Time to Go Nuts with Jackie Nacht’s A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas! (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Jackie Nacht

Author Bio:

Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Where to find the author:

Website: http://www.jackienacht.com
Blog: htttp://www.jackienacht.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

Publisher: MLR Press
Cover Artist: Zathyn PriestA Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas

Sales Links:    MLR Press LLC

 A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas Blurb:

It’s time for the chipmunk brothers to take their bear and wolf home to meet the family for the holidays.

A vicious horde of chipmunks? Dallas and Gunner knew that meeting their mate’s family wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. How could it be when they had eighteen brothers and sisters? This bear and wolf are about to be put to the test, surviving this family holiday. Will they be able to escape just the four of them or will they be taking some of the siblings back to White Pine…involuntarily?
Categories: Holiday, Paranormal, Contemporary

Excerpt: Chapter One

Gunner gripped the armrest, stale air brushing over his face from the tiny fan above. He fucking hated to fly, he really did, but the destination was well worth it in the end. His mate, Phillip, sat next to him, smiling out the window as they flew toward Atlanta. Phillip and Nikko had grown up there and their mother had invited him and Dallas to spend the holidays with them. Gunner was all too excited to meet the family of his mate. Phillip talked about them often and Skyped with them frequently. Gunner had talked to a few of them, but he had a feeling that he was ill prepared for meeting eighteen of Phillip’s brothers and sisters.

The plane tilted, and Gunner blew out a breath, feeling his stomach churn, his eyes frantically searching for the tiny bag in the pouch in front of him but coming up empty. The seats had seen better days, and he focused on the tear in the corner of the seat in front of him until the plane leveled off, praying he didn’t throw up in his mate’s lap.

A hand touched Gunner’s sweaty one, and he glanced over at Phillip, who eyed him with concern. “Didn’t you take the Dramamine?”

Gunner swallowed thickly. “I took three.”

“Three!” Phillip shouted in alarm, turning toward him. “You’re supposed to take one, no more than two.”

“I thought…” I was going to crash and die. “Being a bigger guy, it wouldn’t work, and it hasn’t.”

“When did you take it?” Phillip placed his soft hands to his forehead. Silly chipmunk, Gunner wasn’t running a fever, just feeling the effects of motion sickness and fear take hold of him. He might be a bit clammy, but hot he was not.

“Right before we took off, and I’m a big guy. It goes by weight.” Gunner blew out a quivering breath.

Phillip was staring at him, shaking his head as if he’d lost his damn mind. “You’re a doctor…”

“Dentist,” Gunner interrupted.

“You know better. This is going to knock you on your ass,” Phillip hissed at him. Gunner wasn’t sure what Phillip was worried about. His mate should be reading the damn emergency brochure because they were starting to have turbulence.

Oh shit! We’re gonna die!

Nikko stared at them from across the aisle. “What the hell is your problem? It’s not that bad.”

Not that bad.

He was going launch himself out of the seat and choke his brother-in-law. That is if he could unglue his hands from the armrest. Like the pieces of plastic would save him if they plummeted to their death, but the grips were a damn security blanket for him right now, so screw it.

Dallas shook his head from next to Nikko. “He hates to fly.”

“Well, it’s all fun and games until we’re dragging his ass all over Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. You know how big that airport is. Did you hear how much motion sickness medicine he took?” Nikko tattled on him to Dallas.

“They have a train,” Phillip defended him.

Nikko gave his brother an incredulous stare. “Then you carry him to the train yourself. By the time you’re through, you’ll look like fucking road kill.”

CCBadgeTour Dates: December 19th, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Gaylist Book Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book  Junkie, Tara Lain, My Fiction Nook, Christy Loves To Read, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, The Hat Party,  Rainbow Gold Reviews, Love Bytes, Queer Town Abbey, Fallen Angel Reviews, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Havan Fellows, Nephylim, Up All Night, Read All Day, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

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A Sammy Review: Thunder Snow by Owen Keehnen

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

ThunderSnow_100dpi_cvrJim Franklin lives a life in the closet. With no real connections, he seems to drift as the wind blows him. Where he ends up this time is at Windsor college. He’s got a girlfriend and friends, and while life may not be all butterflies and roses, it’s good enough.

A romantic literature class places Jim and Glenn Martin in each others paths. Glenn is a live-in boyfriend of a rich man. He came from nothing, and now he’ll do anything to hold on to what he’s got.

Snowy nights and alcohol bring them together, but could they also drive them apart?

For the longest time I had trouble distinguishing between a showing narrative and telling one, but this story is the perfect example of full-fledged telling.  Actual dialogue is rare and discussions are often summarized. To make matters worse, there’s no clear point of view, and the story lacks heart.

Within the first few pages I was bored. I didn’t get to know any of the characters, they were all just kind of there. In the end, I didn’t really care what happened to them, but that didn’t stop me from being taken aback with the final chapters. Could the way this ended be more realistic? Absolutely – but the fact is that, like everything else, it was glossed over so easily and without much thought, that it had no effect other than to irritate me.

