Category: Uncategorized

A Stella Review: Strange Bedfellows by Cardeno C

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Strange Bedfellows coverCan the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.

As the sole offspring of the Democratic United States president and his political operative wife, Trevor Moga was raised in an environment driven by the election cycle. During childhood, he fantasized about living in a made-for-television family, and as an adult, he rejected all things politics and built a highly successful career as far from his parents as possible.

Newly elected congressman Ford Hollingsworth is Republican royalty. The grandson of a revered governor and son of a respected senator, he was bred to value faith, family, and the goal of seeing a Hollingsworth in the White House.

When Trevor and Ford meet, sparks fly and a strong friendship is formed. But can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.

Cardeno C will always have a  special spot in my heart. She was one of the first m/m authors I read and some of her books are in my “all time favorite” shelf. So you can imagine my enthusiasm every time she writes a new story. I enjoyed Strange Bedfellows even if I was a little hesitant. I always stay away from books about politics, most of all because I don’t live in the USA.  I ‘m not so sure if what I’m going to read it will match the reality of the current politics or not. Of course I made an exception for Cardeno, I couldn’t resist. And I didn’t regret my choice.  In a way the book was almost shallow (in a good sense), because it didn’t address political aspects, even if it is full of characters that breathed politics since their birth. To me it was better, definitely easier to follow a story otherwise too heavy and not very romantic. Giving the subject I wasn’t expecting something so light and easy, which I so appreciated. I read it in one stand and loved it.

The story between Ford, the 37 years old republican congressman, son of a democratic senator and Trevor, the 42 years old son of the democratic president of the USA was sweet, funny and sexy. A couple of things I particularly liked: first of all I loved how Trevor wasn’t once mad at Ford for being in the closet. He never pressed him to come out, he was always understanding and accepting of Ford’s fears and doubts. Then  there was Ford. He was my favorite character, so loyal to the family and to a career even when it interfered with his love life and forced him to be in the closet. He had duties and commitments that he couldn’t forget, especially with his father’s delicate health. But there was just one tiny problem, the situation between Ford and Trevor was not just a fling, a friends with benefit thing, they were in love with each other. How to solve it?

The title fit the story very well, cause the Strange Bedfellows is made of each time Ford and Trevor met at hotels to stay together, not to just have sex, but to talk, to know each other better and to Ford to discover how to be out in his family’s world. There are some funny moments too and an amazing HEA, in a true Cardeno’s style. I gave it just four stars cause although it was sweet, it lacked of hot parts and the ending seemed to me a little rushed, I would have preferred a couple of chapters more, not cause I’m greedy, but because it would have deserved more time to develop.

Shortly, if you’re a Cardeno fan you have to read Strange Bedfellows, I’m sure you will love it. If she is a new to you author, this story could be a lovely way to become addicted to her characters.

Cover art by Jay Aheer. What can I say about the cover? Not perfect or eye catching but well done. It is okay, nothing more.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 174 pages
Published June 26th 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781942184300

A Sammy Review: Tin Man (Bliss #1.5) by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Everything in his life that should have been profound had been nameless. Life and death, fucking and killing—it should have been profound. It should have resonated. He wanted it to, with Ace. He just wanted something to matter, for once.

Tin Man coverAshoka “Ace” King is known as a crim, as are most people living in District Three. Between Morality Laws and rules that target those without jobs or homes, life in Tophet isn’t easy for those not in the upper realms of society. On top of it all, they all have to be on the constant look out for the ATU, a police force known to kill at random.

One unlucky night, Ace runs into a member of the ATU. He’s forced to make a split-second decision that puts his life in danger and makes him a target for the ATU. What he doesn’t expect is for that decision to lead him to Soren Lau, the ATU agent who just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger when ordered.

After a sordid tryst, the two become irrevocably entwined. But they’re on two different sides, and when fate brings them together yet another time, they both have to make a choice and decide which side they want to end up on.

“What would you do?” he asked. “If you were me, standing at the edge of the world. Would you run back toward solid ground, or would you jump?”

“I caught you once, didn’t I?”

One of my favorite things in books is when they are able to build this world that feels so vivid it’s nearly tangible. I was hoping to get that out of this book, and I did. The authors managed to weave in details of life in Tophet without making the book heavy with them, they intrigued me as a reader and made a society that I felt lucky to get to see and lucky to not have to live in… or do I?

