Category: Uncategorized

Fall Into Love with Susan MacNicol’s Love You Senseless (Men of London: Book 1) Tour and Contest

Banner300x250

Fall into Love with Susan MacNicol’s Love You Senseless (Men of London: Book 1)!

Before we get to the great book info, I have a special interview with Susan MacNicol for your (and my) enjoyment!  Susan shares her thoughts about chefs and some insight into the story.  Enjoy!

Q.  You hit it on the head for me with a main character who is a chef.  That is such a tactile and sensual profession and it makes for great characters.  What drew you to that profession?

SM:  My family are all great cooks, and it seems to be in the blood. My mum has always been a woman who can make anything taste good and has a knack for baking, cooking and creating mouth watering dishes. My sister is a chef, who ran her own restaurant in Cape Town for a while. My dad and his wife owned a hotel on the South Coast of Natal, where preparing meals was a way of life. My son is in hospitality too, not food but as a mixologist for TGI Fridays. My hubby cooks a mean meal too, and my daughter is very creative when it comes to her dishes looking good, even if she is the most messy chef I know. I am the only one who actually doesn’t enjoy cooking and finds it a chore. I can cook when I have a mind to, but I don’t enjoy it. So writing about it is probably as close as I’ll get to this past time.

Q.  Do you love to cook or to eat?  Do you have a favorite cuisine and does it figure into the story?

SM:  *grins* I think I answered the first part of this question already. Actually I’m not a big eater and I know this is sacrilegious, but I could live on takeaways, microwave meals, sandwiches and fried eggs on toast. When someone cooks I truly enjoy it but to me eating is to live, not a way of life. My favourite cuisine is sea food of some sort, but I also love tapas and mezes dishes where you get a lot of small dishes and you can pick and eat at your leisure.

Q.  Do we get any recipes to go along with the plot (hint, hint)

SM:  I have a wonderful South African recipe for something called ‘bobotie’ which you can find here and which everyone swears by…I eat it, I don’t cook it but I’ve told this is a ‘top’ recipe..

Pronounced ba-boor-tea, the national dish of South Africa is a delicious mixture of curried meat and fruit with a creamy golden topping, not dissimilar to moussaka

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5109/bobotie
Q. The kitchen pace can be frenetic, how hard is it to bring that to life without losing any concentration on the characters?

SM:  I found I concentrated more on the subtle hints of the life behind a restaurant, rather than full blown action in the kitchen. There are some scenes, such as the one where Gideon finds Eddie and one of his colleagues talking about his affliction, something he hates, and he goes a little bitchy. There you get to meet a couple of the others who make up the back drop for the story, as well as find out what to do when a tea towel sets alight…

Q.  Which came first title or plot?   Or characters or plot?  Or did they all just coalesce at once?

SM:   – I came up with the title first and had to figure out what it meant. When I finally got the inspiration for the story, it was a little like that proverbial ‘Eureka!’ moment. Gideon and Eddie just popped into my head. I knew I wanted a saucy red head and boy, do we get one in this story. Gideon’s grouchiness, torment and his warm, loving nature when he finally lets his guard own and Eddie in – that was fun to write. And Taylor and Leslie, Eddie’s housemates..as with a series, you need to create the lasting characters for the next book and I hope I did this with them.

Q.  This is the first in a series.  Will it feature the same characters at different points in their relationship or focus on other characters that pop up in this story?

SM:  Gideon and Eddie will have cameo roles in the next books, but each subsequent book will focus on a character introduced in previous stories and give them their very own voice. Book 2 will the story of Taylor and Draven, Book 3 is Leslie and David and Book 4 will be all about Clay and Tate. You’ll get to meet Clay in Sight and Sinners, which is book 2. After that -who knows where I’ll take it…

Q.  How many books do you have planned for this series or  isn’t there a set number at this time?

SM:  There is a set number of six that I’ve contracted for, and I think this is where it will stop for a while. I need to focus on writing my new full length and rather epic ‘Living on Air’ featuring Carey and Rhys, and that story is going to take a lot out of me. It’s about a young man, Carey, who escapes an horrific child hood event (not sexual abuse related) and hides from the world in a most unlikely place. Until he’s discovered by Rhys, and has to face up to the fact that he can’t hide from the world forever.

Q.  Your favorite childhood story if you have one and did it have an impact on you as a child and still as an adult author?

SM:  Believe it or not, and this is going to sound very clichéd, but one of the best memories I have of childhood was when I got my very first typewriter for my birthday at the age of around ten. It was an old Royal, and I can still hear the clackety-clack of the keys. I wrote voraciously at the time and my dad decided I needed a ‘new fangled’ writing instrument. His words I swear. I spent hours in my bedroom typing away and I still have a lot of the material I typed on it. I had to throw it away about five years ago as it was bust to hell after moving countries and homes and sometimes I feel a real nostalgia and wish I’d kept it.

Q.  What’s next for Susan Mac Nicol?

 SM:  Write more books. Get out and do some conferences – I’ll be in Munich in July for Eurocon and Gay Pride, Bristol in September for UK Meet, and perhaps I might get to the US for GRL in October. Keep doing what I do and hope I become famous Kidnap Benedict Cumberbatch and keep him in my cellar…oops did I say that out loud? Continue trying to entertain my readers and fans, and hope that they continue to enjoy my books and to support me like they have in the past. They are true gems and I appreciate each and every one of them, along with the bloggers who work tirelessly to support authors like myself, simply because they love reading and books. We salute you all.

Q.  Thank you, Susan, I enjoyed that so much.  Now onto Love You Senseless (Men of London: Book 1)!

Book Name: Love You Senseless (Men of London: Book 1)
Author Name: Susan Mac Nicol

Author Bio:

Sue MacNichol Book

Susan Mac Nicol is a self confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, self confessed geek and nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that…

She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason. She likes to think of herself as a ‘half full’ kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested.