There was a point in the story where I felt like I was reading the script of a bad soap opera, and I’m sad to say that that’s the impression this book left on me.

So why two stars? Well, there’s a few reasons. The cover art by Wilde City Press is great. It fits the story and was what lured me into reading it in the first place. Secondly, the author must’ve put some effort into the story, even if it didn’t connect with me. And finally, I truly believe that the author has potential. There were some words put together that were lovely, and if you read the bio, it sounds like maybe this author is better placed in a different type of writing – something that isn’t gay fiction for the current M/M fan base. Still, I thank the author for writing the story, and applaud their effort.

Cover artist:  Wilde City Press.  Just lovely, see comments above.

Sales Links:  Wilde City Press      ARe         amazon             Thunder Snow

Book Details:

Published by Wilde City Press

Release date: 29 October 2014
ISBN: 978-1-925180-58-9
Category: Gay Romance, Erotic, Romantic
Number of words: 15,000
Formats available: ebook only

A MelanieM Review: The Oracle’s Golem (The Oracle #3) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Cover - The Oracles FlameOnce Golem was the proud Dragon of the Earth.  Then the Oracle’s plans for him left him broken and despairing.  In his pain and rage, he left the society he was born into, melding in all ways, including physically, with the mountain they live on. And there the Golem hid deep within its recesses, paying little notice to the passing of years or the actions of the people he came from.

Then one day a child falls asleep in his lap …

That child is Lichen, the gifted problem child of the Earth Caste and he is followed Marl, a lowly Earth caste member who is chosen to look after Lichen and keep him out of trouble.  Marl came out of his testing with only brown dirt and a seed on his back, instead of the more impressive and powerful designs that would have boosted his status and gifts.  Marl has been content to garden and use the gifts he has in gentle ways, including looking after a lonely, intelligent child easily bored with his lessons.

Prodded by the attentions of Lichen and Marl, Golem slowly returns to human form and awareness of the struggles of the people around him.  When the truth of Golem is revealed,  it just might make Marl choose between his duty or the person he has come to love: Oracle or Golem?

Once more Mell Eight has delivered an enchanting fairy tale in The Oracle series, an imaginative and wholly captivating universe.  The Oracle’s Golem is a prequel (in a manner) to The Oracle’s Flame (The Oracle #1)  and The Oracle’s Hatchling (The Oracle #2) as the events that take place in this tale start off in the years preceding those stories.  In fact, Golem is the prime figure in the main drama of The Oracle’s Hatchling, something that the reader will easily recognize early on.

Every part of Mell Eight’s enchanting universe is fascinating and fully developed to include rich details and layers of mythology.  Four castes of Elementals, and which caste you belong to is decided at a ritual testing ruled over by the Oracle.  Where a person falls within the  Caste they are ordained for is revealed by a  tattoo or pattern that appears on their back, much like a tattoo.  Only these tattoos change and come to life.  At the pinnacle of each Caste is a Dragon, whether it be the Dragon of Fire (first story), the Dragon of Ether (second story), the Dragon of Water (still to come) and the Dragon of Earth which is featured here.  Then the levels (and people) drop in status and power and are given names accordingly.

Here is another brilliant element of this author’s universe, the names.  The name corresponds to a element of each person’s caste.  All Earth caste members have names that come from the Earth.  Marl’s name (he is a lowly caste member)  describes the clay and calcium deposits that fertilize soil.  Lichen?  That’s a composite of a number of organisms and has many uses so, yes, high on the scale.  I love how inventive this author is when it comes to naming the characters.  And then there is those fascinating patterns that appear on the back proclaiming each person’s gift and future.  Poor Marl…only a field of brown dirt and a seed, a pattern that makes all the others looks down on him with distain or ignore him all together.  If you find yourself a tad gleeful with anticipation when pondering that design, then this is the book for you.    There are so many layers of meaning to be uncovered and appreciated here.  This is a fairy tale universe for all who love champions, worlds in peril, and unexpected heroes.

Mell Eight’s narrative will draw you in completely into this world and Golem’s pain.  You can almost feel the weight of the earth on top of him as he sits, so a part of the mountain that his appearance is that of stone and soil, just another boulder for a lonely, bored child would use to climb and sit on when escaping his lessons.   Which is exactly how Lichen finds him.   We move from past to present and back again easily, sliding through the years and memories of the characters.

I really have only two issues with this story.  One, it felt that the ending came a little too quickly, and secondly, that rushed feeling made it feel a tad incomplete.  I could have wished for a chapter wherein it seemed like only pages, a slight flaw in my opinion.  But the world and stories Mell Eight has created for The Oracle series is far too rich and complex to let such a small issue pull it down.

You could read these stories out of order but you might find yourself saying things like “pirates? where did the pirates come from?”.  That won’t happen if you read them in the order the author has written and released them.  I love this series and eagerly await the next installment.  Pick them all up today, including The Oracle’s Golem.  It’s the perfect present to give yourself for the holidays.

