A Stella Review: Stones in the Road (Sugar Tree #2) by Nick Wilgus

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Sequel to Shaking the Sugar Tree  . When his snobbish future in-laws travel all the way from Boston to visit, wise-cracking Southerner Wiley Cantrell learns that gay marriage is not without its disadvantages. Occupied by concerns over the health of his special needs son Noah, a meth baby who was not expected to live and who is now on the cusp of puberty, the antics of Wiley’s outrageous would-be mother-in-law and severely conservative father-in-law strain his relationship with Jackson Ledbetter, a pediatric nurse who poses problems of his own. As their respective families meet and greet, each just as meddlesome and inflexible as the other, North meets South and the fireworks and cultural misunderstandings are plenty.

A tornado blows through the small Mississippi town where Wiley’s mother lives, wrecking his mother’s house and leaving their lives in disarray. Then Jackson’s secret drug addiction comes to light, and Wiley and Noah are devastated. With so many stones in the road, Wiley and Jackson find their dream of becoming a real family falling apart. Though Wiley relies on humor to cope, he’ll need something more to keep his happily ever after from slipping away.

Nick Wilgus made it again!

I can confess I was eager and at the same time scared to read Stones In The Road cause I loved the first one and I was afraid this second installment couldn’t live it up.

I was so wrong! This book is amazing, I loved it more that Shaking The Sugar Tree. This series will stay in my heart for long and I’m so happy to know there will be a third book. I was willing to beg for it. Let’s just hope to read it really soon.

The hard part with books like this one is writing a worthy review and I don’t even know where to start. I should simply say to buy this series and read it.

First, you have to be ready for some gun fire, tornado and pie throwing, but most of all you have to be ready for a story full of love (in every way love can be shown).

I know I’m an emotional person but it was really hard to read. At the end I was in my bed crying all the tears I had, trying to read more, listening to a twelve years old boy breaking my heart.

This is not a book to read when you’re looking for some fun and light reading, but surely it will not boring you for one second. There are no pauses, it’s a continuous of engaging and funny dialogues (sometimes incomprehensible to me since I’m Italian) and so addictive I can’t put the story down for a minute. Some dialogues between Noah and Wiley are hilarious, others heartbreaking. Everything is so real, sometimes it’s almost surreal. Every sentence is serious and at the same time full of humor.

This is exactly the kind of book I love to read, emotional, funny, heartbreaking, full of characters with a lot of background and a huge cast of great second characters. I discovered some dark sides of the (not so) perfect Jackson. I met Jack’s mom and I hated her during all the story and then at the end I loved her so much, because I understood she came to WiIey and his son to rescue all of them. I wanted to have her in my life.

Wiley is our usual Wiley and he is so full of guilt right now it was hard to just look at him in some parts and don’t hug him. He needs to deal with all his fears but his guilt for Noah’s disabilities brings him to almost lose himself and his son. But as Tonya said Wiley is the Superdad of the World. Till the end I asked to myself if Wiley would be able to forgive Jackson and first of all himself.

Shortly Stones In The Road is never boring, always entertaining and so well written I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended!

Cover artist Anne Cain.I liked the artist followed the idea chosen for the cover of the first book and most of all she followed this story. You can look at the cover and understand exactly what will happen in the book. Perfect but melancholic cause the three Mcs aren’t all together.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 350 pages
Published January 30th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ISBN139781632167309
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesSugar Tree #2

Sugar Tree series
Shaking The Sugar Tree #1
Stones In The Road #2

In the Spotlight: Hammer and Bone by Kirby Crow

Hammer and Bone by Kirby Crow
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Kirby Crow
Roberto Quintero

If that amazing cover isn’t enough to draw you in, check out the synopsis below!

About Hammer and Bone

The purest evil lives in the hearts of men.

Carnival mystics. Zombie tribes. Bad magic in the Bayou. Mage-princes, alien cities, and soul-stealing priests. The grim monsters in the worlds of these dark, speculative tales are true horrors, but it’s the people you should fear the most.

People like Michel, a boy pining for his best friend, Ray. But a presence in the swamp calls Michel to avenge another lost love, and he must decide which summons to answer. Or Angelo, a prescient cop who denies his visions until they endanger the man he loves. Or Bellew, an overseer in a shantytown of criminals sheltering a revenant and feeding it from their ranks.

