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A MelanieM Review: At Attention (Out of Uniform #2) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.5 stars ouf 5

at-attentionLieutenant Apollo Floros can ace tactical training missions, but being a single dad to his twin daughters is more than he can handle. He needs live-in help, and he’s lucky a friend’s younger brother needs a place to stay. He’s surprised to see Dylan all grown up with a college degree…and a college athlete’s body. Apollo’s widowed heart may still be broken, but Dylan has his blood heating up.

It’s been eight years since the teenage Dylan followed Apollo around like a lovesick puppy, and it’s time he showed Lieutenant Hard-to-Please that he’s all man now—an adult who’s fully capable of choosing responsibility over lust. He can handle Apollo’s muscular sex appeal, but Apollo the caring father? Dylan can’t afford to fall for that guy. He’s determined to hold out for someone who’s able to love him back, not someone who only sees him as a kid brother.

Apollo is shocked by the intensity of his attraction to Dylan. Maybe some no-strings summer fun will bring this former SEAL back to life. But the combination of scorching desire and warm affection is more than he’d expected, and the emotion between them scares him senseless. No fling lasts forever, and Apollo will need to decide what’s more important—his past or his future—if he wants to keep Dylan in his life.

Annabeth Albert has become a  “go to, must read” author for me quickly.  It started with her series #gaymers but Portland Heat and now Out of Uniform is also making her a comfort read as well.  If you haven’t started any of these series, walk-don’t run to your nearest computer and pull them up!  At Attention is the second in her Out of Uniform series and oh my, how I do love this one.  It has characters I met in the first, we’re talking Lt. Apollo Floros.  He’s widowed with twins and just the small amount of time he appeared in the first story, Off Base (Out of Uniform, #1), was enough to know that you needed more of him.  And that he had to have a HEA.

At Attention is his story and romance.  Sigh and swoon.  The author gives us a man who hasn’t yet dealt with his grief over losing his husband.  Apollo has just been going through the motions of adjusting to being an only parent with total responsibility of his twins, a job that’s taken him out of the field and the daily recognition of the hole in his life.  But actual mourning?  No, he hasn’t let himself do that and so he’s  stuck in a way that  not even his family   and friends know how to help him move forward.  I love how Albert makes us feel this man’s pain and loss as well as his love for his daughters and the man he married.  We see how much he needs to move ahead and yet how unable or unready he is to do so.

Then Dylan comes to town for a summer job and his brother, Apollo’s friend and teammate.  Who hasn’t had someone younger crush on them or had a crush on someone older?  We know how it goes and feels.  Albert captures those old feelings perfectly as well as what happened when the crush and crushee meet years later.  Its so hard to let go of those old impressions, especially if you’re the older person.  I love how that factors into this slow moving relationship because its so very realistic.

There are other obstacles here, not just that  past history.  Each is believable and realistic as they come.  And yet those sparks that fly between these characters are hot, hot, hot!!!  The chemistry that the author cooks up between Apollo and Dylan is combustible and I believe in that and them too.

Plus you throw in the girls and their love for Dylan as well and this story just sang for me.

So At Attention is already a favorite of the series and its just book 2.  What will the rest of the series bring?  I can’t wait to find out.  Please hurry up with the next story!

Cover art is lovely and works for the series and tale.

Sales Links

Carina Press

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: April 10th 2017 by Carina Press
Original Title At Attention
ISBN13 9781488022623
Edition Language English

Series Out of Uniform #2

Off Base (Out of Uniform, #1)
At Attention (Out of Uniform, #2)
On Point (Out of Uniform #3)

An Ali Review: Embers (Common Law #2) by Kate Sherwood

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Small town—big problems. Jericho Crewe is back in Mosely, Montana, trying to deal with police corruption, interfering feds, his newly discovered family members, and, of course, Wade Granger.

He doesn’t really need a biker war on top of it all, but as the bodies start to pile up, it becomes pretty clear that’s what he’s got. Not only that, but Wade’s involved somehow, and as soon as Wade is a part of something, things that seemed clear become cloudy.

With the feds breathing down his neck, Jericho has to find his way through Wade’s maze of half truths and manipulations. It would all be so much easier if Jericho could think straight in the other man’s presence. So much easier if their passionate past could be forgotten, and if he could be sure he’s strong enough to resist the temptation of a passionate present.
So good. Jericho! Wade?? Gah……these books can’t come out fast enough for me. This one picks up right after book one ends. Jericho is staying in his home town to help Kayla try to weed out the bad cops from her force and help her rebuild things again.