Cover artist London Burden does a great job of branding this series with the stylized dragons on the covers.  Love it.

Sales Links:   Less Than Three Press  (preorder now)            All Romance (ARe)      links to come      amazon             buy it here

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: January 21st 2015 by Less Than Three Press
original titleThe Oracle’s Golem
ISBN139781620045152
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Oracle #3

Book in The Oracle series:

A MelanieM Review: Otter Madness by Winnie Jerome

Rating: 3 stars out of 5:

All I Want For Christmas Otter MaddnessOtter shifter Bryon is not happy.  His terrible boss wants him to work on Christmas and his mage boyfriend has been distant and uncommunicative lately.  What is an wereotter to do?  Get in trouble, that’s what.  When Byron goes snooping around his boyfriend’s workshop, he accidentally unleashes a second Bryon.  Now with two Bryons on the loose, can his boyfriend Lucas handle two mischievous, highly-sexed shifters just in time for Christmas?

Uh…wow.  Otter Madness is a perfect title for this wild concoction of a holiday story.  It contains nothing less than two wereotters ( should I say one were otter and one wereotter doppleganger), a homophobic boss, a mage boyfriend who is also a Dom, and quite a bit of bdsm toys and kinky sex scenes.  Mix that all together in 27 pages and you end up with a wild mess of a Christmas tale with some very funny elements, some sexy kinky bits and some things that are just so discordant that the story goes awry.

For me the best scenes in this story are the ones with Bryon in his otter form.  Jerome manages to convey the playfulness, the joy, and willy-nilly scatteredness of an otter in motion during these scenes.  But for every scene that reveals just how great it must be to be an otter rolling about in the towels, Jerome then gives us something to shudder at. A homophobic boss who is so unpleasant (calling Bryon and his boyfriend the “f” word and more) that you wonder why Bryon still wants to be employed there. . It’s just such an ugly segment, ok that whole restaurant segment is awful, that I can’t begin to understand why it was included.

Then there is the Bryon on Bryon sex, the D/s relationship between Bryon (and eventually Bryon) and Lucas, that  D/s relationship that never quite works because you don’t get enough of the personalities behind it to make it viable.  Otters are smart, playful, inventive, and high energy.  Submissive?  What is it about Bryon that makes that a part of his emotional makeup?  We haven’t a clue, especially when the second Bryon shows up and doesn’t quite seem to have the same personality even though they are supposed to be identical.  The story just continues on its messy way, dilly dallying over the kinky sex through a story that never quite comes to an end.

A wereotter is a terrible shifter to waste.  The mere creation of such a wonderful shifter elevated this story to a 3 star rating.  It’s antics, in his human form, kept it there.  It’s the holidays.  If any of the above appeal to you, then this is the story for you.  Other than that, treat it as the otter madness it is.

Torquere Holiday Sip generic cover is used, the artist is not given credit in this release.

Sales: Torquere Books        All Romance        amazon             buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 27 pages
Published December 11th 2013 by Torquere Press (first published December 10th 2013)

A MelanieM Review: Altered States (Altered States, #0.5) by Laura Harner

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Altered STates coverNew Orleans Police Detective Sam Garrett is having a bad day.  Sam can’t stand working with partners, yet he’s been assigned an aggravating, hot, and most-likely-straight partner, Travis Boudreaux,.  Travis pushes all his buttoms, including the one that says Sam finds Travis seriously attractive, not good when the man in question is straight.

When Sam and Travis are assigned to investigate a string of gay-bashings turned deadly in the French Quarter, the last thing Sam expects is that Travis plans to use him as bait. The worst part? They’ve got no back-up because the rest of the city is preoccupied by another series of killings — the victims drained of blood.

It should be a simple thing to close this case…but this is New Orleans where the deadly, the mystical, and the unknown can combine in lethal ways as Sam and Travis are about to find out.

Altered States started out as a story prompt in the Goodreads M/M Romance’s Love is Always Write, Don’t Read in the Closet Events.  But Altered States was to be a springboard to an addictively absorbing new series from Laura Harner and T.A. Webb.  It all starts with the wonderful creation of New Orleans Police Detective Sam Garrett.  Sam is gay, biracial, and physically slight, or should that be wiry.   He’s complex and not terribly popular down at the Precinct, which is a mixture of characters, not all of which are exactly upstanding representations of the law.

Adding to his woes of too many hours, not enough sleep, and aggravation at work is the fact that Sam has been assigned a new partner.  Travis Boudreaux is more of an enigma, a question mark of a persona that looms larger at the shocking end.  The case they are assigned too is horrific in nature.  Young gay men are being tortured and killed and its up to them to stop it.