From ruined lands of steam and iron, to haunted Southern forests, to brutal city streets where hope and damnation flow from the same spring, only a few stubborn souls possess the heart to challenge evil on its own terms. Some wield magic, some turn to rage or even love, but the ones left standing will survive only if they find the courage to carve their own paths to freedom.

Even if it means carving through flesh.

About the Author

Kirby Crow is an American writer born and raised in the Deep South. She is a winner of the EPIC Award and the Rainbow Award, and is the author of the bestselling “Scarlet and the White Wolf” series of fantasy novels. Kirby and her husband and their son share an old, lopsided house in the Blue Ridge with a cat. Always a cat.

Her published novels are:

Prisoner of the Raven (historical romance)
Scarlet and the White Wolf: The Pedlar and the Bandit King (New Adult fantasy, m/m, Torquere Press)
Scarlet and the White Wolf: Mariner’s Luck (New Adult fantasy, m/m, Torquere Press)
Scarlet and the White Wolf: The Land of Night (New Adult fantasy, m/m, Torquere Press)
Angels of the Deep (paranormal/horror)
 Circuit Theory (novella, scifi, Riptide)
Coming Soon:  
Malachite (speculative m/m, New Adult, 2015)
Poison Apples (collection, dark fantasy, m/m, 2015)
Scarlet and the White Wolf 4 (New Adult fantasy, m/m, 2015)

For upcoming news of her future novels, visit her website at http://KirbyCrow.com

Links
Amazon
Blog
Twitter
 Goodreads

Book Details:

ebook, 250 pages
Published March 2nd 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published February 28th 2015)
ISBN139781626492042
edition languageEnglish
Sales Link: Riptide Publishing

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Lights! Camera! Cupid! A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Cupid is visiting Bluewater Bay, and he’s leaving chaos in his wake.

It’s been my experience that anthologies generally have stories which are great, not so great, and middle of the road. In this one, that’s not true—they are almost all terrific. To help me come up with an overall rating, I’ve rated each individual story and decided to leave that rating so that readers can see which ones I thought were the best.

The stories are:

Just Another Day by L.A. Witt

Levi Pritchard hates Valentine’s Day. In fact, he absolutely abhors it, so when he comes home to find that his lover Carter Samuels (“Starstruck”) has bought him a rare DVD for his collection and is making Pasta Carbonara, his favorite meal, he knows he’s going to have to say something ,and that it will likely hurt Carter’s feelings. He does, and it does, and after a brief period of time out for both of them and a call by Levi to his friend Anna, he does the unexpected and sits down with Carter to explain why he hates the holiday then takes Carter upstairs for a very special Valentine surprise. Saying more here would spoil the surprise but readers will definitely love it as much as Carter does! 4.5 stars

Nascha by Amy Lane

It never ceases to amaze me that Amy Lane can create an entire story spanning over fifty years, sketch full characters with both a history and a future, stir in a little (or in this case a lot) of angst, and spit out a story that is full, rich, memorable, and creates a lump in my throat and a pain in my heart. If I had to assign one word to this story it would be depressing. Another would be complex. It’s a story about Nascha, an American Indian and gambler, who falls in love with his two best friends, Kitten and Rawlins, from the time they are teens. Though those two legally marry, in their hearts they are a part of him, and it’s Nascha who struggles to feel that he’s bound with them forever, especially when life circumstances stink and he ends up trying to raise his niece, then ultimately his grandnephews, one of who has Asberger’s.

I struggled to get into the story at first, especially since there are some M/F sex scenes at the beginning when the story is being established. Later when the reader is engaged in the plot, all of the scenes make sense but it is a very complex story for so few pages. But it works, and it’s one of the best of the anthology. 4.5 stars

No Easy Way by S.E. Jakes

Cary Teijan, a teacher who holds the interesting job of tutoring both the delinquents who keep getting suspended and the child actors from the Wolf’s Landing TV show being filmed in Bluewater Bay is shocked when he runs into Dylan James on the set. Dylan is the man he was so deeply in love with in high school who has recently returned after six years in the service, and he’s also the subject of the M/M romances Cary writes under a pen name, romances which are highly successful.