Lover of walks in the forest, theatre productions, dabbling her toes in the cold North Sea and the vibrant city of London where you can experience all four seasons in a day , she is a hater of pantomime (so please don’t tar and feather her), duplicitous people, bigotry and self righteous idiots.

In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people.

.

Author Contact:
website: www.susanmacnicol.com
blog: susanmacnicol.wordpress.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/susiemax77MoL_Love You Senseless_cover
twitter: www.twitter.com/SusanMacNicol7
pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/susiemax777/pins/
linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/susanmacnicol/48/a44/602
tumblr: http://www.susanmacnicol.com/my-tumblr-blog/

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Cover Artist: Boroughs Publishing Group

  Love You Senseless Blurb:

London’s saucy up-and-coming chef, Eddie Tripp has just the right recipe to drive tragedy from the mind of Gideon Kent—and leave him senseless with desire.

From Soho to Norwich, there’s no escaping love.

A TASTE OF FOREVER

An award-winning chef with his own restaurant and an inexhaustible passion, Gideon Kent once had everything. Then came tragedy. It stole more than Gideon’s home. He hasn’t cooked since.

Until Eddie Tripp. Fun-loving and vivacious, the Norfolk redhead’s a real up-and-comer in Gideon’s kitchen—and other places. Slim where Gideon’s broad, easy-going where Gideon is growly, he and Gideon seem polar opposites, and yet Eddie conjures flavors that would tempt anyone with a taste for perfection. The sauce of love is already simmering, and this pair is about to dine on the most delicious dish they’ve ever prepared. Because Eddie’s been Gideon’s missing ingredient all along.

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

 Love You Senseless Excerpt:

Eddie kissed back, wanting nothing more than this moment, this man in his body and his lips on his. Somewhere a bell rang and for a minute Eddie thought it might be the sound of his own passion translated to tinkling sleigh bells and fireworks like in the cartoon movies when two people kissed. He smiled at that thought then as the bell got more insistent and irritating, he turned to Gideon only to find he was no longer there. Eddie scowled and reached across to where the annoying bell sound was….

He woke from his dream upright, sweating, sticky with come and tangled in musty smelling sheets that had seen their fair share of jack off action lately and needed washing. His hand rested on his mobile phone as it trilled incessantly with his Big Ben alarm. He blinked owlishly for a minute, wondering where he was, then as the dream faded, he fell back in a loose heap with a sense of loss.

Words: 85,000

BadgeTour Dates and Stops:

11/3: Rainbow Gold Reviews
11/4: Amanda C. Stone, Joyfully Jay
11/5: Rebecca Cohen Writes
11/6: Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly
11/7: Nic Starr
11/10: The Novel Approach, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
11/11: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Hearts on Fire
11/12: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
11/13: Love Bytes, Twinsie Talk
11/14: Prism Book Alliance, Dawn’s Reading Nook
11/17: The Blogger Girls, Kristy’s Brain Food
11/18: MM Good Book Reviews, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
11/19: 3 Chicks After Dark
11/20: Smoocher’s Voice
11/21: Multitasking Mommas
11/24: Kimi-Chan, Cathy Brockman Romances
11/25: Iyana Jenna, The Hat Party
11/26: Queer Town Abbey, Andrew Q. Gordon
11/27: Crystal’s Many Reviewers, BFD Book Blog, Michael Mandrake
11/28: EE Montgomery, My Fiction Nook, It’s Raining Men

Contest:  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: A copy of Saving Alexander & Stripped Bare.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

A MelanieM Review: Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #20) by T.A. Webb

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Terra Firma coverWith everything that has gone down in the past months, Charlie Turner would rather take a bullet than hurt the man  he loves,  Amos Greene .  But Charlie is in possession of some knowledge that he’s not sure Amos wants to know about.  And the indecision and secrecy is killing him.

Amos Greene grew up in a series of foster homes that left him abused, hardened, and closed off. Meeting Charlie Turner changed his life. Now Amos is part of a family. But there’s still a little bit of him that wonders who he really is.  Little does he know that Charlie has a file in his possession that will change everything for both of them.

Now all Charlie and Amos need is a little more courage and trust to see them through to the ending they both deserve and desire.

Terra Firma by T.A. Webb has settled into my heart like the warm glow of a crackling fire on a cold winter’s night.  The warmth and light draws you in after leaving the cold and dark behind.  You appreciate it so much more because of the past surroundings and the journey you took to hearth and home.  Terra Firma feels like that.  It feels like coming home.

Through a remarkable four stories we have watched Charlie Turner and Amos Greene struggle with commitment, trust issues, bigotry, horrific abuse, and a family in tatters.  And cheered as each man faced the obstacle in front of them and survived, as individuals and, finally as a couple we have learned to love.  Along the way, Charlie and Amos became a family, along with Charlie’s younger brother, Damon.  Still there always seems to be one more barrier to overcome, one more secret to surface before things can become sane and happy once more.

T.A. Webb drops us into Charlie and Amos’ life just as another wave of change approaches.  And while Charlie sees this one coming, what it will leave in its aftermath is anyone’s guess.  All three of the main characters that make up this complex family have been wounded by life, yet Webb meshes their damaged natures and needs into a whole that feels real and intimate.  Terra Firma is that place Charlie, Amos and Damon have been looking for, emotionally and physically and now it seems that another barriers has to be faced, although this time they do it together.

Earthquake has always been a series played out on a smaller stage, with the cast of players decreasing story by story until this last installment is almost a cast of three.  It’s a warm, close knit group that now feels as familiar as old friends.  The last hurdle?  A file folder containing information about Amos’ background and history, something that has caused him profound pain and determined his life path towards Flagstaff and Charlie.  As the scene plays out, the dynamics between Amos and Charlie, Charlie and Damon, and Damon and Amos, step onto the stage, each unfolding with believable interchanges and loving dialog.  And as the men grapple with the information, the cloak of family falls over all of them, and makes it possible for them all to move forward.