Harner and Webb weave a fascinating tale of wary men, unacknowledged appetites, and murder.  Then they overlay it all with a touch of the supernatural when victims in another salacious crime spree start turning up dead, drained entirely of their blood.   It’s a great plot, and that twist at the end is shocking.  I loved it!  So will  you.

The kicker comes at the beginning of the next story that really starts this series, Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1).  That one?  Oh my!  This series is like a bowl of bon bons, once you start in on them, they are so delicious and rich that you won’t be able to stop.  I quite happily read my way through all three available stories and am now anxiously waiting for the next.

Altered States is one of my highly recommended reads as is the series.  Grab it up, along with all the others and drop yourself in the New Orleans world of crime, passion, and the supernatural!

Cover Art by Laura Harner.  Dark, kind of noirish.  Perfect!

Sales Links:     All Romance (ARe) (free)         amazon             get it here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 41 pages
Published May 27th 2012 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB0086Y9MM4
series  Altered States

Books in the Altered States Series:

  • Altered States (Altered States, #0.5)
  • Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1) by L.E. Harner, T.A. Webb
  • Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2) by L.E. Harner, T.A. Webb

 

A Mika Review: Loveblood by M.J. O’Shea

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title

Loveblood coverMax Appleton and his mother Celia are on the run, hiding from an abusive father and husband who’s also a notoriously bad pack leader. When Max hit puberty and it became obvious he’d never make an alpha wolf, his father turned the brunt of his anger toward his inferior son and his beta wolf wife for producing him. Max and Celia find sanctuary in a garden cottage at Holly Court, the sprawling estate where Celia’s oldest friend lives with her pack alpha husband, three daughters, and teenaged son Jonah.

Jonah Spellman has what seems like the perfect life. His family is close, his dad is respected by their whole pack, and he’s been groomed to take over for as long as he can remember. Everything is set, his whole life planned, and Jonah works hard to be exactly what everyone expects. He’s under enough pressure without a runaway from a bad pack complicating his life. 

When two teenaged werewolves from very different worlds meet one snowy January day, both of their worlds get turned inside out. From the moment they meet, nothing will be the same for Jonah or Max ever again.

I’m usually selective when it comes to reading YA books. They tend to be a little “young” for me.  I gave this one a chance based on it being a paranormal book. It wasn’t the best or the worst really. I think it was relatively sweet, maybe too much. I did like the paranormal aspect. I liked the heat and rut themes as well. I would really have enjoyed it if it would have been an mpreg book. I do think it was instant love, and I was fairly okay with that. I did find myself rolling my eyes a lot, but I tend to do those during YA books.

Max was definitely a fierce little wolf. His mother decided to move them down to Portland after years of abuse. They end up at Celia’s best friend from her home pack estate. Instantly there’s a connection between Max and Jonah. Jonah who is the son and future alpha of Holly Court’s pack. In the beginning Jonah seems like a nerd or a closed off kid. Well that changes quickly with the introduction of his future mate.

It was cute, all the cuddling, and closeness so quickly. Max and Jonah relationship started quickly. Max was so enthralled with Jonah that he forgot about school starting. He forgot about other people, a new school and everything else. Jonah was so wrapped up in Max he forgot about Zoe. His girlfriend, future mate who he was blood-bonded with since childhood. It wouldn’t be High School without bullies, frenemies, chosen sides, and unrequited love typical YA books.

There is a ton of jealously, lust, betrayal, fondling, and a plethora of more emotions. I did think that it was too “pat” of Jonah’s parents to be against Jonah being bonded to him because of pack disorder. Of course we had to have the fall out of Max and his mother’s urgent departure from their home pack. They brought the cliché destruction.

In the end I do feel like for a YA book it was good. It was rather fairy tale-ish because of the love surrounding Jonah and Max. Certain things were left unsaid for me. I can say if YA isn’t your thing then bypass this. I’m on the fence with YA generally but I did enjoy it. I liked the acceptance of certain things between the main characters. I liked that it wasn’t your typical YA High School bullying, I do think it was nice to see the parents have a huge impact on the boys. Would I recommend this? Certainly to YA audiences, people that like the cuteness theme level. It was fluffy, I did enjoy it though

Cover Art by M.J. O’Shea. I actually liked the cover based on it being about wolf shifters and running through the forest.

Sales Link:   Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback         All Romance eBook      amazon               buy it here

Book Details:
eBook, 256 pages
Published August 7th, 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781632162427
Edition Language: English

Get Caught Up In Posy Roberts’ Tangled Mind Romance (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Tangled Mind
Author Name: Posy Roberts

Author Interview:

How do you come up with the titles?

OMG, I hate titles!!! I didn’t used to. In my online publishing days, the title was often what started the whole story, but somewhere along the way, I lost that gift. Now, most of my books start off as something stupid. My most recent draft is literally called Frankie, the main character. How original! My young adult title didn’t come to me until I brainstormed with another person and she got me unstuck. Tangled Mind started off as Iceberg. I even considered Frozen until that movie came out and ruined that one for me. Then I tried out many horrendous titles and submitted the manuscript with one of those. I’m too embarrassed to even tell you what it was. In the end, I usually find a decent title, but not without going through a few obsessive days where that is all I can either think or talk about. My best friend, husband, and kid hate those days.
Is there a message in your novella that you want readers to grasp?