Dylan is back and he wants Cary with all the passion he felt years before, but Cary resists with that same degree of passion because Dylan walked away from him without a word, and Cary is finding it hard to forgive and forget. This story is lengthier than most others in the anthology and is both intriguing and exciting. The fun in watching Dylan go after Cary and watching Cary continually give in then run away makes for a great short story and fits perfectly with the Bluewater Bay stories previously released. 5 stars

Helping Hand by Anne Tenino

Lucas Wilder is the son and brother of lumberjacks who have lived and worked in the Bluewater Bay area for generations, but he’s not willing to follow the family footsteps into the logging business. He barely knows how to hold a saw! He’s just been accepted into a prestigious art school, and he’s terrified to tell his homophobic father that there’s now one more reason for his father to hate him. In fact, he gets so flustered that he spills the beans about being gay shortly after he announces his plans to attend college to study art. Thankfully, his best friend Audrey is there to help him through this fiasco as she’s been there for him throughout high school. Both are looking forward to leaving the town behind them forever when they go to college.

Gabriel Savage, lumberjack and best friend of Lucas’s brother Zach, spots Lucas walking home a few nights later and stops to give him a lift. He gives him more than that too—his first sexual experience as a gay man. To be honest, I’m not sure I get the point of this story. I’ve re-read the entire section of their hookup several times and I still don’t quite understand the point the author was trying to make so for me, this story wasn’t on the same level as the others. In fact, whether it was just supposed to be a quick hookup or whether Gabe truly wanted a lasting relationship with Lu, really doesn’t matter. Either way, the story lacked the spark and interest the others held and that’s very disappointing since I generally love Anne Tenino’s work. 3 stars

I’ll Be There by Z. A. Maxfield

This was a great story to cap the anthology as Nash Holly fights desperately to make his way to the Chicago area to be with Spencer Kepler (“Hell on Wheels”) on Valentine’s Day during the worst snow storm to hit the Midwest in years. It isn’t even so much that it’s Valentine’s Day as the fact that Spencer is so socially inept that he fears meeting the guest of honor at the fan convention he’s volunteered to attend—a woman who is dying of cancer. In a brief Skype session with Nash, Spencer reveals more about his feelings related to his own mother’s death from cancer than he even realized himself. Readers get to witness how Spencer acknowledges the past and, learning from it, deals with the present and waits hopefully to see if Nash can make it. And we get to witness Nash as he delves into his true feelings for Spencer and his gratitude for having Spencer in his life. Their love is greater than the sum of both parts and this story is perfect for their first Valentine’s Day together. 5 stars

If you’ve been reading the Bluewater Bay stories, you know they can each be read as a standalone, as can this anthology. However, readers of the stories will recognize the characters in the first and last stories of this anthology and that will only add to the enjoyment of the book. I recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance and especially to those who enjoy the added spice of the Valentine’s Day holiday and all of the ways love can be expressed.

Cover art by L.C. Chase depicts a movie set clipboard with a faded out red background of two of the MCs looking at each other with stars in their eyes. Perfect for the stories inside.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published February 9th 2015 by Riptide (first published February 7th 2015)
ISBN139781626492615
edition languageEnglish
seriesBluewater Bay #6

Bluewater Bay series, one location, different authors (and all highly recommended by Barb and Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by LA Witt
There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay Story) by LB Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by ZA Maxfield
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz
Lights! Camera! Cupid! A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology

A MelanieM Review: Splat by Alana Ankh

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Splat!

That’s the sound Deacon Hearst hears when something hits his windshield. But what could it be? It’s unlike anything that Deacon has seen before and with good reason. It is a fairy—or rather a Sidhe—with a gaze the color of the moon and thus eloquently named Mooneyes. The little creature’s wing is broken by the windshield and its beginning to pour. What can Deacon do but take the fairy home to heal.

But as Deacon nurses Moon back to health, he discovers Moon’s beauty is more than skin deep. Though they’re very different, especially in size, they’re alike in their loneliness, their need for affection. Despite the weirdness of the situation, Deacon finds himself falling for Moon.

Moon is starting to feel the same. But they are separated by more than size, their worlds and families are about to collide. But Moon has a few secrets of his own, secrets that could change both their paths for life.