Jericho is now on the force with her and it’s not long before another major crime happens. This one involving bikers, his step-mother, some federal agencies and perhaps Wade. Probably Wade. Most definitely Wade?? See, I’m not really sure and I love that about this series. It is a romantic suspense and it keeps your guessing throughout. I “think” I know where this is going with Wade but I’m not completely sure. I’ve second guessed myself on more than one scene.

What I do know about Wade is that he and Jericho have mad chemistry between them. It jumps off the pages every time they’re in a room together. Whether they’re verbally sparring or pushing each other up against walls and putting their hands down one another’s pants, it’s scorching. There are some really great scenes between the two of them in this book.

All of the side characters from book one make an appearance (including Jericho’s demon spawn siblings who make me laugh) and we meet a few more of this town’s quirky residents.

It’s fast paced, fun, sexy and entertaining and the ending leaves you dying for more. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next two books in this series. This shouldn’t be read as a standalone. Make sure you read book one, Long Shadows, first.
Cover art by Natasha Snow:  I love the cover on this (as well as all the others in the series).  They’re simple covers but they are well done and the colors and format are very appealing and eye catching.  Some of my favorites this year.
 Sales Links
Riptide Publishing | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 197 pages
Published February 6th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleEmbers
ISBN 1626495297 (ISBN13: 9781626495296)
SeriesCommon Law #2

Review Tour and Giveaway – My Name Was Karl by Daniel Mitton

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK


Length: 91 pages


Blurb

It was a forgotten place. A place with a dark history. Thousands of men had passed through its doors during the first three quarters of the twentieth century. Most had served their time and moved on. But not all had been so fortunate.
As the years ticked by and the seasons changed, the old prison moldered away, but one thing stayed constant. 

In the deepest part of the night, on the darkest nights of the year—particularly in spring, if you were sensitive enough to hear them—sounds could be heard coming from the deepest bowels of the lowest level basement. All was not right. Something was waiting, alone in the darkness. 

Waiting for someone to finally hear its sorrow. 

When Petty Officer Ben Pierce decided to explore the long abandoned Naval Prison next to his decrepit barracks, the last thing he expected to find was a mystery.

Something is in the Prison. Or is it some one? Where is the weeping coming from? When Ben follows the sounds to an ice cold, but empty, cell, he isn’t sticking around to find out any more details. 

But now he can’t get it out of his mind. 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ Review here.

 

 
Author Bio

Daniel Mitton is not a statistic. When the doctors broke the news to him that he would be dead by the end of 2013 from brain cancer, he scoffed at them. He has proven them incorrect, and continues to prove them more incorrect every day.

He is now pursuing his lifelong dream of telling other people his stories in writing. His overactive imagination used to get him in trouble. It will be interesting to see what happens this time.

My Name Was Karl is his first self-published work, but he already has two other books in a queue somewhere at a publisher.

Daniel was born and raised in northern New Hampshire, but now lives in sunny Southwest Florida with his husband of nearly twenty-eight years. He totally doesn’t get why some people complain it is too hot in Florida!

Giveaway

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Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio – Online Stories (Revisited)

Pauls Paranormal Portfolio Header

Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio – Online Stories

Welcome back to another edition of the portfolio.  It’s been a while since we chatted but as they say, life gets in the way.  In this edition of the portfolio, I would like to highlight three online stories that I have been reading.  These stories are considered to be in progress and are updated according to the author.  All these stories can be found on the Castle Roland (castleroland.net) web site.

The first story is a fantasy story by AB called The Chronicles of Valana:  Shadowlands.  Marco and Lucas are ten year olds living in Manhattan.  Near their home is a demolition site for the Artifacts Museum.  One day while playing in the rubble, they find an ancient medallion.  They are transported away from New York and land in the middle of a forest where a knight approaches them.  The pair escapes the knight but use of magic.  Clearly not in their own world, the pair set off to find out where they have landed and if there is any way for them to return home.  On their journey, they discover that one is an elven prince and the other a “talker” who can act as a translator not only of humans but animals and nature as well.  The pair must now travel to the elven lands to fulfill their destiny of saving this strange world in which they have entered.

