itself…full of life, swarming with people, structures we get to see through the eyes of Hirata, the samurai who serves him.

While the setting, the history and the events that occur are dramatic and more than enough to connect any reader to the story, the relationship between Hirata and Matsuda isn’t. It just has too many flaws, due in part to the short nature of the tale. Enlarged, I think The Wooden Samurai could be an entirely different novel but at 45 pages there’s just not enough time for the switch from Hirata not having any leanings towards sexual feelings towards not only men but Matsuda himself to love just isn’t plausible, no matter the circumstances. Morgan just doesn’t make the case here with enough passion or enough interaction between the men to make me believe it. Again, the author has so much going on, that had everything been explored in more depth, whether it was the events occurring (no spoilers here but how I wanted more) to seeing Matsuda and Hirada converse, be, whatever, with each other enough to have a chemistry that I felt was lacking here.

So, The Wooden Samurai earned it’s 3 stars not on it’s romance but on everything else which was so well done. Alex Morgan can write, I think the author just got really ambitious here for a short story. I’d love to see an expanded version sometime down the line. I will certainly be looking forward to Morgan’s other stories, longer ones, in the future.

Cover art has nice touches. But I wish that the wooden samurai carving that plays such a large part in the story could have been featured on the cover instead of the overused naked torso.

Sales Links: JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 45 pages
Published June 24th 2017 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB0721TRMXN

A VVivacious Review: Spa Weekend (Daniel and Ryan #6) by Tamryn Eradani

Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Daniel and Ryan are going away for a Spa Weekend, their first planned trip away, together. And if this wasn’t already special, Ryan wants to try something new in the week leading up to the Spa Getaway.

This is book 6 in the Daniel and Ryan series. Having come so far into the series I finally have a handle on the pulse of things.

I remember in a lot of my initial reviews for this series, I talked about being disappointed with the pace of things. It often felt that we would go one step forward only to go two steps backwards. But after having read so far I have really come to enjoy the slow pace of this story and I have also come to realise that while the story develops slowly, we are slowly but surely moving forward. Despite the fact that I couldn’t realise it at first Daniel and Ryan are moving forward as I have come to realise after reading this story and the reason I didn’t realise has probably got more to do with the blinders Daniel has on when it comes to feeling than with story progression.

This series has adapted a meandering way of storytelling where you have no idea what’s next or where all this leads up to but you know it is somewhere good.

I liked this instalment to the series because we got to see a definite step forward in regards to Daniel and Ryan’s relationship but more importantly, I finally got to see Daniel’s legendary control slipping and it was enlightening.

I definitely want to read more even though initially I wondered, how different can a Spa Weekend be from a Weekend Getaway but the excerpt definitely has me on board.

Cover Art by Natasha Snow. I definitely love the new covers for the series. The covers for the first five books were just variations of each other but this one is definitely different than the first five though I think it is started up its own theme, with the covers to come. Anyhow, loved the cover it is amazing and I especially loved the green overtones.

Sales Links: NineStar Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 43 pages
Published July 3rd 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781947139374
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDaniel and Ryan #6

A Kai Review: One Plus One (Maths #2) by P.A. Friday

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

James Cape has been in love with his mother’s best friend Laurie since James was sixteen and Laurie an inaccessible twenty-six. When he’s turned down flat by the older man just after his nineteenth birthday, James’s best friend Al encourages him to forget Laurie and find someone else. And James tries, he really does. But can he cope with his feelings for Laurie, his best friend’s home-life problems, and the deteriorating health of his father, all at the same time? And will Laurie ever notice the young man who’s right in front of him?

Sorry guys, but this book didn’t work for me. **sad face**

Well, the premise was interesting and I was truly intrigued by the blurb. You see, I love age-gap romance, so I was up and even excited to read this title, however when I finish it I was really disappointed.

The novel was well written, simple language and fluid, but the plot and the story’s development felt lame and flat.

James had a crush on Laurie and when he was nineteen he assumed his feeling for the guy. I really liked it about James. He went for it at the time (way to go, James!). Unlucky for him, Laurie turned him down. Aaand, after that they almost never had an interaction in the story.

Years went by and I didn’t see a connection between them. Actually, James avoided Laurie like a plague for a while. And It would be fine if after that they started to develop some interaction so us, readers, would see them together and cheer for them at some point. It didn’t happen, though. The entire book they felt like strangers. They even didn’t talk or anything. Actually, Laurie almost didn’t appear in the story, so how I suppose to cheer for him and James as a couple when they had limited communication?

Actually, James had a huge interaction with Al, his best friend. They were close and loved each other and …[spoiler ALERT]

P.S: I just found out that there is another book where James, Laurie, and Al are a threesome of some kind. And this can make sense, after all… but, I really don’t find in me desire to read that story. So, If you read the book 1 in this series and liked it or not, let me know. I want to know your opinion.

Anyway, there were few things that I liked in this book. The father problem was one of them. James’ father had multiple sclerosis and I liked how it was aborted, even though I felt really emotional about that. [LITTLE SPOILER ALERT] I cried! Really ugly cry. Maybe was just me that cry for everything. But just in case, keep the tissues close by.