As I said, Terra Firma, the solid foundation Charlie, Amos and Damon have been seeking, has arrived and it is my favorite story of them all. It’s comforting, warm, and embracing. Its love, family, and the future you always wanted rolled into one.  How amazing that T.A. Webb accomplished so much in only 40 pages.  That’s the power of succinct storytelling and  a depth of characterization that continues to pull you in line after line.  That’s a beautifully constructed and  well written narrative doing the job it is supposed to do and then some.  That’s Terra Firma by T.A. Webb, short story writing at its best.  Dont miss out on this amazing book.  But start at the beginning, enjoy the journey.  It will make this happy ending so much more satisfying as well as one to remember.

Cover art by Laura Harner.  Another great  cover in a series of covers.  The branding is especially effective.

Sales Links:  All Romance eBooks     amazon    Terra Firma

Book Details:

ebook, 40 pages
Published October 31st 2014 by A Bear on Books
ISBN139781311836977
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #2

 

 

About Pulp Friction 2014

Pulp Friction 2014 Authors: Laura Harner ~ Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ T.A. Webb
The Pulp Friction 2014 Collection. Four authors. Four Series. Twenty books. One fiery finale. Spend a year with an eclectic group of strangers brought together through circumstances, as they are tested by life, and emerge as more than friends.
The strongest bonds are forged by fire, cooled in air, smoothed by water, grounded in earth.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment. The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:
Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:
Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:
Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:
Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five:
Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors coming in December.

Side Stories or Interludes:

Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (a In From the Cold story)
Wicked Winds (Whispering Winds 3.5) by Havan Fellows – bonus book, Whispering Winds
Frankie’s Knight (Elemental Connections: IV) (Earthquake #3.5)
Kismet & Cartwheels – bonus book, Fighting Fire

On Tour with Parker Williams’ Protector of the Alpha (Shifting Needs #1) (contest)

PotABanner300x250

 Protector of the Alpha: Shifting Needs Book 1
Author Name: Parker Williams

Author Bio:

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that comes with melding lives together.
Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.

Publisher: Self-publishedProtector400x600
Cover Artist: Laura Harner

Sales LInks:   All Romance   Smashwords    Amazon

Protector of the Alpha Blurb(s):

Adopted at an early age by a wealthy family, Jake Davis’s life appears easy. Even in college, he is blessed with good grades and an apparently clear path to a pro football career. Good thing his best friend keeps hanging around to keep his head from getting too swollen.

Zakiya Incekara has always been…odd. Being fluent in six languages and having a flair for international cooking should open the world to him, but those skills leave him isolated.

When Jake sees Zak for the first time, with water beading down his slender form, something inside him shifts, and it hungers for Zak. To have him. To claim him. And Jake knows that whatever it is, it won’t be denied.

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, New Adult, Paranormal

Protector of the Alpha Excerpt:

Jake’s hand was rough, his skin dry. Zak loved how his fingers gripped tightly, but not so much that it hurt. Jake said nothing as they walked along the streets of the campus. There were few people around, but Zak did not care if everyone was watching them. He was confused as to his attraction to Jake, but it was something he could not deny.

The soft jazz music poured from the door of the pub when Jake pulled it open. Jake’s hand on his lower back urged him inside. Zak sniffed appreciatively at the scent of Cajun spices, no doubt from the blackened catfish special. His stomach protested, and he heard Jake snicker, but he could not seem to raise the ire he should. Jake escorted him to a booth and allowed Zak to sit back against the brushed leather.

“Two dinner specials coming up,” Jake said brightly.

Zak gazed at Jake’s hulking form as it moved away, marveling at the sinewy grace as he dodged patrons and servers. It was odd. He had never met anyone like Jake. He doubted there was anyone like Jake. He felt comfortable in his presence. Jake’s size did not intimidate him. In fact, that made him all the sexier. But his eyes were what made Zak melt into a puddle of goo. The way they twinkled in the dimmest of light. When Jake so much as glanced at him, Zak felt he was the sole thing Jake saw.

Jake turned from the bar, and Zak watched as the bright smile turn into a sneer. He dropped the tray, the catfish crashing to the floor, before he stalked to where Zak sat. Jake grabbed a man, probably about forty, by his throat and pushed him against the wall.

“You don’t so much as breathe near him,” Jake snarled.

The man looked cool as he smiled and croaked out. “You are everything I had heard you would be, and more, my lord.”

Pages: 237 pages

 Book Tour:  November 11, 2014

PotABadgeTour Stops: 

Parker Williams

My Fiction Nook

The Hat Party

BFD Book Blog

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

3 Chicks After Dark

Prism Book Alliance

Lee Brazil

Tara Lain

Fallen Angel Reviews

Cathy Brockman Romances

Amanda C. Stone

Molly Lolly

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Hearts on Fire

Decadent Delights

Wake Up Your Wild Side

Inked Rainbow Reads

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

Andrew Q. Gordon

Love Bytes

Multitasking Mommas

Mrs. Condit & Friends

Iyana Jenna

MM Good Book Reviews

Guilty Indulgence Book Club

Emotion in Motion

Havan Fellows

Tara Lain

Nephylim

The Blogger Girls

Up All Night, Read All Day

Dawn’s Reading Nook

Velvet Panic

The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

Full Moon Dreaming

Cate Ashwood

Jade Crystal

Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Kimi-Chan

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize:

On Love and Honor with Keira Andrews and her release, Semper Fi! (book tour and contest)