Facing our own demons must happen before we can truly thrive in a relationship. If we ignore our personal issues, we are bound to keep repeating the same mistakes or date the same type of person until we find a way to face and overcome our demons. I like to think this is nature’s way of giving us a chance to fix the past, even if it needs to be with a new person rather than the original one.
How much of the book is realistic?

All of it. There are millions of people, like Beck, living in codependent relationship all over the world or struggling to recover from them. Many don’t even know they’re in them. This story stems from drug use, but that’s not the only way someone gets into an enmeshed relationship where they give up parts (or all) of themselves to keep the peace, to make life run smoother, and all at the detriment of self. Tangled Mind is Beck’s story of healing.

Author Bio:

Posy Roberts writes about romantic male love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is married to a man who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep; her daughter, a budding author and dedicated Whovian, helps her come up with character names. When Posy’s not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.

Author Contact:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/posy.roberts.3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/posyroberts11
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757618490928296/
Twitter:    https://twitter.com/PosyRoberts
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/posyroberts/
Tumblr:     http://posyroberts.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/posy_roberts

Publisher: Dreamspinner PressTangledMindFS
Cover Artist: Maria Fanning
Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Press  amazon

Tangled Minds Blurb:

For years Beck Lund has taken care of his volatile boyfriend Brady, always putting Brady’s needs above his own and walking on eggshells to keep the peace. After Brady overdoses on heroin, his death devastates Beck. Thankfully his best friend, Timothy Kallis, finds him the help he needs. Beck slowly starts to recover and moves in with Timothy to get back on his feet, but he’s oblivious that Timothy is secretly nursing romantic affection for him.

Beck focuses on his own healing for the first time in his life. After months of challenging his codependent tendencies and learning how to stand up for himself, Beck finally starts to trust his gut and hopes to one day love again. Timothy is patient throughout, taking care of Beck in ways no one ever has. But if Beck can’t recognize Timothy’s affection for him, it might be too late for them to move beyond friendship.

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

Excerpt:

Before I had a chance to shut the front door, the sound of Brady choking on his own vomit pierced my eardrums. I was in our bedroom within seconds to witness him take what ended up being his last breath. Immediately I rolled him to his side to help him clear his airway. He flopped onto his back.

Abdominal thrusts. I slapped his face and shouted his name.

9-1-1.

I followed the directions the dispatcher gave me on speakerphone, putting my effort into every motion as tears ran down my face.

“The paramedics are on their way. Do you hear the sirens yet?”

“Yes,” I said as I used my full weight to come down on Brady’s torso, trying to dislodge whatever particle had stopped all air from moving in and out of his lungs.

Nothing helped. He just stared up at me with glazed-over eyes and refused to breathe.

“Goddammit. Don’t you dare leave me like this!”

I blankly watched as the paramedics swarmed into the bedroom, shooing me away so they could assess Brady’s condition, and I saw the grim looks on their faces when they realized what had really happened. The frenzied activity ceased, and their demeanor changed the second they found the syringe, spoon, and lighter.

Words: 24,000

TMBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

 17-Dec

My Fiction Nook

Cate Ashwood

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

18-Dec

MM Good Book Reviews

Hearts on Fire

Love Bytes

19-Dec

Multitasking Mommas
The Novel Approach

Regular Guys, Hot Romance

22-Dec

The Blogger Girls

Molly Lolly

Sinfully Sexy

23-Dec

Joyfully Jay

Prism Book Alliance

24-Dec

Inked Rainbow Reads

25-Dec

Amanda C. Stone

Parker Williams

26-Dec

Emotion in Motion

29-Dec

Book Reviews and More by Kathy

Queer Town Abbey

30-Dec

BFD Book Blog

31-Dec

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

3 Chicks After Dark

Velvet Pani

 

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Tangled Minds’, must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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Journey Into Courage with Jay Jordan Hawke’s A Scout Is Brave (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: A Scout is Brave
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Jay Jordan Hawke

Author Bio:

Jay Jordan Hawke holds a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in history, as well as a second master’s in Outdoor Education. He loves everything sci-fi, especially Star Trek, and hopes to be on the first starship out of here. In the meantime, he teaches at a college prep school and anxiously awaits the day when he can write full time.

In addition to all things sci-fi, his hobbies include camping, reading, running, and writing. He has lived in several Midwestern states and currently resides in Indiana. Ugh – get me out of here!