Sometimes I think I can read a bit too much into things. My career involves social justice and advocacy, so upon reading this, bells went off in my head. A society where the people meant to protect us are causing harm, particularly to those in poverty? A society that marks people as criminals like it’s a brand that will forever be embedded in their skin? A society divided not by right and wrong but by the money in your pocket? So yeah, let’s just say I connected with that, and as much as it pained me, it was so wonderfully done. This society that is labeled as dystopian but somehow resembles bits of our own? If that’s not intriguing and thought-provoking, I don’t know what is.

But onto other matters, the characters. Ace and Soren together managed to create this almost devastating couple that shouldn’t work but did. Soren is questioning his role and all he’s dedicated himself to, and Ace is struggling just to survive. But these characters are anything but weak. Being able to watch them in their own battles was a real treat, especially when it resulted in their growth.

My absolute biggest complaint is that I wanted more. It ended just as it was getting good, and while I was satisfied to an extent, I definitely will be wanting more not only of this universe, but also these characters. Where do they go from here? I don’t know. I hope that I’ll find out though.

I really appreciate the cover art by L.C. Chase. It is very simple but provides a stark image and helps me visualize Soren without giving me all the intricacies of detail that readers like to fill in for themselves.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 134 pages
Expected publication: July 20th 2015 by Riptide
ISBN139781626493285
edition languageEnglish
seriesBliss #1.5

In the Book Spotlight: The Sidhe (The Heart of All Worlds #1) by Charlotte Ashe by Charlotte Ashe (excerpt and Giveaway)

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The Sidhe (The Heart of All Worlds #1) by Charlotte Ashe

The Sidhe revised final

Release Date: July 21, 2015

STRW In The Spotlight Header

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32040943-charlotte-ashe#_=_
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Sarah Sanderson

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Sales Links: Interlude Press – Amazon

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Since his childhood, Brieden Lethiscir has admired The Sidhe, the beautiful and magical beings native to the Faerie world outside his homeland of Villalu. Though he grew up in a culture accepting of Sidhe enslavement by Villalu’s elite, Brieden finds that he can no longer tolerate the practice when he becomes a steward to Prince Dronyen, who is viciously abusive of his sidhe slave Sehrys. Captivated by the handsome and mysterious sidhe slave, Brieden vows to free and return Sehrys to his homeland.
As they escape the capital and navigate a treacherous path to the border, Breiden and Sehrys grow close. Breiden soon learns both the true power of The Sidhe, and that the world that he thought he knew is not what it once seemed. If they survive to reach the border, he will have to make a choice: the love of his life, or the fate of his world.

Pages or Words: 442 pages

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

The sidhe was tall, supple and lithe, as all sidhe tended to be, with milk-pale skin that glowed like moonlight over lean, taut muscles. Like all the others before him, he was naked, giving potential buyers a full picture of what they were bidding on.
And he was extraordinary, head to toe.
His chin-length hair was violet-red and it gleamed in the afternoon sun. His lips were pink and delicate with a pronounced bow, his nose had a narrow, smooth slope and his eyes…
His eyes.
It wasn’t that they were the most incredible color imaginable: a storm of deep, contrasting, impossible greens unlike any Brieden had ever seen. And it wasn’t that they were large and almond- shaped beneath a fan of plum-colored lashes.
It was that they were full to the brim with life.
Never before had Brieden seen a sidhe slave with such lively and expressive eyes, even as he stood for auction. Those eyes were not dull or defeated in the slightest. Wary, yes, and utterly devoid of trust, but also blazing.
Blazing like the eyes of that sidhe Brieden had seen at the riverbank when he was twelve years old— the only free sidhe Brieden had ever had the chance to behold.
The elf stood on that platform as if he owned it. As if he were judging every human man before him, and not the other way around.
He tucked a lock of hair behind a delicately pointed elfin ear, then jutted his chin to reveal a chiseled jaw that contrasted beautifully against his tender features.
And though he knew it was insane, Brieden was quite sure that he was in love.

 STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Charlotte Ashe is a social worker by day and a writer of romantic fantasy by night.  A long-time fan of speculative fiction that skews feminist and features LGBTQ characters, Charlotte loves writing stories that are sexy, heartfelt, and full of magic and adventure. She has put her B.A. in literature and creative writing to use over the years as a writer of online fan-based fiction, and her most popular work has drawn more than one million readers worldwide, been translated into several languages, and been featured in online publications including The Backlot.