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

semper-fi-web-large

With one story, A Forbidden Rumspringa, Keira Andrews, jumped into the hearts and minds of so many readers, including myself.  Now Keira Andrews is back with her latest book, Semper Fi.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity (because today is Veteran’s Day) to talk to Keira Andrews about our soldiers, DADT, and the issues they face.  Here is my interview with Keira Andrews (and don’t forget to check out the blurb, excerpt, and contest below as well):

~~~~~~~

 

Today is Veteran’s Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Commonwealth countries, and I’m honoured to be here to discuss Semper Fi, my new romance novel.

In WWII, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — and its repeal so that queer soldiers can serve openly — was decades away. Anti-sodomy laws were still on the books, and gay servicemen and women had to hide who they really were (with few exceptions). While reading a nonfiction book on the bitterly fought battle for Guadalcanal in the Pacific, I began to wonder about the Marines who fought there. Since I always have M/M romance on the brain, I wondered if any of them were gay, and what their lives would be like after the war. Thus, Semper Fi was born.

I was also greatly inspired by this picture:Korean War comfort

This evocative shot from the Korean War so eloquently shows the comradeship and tenderness that can exist between soldiers fighting and suffering together. I wanted to explore the evolution of a close friendship when two Marines fall in love. Intense bonds form in boot camp and foxholes in the heat of battle, but what happens to that relationship back in the real world?

And what happens when the love at the heart of a friendship blooms into something more? For me, an HEA is a necessity as a reader and a writer. What does happily ever after look like in 1948? Can two men have a life together and raise a family?

So many questions! I hope you’ll enjoy my answers in Semper Fi.

semper-fi-web-largeThe war is over. The battle for love has just begun.

As Marines, Cal and Jim depended on each other to survive bloodshed and despair in the Pacific. Relieved to put the horrors of war behind him, Jim went home to his apple orchard and a quiet life with his wife and children. Knowing Jim could never return his forbidden feelings, Cal hoped time and an ocean between them would dull the yearning for his best friend.

But when Jim’s wife dies, Cal returns to help. He doesn’t know a thing about apple farming—or children—but he’s determined to be there for Jim, even as the painful torch he carries blazes back to life. Jim is grateful for his friend’s support as he struggles with buried emotions and dark wartime memories. Then Jim begins to see Cal in a new light, and their relationship deepens in ways neither expected. Can they build a life together as a family and find happiness in a world that would condemn them?

Discover how love finds a way in Semper Fi!

Buy Links:

 Semper Fi Excerpt

1942

Bellowing black smoke in its wake, the train swayed as it crossed the Rappahannock River, the boisterous singing and chatter of the men inside muffling the creaking wood of the ancient cars. As Cal stumbled, a strong hand on his arm steadied him, and he smiled down at the man before flopping into the opposite seat. He held out a bottle. “Drink? It’s allegedly bourbon.”

A small smile lifted the man’s lips. “Sure.” He took the bottle and tipped it back. He tried to hide his grimace, but couldn’t quite. “I’ve never really liked the hard stuff.”

“Well, in defense of bourbon, this isn’t exactly Kentucky’s finest.” Cal peered out the window past the sleeping man beside him, who drooled against the streaked glass. The sun splashed orange across the horizon as it sank out of sight. “Hard to believe we’ll be in South Carolina in the morning. Assuming this dirty old pile of planks doesn’t disintegrate along the way.”
A pot-bellied stove in the middle of the train car belched, emitting only a small amount of heat in the January chill. Cal shivered against the competing drafts, wishing he’d brought a warmer jacket. But he supposed they’d all be trading their civvies for uniforms soon enough, and he’d yearn for the northern cold before too long.

“Let’s hope we’ll be shipping out in something a little sturdier,” the man said before passing the bottle to the recruit beside him, who stopped screeching an Irish sea shanty long enough to gulp down a quarter of the swill.

“I’m Cal, by the way.” Cal extended his hand. “Cal Cunningham.”

“Jim Bennett.”

If Jim noticed how smooth Cal’s palm was in comparison to his own, he didn’t let on. His neatly combed hair was a blond that probably lightened in the sun, and there was a general wholesomeness about him that indicated he spent significant time outside. Faded freckles dusted Jim’s pale skin, and he wore a blue button-front shirt that couldn’t match the brilliance of his eyes.
As most of the men around them launched into a recitation of a limerick about a man from Nantucket, a fresh waft of burning coal drifted on the air. Cal chuckled ruefully. “I think this is the Marine Corps’ way of telling us not to expect many creature comforts where we’re going.” He reclaimed the bottle and took another swig. “Where do you hail from?” he asked Jim.

“Outside a little place called Tivoli, New York.”

“We must have been on the same train down to DC. I’m from Manhattan.” Cal thought he’d gotten a good look at everyone, but he’d definitely remember handsome Jim Bennett with the blue eyes. “How far is Tivoli from the city?”

“About three hours or so.”

“Hey, we’re practically neighbors.”

Jim smiled. “I suppose so. I’ve never been out of the Hudson Valley before today.”

Cal laughed before realizing Jim was serious. He ran a hand through his thick hair. “Uh, so what do you do? No, no, let me guess. Farming.”

“Of a sort. My family owns an apple orchard. You?”

“I guess you could say I’m in the family business too. Truth is I don’t do much of anything.” He put a cigarette between his lips and offered the pack to Jim, who shook his head. Cal opened his lighter and struck a flame.

A few kerosene lamps shone through the car, casting shadows and light over the faces of the recruits. In the flickering glow, Jim’s expression was placid. He seemed to be waiting for Cal to say more.

Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Cal leaned forward in his seat, talking quietly in the cacophony surrounding them. “After Princeton, my father just assumed I’d come work for him. Gave me an office and everything. Great view of the Statue of Liberty, but I’ve never had much to do. He doesn’t trust me with anything important.”

Jim took this in. “What’s the business?”

“Banking.”

“You don’t mean…Cunningham Savings and Loan?”

“My father’s pride and joy. My grandfather came over from Scotland and built himself a little empire. I’m Calhoun Cunningham the third, so I guess one day it’ll all be mine.”

Shaking his head, Jim laughed incredulously. “Geez, couldn’t you have gotten a commission in the army or navy? How did you end up here?”