Well, My conclusion is: this story simply didn’t work for me. I couldn’t find a connection between the MC, and I felt the end was forced and abrupt. There were ways to the author to change the plot a little and maybe this would be a nice story. But the author didn’t and I didn’t like… so…. that’s all, folks.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is okay and interesting. That was one of the things that intrigued and instigated me to read the story.

Sales Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/One-Plus-Maths-Book-ebook/dp/B073V5QYYJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500479410&sr=8-1&keywords=one+plus+one+by+p.a.+friday

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/one-plus-one/

Book Details:

E-book: 115 pages

Release Date: July 31st, 2017 by NineStar Press

Edition Language: English

ISBN: 978-1-947139-51-0

Series: Maths

Review Tour of Smitty’s Sheriff by Cardeno C.

Smitty’s Sheriff, a sexy, heart-warming MM romance by Cardeno C. is available now!

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Todd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they’re perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love.

Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty. Richard won’t find the right man if he’s obsessed with the wrong one, so he walks away from Todd.

It’s lust at first sight when Todd meets his sister’s army friend. He sets his sights on the worldly, strong, stable older man, and the more time he spends with Richard, the harder he falls. But after three years together, Richard cuts off all contact with no explanation.

When a mutual obligation requires Todd to move into Richard’s house, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to earn a second chance. Ignoring Todd from across town was hard enough. Can Richard resist temptation under his own roof?

Excerpt:

“Todd.” Leanne snapped her gaze toward him. “You’re not too young to know the nickname people used to call guys named Richard, are you?

“Uh.” Todd blinked and darted his gaze between Rich and Leanne. They were finally paying attention to him and all he wanted was to go back to being invisible.

“Dick,” she said. “Big D got his nickname before we met, but some of us in my squad figured it wasn’t just about his last name being Davis. So we had a bet going.”

She flicked her gaze to Rich again, as if expecting him to interrupt.

He didn’t.

“Problem is, we couldn’t agree on which side won because we couldn’t get solid evidence.” She focused on Todd. “But now I have an eyewitness.”

“I, uh, I don’t—” Todd stammered, hating being in the middle of what felt like an argument.

“Don’t let Sparky get to you,” Rich said, still completely unbothered.

“Some of the guys saw Big D in the latrines, and they said he’s big all over, but when they tried to collect on the bet, the other side made a good point.” She narrowed her eyes menacingly at Rich. “If the man’s a show-er, that means he isn’t grow-er, so he doesn’t actually have a big D, now does he? That means the other side should win.”

Todd drew his eyebrows together and tried to follow Leanne’s question. “Are you saying you guys have a bet going on the size of Rich’s dick?”

“Yep.” Leanne leaned against the chairback, looking smug. “And you, little brother, are going to settle that bet.”

Normally, Todd had no problem talking about a guy’s package. Hell, in the right situation, dicks were damn near his favorite topic. But he had never spoken to anyone about Rich’s body or, really, anything else related to Rich because he knew that was off limits. Of course, Leanne was asking him the question because she already knew he had the answer.

Flicking his gaze toward Rich, Todd said, “Am I allowed to…”

“It’s a simple question,” Leanne snapped. “Is he a grow-er or a show-er?”

Rich didn’t tell him to stay quiet so Todd figured he had permission to answer. “Both.”

She blinked.

“Seriously.” He bobbed his head. “Length, girth.” He held his hands far apart. “It’s awesome.” As long as he had permission to share, he figured he should be thorough in his explanation. “His balls too.”

Leanne coughed.

“I mean it. They’re huge. Each one’s a mouthful by itself.”

“Ehm.” Leanne cleared her throat. “Thanks.” Looking decidedly uncomfortable, she held her palm up in a stop motion. “I’m good on the details. You don’t need to keep going.”

“Are you sure?” After a lifetime of being the butt of the joke with his siblings, Todd enjoyed turning the table. “I can sketch you a picture, but I’ll need one of those extra-long pieces of paper if you want it to scale.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Leanne actually blushed. “I’m all set.”

Rich threw his head back and laughed. “Thanks, Todd. Eighteen years these jackasses have had the silly bet going and I do believe you just put it to rest.”

Thrilled with the praise and relieved to be playing and flirting with Rich again, Todd smiled broadly. “No problem. When it comes to your big D, I’m always willing to lend a hand.”

He settled into the chair, comfortable for the first time that night, and when the conversation turned back to stories about people he didn’t know, he truly didn’t mind. Eighteen years was a long time. If Rich had cared about putting an end to the bet, he’d probably had a dozen different chances. That he did it now, meant his goal had been less about the bet and more about a point. Todd knew something about Rich that nobody else did, or at least nobody who mattered enough to meet his friends. That meant Todd mattered. Leanne knew that now. And so did he.

SS-ANKU

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McFarland’s Farm

Start the Series Today!

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Jesse’s Diner

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Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/tibqX7

Audio: https://goo.gl/7hnF2G

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/jLqoym

About Cardeno C.

Cardeno C.—CC to friends—is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few awwws into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.

CardenoC.