I have to admit it was that cover, title and plot of Splat that pulled me in. It was funny and warped enough that I had high hopes for the humor content inside. Instead what I found was a sweet, if not completely memorable, M/M fantasy romance by Alana Ankh. And it started off so well…

The story opens with Deacon fleeing his parents home and their continual attempts to see him straight and married to a daughter of one of their friends, no matter how often he tells them he is gay. To add to his poor mood, it begins to rain. And on his trip back home to his house in the woods, a fairy hits his windshield like a Palmetto bug on steroids. It’s pretty darn humerous right down to the sound effects of whooshing of the wipers and the visual effects of a small miserable fae going back and forth across the glass (ok, I found that funny, don’t judge).

Deacon meet Mooneyes (and with that name the story started to slide sideways for me). Deacon gets over the appearance of a fairy pretty calmly and after figuring out that a wounded fae in a downpour is not likely to make it, takes Moon home to heal. Attraction and lust ensues, albeit on a tiny scale.

Soon the author is throwing in more plot elements, one right after the other. Seems neither Moon’s or Deacon’s families want gay sons and are going out of their way to ignore their sexual choices in pursuit of their own plans. Plus there is several more fae complications to plow through. Ditto on Deacon’s side. I just wished that the author would have concentrated on the quixotical and funny romance at hand. But no, that’s not to be.

Ankh pretty much ignores the fairy world building with a few exceptions and that lack is felt throughout the story. Deacon’s background is better fleshed out but the side bits about his job and boss just add to the confusion. And a strange bit about a man who offers Moon his assistance.

Still where this story goes right is the interaction and feelings that spring up between Deacon and Mooneyes. That was sweet, and believable, even given the circumstances and the separation subplot that felt like a reasonable event given what happens beforehand.

Splat held out so much promise for something completely different yet it ended up as one more sweet,outside of the title and cover, love story. If that is what you are in the mood for and love fae/human romances, Splat might just be your thing to read. I will comfort myself in knowing I have one of the most memorable titles and covers to add to the Most Humerous of 2015.

Cover art by Paul Richmond. Pretty funny, I hope that was the intent. I did keep hearing “oh, no, Mr. Bill…”

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Splat! Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 127 pages
Published February 11th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press, LLC
ISBN139781632164841
edition languageEnglish

A PaulB Review: Ansleigh’s Grotto by J.T. Cheyanne

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

When his grandfather passes, Dylan Matthews inherits his Virginia estate. Dylan must deal with his past both remembered and forgotten to fulfill the terms of his grandfather’s will.

Dylan Matthews spent his summers at his grandfather’s estate while growing up. Just after his eighteenth birthday, he has an argument with his father. Fifteen years later, his grandfather passes. At the reading of the will, the family learns that while the rest of the estate is to be divided among them, Dylan is the sole heir to the Virginia homestead so long as he lives there for one year. Also, there are two letters that his grandfather has left for Dylan to read explaining his actions.

Upon arriving at the estate, Dylan reacquaints himself with the staff of the manor. He also meets Leigh, whom they say takes care of the flora and fauna on the estate. Dylan is smitten by Leigh and the feelings are returned. Unknown to Dylan, this is not the first time he has met Leigh.

Leigh, or Ansleigh, is the grandson of the Seelie or Light Fae king. Many centuries ago, to end a war between the Seelie and UnSeelie or Dark Fae, the first grandchild of each king were promised to each other as mates. The only way to prevent this mating from happening is if one were to find true love and his Cosantoir or keeper. Ansleigh has waiting for fifteen years for Dylan’s return to the estate because he has formed this bond during Dylan’s visits. He is heartbroken when Dylan disappears one day without saying goodbye to him. Now he must get Dylan to fall in love with him again even though Leigh did something that might prevent that from happening again.

Dylan and Leigh must overcome how they left things fifteen years ago and must also deal with an UnSeelie prince who is bound and determined to claim Ansleigh as his as promised by their grandfathers. Their lives and the fate of the grotto depend upon the successful resolution of this dilemma.

I really enjoyed this book. The author creates a realistic fantasy world in the Virginia grotto estate of Dylan’s grandfather. The supporting characters are well rounded and give added humor to the thrills of the conflict. Making Dylan a game developer allows for a perfect epilogue though I saw it about half way through the book. I would encourage anybody to spend some time in Ansleigh’s Grotto.