The wheels of the train shrieked as it rumbled south. Cal shrugged with a grin. “Couldn’t think of anything that would piss off the old man quite so much as enlisting in the Marines.”

Jim returned the smile. “I suppose that’s one reason for joining up.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for fighting for my country and destroying the forces of evil. What about you?” He sat back, inhaling a lungful of sweet smoke and relaxing against the seat.

“After the Japs hit Pearl Harbor, I enlisted as soon as I could. My father’s not doing very well these days, but my wife will look after him.”

Disappointment flickered through Cal. Not that he expected clean-cut apple farmer Jim Bennett to be anything but a straight arrow. “Wife, huh? Did you get hitched before you left?”

“No, not long after high school. I took a few night classes at the local college and met Ann there. She worked at the café.” He opened his wallet and handed over a picture of a pretty brunette and a young girl. “My wife and my daughter, Sophie.”

“That’s a real nice family you’ve got. How old is she?” Cal pointed to the child.

“Two and a half. She was actually born on my twentieth birthday.” Jim gazed at the photo and smiled wistfully. “She’s my special girl.” He glanced around as another bawdy song began and tucked the picture away. “Are you married?”

Cal grinned. “Nope. In twenty-four years there hasn’t been a woman yet who’s been able to pin me down.” He didn’t add that there never would be.

The train shuddered alarmingly, wheels wailing as everyone held on. A recruit near the end of the car stood on his seat with arms out for balance.

“All right, boys. We’d better all sing this train along or we won’t live to see boot camp, let alone the war!” He launched into “Chattanooga Choo Choo” with a voice that wasn’t half bad.

As they joined in the chorus, Cal and Jim shared a smile.
~

Author Bio:

Keira Andrews author pic small_200x200After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

You can find out more about Keira and her books at her website, and on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Contest:  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is offering up a $15 Amazon gift card as a prize for this tour.  To enter to win, leave a comment below, perhaps about our soldiers, and Veterans Day.  Leave an email address where you can be reached if chosen.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Ends 11/28.

A MelanieM Review: Semper Fi by Keira Andrews

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 The war is over. The battle for love has just begun.

Semper Fi coverLittle did  Jim Bennett and Cal Cunningham know what the future had in store for them when they met abroad the train bound to South Carolina and the training ground for the Marines.  The time is 1942 and WWII is underway.  From that initial meeting, a strong bond was forged, one that would see them through the rigors and pain of Parris Island where they became Marines then across the ocean to the Pacific campaign where the horrors of Guadalcanal and Okinawa awaits them.  And through all the blood, tears and anguish, the bond grows from friendship to love at least for Cal, a love undeclared, buried and forbidden.

After the war, Cal stays connected to Jim from afar until Jim’s wife dies. Then Jim’s need for Cal’s help overrides Cal’s plan to stay away from the man he loves and he arrives at Jim’s farm thinking to stay just a short time.  But Jim is a man in pain, suffering from PTSD and with an orchard and two small children to care for.  The bonds between them snap back into place and the loves Cal holds for Jim is stronger than ever.  But what happens when Jim begins to see Cal in a new light? Soon their relationship starts to deepen in ways neither expected. Can they build a life together as a family and find happiness in a world that would condemn them?

With Veteran’s Day almost upon us, I can’t think of a more appropriate time to recommend you discover this poignant and heartwarming novel Semper Fi by Keira Andrews, author of A Forbidden Rumspringa.  A richly layered saga of a love that begins on board a rickety train bound for Parris Island in the year 1942, the story continues through the war years and ends in 1957.  All the social upheaval, all the National milestones that came with WWII, it’s all here, bound up in an intimate tale of the struggle for love and family.

From the moment we encounter these men on the train, we know that these men are remarkable.  These characters exude a vitality perfect for their ages while brimming over with an authenticity of the times and the impact that Pearl Harbor had upon the nation.  Young men were eager to enlist and serve their country, a naive enthusiasm that is quickly dispelled by their Drill Sargent and the rigors of boot camp at Parris Island.  Keira Andrews has done her research for the history and minutiae incorporated into the story are factual while overlaid by the emotions and physicality of their situation and the times.  We experience “the breaking down to build up” that goes on in boot camp.  It’s humiliations, pain, and hardship that have to come before the rewards that the men go through.  And throughout it all we feel the bonds growing into place between Jim and Cal.  This deep emotional attachment that forms soon includes the readers in its intimacy and scope which translates well when the story moves into 1948 and Jim’s small home town.The characters of Jim Bennett and Cal Cunningham, both from New York but separated by social status, wealth, and self knowledge, are men who will capture your heart with their struggles and journey towards a loving relationship that must always be secretive and unacknowledged by those around them.

The author has chosen an unusual format here. Each chapter includes two different time perspectives.  One in the “present” 1948 and Jim’s Clover Grove Orchard in upstate New York, then it returns to 1942 and the start of Jim and Cal’s relationship and journey through WWII.   I hate to call this a flashback because it doesn’t feel that way.  More a turn of a prism that incorporates the whole of someone’s life journey.  A twist of the crystal and another facet comes into the light before turning once more.  We start out in 1948 as Cal arrives at Jim’s farm.  Then its 1942 and they are meeting on a train to South Carolina and training camp.  Each chapter moves the story forward in each time frame.  Far from being disjointed, this format serves to bring balance and a deep sense of history to the scenes occurring in 1948.  The men in 1948 are still trying to deal with the devastating emotional and physical aftermath of the war.  The men of 1942 are so young in outlook and naivete, a viewpoint that is eroded by war time experiences full of blood, horror and death.  And the reader is there with them …on the beaches, in the sweltering jungles of the Pacific, and the pounding bombardments of artillery fire from both sides.  And it all happens so gradually, while interfaced with scenes from the present, that we don’t even realize at first that their pain and suffering has become ours as well.

