Category: Uncategorized

A BJ Review: Cinder: A CinderFella Story by Marie Sexton

Rating:  5 stars out of 5       ★★★★★

CinderEldon Cinder would give anything to see Prince Xavier one last time, but only women are invited to the royal ball. When the local witch offers to make Eldon female for just one night, he agrees.

One spell.

One night.

One dance.

What could possibly go wrong?


I adored this short, well-written story based on the fairy tale, but with a M/M twist. This book drew me in and was an smooth and easy read. The way the couple fell in love was all I could have asked for. The prince (THE PRINCE! for heavens sake) was the one to treat Eldon like he mattered when his real family treated him like dirt. Xavier showed him what it felt like to simply have someone care what he thought and felt. . . and when you’ve lived a life where no one much cares what you feel or would ever think to notice and question your emotional state. . . . well, it was touching and insightful and perfect for me.  This book so cute I wanted to pinch it’s cheek.


This short novella is a gorgeous little GFY with just the right amount of angst and romance with the barest sprinkling of sex. There are a bit of girly bits since Eldon’s fairy godmother turns him into a girl to attend the ball, but the breasts/bits are just temporary and Eldon is very much a male. I enjoyed the ending (wasn’t sure that it would end well!), but YAY Prince Xavier saves the day! And the descriptions of how Eldon felt during the brief stints of being in a female body were done well (not over the top as could have been).

All the elements of the fairy tale were there, the magic, the slipper, the ball, the fairy godmother (well, witch in this case). But we were also given a fun, goofy dog (Milton), humor, fishing and two men in love who got their HEA. A perfect fairy tale that made me dream and smile and swoon.

The cover with its magical forest at night, the soft blues tones, the lovely topography, and the slipper/boot is all around awesome. But the slogan on front is kick-ass and made me smile. It says “It’s all fun and games until somebody loses a shoe.”

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:  

Kindle Edition, 86 pages
Published February 16th 2014 by Marie Sexton (first published February 4th 2012)
ASINB00IHQEYOW
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersEldon Cinder, Augustus Alexandre Kornelius Xavier Redmon

A MelanieM Review: Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3) by Abigail Roux

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Part&Parcel_600x900Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.

Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.

Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

Part & Parcel is simply Abigail Roux’s finest Sidewinder story to date, and it ranks high among her other stories, even some of the beloved Cut & Run books.  In Part & Parcel, Abigail Roux employs one of my favorite story elements, that of letters delivering a voice from the past.

After the devastating events that saw Nick dying in the streets of Miami, everyone is left trying to move forward with their lives with varying degrees of success.  The ones having the most trouble?  Nick and Kelly.  Now with all the lies that Nick kept hidden from Kelly out in the open, the repercussions from those actions and necessary falsehoods are still disrupting their lives.  If they would only face it.  The author does a remarkable job of bringing forth the inner turmoil each man is undergoing, the heartache, the anger, and the confusion over how to end the stasis their lives has become.  I think too often the PTSD in other stories is tidied up into a neat little box. Not here but the issues Nick has extend not only to his service years but his abusive childhood, current father problems and more.  Add on to it Kelly “Doc” Abbott’s own personal crisis and you have not only a team in turmoil but a couple’s relationship floundering in the worst way.  Roux’s descriptions make each man’s torment immediate and raw.  We hurt for them both.

Then come the letters from Eli, a road trip cross country with the Sidewinders, Zane, and two kittens.  A journey I enjoyed stop by stop, conversation by conversation.  I loved the dialog.  Sometimes hilarious, often heartbreaking, even when snarky and sarcastic.  You could feel the long time camaraderie and brotherhood tightening up once more as the letters were read and memories were shared.

Yes, my tears flowed with theirs.

By the end of the journey, the healing process had set in, the brotherhood was back and I felt I really had gotten to know more about each man and their part in each other’s lives so throughly that past novels and plots clicked into place more, relationships become more cleanly defined and I “got” the Sidewinders…finally.

It was great seeing Ty and Zane again and getting a peek into their new lives.  Loved the kitties.  But the joy was Kelly and Nick, surrounded by family of brothers again.  Owen and Digger, each a new revelation to go with the newfound sense of family I felt at the end.  And Eli?  He was there too, in the letters, in the memories, maybe something more…

I thought Part & Parcel was a deeper, more layered story and I can’t wait to see where Abigail Roux goes next with this series and couple.