Charlotte lives in Portland, Maine and can be found sleeping at the beach all summer and clomping along the cobblestones in her Bean boots all winter, writing fairytales in her head to distract from the cold.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlotte-Ashe/1416233241994204
Twitter: @CobwebsandAshes
Website: https://www.CharlotteAshe.com

 STRW Spotlight Contest Header

Contestants must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize: $25 Interlude Press gift card; also, five multi-format eBoook editions of THOAW: The Sidhe
Rafflecopter Code:
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Early Bird Book Chat: Ingela Boehm on Four Centuries of Gay Love and Not Safe For Work (guest post)

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Not Safe For Work by Ingela Boehm
Released July 6, 2015

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

We are pleased to have Ingela Boehm here today to talk a little about her latest release and blog about “Four Centuries of Gay Love”.

Four Centuries of Gay Love by Ingela Boehm

With the release of Not Safe For Work, my exploration of gay love now spans four centuries. Of course, there are many advantages to sticking to one genre – historical or contemporary – but I’m just too curious and too easily bored for that. I want every book to feel fresh to me, and one way of doing that is to jump between different eras.

It also gives rise to an interesting question: what is different about being in love nowadays compared to earlier times? Of course I can only speculate. In Rival Poet, I looked at how a same-sex romance might develop in a time when homosexuality wasn’t even an extant term. Back then, ‘sodomy’ was regarded as a kind of nymphomania: sodomites were so oversexed that women weren’t enough for them, they had to have men too. It was also a capital offence, which meant that you could be hanged for it. Luckily, the authorities tended to turn a blind eye as long as you were discreet.

My main character, Will Shakespeare, conceals his attraction to fellow poet Kit Marlowe because he fears for his life and reputation. The only one who guesses what’s going on – Will’s best friend Richard Burbage – accepts him for what he is, but would rather not know the particulars of his love life. Will is extremely lucky to have such an accepting friend, and he keeps the secret from everyone else.

Then again, maybe Will is a bit too careful. In the theater world, love between men is more or less an open secret.

In the 1970’s, which is the period for my ongoing series about rock band Pax, things have changed. Not long before 1975, when the first book begins, a law was passed in the UK that made it legal for gay people over 21 to make love. While many people still regarded it as a sickness, others embraced it and battled for equal rights. In the Pax series, Jamie and Michael learn to walk the tightrope of those shifting attitudes at the same time that they work on their musical career – a difficult task even without the added tension of being in love with the wrong person.

Finally, in my latest release Not Safe For Work, I take a look at how a gay relationship might develop today, when much of life takes place on social media. In the book, Jakob and Leo live in a world where public opinion has changed so much that homosexuality is seen as everyday and completely undramatic. Of course, their road to love is still not bump free: because what happens if everyone believes that you’re in a relationship with your best friend when you’re really not? How do you deny the rumors if people around you are not only fine with it, but they root for you? What if they would even be disappointed if you told them it wasn’t true?

Through social media, Jakob’s most private self is laid out for the world to see. It would be bad enough if only his closest friends were fooled by the prank, but the stories about him and Leo go viral and garner a cult following of young women who perpetuate their fake love story by writing their own ‘fics.’ It becomes a global phenomenon, and it’s all a lie – or maybe it’s not? Maybe that’s what’s most terrifying of all: that there might be a grain of truth in those stories. Even as Jakob realizes that he must deny that there’s anything going on between him and Leo, something holds him back. And although the stories disgust him, he’s unable to stop reading them.

So the characters in Not Safe For Work should really be able to date without problem, but it’s the author’s job to throw a spanner in the works. I like to torture my men, to make them struggle with their identities – and not only their sexuality. If I were asked to summarize my writing with one word, I would say ‘self-acceptance.’ In upcoming works, my characters face issues like class privilege, body image, guilt, prejudice and social exclusion.

That said, I do believe Jakob is the one I treat the worst. His battle is fought in the public eye, when he would really need a vacation on a desert island to digest what’s happening.

Oh well. I didn’t give him that. But I did give him Leo, and that has to be some small comfort.

~ Ingela Boehm

 

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Blurb for Not Safe For Work…

It’s Jakob’s birthday, and boy is he getting a surprise. His friend Leo has written a sexy blog about the two of them — all untrue, of course. Or is it? Identity hijacked, fake love life laid out for the world to see, Jakob is devastated. He should deny it all, but he can’t stop reading. Soon, he’ll have to confront Leo, but he’s afraid — can there be a tiny grain of truth in those stories?