Another important element of the times and story?  The need for homosexuals to stay hidden even as they search out like individuals in situation after situation plays out again and again here.  The desperation and hunger that is found in the darkness and anonymity for people like Cal comes across the pages with a realness that almost hurts.   Cal has always know he was “queer” and the implications that it has had on his upbringing and outlook.  Jim?  That’s a far more complex and hidden aspect of his personality, one he doesn’t deal well with.  For him, his feelings are a “sin”. Their situation is fraught with peril, full of subtle touches and emotional support and the joy of discovery and the pain that arrives as well makes this story one you won’t soon forget.

There is a mystery to unravel, believable children to win over, and always a relationship in flux between two characters we have come to love.  I can’t recommend this story enough.  With Semper Fi, Keira Andrews now has two books in Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words “Must Read” Top Lists of 2014. This story will tug at your heartstrings while making our past and the sacrifice of so many young men feel immediate and haunting.  Pick up both stories today and start your journey with this remarkable author.

Cover design by Dar Albert is as lovely and haunting as they story itself.  A top cover any way you look at it.

 

Sales Links:   All Romance eBooks             amazon             Semper Fi

Book Details:

ebook, 320 pages
Expected publication: November 11th 2014 by KA Books
ISBN139780993859854
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Billionaire with Benefits (Romancelandia #2) by Anne Tenino

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

 It’s just a friend thing.

BillionaireWithBenefits_400x600For fourteen years  Tierney Terrebonne’, of the Ambulance  Service owning Terrebonne family, has been in love with his best friend, Ian Kelly. Someone he thought was straight and therefore off limits.  But the truth was that his best friend was gay and in love with someone else.  That was a reality that Tierney couldn’t and didn’t handle very well.  Weighed down from years of emotional repression from his authoritative grandfather, Tierney has stayed firmly in the closet where his parents and brother prefers him to remain.  But the cost to Tierney results in a man losing his battles with alcohol abuse and a pattern of self destructive behavior that is costing him the few friends he has left.  Including the one he thinks he is still in love with.

Dalton Lehnart’s life has been one of rejection and rebounding, over and over again.  From parents that threw him away when he was outed in high school, to a series of wealthy, damaged, closeted, lying, cheating, no-good, cowardly men, who kept him…for a while, temporary has been Dalton’s middle name. But now Dalton has a job he likes, and good friends so things are looking up.  Then Tierney Terrebonne weaves into his boss’s office, reaking of booze and demands. Of course Dalton finds he’s immediately attracted to Tierney Terrebonne. Damaged men are his thing, right?

Somehow as Tierney tilts towards a complete meltdown, Dalton is there trying to save the man he sees underneath the posturing and self destructive alcohol-induced behavior.  When Tierney outs himself in the worst possible manner on the worst possible moment, the aftermath finds Tierney checking into rehab and Dalton is there with support.

Dalton soon finds out that timing is everything when the post rehab Tierney can’t  handle anything other than friendship, just when Dalton thinks they might have something more.  That should make it easy for Dalton to leave it at friendship, shouldn’t it?  But what if the safest thing for them both isn’t the best thing for both?  What happens when “just a friend thing” isn’t enough?

I love Anne Tenino.  Her characters have such heart and life to them that’s its almost impossible to leave them behind when the story is done.  I definitely felt that way about Sam and Ian Kelly from the first Romancelandia story, Too Stupid To Live (Romancelandia #1).  Sam was so endearing and hug worthy that he almost levitated off the pages.  Adding Ian Kelly to Sam brought about a romance that was funny, heartwarming, and real.  Luckily, for this story, both have large roles to play out here.  Why is that such an important aspect to Billionaire with Benefits?  Because without them and the character of Dalton Lehnart, this book would sink under the weight of Tierney Terrebonne, a character so problematic that living inside his head is painful and sad at best, irritating and prolonged at the worst.

The story switches pov from Tierney to Dalton and back, but for the most part, its Tierney’s head we live inside.  We are present for all his repressed thoughts and feelings, his sense of entitlement, his endless bouts with the bottle and feelings of insecurity.  We are there through all the countless drunks and sobering mornings, the meanness and the apologies (a pattern anyone familiar with substance abuse will recognize).  He, himself, understands that he is acting like a “douchebag”, a term I’m not fond of.  He’s an extraordinarily well written believable mess of a man, a character so well defined by his issues and past that he is both identifiable and authentic.  And he is the voice for the majority of this story.

How the reader handles that intimacy with such a exasperating character will figure into how well they enjoy or commit to this story.  For me, it felt like spending time with someone with a large substance abuse problem, a person I was not particularly fond of.  I didn’t start to appreciate Tierney until I was able to see him through the eyes of Dalton, a man with a weakness for damaged men with his own angst filled past to boot.  And even then,Dalton was far more the interesting and relatable personality.  Dalton I totally enjoyed, from his perspective on life to his attempts to be supportive while raising enough barriers to keep himself emotionally safe.  Of course, Dalton too is well written, so we can see  how that is going to work out for him.  I think had the time spent within this story been reversed, so that’s its Dalton’s voice we hear most of the time, my feelings about Billionaire with Benefits would be more positive and the rating higher.

The last element  that bothered me was the miracle of “rehab”.  Two weeks and an almost lifetime of alcohol abuse is dealt with successfully.  While a far more realistic approach to Tierney’s recovery and life as a recovering alcoholic would have required almost as many pages as it took him to get there, even a shortened version of the real thing would have made this aspect of the story more believable as Tierney becomes sober.