I love this story and series but wonder if its given the chance it deserves. The Sidewinder series has the unfortunate element of being Cut & Run’s (meaning Ty and Zane’s ) followup children.  I  know there are fans out there that anything less than Ty and Zane will provoke a frenzy of teeth gnashing if not polite disappointment.   Others expect a rehash of the Ty and Zane dynamic with Nick and Kelly in their shoes, and again this couple seems to take a beating when that doesn’t’ happen.  I love these men.  They are wonderful, powerful and yes, vulnerable characters and this is a terrific series.  I highly recommend it.  Grab it up today and start reading.

Cover art by L.C. Chase.  Love the style and graphic.  Perfect.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 302 pages
Published December 19th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitlePart & Parcel
ISBN139781626493681
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Sidewinder with links to our reviews:

The Sidewinders are Back with Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux (Riptide Tour/contest)

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Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3)  by Abigail Roux
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist L.C. Chase

Release Date:  December 19, 2015
Buy the book here at Riptide’s Part & Parcel page

About Part & Parcel

Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.

Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.

Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

About Abigail Roux

Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year.

Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head.

Connect with Abi:

PartParcel_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Part & Parcel, we are selecting TWO giveaway winners! One will receive the last four Cut & Run books in audio, and the other will receive the full Sidewinder series in audio. Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 26, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries.  HYPERLINK Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway, and don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win!

Sidewinder

This series is part of the Cut & Run universe.

– See more at: Riptide Publishing’s Sidewinder page.

A Stella Review: Out of the Blues by Mercy Celeste

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Out of the BluesWhoever said you can’t go home again should change that to should not go home again. As in EVER!

Mason Foxworth swore on his grandmother’s bible never to return to the small Georgia town he sort of grew up in. And for eight years he’d succeeded in keeping that promise. Until his twin sister decided she needed to get married…back home…and she’d invited their parents. Wasn’t this going to be a just a fabulous weekend?

Since leaving the Marines, Kilby Adams rarely ever left his farm and now here he was in Georgia, as best man at his stepbrother’s wedding. Out of his comfort zone and with too many people that he doesn’t know Kilby has nothing to keep his mind off the past except the gorgeous brother of the bride.

And wouldn’t you just know it, there was only one room left at the Inn and Kilby would have to share it, with Mason, who was straight and….yeah, this was going to be one hell of a weekend.

Out of the Blues was nothing I was expecting. Of course I didn’t read the blurb, I was almost in the dark, but it is a Mercy Celeste book, her name is a guarantee to me. Reading this story was a lovely and emotional journey, with quite a lot of angst that had me putting down the Kindle for a moment. I shed some tears and had some laughs, and at the end the book left me satisfied and with a smiley heart.

What I most loved in Out of the Blues were the main characters: Kilby and Mason were both the perfect (just cause they are imperfect) characters I learn to love in Mercy’s writing. She gave them both a huge baggage to carry on their shoulders, with similar, and different at the same time, heavy experiences, impossible to forget. Both of them went through some really emotional times, they came out a little broken but they are so strong. I liked how their new born love allowed them to be weak and almost defeated. They have a great personality, I couldn’t have enough of their thoughts and words and feelings. Mason and Kilby were unforgettable. Every book should have characters like these ones.

I didn’t give the book five stars cause something in the writing bothered me a  little, not sure what, maybe it’s personal, maybe not, perhaps too many suspension points,  or the broken sentences, that yes they made the dialogues more realistic but sometimes were too much and made me lose my train of reading.

I want to highly recommend Out of the Blues to anyone who loves emotional story, full of angst and with well done characters, second ones too. Moreover if you like GFY, this is for you.

The cover art by Jay Aheer is very eye catching and fitting. It probably is one of my favorite of this year.

Sales Links:  Barnes & Noble |  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 219 pages
Published November 9th 2015 by MJC Press
ASINB017SXYXLS
Edition LanguageEnglishsettingGeorgia, United States (United State

Coffee Sip and Book Break: Tina Blenke’s ‘Life Worth Living’ (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

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Life Worth Living by Tina Blenke
 Release Date: December 9, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: Adrian Nicholas

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Today I’m very happy to be interviewing Tina Blenke, author of Life Worth Living. Hi, Tina, thanks for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