Author Contact:

https://www.facebook.com/jay.hawke
https://www.facebook.com/JayJordanHawke
https://www.twitter.com/@JayJordanHawke

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist: Anne CainScoutIsBrave

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback   amazon

A Scout Is Brave Blurb:

In the months following the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, fourteen-year-old Joshua, a half Native American boy, is new to a Boy Scout troop and spending a week camping in northern Wisconsin. The weaker kids in the troop soon realize Joshua is not afraid to stand up to the troop’s ruthless bullies. Joshua’s bravery and kindness is infectious, and the bullied Scouts quickly find their own inner strength.

Joshua, however, is plagued by self-doubt as he realizes he has feelings for Cody, the son of the troop’s harsh and puritanical Scoutmaster. The two discover they have more in common than Scouting as they share their deepest secrets and develop a close friendship. That friendship faces its greatest challenge as the homophobic bullies claim a “faggot” has “infected” their troop. As if struggling to come to terms with his sexuality while dealing with hatred and bigotry isn’t enough, Joshua discovers the camp holds another dark mystery, one that will make him summon all his courage and learn for the first time what it truly means to be brave.

A Scout Is Brave Exclusive Excerpt:

 

WARNING: Intense excerpt.

Tommy Drapos stood helpless before his fellow Boy Scouts. They had cornered him against a tree and took turns taunting him with words like “faggot” and “queer.”

“Hey, here’s your best friend,” one boy teased, holding up a long, thick stick.

The other boys simply laughed.

“Yeah, I bet you really miss it!” another boy shouted.

Little Tommy Drapos’s eyes lit up in fear as he realized what they were going to do. He cried out for mercy.

“Please stop,” he whimpered between his sniffs in a barely audible voice.

His cries for mercy accomplished nothing.

“Hey, can’t you see how sad he is?” the boy with the stick said to his crowd of friends. “I think he really misses his friend.”

“Give it to him!” another boy shouted.

“Yeah, give it to him!” the crowd collectively agreed.

Two boys stepped toward Tommy’s cowering body. They grabbed his arms, and Tommy cried out.

“Stop it! Please, stop it!”

Some boys in the crowd repeated Tommy’s words with a babyish tone, furthering Tommy’s humiliation. “Top it, pwease top it,” they taunted.

A third boy approached the panic-stricken boy. He grabbed Tommy’s pants and yanked them down. The crowd laughed. Tommy knew what they were going to do, and he was helpless to stop them.

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 180 pages

ASiBBadgeTour Dates/Stops:

15-Dec

LeAnn’s Book Reviews

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Parker Williams

16-Dec

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Kimi-Chan

Velvet Panic

17-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Molly Lolly

BFD Book Blog

18-Dec

EE Montgomery

Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Fallen Angel Reviews

19-Dec

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

Up All Night, Read All Day

MM Good Book Reviews

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A MelanieM Review: The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity #3) by Josh Lanyon

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The Boy with the Painful Tattoo coverStill dealing with the fallout from their recent investigation and murder,  mystery author Christopher “Kit” Holmes decided to overcome his misgivings and move in with his lover and fellow mystery writer, Julian Xavier “JX” Moriarity, a decision that has precipitated a move to San Francisco and a new house.  What could go wrong?

Well, almost everything.  With boxes still piled all around them, JX heads off to the Murder at Midtown conference, leaving Kit to ponder on the wisdom of this latest move…relationship and house.  Still, nothing  prepares Kit for the dead body under the Styrofoam beads in the crate that should have contained his old and treasured china.

Packing will have to wait while more mysteries pop up to solve along with dead bodies.  Who is the dead man?  Why is he in Kit and JX’s crate?  And importantly, what happened to Kit’s china?

I have been waiting for another book in the Holmes & Moriarity series since December 2010 when I finished the marvelous story, All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity #2).  The aftermath of the murders and events of that novel were nothing short of earthshattering. And that story left me wonderfing what would happen next…to both our main characters as well as their relationship.  Now, four years later I finally have my answer with The Boy With The Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity #3). Well, sort of, and I couldn’t be happier.

I said “sort of” because as any fan of Josh Lanyon’s and his stories know, nothing is ever a sure thing, including an absolutely happy resolution with his characters or their relationships.  Whether it is Adrien English and his lover, the tormented, closeted Jake Riordan (who make guest appearances here), or Kit Holmes and JX Moriarity, the foundation on which their lives and relationships is built lies on shaky ground, a terrain where you almost expect to see the fissures and cracks that habitually appear to threaten their relationship, sanity, and in some cases, their lives.  Also well known to us fans is that the source for some of these ruptures and interruptions spring from and are self inflicted by the complex, introspective and wounded men that Josh Lanyon writes so well.

We live in the mind of Kit Holmes in this series and what a mind that is!  Highly intelligent, questioning, somewhat quarrelsome, and introspective, Kit’s emotionally and mentally scattered when we jump into their new life and home on Chestnut Lane.  His decision, prompted by the awful events in the last book, to move in with JX has seen him give up his home in Southern California to move with all his treasured belongings to San Francisco where JX can be close to his ex wife and nephew (long story, read the books).  And at every step and moment we know (as we are listening into his internal monologue) that Kit constantly questions whether he has done the right thing, if their relationship will work out, and how will they juggle the changing dynamics that the reversal in their career fortunes is introducing into their partnership.  There is so much stuff crammed into that brilliant skull that it would be exhausting for all trying to untangle it if it wasn’t also so marvelously entertaining.  And wouldn’t Kit just hate that!