So again, what saved this story?  Apart from Dalton that is? The inclusion of Sam, lovely, light-hearted, romance story loving Sam.  And Ian of course.  Sam and Ian’s interaction with Dalton amused and informed (along with the romance novels Sam loves so well).  They added just the right type and tone of perspective on Tierney and Dalton that the reader required, and the balance of their relationship versus what was happening with Tierney and Dalton was a welcome relief.

Billionaire with Benefits seems to be along the same time line as Too Stupid Too Live, with some of the same events occuring in both.  This works so both stories can be read as stand alones or together to round out the time frame and relationships between all the reoccurring characters.  Next up is Miller’s story, one I have been waiting on.  I can’t wait to see Miller have his own HEA.  As for Billionaire with Benefits, some will love it, others not. I will leave it up to you as to whether it appears on your TBR list or not.

Cover artist: L.C. Chase.  Love that cover.  It’s adorable and lighthearted, far more so than this book. I only wished I liked the story inside half as well.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing   All Romance eBooks  amazon   Billionaire with Benefits

Book Details:

ebook, 415 pages
Published October 18th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
original titleBillionaire with Benefits (Romancelandia #2)
ISBN139781626491960
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/titles/billionaire-with-benefits
seriesRomancelandia #2
charactersTierney Terrebonne

Romancelandia Series, all can be read as standalones or together:

Too Stupid to Live (Romancelandia, #1)
Billionaire with Benefits (Romancelandia #2)

Head to New Zealand with Meredith Shayne’s Cutting Out! (book tour and contest)

Cutting Out Tour Badge1

 

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

Love Hot Men, Heartache, and HEA? Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne has it all and then some.  One of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Must Reads, this book has heart, substance, and a captivating setting as well.  But a country like New Zealand is not without its dangers, so Meredith Shayne is here today on tour to talk about “Living with Earthquakes”, a major component in Cutting Out.  We have an excerpt, and a contest you won’t want to miss out on!

Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne

 

Christchurch NZ – Living with Earthquakes

There have been several major earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand in the last 4 years, but the first two, a magnitude 7.1 quake that hit at 4.35am on Saturday, September 4th 2010, and a magnitude 6.3 quake that hit at 12.51pm on February 22nd 2011, were the most shocking. The first one because it was the first, and the second one because it was absolutely devastating to the city and its people.Blog Stop - Scattered Thoughts - Image 1

When you know that Christchurch was built on reclaimed swamp lands, you realise that no earthquake in the area is going to be a good thing, but I don’t think anyone thought that the impact would be quite so big. We don’t dwell on those kinds of things, do we? If we did, we’d never leave the house. On that day in February 2011, a lot of people who left their houses that morning never came home; 185 people were killed, and a lot of the city centre was destroyed, including the iconic Christchurch Cathedral. Here is a video of the immediate aftermath, and some visuals of what parts of the city are still like today (warning: video contains some disturbing images):

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alC7JpUuDMI

For those of us who lived in other NZ cities, it was a stressful time, texting loved ones and waiting, waiting, waiting to hear from them via a phone network that was groaning under the weight of everyone trying to use it. That was nothing to what people in Christchurch were going through, of course; in the news over the following couple of days were a pair of siblings, a brother and sister, who sat vigil outside one of the collapsed buildings in the CBD, the building where their mother worked, waiting for news of her. They sat there for days, but it wasn’t good news. Their mum hadn’t survived.

But there were other stories on the news too. The university students, nicknamed the “student army”, who went round to people’s houses with shovels and wheelbarrows to dig the mud and muck that was sometimes feet deep out of people’s yards, the people who went from door to door checking that people who lived alone were all right, the millions of dollars that got donated. The Kiwi sense of humour that never goes away for long started to emerge, with competitions to see who could build the best backyard toilet (the “long drop”, essentially a hole in the ground with a seat over it):

Website Link:  http://www.showusyourlongdrop.co.nz/

Blog Stop - Scattered Thoughts - Image 2It’s been almost 4 years, and the city still has a long way to go. But there’s resilience too; I was there in April of this year, and I was struck by the effort that had gone in to making things more cheerful: the barriers keeping people away from derelict buildings decorated with mosaic flowers, the bright patterns on the walls surrounding the mangled cathedral, and the new shopping mall made entirely of brightly coloured shipping containers that’ll stand up to any quake. The city is not there yet, but it’ll get there.

 

 

_________________________________________________

Bottom Drawer Publications is proud to present Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne, a contemporary mm romance based in New Zealand.

Book Details: NovelCutting Out cover
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
Release Date: October 11, 2014

Cutting Out Blurb

A twenty-year veteran of the shearing shed, Aussie Shane Cooper loves his job, and the home he’s made for himself in New Zealand. If he’s a little lonely, he’s got good mates to keep his spirits up. When a hot, cocky young shearer named Lachlan Moore catches his eye at a competition, he’s content to look but not touch, knowing the young man is out of his league.
Lachie wouldn’t mind a piece of Shane, but the gorgeous gun shearer from Australia is soon forgotten when the Christchurch earthquake hits, and tragedy strikes Lachie’s family. Lachie deals with it the best he can, cutting himself off from all he knows. A year later and he’s back in the shearing shed, out of practice and lacking confidence. That Shane’s there to watch him flounder doesn’t help his nerves.

As Lachlan struggles to re-acclimatise, Shane can’t resist giving him a hand to get back on his feet. As they move from friends to something more, Shane finds himself wanting to know everything he can about Lachie. But Lachie’s got secrets he desperately wants to keep, and when things come to a head, those secrets might just mean the end of them before they’ve truly begun.

Buy Links:  Bottom Drawer Publications  amazon    iTunes    All Romance (ARe)

Barnes & Noble    Book Stand    Kobo        Smashwords

The e-book is available for sale for $5.99 via the BDP Digital Shop
and other online booksellers.