  • Tell us about your book.
    • Jake has been admiring Quentin from afar for four years during college. With encouragement from his roommate and best friend he reveals his secret and finds out that Quentin’s been keeping a secret of his own. It’s a sweet love story but the secret could tear them apart if Quentin’s family ever finds out. It’s a story of secrets, lies and hiding in the shadows without truly living.
  • How difficult was it to get into the main character’s head?
    • There are some aspects of Jake that are easy to identify with such as his disconnect with his family during his forced coming out. But he’s driven and attends college fawning over his secret crush for years. During a dark period of the story, Jake stumbles in his life and needs to find his compass again. It’s a downward spiral that was difficult to write because of the depths of his depression – this was the hardest because Quentin didn’t want to leave him there but it was a journey that Jake needed to make on his own.
  • Is this book a standalone or do you plan on visiting it again?
    • Initially, it was intended to be a standalone story and it certainly could stay that way. But, there was another character in Life Worth Living that begged for months for his story to be written – and can you believe that it’s even darker than Jake’s? The draft is already complete and out with my beta readers right now. It has also been written as a standalone but exists in the same universe as Jake and Quentin.
  • Why did you choose to write M/M stories?
    • It would be more appropriate to say that the genre chose me. There is a romantic appeal that draws me in because other than my writing, I don’t consider myself a romantic person at all. I’m more direct and closed off and I think that’s reflected in my characters. They have more depth and more than they might first appear on the page.
  • Where do you find your inspiration?
    • That’s a good question. When I was writing recently, there was a song that was playing in the background that immediately brought to mind a story that led to the most delicious little plot bunny. I had to stop writing my WIP to jot down a few notes based on that one song. Sometimes, there might be a couple I see on the street and I make up a story about them and other times it’s a picture on the internet. Muses are all around me and there are only so many hours in the day.

Thank you, Tina, for sharing so much with us today.  Now more about Life Worth Living…

Blurb

Jake has been hiding in plain sight, always a few rows behind his straight-crush Quentin during their four years of college. He’s been successful so far but just as they’re about to graduate, Quentin finds out Jake’s secret and Quentin shares one of his own. He’s in the closet.

Jake isn’t about to let this opportunity pass him by especially when Quentin is scheduled to leave for the East coast in a few short summer months. Willing to keep Quentin’s secret from his upper crust politically-fueled homophobic family, Jake shares his bed and eventually his heart.

Quentin’s life in the closet is non-negotiable. His family has strong political ties and any word about their son’s sexuality would cast him out of the family and out of his inheritance which he desperately needs to finish his education. He’s been successful keeping his sexuality a secret for years until he meets the irresistibly adorable Jake at an early graduation party.

Quentin is unable to ignore his desire for Jake and makes the life-altering leap that holds his future in the balance. Locked away from the public eye, the two men admit their love for one another. In three short months, they will be forced to part ways for graduate school but the challenges of potential scrutiny, family commitment and an un-promised future may prove to be more than they can overcome.

 

Pages or Words: 63,267
 Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

“Cora? He’s really gone, isn’t he?”

“You did what you had to do to save both your life and his career. You didn’t do a goddamned thing wrong, you hear me? You are one of the bravest men I know,” she growled.

“Yeah, right. I’m the gayest man you know.”

“You shut the fuck up right now, Jake. I don’t let anyone bad-mouth you around me and that includes you. It takes a real man to stand up for who he truly is on the inside. The easy way out would be to hide who you are and live in the closet for fear of what the world will say or do to you.”

“Now that’s not fair,” I argued immediately, thinking of Quentin’s situation.

“And for what? Admitting that you want to love another man? It’s a beautiful romantic notion, Jake. You throw yourself bare to the world for love, the noblest feeling in the world, and all you expect in return is someone to return the feeling. And what does that rat bastard do? He shows you what it feels like to be loved, only there was a condition on it, wasn’t there? As long as he could hide you from the world and not be proud of the honest, kind and decent man that you are. He should have been yelling your name from the mountains or something. Instead? Instead, he runs and hides so he can save his face from his family.”

Buy the book: Wilde City Press | Amazon

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Meet the Author

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Tina is a retired Air Force brat and has lived in several states as well as a handful of countries. She has always had a soft spot for literature and is a voracious reader. When she isn’t writing, she can be found cuddled up with a good book. Though Tina adores a thrilling novel with sappy lovesick heroes, she is terrified of things that go bump in the night. This makes for quite a complicated relationship with zombies, something that she just can’t get enough of.