About Author Ingela Boehm:

Ingela Bohm is a sucker for music and words, and whenever the two go together, she’s on board for the long haul. Every story she tries her hand at turns into a love story at some point, but that’s just her sentimental nature making itself known. She occasionally pretends to be a human being (as long as there are no dogs present), and she spends an obscene amount of time in front of really well-made TV series, trying to riddle out how the hell the bastards do it. Her current projects include part three of the Pax Cymrica series, a twisted, darker story called Mindfuck, and a vampire dystopia.  Currently lives in

You can contact/follow Ingela at:  Goodreads Author Page | Website | Twitter

A MelanieM Review: Roughstock: Blind Ride – Season One by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Blind Ride cover 2Jason Scott is at the top of the field in his career, that of professional bull riding.  Jason, along with his traveling partner and best friend, Andy Baxter, are riding the circuit, both hoping to finish at the top of the boards and win enough money to see each of them set for life.  Jason and Bax have been dancing around the fact that they are crazy about each other.  Each is afraid of losing his best friend if they admit how much they actually love each other. It will take something huge to make a change in their relationship.

Being a professional bullrider is a dangerous game and in one horrible instant everything changes for both Jason and Bax.  When a ride on one of the top bulls goes wrong, an injury to Jason’s head causes him to go blind. Reeling, Jason and Bax retreat to Jason’s family ranch to recover and wonder what’s next for them both.  For Jason, it appears his life is over and he has nothing to live  for.  Bax is determined to prove him wrong, both personally and professionally.

Bax thinks Jason can ride the bulls even blind.  But it will take Bax, his love and their small circle of friends to prove to Jason that even blind bullriders have their life and love ahead of them.

I have a huge fondness for both the Roughstock series and its author, BA Tortuga.  So it pains me when I have to report that this story, while having so many of the great qualities I have come to expect from this series, is guaranteed to frustrate the reader to the point that it is hard to recommend it. First let’s look at the merits of this story.

The characters are wonderful.  Jason “Mini” Scott and Andy “Bax” Baxter are typical of the cowboys you will find in the stories of B.A. Tortuga.  Their personalities are so authentic to the bull riding circuit and the locale that I would also expect to run into them at any PBR event.  They become so real that they feel like a part of your family.  And it is this intimacy that connects the reader to them and their futures.  You feel the dust that coats them as they pick themselves up off the arena floor and the pain their profession inflicts upon their bodies.  They are just so realistic that you hurt for them.  And Tortuga is one of the best authors around when it comes to dialog.  The words that issue out of the mouths of her cowboys ring with authentic local flavor and colloquialisms.  And it does so without being hokey or off sounding.  Here they are heading down the road to get supper:

Bax threw his duffel back, too, sliding into the driver’s side. “So, where to? I figure that one little place where you circle your order will be closed.” “There’s that one place by the highway — about twenty minutes out. It’s nothing but old ranchers taking their women out. Nice T-bones.” And he always got tickled by those tables with the ads printed on them. Reminded him of going to auction with Pa-paw.

“That works.” The big dualie slid right into traffic like an elephant into a herd of zebras, Bax muscling them right in.

They scooted down 35, radio blaring. He found a pack of smokes in the console and lit one for Bax, then got himself one. Three days of rest, then Tulsa.

“You think we ought to try and hit home ‘fore Tulsa?” It was kinda eerie sometimes, the way Bax read his mind. Then again, they’d been on the road together for nigh on six years.

“We can. Momma’d like to see us. ‘Course, we could go on to the city. Goof off. Depends on how much you want Momma’s pineapple upside down cake.”

“Oh, I’d rather go see your momma.” That man did have a sweet tooth. Pineapple upside down was Bax’s very favorite.

“Cool. I’ll call her. Let her know we’ll be in.” He took a deep drag, grinned. Lord, lord. “I hope your knee’s up to riding fence.”

“Shit, you know it. Just don’t ask me to walk fence.” Wheeling around a little Honda, Bax started humming with George on the radio, off tune as anything. “Nah. You wouldn’t be worth shit in Tulsa, then.”

They both hooted, and Jason leaned back, easy in his bones. Man, event win number three. Check in his pocket. Him and Bax heading for steak.

Life, she was good.