The second story is The Prince of House Vladd by Arthur.  Peter is celebrating his fifteen birthday.  His father takes him to a birthday party in his honor.  When he arrives to the mansion where the party is being held, he finds out there is more to this world than just humans.  Peter is actually Prince Piotr, heir to the vampire House of Vladd the Impaler.  Peter is a daywalker, a vampire who can go out in sun.  His father tells Peter that he will be the next leader of the Vampire council with the princes of the other vampire houses as his guardians.  Peter sets about learning his way but there are those who believe Peter is an easy mark.  Peter and his guardians must defend against this threat.  In book two, a religious demagogue has been elected president and is starting a crusade against all non-conforming people.  Peter, his mate and their son must escape before forces reach them and bide their time in Latin America. 

The third book is not a paranormal book but deals with the apocalypse.  The Day of N by Kyle Aarons tells the story of seven scouts ages eleven to twelve who are out at a camp out with their scout master Scott Korbal.  They are biking near where they are camping when there is a flash in the distant sky.  Scott’s bike blows a tire and he takes a tumble, breaking his arm and several ribs.  The boys notice several mushroom clouds in all directions along with missiles flying upward as an apparent counterstrike gets on the way.  Scott knows that he must get the boys to safety as quickly as possible.  He also realizes that without medical help, he is more than likely going to die soon due to his injuries.  As a former special forces ranger, he is determined to impart his knowledge to these young men about the new world that they live in before his time is up. 

I hope you find these stories as engaging as I have.  If you have your favorite online paranormal stories please share them in the comments section.  I would like to keep this limited to story sites and not author blogs where story previews are often shared and later published.  Until next time…

Paul

In Memoriam – Paul Berg

In Memoriam – Paul Berg

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words lost one of its wonderful reviewers recently.  Paul Berg died suddenly during one of his beloved backgammon tournaments, a game he was passionate about.  I’d like to think his love of LGBTQIA Science Fiction kept him occupied between tournaments and visa versa!  He was always talking about the next books he was reading or the next topic for his Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio blog he wrote for us.  His excitement was contagious!  It didn’t matter what genre the characters and stories he was reading were from…he just loved all the books and their couples (from the supernatural shifters to the alien ones) to the paranormal to fantasy to the science fiction..Paul loved them all so.

And he wanted to share his love of those stories with all of you.

Paul did that through his reviews and through his blog, Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio, where he shared his love of all the characters and formats that came his way.  He had discussed with me expanding it in the future to include the serial stories he loved reading and some graphic novels.  I’ll miss those too.

But Paul left so much of him behind in the joy, swift intelligence, and gift of himself that he shared with others.  Whether it was through his reviews of books or his presence and fierce competition at the backgammon tables or as a great friend and family member, Paul Berg made an impact in this world.  He will be deeply missed.

 

Burial and Memorial for Paul Berg by Benjamin Friesen – GoFundMe

The best portion of a good man’s life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.

William Wordsworth

British poet William Wordsworth (born April 7, 1770) was a key figure in the Romantic Age, which privileged emotion over reason and was seen as a cultural revolt against the Industrial Revolution.

A MelanieM Review: Skim Blood and Savage Verse (Offbeat Crimes #3) by Angel Martinez

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Words damage more than just feelings as Carrington hunts feral books menacing the city.

When a ferocious book attacks Carrington at his own birthday party, he believes it’s an isolated incident. But similar books soon pop up all over town, menacing innocent people with harsh bits of poetry and blank verse that deliver damaging physical blows. It’s a frustrating case with too many variables and not enough answers, and the stakes go up with each attack.

With the help of his misfit squad mates at the 77th and the public library’s Rare Books Department, the missing pieces decrease but not Carrington’s vexations. His commanding officer rakes him over the coals at the beginning of every shift. His police partner has lost patience with what she sees as his delusional relationship choices and his inability to pick the right man in a vast field of two. City Hall demands that the books be stopped immediately. It’s enough to put a nutritionally challenged vampire off his skim blood.

The book rattled violently on the table in an imitation of a step dance and printed words leaped out of the pages at frightening speed. Just before they slammed into Carrington’s head, the flying words shrieked at him.
“You starveling, you eel-skin, you dried neat’s tongue, you bull’s pizzle!”
He had time for a split second of horror before the words rammed into him with the force of several fists.

                                                  from Skim Blood and Savage Verse (Offbeat Crimes #3) by Angel Martinez

Yes, feral books are rampaging about the city slinging deadly poetry at people’s heads!  Angel Martinez, you might as well drop the mike and leave the building! This is why I love to read, to come across passages and indeed an entire story full of such paragraphs and plot threads so imaginative and lively that I burst into giggles still at the very thought of them.  And that’s just one element here.