The cover by Tracey Weston shows two men embracing above a manor house surrounded by lush greenery. It draws the reader in and gives a good representation of the grotto.

Sales Links: Amazon Buy It Here

Book details
Ebook, 179 pages
Published: January 28, 2015 by Laz & Lachi Publication
Edition: English
ISBN: 978-0-9899725-2-9

In the Book Spotlight: Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens

Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Goodreads Link

Author Catherine Lievens

Catherine lives in Italy, country of good food and hot men. She used to write fantasy as a child, but it was reading her first gay erotic romance novel that made her realize that that was what she really wanted to write.

After graduating from college in English language and translation, she divides her day between writing, reading, taking care of her son and reading some more.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.lievens.9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorCLievens
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/catherine200405/
Other: https://authorcatherinelievens.wordpress.com/

Publisher: Latrisha Waters
Cover Artist: eXtasy Books

Sales Links: eXtasy Books

About Oliver…

What matters is not what you are, but who you are.

Oliver is human, or at least he was until the Glass Research Company kidnapped him and experimented on him. Now he has a bear sharing his mind, but he’s not able to shift, and he’s confused. Is he a shifter, or a human? What’s worse, he’s getting sicker every day, and no one seems to know how to help him. He can’t even bond with his mate because he doesn’t want Sebastian to hurt if something happens to him.

Sebastian wants his mate to be cured, and the only way to do that is to go to New York and kidnap one of the company’s scientist. With the help of his pride brothers, he manages to do just that, but having Oliver cured doesn’t mean all their problems are over.

Oliver will have to deal with learning how to shift and trying to convince Sebastian that he’s fine and that he can be claimed, but once he manages to do that, other problems arise. Will the two lovers finally have the time to just be together, or will the pressure push them apart?

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

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Oliver didn’t know what had happened or how to solve this. Well, he knew what had happened. He had shifted for the very first time, but did he really have to do it while naked in bed with Sebastian? Even more so, did it really have to be like, seconds after they had just made love and claimed each other?

If Sebastian hadn’t been so quick to move away, Oliver would have shifted while…ugh, he didn’t even want to think about it!

“Uh, love? Careful with those claws, okay?”

Oliver realized that he had been digging into the mattress so he awkwardly tried to get his claws out of the fabric, but it seemed that every move he made, he managed to just rip it apart a little more. He was scared to move, but he could hear the bed creaking. It wasn’t exactly made to host a fully grown bear plus his mate, even if Sebastian was in human form.

Pages or Words: 37,854 words

Contest: Enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter code provided by Pride Promotions below to enter and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Dates: March 2, 2015

Tour Stops:

Parker Williams, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Molly Lolly, Inked Rainbow Reads, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Bayou Book Junkie, For the Love of Bookends, Bike Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words,

Kimi-Chan, Fallen Angel Reviews, Cate Ashwood, My Fiction Nook, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, Velvet Panic

Heading Into March and This Week’s Schedule at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

We are heading into March and this week holds many wonderful things for all of you. The Pulp Friction Gang is back and talking about this year’s series which is located in New Orleans and set within Laura Harner and T.A. Webb’s Altered States universe of supernatural beings and events. If you are thinking vampires, werewolves and ghosts you would be right. I will be reviewing the Altered States books all week to lead up to the first in the Pulp Friction series story ! Stay turned for more developments!

Here is our schedule this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, March 2:

Extended book blast ‘Oliver‘ by Catherine Lievens (Lion and Bear shifters….oh my!) (contest)
A Paul B Review: Ansleigh’s Grotto by JT Cheyanne
A MelanieM Review: Splat by Anna Ankh
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Lights! Camera! Cupid! A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology

Tuesday, March 3:

In the Spotlight: Annabeth Albert ‘Served Hot’ (contest)
A Stella Review: A Stone in the Road by Nick Wilgus
A BJ Review: Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara
A MelanieM Review: Stolen Dreams by Sue Brown

Wednesday, March 4:

Opening Day by Alexis Woods‏ Book Tour and Author Interview
It Over by Hurri Cosmo Tour and contest
Catherine L. Byrne’s Some Other Freedom Tour and Contest
The Pulp Friction Gang is Here, And Its All About Pulp Friction 2015!
A MelanieM Review: Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States, #1) by Laura Harner and T.A. Webb

Thursday, March 5:

On Tour With BA Tortuga’s Ever The Same exclusive excerpt tour and contest
Lissa Kasey’s Inheritance Book Tour and Contest
A Sammy Review: True Brit by Con Riley
A Paul B Review: Layne, River & Damion by Vicktor Alexander (Storming Love: Blizzard #4)
A MelanieM Review: Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2) by Laura Harner and TA Webb

Friday, March 6:

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Rules to Live By – A BDSM Anthology
A MelanieM Review: Road Trip by A.F. Henley
MelanieM Review: Free Falling Crimson (Altered States, #3) by Laura Harner and T.A. Webb
A Stella Review: Shaken Up by Nicole Forcine

Saturday, March 7:

A Stella Review: Lucky Seven by E.L. Esch

A MelanieM Review: Winging It by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Gabriel “Banksy” Martin is living the life he has always wanted. A forward for the young hockey team, the Quebec City Nordiques, Gabe stays focused on his job and his team leaving him little time for anything else. And that includes the so so boyfriend he’s been seeing on the sly. Because nothing in his life says that Gabe wants to be the first out hockey player. What Gabe wants is a great season and to win the Stanley Cup…nothing more.

Teammate Dante Baltierra is young in almost every respect. Dante, aka Baller, is careless, reckless… shameless. He’s a known horn dog with a penchant for women and partying. But no one questions his dedication to the sport and Gabe can overlook a lot of young-and-stupid in the name of great hockey. Plus Dante has a superlative ass in a sport filled with superlative asses.

Gabe is determined to keep the attraction he feels building towards Dante buried deep but a jilted boyfriend and fate have other ideas. When a tabloid expose’ threatens not only Gabe’s career but the stability of the team, what happens in the aftermath is something Gabe never expected or could have hoped for…a love that just might last a lifetime.

The writing team of Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James has produced quite a few favorite stories of mine in the past. But it has been a while since I have read any of their novels and the reason escapes me because Winging It is a prime example why I adored their books to begin with. It’s simply terrific storytelling.

I love plots involving hockey players! I love the game (Caps fan here)! And I love the physique that years of playing hockey leaves these players with, heavily muscled legs and the well known “hockey ass”. Combine all that with romance and a fast played exciting game on ice, and well, I just melt. In Winging It, Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James deliver on all fronts.

Winging It is a superb look at the dynamics of a group of young players still trying to find itself as a team and play well. The Quebec City Nordiques actually existed once (and Kane hopes they will again). The Dekes stand out among all the other teams for a number of reasons. Their amazing coach? A woman. Their owner? A woman. Their formidable PR person? A woman. Kane and James brings this team vividly to life and no part of the organization is overlooked or made to feel less important to the plot and the team. I thought all the characters were just so well conceived and fleshed out that I was totally bought into the team and its run for the Stanley Cup.

The characters of Gabe “Banksy” Martin and Dante “Baller” Baltierra feel as real to me as the snow I see just outside my window. Boisterous, lively, intelligent and focused on the game, they never come across as anything less than authentic hockey players having the time of their lives. The authors are careful to include the long hours, the pain and muscle spasms, along with houses and condos that rarely see their owners because of the demands of the sport. We get the camaraderie that’s so important to helping a team gel as well as the conflict that can tear it apart. I mean really you can almost smell the stink of the locker room after a hard game, the descriptions are so on point.

And the romance, if you can call it that, so well done and believable. It did feel more like a hockey player’s idea of a romance and that’s fine by me. Because even the romance has so many aspects to it. It’s not just Gabe being out…it’s Baller looking at his sexuality. It’s not just what exposure means on a huge scale but what it means to have a ‘first meaningful” relationship at all. It’s watching these two navigate typical first love and relationship “stuff”, along with team and family dynamics. All while playing the season of a lifetime. Talk about sizzle!