Of course, we know it’s all going to change and soon.  But in that short exchange we see the ease and contentment of Jason and Bax’s relationship.  It sings of a friendship long established and perhaps much more.

And once they fess up and go for a full romantic relationship, it is still in keeping with their cowboy ways and personalities.  No flowers here.

 It was like a good ride, all motion and want and spinning. He tried to warn Bax, tried to let the man know he was gonna be way quick off the mark, but it wasn’t happening. And it didn’t seem to matter one bit. Bax was pushing him on, making these amazing noises, just as hot for him as the Fourth of July.

Their relationship is hot, sexy, and emotionally deep.  How we fall for them.

Pretty much everything works here for much of the story.  The narrative suffers a bit from almost too much sex.  We want more of Jason coming to grips with his blindness.  And we want to see exactly how Jason, with Bax and Coke’s help, will learn to ride again.  At one point, even Bax remarks that he and Jason have sex instead of talking.  OK, but as a reader, while I love the hot sex, I want more of the relationship that produces it.

After all I have been through with Jason and Bax, feeling side by side with them on their emotional rollercoaster, I want and deserve to have the emotional payoff I expect at the end of the story.  And that is exactly what’s missing.  No “aha” moment, no ending.  Nothing.  It just stops prior to Jason ever getting back up on a bull, even one on his friend’s ranch.  The emotional reward, the moment everything has been building up to never happens. Frustrating? You betcha.  And totally unexpected from this seasoned author.  And it is this aspect that dragged the rating down to a 3 star rating.

So who should read this book?  Well, hard core fans of B.A. Tortuga for one as well as fans of the Roughstock series.  Coke, AJ, Bax and Jason are the core characters of the Roughstock series so its good to have this part of the story.  But that lack of ending just makes me want to grab a beer and go watch some PBR instead of continuing to bemoan what could have been an outstanding book.

Cover art by Posh Gosh.  I like this cover, it feels more representative of the story and characters.  Terrific job.

Sales Links:  Pride Publications |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, Pride Publications (a LGBT imprint of Totally Bound, now Totally Entwined)
Published July 7th 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing (first published January 1st 2007)
original titleRoughstock: Blind Ride – Season One
ISBN139781784306397
edition languageEnglish
seriesRoughstock #1
charactersJason Scott, Andy Baxter settingUnited States

Books in the Roughstock series:

Roughstock: Blind Ride — Season One – Novel, m/m, core
Give it Time: the Seven of Wands – Novella, m/m
Roughstock: And a Smile — Season One – Novel, m/m, core
Doce — A Roughstock Story – Novella, m/m
Amorzinhos — A Roughstock Story – Novela, m/m, threesome
Roughstock: File Gumbo — Season One – Novel, m/m, core
Roughstock: And a Smile — Coke’s Clown – Novela, m/m,
Shutter Speed, A Roughstock Story: the Seven of Pentacles – Novella, m/m
Roughstock: City/Country – Novel, m/f
Roughstock: Picking Roses – Novel, m/f
Needing To: A Roughstock Story – Novella, m/m

Upcoming Roughstock Novels
Roughstock: What She Wants – Novel, m/m/f
Roughstock: Tag Team – Season Two – Novel, m/m
Roughstock: Terremoto – Season Two- Novel, m/m

Roughstock Shorts:
Cowboy Christmas (Coke and Dillon)
Barbed Wire and Bootheels (Sam and Beau)
Some Good Doctoring (CB and Jonesy) – Free Read

 

A Mika Review: Wild Pitch (Homeruns #1) by Sloan Johnson

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

WildPitchThere’s never been any question in Sean Tucker’s mind that he’d do whatever it took to make it to the major leagues and be one of the best pitchers of his time. The day he acknowledged to himself that he was gay was also the day he vowed to stay in the closet in order to chase his dreams. The problem is, he never counted on Mason Atley.

Sean showed rookie short stop Mason Atley the ropes, both on the field and off. The two forged a friendship which continued as both of them moved through the ranks of the farm system and into the majors. Unfortunately, there’s always been one secret Mason never felt he could share with Sean. Until now.

For seven years, Sean lived with the fact that he loved a man who would never reciprocate. When Mason admits that he’s always known he’s bisexual but has never allowed himself to pursue a relationship with a man, will Sean be able to put aside his reservations about starting a relationship with the friend he’d always assumed was straight? And more importantly, will they be able to find a way to stay together when their careers keep them apart more than they can be together

Wild Pitch by Sloan Johnson was my second book by this author and first m/m read from her. I went into the book with no expectations or judgments just kindly reading along. Got excited since it was based in Chicago half of the time. I liked the beginning a lot as I really enjoy the friends to lovers trope. I thought Sean expressing his love in the beginning in his thoughts were funny. Being in love with your best friend for years is hard when you have to be around that person, especially someone as likable as Mason.