I adore Kit in all his difficult, brooding glory but I have also fallen in love with  JX, a  man with his own “quieter” set of issues and problems.  JX is an author whose career is on the rise just as Kit’s popularity as an author and mystery genre is falling out of favor.  But whereas Kit’s wears his foibles and somewhat contentious nature like a well fitted suit, JX’s flaws and complexities are far more subtle, needing a major crash, explosion or even murder to bring them out into the open.  The juxtaposition of these two strong personalities as they struggle to maintain a relationship or investigation makes this series and this book always absorbing and highly addictive.

How can you not love a man whose just had the best, most explosive sex of his life,, and then spends the next moments pondering (internally of course) what’s wrong with it, them and himself?  All while still in bed, naked and sweaty?  If, as Socrates says “an unexamined life is not worth living”, then Kit Holmes is living life to the fullest!

And there are more joys to be found with this latest installment of Holmes & Moriarity.  Their move onto Chestnut Lane has brought them a curious neighbor with the wonderful name of Emmaline Bloodworth.  Any one with a familiarity of British cozies should be rubbing their hands together in anticipation.  Here is our (and Kit’s) first introduction to her:

I saw a small person of indeterminate sex, dressed in baggy clothes. At first glance it appeared that one of the garden gnomes from next door had come to life. And had something to say about it.

“Good morning!” the gnome greeted me. She had one of those fluting, high voices that brought to mind Sunday school teachers and curators at the most macabre exhibits at the Tower of London. A voice like an ice pick through your left eye socket. “Welcome to the neighborhood. So sorry to disturb you on your first morning, but the movers must have broken one of the sprinkler heads along your front walk.”

“Oh. Uh…okay.”

As I seemed to be missing the point, she said kindly, “Water is shooting up like a geyser out there. There’s a drought going on, you know.”

She was probably in her sixties, but unlike my former mentor Anna Hitchcock, no effort here had been made to stave off the ravages of time. Not that she looked ravaged. Beneath the wide brim of her hat I could just make out twinkling blue eyes in a round and rosy face.

And yes, she has a cat which just happens to resemble in name and appearance the feline that figures so largely in Kit’s mystery novels.  Another mystery to solve?  I hope so.

And then there is Inspector Ishwar “Izzie” Jones, SFPD and JX’s former partner, Rachel Ving or Ving the Merciless as Kit’s agent is known who wants Kit to write Swedish type mysteries, JX’s ex wife and former sister in law Nina and Gage, her son and his nephew (really, you must read the first two stories).  The Boy with the Painful Tattoo is chock full of the most wonderful characters and intriguing situations you could hope for, especially in ones that act as secondary storylines along side the primary ones of murder most foul and a relationship still looking to find solid ground, albeit temporarily.

Yes, I loved this book, yes, I adore this series and I think any lover of mysteries (M/M or otherwise) will as well.  Combine a terrific mystery with two believable and charismatic men trying to balance lives, love, and careers and you have author whose series and main characters should be on everyone’s Must Have, Must Read lists.   I can’t wait to see what happens next in the lives of Holmes & Moriarity but if you are new to this couple, start with the first mystery where they are reunited in Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes & Moriarity #1).  Continue onto All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity, #2), before arriving here at The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity, #3).  If you’ve been good or perhaps very, very naughty and good, you might find them in your eReader stocking!

I love Josh Lanyon and this story is just another reason why he should be on everyone’s top list of authors whose stories you must have.  Consider The Boy With The Painful Tattoo one of my Highly Recommneded Reads!

Cover art by L.C. Chase.  Love the cover.  It has that sort of Noir feel to it of the older mystery novel covers. Great job.

Sales Links:  Josh Lanyon        All Romance (ARe)         amazon                  buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 228 pages
Published October 5th 2014 by Just Joshin (first published October 3rd 2014)
original titleThe Boy with the Painful Tattoo
ISBN139781937909376
edition languageEnglish
seriesHolmes & Moriarity #3

Books in the  Holmes & Moriarity series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the timeline of events and relationship history:

Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes & Moriarity #1)
All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity, #2)
The Boy with the Painful Tattoo (Holmes & Moriarity, #3)

 

Victor Alexander is here with a ” Delicious Mistake” (book tour, recipe, and contest)

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Book Name: Delicious Mistake
Author Name: Vicktor Alexander

Here Vicktor Alexander is doling out the goodies on his latest story, Delicious Mistake.  While you are checking out the book below, think about this delicious recipe from the author:

“This is the recipe that I shared at the end of Raising Shawna it’s called “Heavenly Delight” and it’s one of my favorite desserts of all time:                                                                    Heavenly Delight

Ingredients:

Bottom Crust:

2 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Custard layer:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 Bananas, sliced lengthwise
1-15 oz can crushed pineapple (drained of juice)
1 regular or double size container of Cool Whip
1 15oz can of sliced peaches (drained)
small pkg of slivered Almonds

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup melted butter/margarine. Press the mixture into an 8×8″ or 9×9″ baking pan.