Kane and Morgan set the bar high for themselves here and made it look easy. The narrative flows, the scenes are exciting and full of suspense, and the outcome for Gabe and Dante’s relationship and every game they play is always in question. We are never sure of anything in this story just as there are no sureties in the sport. Teams and teammates don’t remain the same, injuries happen, and sometimes a team just can’t catch a break. It’s all there, gripping and full of drama and excitement. Trust me when I say your attention is engaged from start to finish, along with your heart! Take all the elements at play here, the crowds, the teamwork, the plays, and the opposition and media, throw in romance and love. Stir vigorously and out flows Winging It, one of my highly recommended reads.

Oh, and be sure to read the forward and afterword by the authors. Its highlight is Kane’s introduction to the game of hockey and a wonderful summary of the teams now playing. I loved that too. Go, Caps! Rock the Red! And may the Nordiques come back, if not an actual team once more, then at least in another story by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James. Pretty please? With hockey pucks?

Cover art by Paul Richmond. People either love or dislike this type of rough cover. I thought it worked in the sort of stylized way because Im not sure any model could have “stood in” for Gabe or Dante (or their bodies). For examples, check out the Tumblr blog “Hockey Asses”. You’ll thank me.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 300 pages
Expected publication: February 20th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632166173
edition languageEnglish
url http://ashlynkane.blogspot.com

In Our Book Spotlight: Best Chance (More Than Friends #6) by Aria Grace

Best Chance (More Than Friends # 6) by Aria Grace
Release Date: February 28, 2015
Goodreads Link

Author Aria Grace Bio:

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Aria enjoys the year round sunshine and laid back environment of the west coast. She lives with her husband and two children on a quiet hill that gives her lots of time to read and write. Her first series was a semi-traditional look at sexy gigs found online. She has now ventured into the exciting M/M world of gay erotica. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to drop her a note or visit her at http://www.ariagracebooks.com.

Where to find the author:

Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @ariagracebooks
Pinterest

Publisher: Surrendered Press
Cover Artist: Kris Kendall

Sales Links: Amazon

About Best Chance…

Vinnie is happy as a bartender at Ray’s and not looking for anything serious to complicate his life. He has great friends and a simple life. When Chance comes into his bar, he brings more than just memories of the summer they spent together in high school. The widower has a fifteen month old son that could change everything for Vinnie, if he’s willing to take the chance.

Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

“It’s not exactly the penthouse, but it’s home.” I reach back for Chance’s wrist and tug him in behind me.

“I didn’t come here for the amenities,” he says, resting his hand on my hip and squeezing.

“No?” I turn so his arm is wrapped around my waist. “What did you come for?”

My face is inches from his. His warm breath washes over me as I stare into those desperate eyes.

“This.” Chance’s eyes drop to my mouth as his head tilts and he leans into me. As soon as his full lips close over mine, I want to sing. I instinctively open my mouth to accept his tongue as it lightly brushes over mine. We aren’t tentative kids anymore. We’ve both had time to perfect our techniques over the years so by the time I drag Chance into my room, I’ve touched every space in his mouth that I can reach.

Our hands aren’t left idle as we tug on clothes and pull down zippers until we’re both naked and panting on my bed.

“God, I’ve missed you, Vin,” Chance says against my chest as he drops kisses on my skin.

Pages or Words: 30,000 words

Tour Dates: February 28, 2015

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Bayou Book Junkie, Cate Ashwood, 3 Chicks After Dark, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, Lee Brazil, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Hearts on Fire, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Andrew Q. Gordon, My Fiction Nook, BFD Book Blog, Up All Night, Read All Day, Gaylist Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Divine Magazine, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Foxylutely Book Reviews, The Hat Party, Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: signed paperback of Best Chance and $25 gift card to Amazon or iTunes. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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A MelanieM Review: Quinn’s Gambit by Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

An unregistered, human con wizard and a duty-bound, straightlaced elf cop. As New York explodes with dangerous creatures, their passion goes nuclear.

After a terrible magical accident at Berkeley created unpredictable holes between realities—all manner of non-human creatures started popping into our world. From selkies to trolls, elves to Sasquatches, all the magical creatures needed help because their was no returning them to their world or families. These magical events are called RARE—Random Anomalous Reality Events. And they have made magic now a reality, pulling it out of fiction and relocated it firmly in reality.