Yes its poor Carrington, that vampire who needs to exist on skim blood with the worst taste in men who is the focus here (well one of them at any rate).  His feral book attack launches an investigation and soon his squad realizes there have been attacks all over the city.  The librarian in the Rare Books Department at the Public Library is just the sort to set him, well not straight, but on the path to HEA, if Carrington can get past his own proclivities for picking up the most shallow, mean-spirited men around.  That’s a terrific storyline going on while in pursuit of the rampaging feral books (I can never get enough of those). The author gets us into Carr’s head and heart here.  While we are often frustrated with him, its also easy to understand why Carr is why he is.

But there’s another romance here.  One I rate just  as highly.  LJ, also known as Leather Jacket. Yes, an animated object of clothing who’s a member of the squad (loosely) gets a lover. I won’t go into the details because they are too wonderful and should be explored within the story itself.  This romance turned out to be so adorable, so charming and mysterious (and on-going probably into the next story) that I was just as equally invested in them as well as in Carrington and Erasmus, the librarian.   I will, however, mention that for those who  like a quick romance, that doesn’t happen.  Carr has plenty of issues and those have to be dealt with first.   But we get a closer look at Carr’s family, his partner Amanda (who I also adore) and other respective members of 77th Precinct.

There’s a dangling bit of mystery left here at the end, a rather large bit that I hope leads into the next story.  The 77th Precinct and all its members are downright addictive! You never know what wildly scary case will come their way with love tromping along too.  Or maybe being propelled by fairies or blasted by fire.  Probably not.  All too mundane.  Which is why I cannot wait for the next book in the series to arrive.  Pill bugs from space and now deadly poetry spitting flying feral books!  What will Angel Martinez come up with next?  I’ve got the popcorn and am patiently waiting to find out.

Cover art by Posh Gosh is very pretty and includes that flying book.

Sales Links

Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 137 pages
Published April 4th 2017 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786515520
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Offbeat Crimes 

A MelanieM Review: Bitten By Design (Regent’s Park Pack #2) by Annabelle Jacobs

Ratings: 4.5 stars out of 5

When the last thing you want, is everything you need….

Seb Calloway isn’t interested in shifters. After his best friend bonded with one, he avoids getting involved with them—no matter how hot they are—to prevent the same thing from happening to him. Why take the risk for a few hours of fun?

Tim Walters is the pack doctor. Considered to be mild-mannered and non-threatening by pack standards, he prides himself on being able to stay calm and maintain his control at all times. Desperate for a bond of his own, he knows his interest in Seb is an exercise in futility, but he can’t seem to help himself.

When news emerges that threatens Seb’s safety, he and Tim need to fake a relationship to keep Seb safe. Despite Seb’s refusal to be anything other than friends with benefits, what starts out as pretend, quickly becomes more—for Tim at least. If Tim doesn’t want to end up heartbroken, he needs to prove to Seb that loving a shifter doesn’t mean losing himself.

The first book in this series hooked me in but good! Bitten by Mistake had all the elements that I love, wolf shifters, someone bitten by mistake, mated lovers and a secondary pair that you fell in love with and needed their story.  Bitten by Design turned out to be a story I loved better than the first, a total surprise!  Why? Because of the characters!

In Bitten by Mistake, I liked Seb and Tim but here in Bitten by Design they both gained so much heft to their personalities that I became even more involved in their relationship and situation than I had in the previous couple’s.  Both Tim and Seb knew what their friends had gone through, were still going through, and even knew that the pack considered whatever happened to them was secondary to Nathan and Jared bond and mating.  They dealt with that with wry humor, a certain amount of believable stubbornness and yes, bitterness.   My liking of them both just grew and grew as did my emotional investment in their bonding and relationship.  Plus they are so hot together!

I love the shifter bonding the author includes here.  Its terrific.  But there’s more to this series.  There’s action and suspense.

The author continues the series thread and drama between the two packs, upping the suspense and thrills here with considerably.  There was an element I wasn’t so sure about, thinking the author had truly had a narrative misstep right up until the end when certain revelations were made.  Then all I could think about was the next book in the series.  Well done, Annabelle Jacobs!

If you are a fan of shifters and romance, grab up Annabelle Jacobs new Regent’s Park Pack series.  Start with the first story, Bitten by Mistake and continue on to Bitten by Design.  I think you’ll fall in love with the characters as much as I have.

Cover design is hot but again I always expect more when the book’s this good.

Sales Links

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mRvGMr

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2odcOb1

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 245 pages
Published March 28th 2017 by Annabelle Jacobs
ASIN B06XXQ1RG4
Edition Language English
Series Regent’s Park Pack #2