 

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

23-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Full Moon Dreaming

30-Dec

Love Bytes, Kirsty Loves Books, Book Lovers 4Ever

6-Jan

Wake Up Your Wild Side, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire

13-Jan

BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, My Fiction Nook, Louise Lyons

20-Jan

KathyMac Reviews, Unquietly Me, Inked Rainbow Reads, Jessie G. Books

27-Jan

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Alpha Book Club, Havan Fellows

3-Feb

Happily Ever Chapter, TTC Books and More, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Prism Book Alliance

10-Feb

The Novel Approach, Bayou Book Junkie, Molly Lolly, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy

Final

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 3 – $5 Amazon gift cards (1 winner each).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.   Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A Stella Review: Reindeer Games by Kenzie Cade

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Reindeer GamesDashing von Stride has one thing on his mind: winning the window display contest for the Miracle on Main Christmas Contest. His plans are set and ready—and then he walks into his toy store, Reindeer Games, to find a sleigh that shouldn’t be there. The mystery sleigh sparks a new plan, however, and now all Dash needs is the perfect Santa to model his display after.

This year, the pranks with his reindeer have gotten out of hand. Instead of preparing for the Big Day, Niklaus Kringle is hunting for his missing sleigh. Locating it should have been easy, but games easily won are seldom worth playing…

I discovered Kenzie Cade with the Portland Pack Chronicles series and when I saw this new holiday short, I was soon curious about it, especially cause… have you seen the cover? Impossible to resist.

Reindeer Games is the story of the toymaker and toy store owner Dash, who lives in a fabolous town, Wassail, where Christmas is highly celebrated and the annual competion of the best window display is coming. Dash is tired of his usual second place. This year he gets a surprise, a sleigh materialized out of nowhere in the middle of his store.

Niklaus is the Prince of the Kingdom of North pole, he comes to Wassail looking for his lost sleigh and  finds his mate. But is Dash ready for a future that it’s waiting for him to learn who he really is?

Reindeer Games (perfect title not just cause it’s the toy store name but for the role a naughty reindeer will have) is a great holiday short. It’s well written and engaging from the start. The dialogues are good and even if it is short, the author gave us some important background on the MCs and amazing second characters, like Tinsel and Pumpkin, the guard team, or Wendy, Dash’s best friend.  It is a sweet and cute reading, I’d have loved to have a couple of chapters more of course, but I felt pretty satisfied at the end, because Reindeer Games is traditional and original at the same time. It filled my heart with its good vibes.

If you’re looking for a magical story on your holidays, quick and dreamy, give this one a chance. Highly recommended!

The cover art by London Burden is what caught my attention first, it is super cute and well done.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 81 pages
Published December 9th 2015 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620046845
Edition LanguageEnglish
settingColorado (United States)

A BJ Review: A Policy of Lies by Astrid Amara

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

A Policy of LIes coverTwenty years ago, Levi Kaszeri survived a brutal rebellion on the mining colony of Tarus 9. Now as an aspiring reporter, Levi has a mission: to expose the massacre to the public, and bring the men responsible to justice. But after a violent attack, he is rescued—then seduced—by Tiergan Seoras, a young doctor with a dangerous past and a slave tattoo. Soon Levi finds all of his investigations leading him back to Tiergan. And he begins to fear that the best lover he’s ever had may also be his worst enemy.

Let me start by saying the title is VERY apt. This author came on my radar when I read and adored Song of the Navigator earlier in the year. That book impressed me so much that I nominated it for several categories in the M/M Romance’s member awards. Then I read an anthology, Charmed and Dangerous, and wouldn’t you know my favorite story of the group among a stunning cast of authors was Astrid Amara. Of course, I had to read more.

Nice world-building (some of the details were great, like the domed biospheres), sucked me in pretty quickly and kept me hooked with its fast pace, enjoyable female character, seriously sick-ass bad guy(s), and some serious twists. Plenty of action.

The POV character, Levi, is nuanced and well-drawn. We see the whole story through his eyes, and it was amazing to watch all the details coming together for him. Levi seemed stupidly trusting and a mite unobservant in some cases given his status as a investigative reporter and all he’d survived in his past. His single-minded quest for revenge perhaps put blinders on him at times.

Despite (or maybe because of) his mystery, Tiergan fascinated me from the start and that just kept growing as I learned more about him, his strength and sensitivity, his need to help others, his delighted love of birds, and all that we learn about him in the end just about broke my heart.

The characters had chemistry and heat, and would have enjoyed more interaction between them outside of the sex. What was there, I liked a lot, but more would have built up the emotional connection a bit more for me. And the way they jumped right into sex the same night together after Levi had been mugged and beaten pretty badly enough that Tiergan had to do some surgery on him seemed a bit rushed. Despite that, I couldn’t put this down. Highly recommended.

The cover is sexy but it doesn’t do anything to tell me that the genre is sci-fi or much else about the story.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 181 pages
Published September 9th 2008 by Loose Id (first published September 2008)
Original TitleA Policy of Lies
ISBN139781596327689
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL http://www.astridamara.com/pl.html