I had a couple issues with the plot. I felt like Sean should have been happier because he got everything he wanted but it felt like self sabotage. I did not get these reservations because in the beginning this was his dream, to have the love of your friend and your career. Mason surprised me by how easy it seemed he transitioned. I do have a problem with him being “bisexual” for years but being scared to tell Sean. I did not see the point of him stating that, and then being calm about Sean’s feelings.

I mean that the attraction to men never came up in all the years of friendship. I did not buy that Mason was interested in Sean the entire time, but his actions showed he was clueless when it came to Sean’s attraction to him, if that makes sense.

There was no family dynamics to like. His family was non-existent throughout the book except for his sister. Certain comments were made from Sean about his family dynamics, but the readers never seen the family together. It’s almost like Sean would mention something he know his family wouldn’t like, and then talk about their reasoning but all of this is from his point of view.

He had never been with a man, so where did the bi-sexuality come from? I liked some of the characters. I don’t really understand Sean’s family dynamics, it’s like they spoke around the issues that were important. I’m still not sure.

I really liked the first 40% of the story, and then it went downhill. It seemed like the pacing got slower, and it just became wordier as the pages went along. I would had preferred it to be all sugary sweet once the two guys came along, I just felt the second half of the story was unnecessary drama. The epilogue. I felt like it’s something Mason wanted, and I’m glad he was happy.

Cover Art by: I liked the cover model. I don’t know which guy it’s supposed to be, but he’s cute and goes along with what I had  in mind for Mason.

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

Book Details:
ebook, 248 pages
Published June 13th 2015 (first published June 11th 2015)
seriesHomeruns #1

Need a New Contemporary Romance? Check out “Uncommon Valor” by Rachel Ravenheart (excerpt and giveaway)

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Uncommon Valor by Rachel Ravenheart
Release Date: July 22, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Cool Dudes Publishing
Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

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Sales Links:  All Romance eBooks | Amazon |  CoolDudes Publishing  |Gumroad

About Uncommon Valor

“Lil’ Bro,

If you’re reading this, then something obviously happened and I’m not going to be around. I wanted to let you know how much I love you, and you don’t have to tear yourself up over this. I’m the one who chose to enlist, and I believe I’ve served proudly for the last few years. I know this won’t ease your mind any, but I believe I’m probably in a better place now. Please don’t be sad. I died doing what I loved, fighting for my country. I wish I could be there for you when you tell Mom and Dad about you being gay. Just know that I am with you in spirit.

Look to Chase for guidance. I know he’ll be the big brother for you I can no longer be. The guys will be a great support for you, and they won’t care that you’re gay. They’re a great group of guys, and they’ll treat you just like I would. They’ll be a support system for you when Dad blows up, and you know he will. Be safe and know I will be watching out for you from the other side.

Love, Sam.”

Uncommon Valor is not just a story of a gay man, it is the fulfilling story of a young man who is on the verge of discovering his true self and he has the perfect prop to do that. He is also about to become a Dad. Will he pull through as a gay man and a Dad? Or will he fall upon the wayside and reject his newborn child, and in so doing, also reject the man of his dreams?

Pages or Words: 172 pages, 48,661 words

Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Military

Excerpt:


Last weekend with the platoon was great.
I met a ton of new people, and the guys were really supportive when I told them. I hadn’t heard anything from my Mom, so I wasn’t sure what to think about that, but I’d decided I wasn’t going to worry too much. I was on cloud nine from having spent time with people who didn’t care I was gay and treated me like one of the guys even though I wasn’t a Marine.
That all came to a halt when I ran into Tina in the dining hall on campus during the week.
Tina uses her beauty to her advantage. She’s medium height with red hair and green eyes. Whatever she said was right and she was of the opinion that no one could outsmart her. Personally, I tried to stay away from her if I possibly could.
But, she had a crush on me.
I never got the chance to tell my brother that during a night of drunkenness I had slept with her. There was a part of me that always felt something else had been involved, but I couldn’t prove it. I didn’t even know if we did anything. All I knew was I woke up the next morning in the same bed with her and both of us were naked. It wasn’t something I was proud of, and I honestly hoped I would never see her again. Unfortunately, we were both in law school together, so I knew that wasn’t going to be an option.
I’d almost completely forgotten about the incident because it had happened at the end of the semester and I had taken the summer off. The new semester had just started, and I had been lucky enough to not see her in any of my classes or around campus.
I was shocked to see her with what I would consider a baby bump, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions. I pretended to not see her, but she saw me.
“Jason! I need to talk to you,” she said, and grasped my elbow from behind.
“What do you want, Tina?” I yanked my arm out of her grasp with a snarl.
“It’s a private matter.”
“We can talk tat my house, but that’s all that’s going to happen.” I turned and walked away, expecting her to follow me to the parking lot. As it turned out, we were parked fairly close to each other, and I motioned for her to follow me as I got into my car.
§

We arrived at my house and I was still trying to figure out what she wanted to talk to me about. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it.
Inside, she headed for the lounge. “Would you like something to drink?” I asked. When I turned to face her she held her stomach in a protective manner.
“Water would be nice.”
“Have a seat and I’ll be right back.” I said, placing my bag on the floor by the door.
When I returned, she was standing in front of the bay window looking out over the park. “Here you go.” I held out a bottle of water to her as she turned around.
“Thanks, Jason. I’m sorry to put you out like this, but I needed to talk to you and I didn’t want to do it with people around.”
“What’s going on? I haven’t seen you since the end of spring semester.” I walked over and took a seat on the couch and waited to hear what she had to say.
“I went home for summer break and some surprising news came up just before I came back to school.” She came over and sat down next to me.
“Spit it out,” I said, frustrated. I just wanted her gone; something about her really irked me.
“The thing is, just before I came back I realized that I had missed my period so I went to the doctor and took a pregnancy test. I’m pregnant.”
“What’s that got to do with me?” It felt like I had been punched in the gut.
“Well, I hadn’t been with anyone for a while before you and I hooked up at the end of the semester.” She licked her lips and wrung her hands.
“We didn’t hook up. I got way too drunk and don’t remember anything until I woke up the next morning with you by my side and naked.”
“Why do you refuse to believe that what we shared was something special?” she whined. “You know you love me, you only need to admit it and we’ll be happy together as a family.”
“It wasn’t special. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to be a father to our child. I want us to be a family.” She tried to put her hand on my arm. I pulled away.
“We will never be a family. What the HELL were you thinking? Obviously you weren’t; that’s the problem.” I walked over to the bay window and glared out. “If the child is mine I’ll support it and even take custody of him or her, but we will never be together. As soon as the baby is born I’m going to fight for custody and before I commit to anything there needs to be a paternity test, until that time you are nothing more to me than a pregnant woman. Until you have further information, I think this is all we have to talk about.”
“We’d make good parents together. Why are you refusing to admit that?” she cried.
“I have no doubt that we will be good parents, but we won’t be a couple. I’m gay and will not be in a relationship with any woman. Now, if there’s nothing else, I think that it’s time for you to leave. Let me know when you set up the paternity test and I’ll be there. We’ll talk more after the test results come back.” I opened the front door and waited for her to leave. I was being mean and harsh, but I was pissed about what had happened, mostly at myself because I let myself get wasted at that party. I wished I could remember what happened that night.
She stormed past me and went out to her car mumbling under her breath. Part of me hoped I was the father, but there was a greater part of me that hoped I would have nothing more to do with her.

About the author:

Rachel Ravenheart is new to the literary world, but has had the desire to write since she was in junior high school. She moved from a small town in Iowa in time to start high school in Louisiana.

Rachel lost sight of writing as she got bogged down with sports and school. Her dream of being a writer forgotten as she looked to the future to study Political Science with the hope of going to law school when she moved to Texas.

To make her way in the world she got wrapped up in the field of nursing when she got a job as a C.N.A. and soon even her dream of law school was forgotten. Strangely, thanks to an injury she was at home recuperating and was bored when she remembered her love for writing. Never thinking she would ever get published she began.

It was writers like Rob Colton, Mann Ramblings, and Alicia Nordwell that inspired her creativity. She found GayAuthors.org and after some encouragement she decided to post her first story. With the enthusiasm of readers her confidence grew and she took the step to send off her first story to be published. It was with great delight when she was offered her first contract. Hopefully, the first of many.

Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelravenheart
Twitter: @wolfwriter1492
Other: http://rachelravenheart.weebly.com

RC


Tour Dates & Stops: July 22, 2015

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A Stella Review: Silver Scars by Posy Roberts

RATING 5 stars out of 5  ★★★★★

You need people to love you, especially when you shove them away.

Silver Scars coverA bomb destroyed high-powered lawyer Gil Lemieux’s seemingly perfect life, and PTSD has ruled every decision since the explosion that left him scarred inside and outside. Moving home with his mom is meant to be a temporary measure, just like proofreading for a medical editorial firm is meant to be a stopgap. But two years after taking on the wrong court case, he’s still living in fear.

Keith Kramer might be based 1,500 miles away from Gil, but their shared work brings them together—a chance meeting that’s life-changing. Gil is drawn to Keith’s good looks and intelligence, but it’s his innate understanding that Gil is more than the scars on his skin that is truly attractive. He’s everything Gil used to be and more. It blows Gil’s mind that his attraction might be returned.

Only doubt could widen the distance between them. Keith’s hopefulness, borne out of surviving some tough challenges of his own, isn’t enough to bridge the distance alone. Gil will need to believe he has as much to offer as Keith if they’re to build a life together.

Silver Scars is my first book by Posy Roberts, but surely not my last. I loved it so much I can’t wait for more by the author. The North Star series is already on my august shelf. Have you read Mika’s “Discovering New Authors”? Check it here https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/2015/07/06/discovering-new-authors-mika-on-posey-roberts/

This book was special for many reasons but first of all I want to point out something that won me over and made me appreciate the author a lot. I was halfway through it when I realized that  where almost every other author would have chose to end the book, in Posy Roberts’ Silver Scars,  Gil and Keith’s story together had just began. It felt to me like two books, after what could have been considered a HFN at half book, there are still 150 pages to read, almost like a sequel. These pages gave a sense of completeness I ‘m awe over and led me to a beautiful HEA.

Moreover  I want to add I’m usually bothered by the use of a single POV and of the present as a verbal form,  absolutely not my favorite writing style but in Silver Scars it was perfect and I couldn’t even tell you why. So hat’s off to Posy to making me love something I normally wouldn’t read.

The book has a lot of good qualities: most important it is well done, thoughtful, sensitive, full of feelings and with a lot of emotional moments that pretty much broke my heart too many times. Luckily all of these were balanced so well with super hot scenes and some funny ones, all mixed with a complete and satisfying plot and so real characters, unlucky in their lives like us.

Gil is a 38 years old ex lawyer that went through a life changing incident when a homemade bomb was left in his house by the husband of a client. It could have killed him but he was lucky he got just shrapnel on his face and head. After the accident he came back to live with his mum, struggling with a serious PTSD. He meets Keith on a brief stage in a new city. Keith is not just Gil’s beautiful new coworker, he has a  lot of baggage too, in fact due to some physical damage in his leg he was where Gil is now, with the PTSD.

They soon hit it off. Keith is gentle and sweet and supportive and helping, he is the switch that freed all the emotions Gil kept inside of him since the incident. They spend one night together and then  have to go to their lives,  in two different states. But they are able to create a connection that will bond them together and force them to be in a long distance relationship. Maybe is too soon to fall for someone but they went through too much to ignore a change at happiness.

This is just the start of their story, I followed Gil and Keith in their (beautiful) ups and (heartbroken) downs. The book is a journey in Gil’s panic attacks, in his various attempts to overcome all his fears; it was beautiful and painful at the same time to see him working himself in bad mental states but he is so brave too when Keith will go through some very hard times, Gil will be there to support him and help his boyfriend to heal. And maybe heal himself too.

There are some great second characters, especially Frankie, Gil’s best friend since forever, supportive in every way he can, especially with his smartass mouth.he’s the perfect friend, the one who support you, help you stand on your feet standing by your side always, most of all the one to kick you away when the time is right for you to finally live your life, even if is away from your bestie.

I couldn’t find a flaw to this book so it’s a full 5 stars rating to me. Highly recommended!

Cover art by Natasha Snow reflect a scene in the book when Gil is outside Keith house to start living their life together. Fitting and beautiful but it’s Natasha so I wasn’t waiting for nothing less.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 282 pages
Add Silver Scars to Goodreads
Published June 22nd 2015 by Labyrinth Bound Press
ASINB00ZPT6Y6K
edition language English