In a separate bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup melted butter/margarine, 1 cup sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread this mixture over the crust and place in freezer until hardened. Take 3-5 bananas sliced length wise and place side by side with some spacing between slices on top of the hardened butter mixture. Take 1 – 15oz can crushed pineapple (drain juice) sprinkle over the sliced bananas and in between slices. Take a tub of Cool-Whip as much as you desire spread over the top of banana/pineapple layer. Garnish with sliced peaches and some Almond slivers.

———–now add to your  recipe box——————-

Author Bio:

Vicktor “Vic” Alexander wrote his first story at the age of ten and hasn’t stopped writing since. He loves reading about anything and everything and is a proud member of the little known U.N. group (Undercover Nerds) because while he lives, eats, breathes, and sleeps sports, he also breathes history and science fiction and grew up a Trekkie. But don’t ask him about Dungeons & Dragons, because he has no idea how to play that game.

When it comes to writing he loves everything from paranormal to contemporary to fantasy to historical and is known not only for being the Epilogue King but also for writing stories that cross lines and boundaries that he doesn’t know are there. Vic is a proud father of two daughters one of whom watches over him from Heaven with his deceased partner Christopher. Vic is a proud trans* and gay man, and when he is not writing, he is hanging out with his friends, or being distracted by videos of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, and Shemar Moore. Vicktor has published numerous bestselling novels and has a WIP list that makes him exhausted just thinking about. He knows that he will be still be writing about hot men falling in love with each other, long after he is living in an assisted living facility, flirting with the hot, male nurses.

Author Contact:

http://www.facebook.com/VicktorAlexanderB
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVicktorAlexander
http://www.twitter.com/VVeeB
http://www.vicktoralexander.tumblr.com

Delicious Mistake Cover PhotoPublisher: Totally Bound
Cover Artist: Posh Gosh

Sales Links:  Totally Bound

Delicious Mistake Blurb:

Miguel Rodriguez stood by his friend Xavier’s side when evidence of his affair with another man came out. He also stuck by Xavier when he disappeared from Atlanta and moved to the mountains of Wyoming. But he will not stand by Xavier when he decides to marry his young lover and still run for the Senate.

Hopping on a plane to Wyoming, Miguel finds himself meeting Julian Canton, a young man who has no political ambitions and doesn’t even vote, and yet Miguel finds himself fascinated. Miguel makes the mistake of upgrading Julian’s ticket so they can get to know each other better and somehow finds himself in Riverton, WY, holding Julian’s hand as he says goodbye to his brother. Giving in to his attraction to the young man, Miguel struggles not only with his physical attraction but with his emotional one as well. When he compounds his mistake by inviting Julian along with him to talk to Xavier, he soon finds himself feeling something he has never felt before. Will he join his friend Xavier in listening to his heart or will he walk away?
Categories: BDSM, Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Delicious Mistake Excerpt:

“How in the world did you make us being friends sound so dirty?” Julian asked.

Miguel chuckled. “Oh that’s easy. I can make anything sound dirty. It’s all about lowering my voice and making everything you say the most seductive thing you’ve ever uttered.”

Julian’s eyebrows rose. “Oh really? Prove it.”

Miguel leaned forward, ignoring the people walking past them, juggling their carry-ons, children, friends and spouses as they exited the plane. He lowered his voice and stared at Julian’s groin, his brain filling with images of Julian’s cock encaged in a cock ring, his body straining against restraints, his skin glistening with sweat as he pleaded with Miguel to let him come.
“Voting for a presidential candidate is one of the best things you can do as an American, because it guarantees that your voice is heard, even when it doesn’t feel like it. It’s a time when you can take control, assert your independence and make sure that you have someone in office who cares about what you care about.” He could hear how seductive his voice sounded and if the darkening of Julian’s eyes was any indication, the man was turned on—though more by the tenor of Miguel’s voice than his actual words. “You should think about voting, Julian,” he said, rolling the younger man’s name around in his mouth like a fine wine. “Enclosing yourself in a booth and either punching a hole or touching a screen and choosing who the head of the country is going to be.”

Julian was panting, his pink lips parted as he stared at Miguel. “Holy fuck,” he croaked out. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard about the most boring subject in the world.”

Pages: 55 pages

DMBadgeTour Dates: December 16, 2014

Tour Stops: 

Parker Williams, Foxylutely Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, Molly Lolly,

Queer Town Abbey, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Love Bytes, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Multitasking Mommas, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Charley Descoteaux

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Nic Starr

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews

 

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