The result was a great deal of chaos, pain, anger, and confusion. Displaced elf Valerian works with AURA—the Agency of Unnatural Resettlement and Assimilation—to intercept these beings as they appear in the human world, helping the peaceful ones and subduing the violent, malevolent ones. It’s good, satisfying work, and Val would be happy if he wasn’t so lonely.

Quinten is a young human just trying to get by. But Quintan has a background awash in pain and betrayal and isn’t about to put his trust in any establishment, an attitude that makes New York City a difficult place to make a living. A bit of a con with a fluid moraltiy, still Quinten has a good heart if also one that’s kept under lock and key.

Living by his wits and sometimes magically-induced luck, he works as a ‘free-lance magic user’, or unregistered mage and small time con—according to the authorities. The last thing Quinn wants is to draw the cops’ attention, but when an Event happens right on top of him, he’s forced to turn to AURA for help. And that means an introduction to Val and the very agency Quinten has been trying to avoid.

But darker events are looming over all mage users and its’ up to Val, Quinten and a small group of friends (or almost friends) to stop the evil existing in their midsts.

Already a huge fan of Angel Martinez and her fantasy worlds, now I’m going to add Bellora Quinn to my list! Quinn’s Gambit, the first in a new Aura series, pulled me in by the first paragraph and kept me enthralled until the very last word. All of the characters the reader will meet inside Quinn’s Gambit are so beautifully realized! It really doesn’t matter who the character it, whether its Val, the elf prince, Kai, a drow and IT specialist and his lover Tensin a Yeti, or Sin aka Sinistrus a unlucky succubus who prefers men instead of the females he needs to feed on. One after another, a whole cast of bewitching characters appear to capture your heart and make you care about the tumultuous situation and universe they find themselves in.

The authors leave the origin of the blast and the experiment performed somewhat murky. All we know is that now holes in the fabric of the universe is allowing beings from other levels or plains of existence to fall through, permanently, into this one. Just from the mention of a selkie who committed suicide when she fell shockingly to ground in a desert in southwestern United States, and the reader gets it. These poor beings have been ripped without warning from their worlds and loved ones, and the authors make us feel their continued pain and confusion. Valerian lives with the constant pain of loss and we hurt for him because the cost to him and the others falls within the spectrum of loss we can well imagine.

Quinten is another special character. His background is slowly revealed to all in the story and once known, explains his living and working circumstances as well as the wall he has created around his heart. I think there is still so much more to be divulged about Quinn. There is an enormity to him and his powers that the authors are just starting to explore. Quinn is a puzzle and we still don’t have all the pieces to this compelling young man when we reach the end of this story. I can’t wait to see what else will come.

Quinn’s Gambit contains several mysteries, a ton of heartbreaking dramas, and, of course, a romance to begin and solidify between Quinn and Val. The writing is tight, the imaginative elements splendid and engrossing, and the heat that occurs between Quinn and Val so hot and sexy its almost combustible. The only place that I wanted more was the ending. I wanted it to be fuller, longer, and with more exposition to the scenes there. Yes, I wanted the “cherry on the top, with sprinkles”! Lucky for us all, Quinn’s Gambit is but the first in a new series, Aura, from Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn. I. Can’t. Wait!

Pick up Quinn’s Gambit (AURA Series #1) by Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn and begin your journey within this amazing new universe. It’s one of my favorite, highly recommended reads this month, perhaps of the year.

Cover artist Posh Gosh does a great job with the New York City skyline and Quinn. Terrific job.

Sales Links: Totally Bound Amazon Buy It Here links to come

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: March 6th 2015 by Totally Bound
ISBN139781784304423
edition languageEnglish
url https://www.totallybound.com/
seriesAURA Series #1

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Hammer and Bone by Kirby Crow Published by Riptide Publishing Cover by: Kirby Crow Roberto Quintero

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Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens Release Date: March 1, 2015 Goodreads Link

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Here is our schedule this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, March 2:

Tuesday, March 3:

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Best Chance (More Than Friends # 6) by Aria Grace Release Date: February 28, 2015 Goodreads Link

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Hammer and Bone by Kirby Crow
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Kirby Crow
Roberto Quintero

Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Goodreads Link

Best Chance (More Than Friends # 6) by Aria Grace
Release Date: February 28, 2015
Goodreads Link