Release & Blog Tour Giveaway:  Paperback copy of Cutting Out, $10 BDP voucher and 3 x Cutting Out e-books!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the link provided for the entry form and for additional contest details.
a Rafflecopter giveaway    or enter at    FB Giveaway   (same contest multiple ways to win)

Cutting Out coverFind Cutting Out on:  Goodreads,  on Bookalikes, and at  it’s Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review, where it is a highly recommended read!

For more information:

  • Visit Bottom Drawer Publications ( www.bottomdrawerpublications.net) or contact them at:
  • Email:  mailto:bottomdrawerpub@gmail.com or  info@bottomdrawerpublications.net

 

About the Author  Meredith Shayne

A scientist in a past life, these days Meredith Shayne mainly uses her scientific training to poke holes in television pseudoscience. Originally from Australia, she moved to New Zealand to start a new life a few years ago and hasn’t regretted it for one minute, even if she frequently wishes that the New Zealand weather was a little better; if she’s forced, she’ll admit that the refreshing lack of animals that can kill you in New Zealand makes up for a little rain.

Meredith travels a lot, so much so that she has developed a shameful love of airplane food and knows her passport number by heart. When she is at home, she enjoys baking, horrible music from the 1980s, reality television, and gloating any time Australia thrashes the living daylights out of New Zealand on the sporting field.

  • Find Meredith at her website:  ../../../../Marketing-Promotion/Books/I’m Your Man/www.meredithshayne.com”

BDP BADGE 1

Announcements, Winners, and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

  • So This is Happening….

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is growing once more.  We now have another reviewer with one more on the way.  We are holding more book tours, contests, and author interviews than I had ever hoped to go along with our ability to read and review more stories.

And this December look for some major announcements about upcoming events that will be held on an international level.  I am so thrilled over our expansion and hope you are too!  Now on to the announcements…

 

✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍

 

I was over at author Jamie Lake’s blog last week to talk about Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, books, and book reviews. You can check out my interview with Jamie here.    Jamie Lake is the author of gay erotica, including his Bad Boys series.  You can find Jamie’s books here at his website  and online at amazon…

Now more news….

  • New reviewer  at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  We are happy to welcome Mika as our new reviewer.  We are now happily up to 6 reviewers, and it looks to be seven shortly.   Be sure to say hi and be looking for Mika’s reviews already being posted.

 

  • Winner Announcements:Announcement clip art

Lee Brazil’s Romance Tour:  The Winner is Serena

Zee Kensington’s Finally Home Tour:  Sula22

RJ Scott & Chris Quinton’s Heat Contest:

  •  Ardent E.
    Tracy G.
    Kim W.
    Lisa G

All have been notified.  Congratulations to all, and my thanks to all who participated.

semper-fi-web-largeWholehearted coverPrecious MetalsCarnival Decatur cover

 

 This week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words:audiobook clipart bw

 

Monday, November 10, 2014:

  • On Tour with Meredith Shayne and her release, Cutting Out (tour and contest)
  • A MelanieM Review:  Billionaire with Benefits by Anne Tenino
  • A MelanieM Review:  Semper Fi by Keira Andrews

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 (Veterans Day):

  • In The Author Spotlight:  Keira Andrews and Semper Fi (guest blog and contest)
  • Protector of the Alpha by Parker Williams  Book Blast and contest
  • A MelanieM Review:  The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  • Cover Reveal for Lane Hayes ‘The Right Words (contest)
  • Susan Mac Nicol’s ‘Love You Senseless Book Tour and Contest
  • Book Blast for The Blue Moonlight by HL Foster (tour and contest)
  • A Barb,the Zany Lady Review: Wholehearted by Cate Ashwood (audio)

Thursday, November 13, 2014:

  • A MelanieM Review: Precious Metals by LA Witt
  • A Mika Review: Heart by Garrett Leigh
  • A MelanieM Review:  Say Something by BA Tortuga

Friday, November 14, 2014:

  • Go Into the Wild with Sue Brown and The Hidden Wolf (Sapphire Ranch Wolves #1) Tour and Contest
  • Gin Rickey 2 by Renee George Book Blast and contest
  • Beany Spark’s Ryan’s Wizard  Book Tour and Contest
  • A MelanieM Review: Final Blow by Havan Fellows

YA Saturday, November 15, 2014:

  • An Aurora YA Review: Carnival-Decatur by Zoe Lynne

 

 

BillionaireWithBenefits_400x600HEARTTheFinal_edited-1The Shearing Gun cover

Final Blow cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MelanieM Review: Off Course (Coyote’s Call #1) by Bailey Bradford

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Gideon’s worst night ever starts out with a bang that will change his whole life.

GOff Course coverideon Wells is bad luck.  That’s what he’s been told.  It’s the reason he was tossed out of his clan, and its the reason he has ended up stranded on this  road to nowhere in a Texas desert as the temperatures climb above 100 degrees.  From a birth rate that is in a spiral downward for bear shifters, to Gideon’s homosexuality, Gideon has borne the brunt of suspicions and anger from other bear shifters until he was ostracized, thrown out with no where to go.  Then his  dump of a car catches fire and he finds himself surrounded by scorpions..and  Gideon starts to believe what he’s been told.  But first he has to find a way to survive.

Coyote shifter Miller Hudson clan has disbanded.  Over the years fewer and fewer of them  retained the ability to shift until the present when they are shifters in name only.  True there is a legend that says an Alpha coyote shifter,  along with  a bear shifter mate, with be the savior of the now-defunct coyote den and bring them all back to the glory they once were.  But who believes in prophesies anymore?  Certainly not Miller.

Until he finds Gideon half dead along a deserted road near  town.   Suddenly everything changes for Miller and for Gideon.  But first Miller has to save him.

Off Course is the first in Bailey Bradford’s new series, Coyote’s Call, and it’s a great start to a promising new series.  I liked the premise and setting immediately.  The idea of a desert works beautifully when a mystical prophesy or folklore element is present.  Add to that the use of coyote shifters in a natural setting and the layers forming feel fantastical and real.

Although its Gideon we meet first, I am going to temporarily push him to the back.  The coyote clan that Bradford has created for this story is a marvel, complete with Native American overtones.  Something is happening to all the shifters world wide, dropping birthrates just the first indication.  With the coyote shifters the damage is manifested in the loss of their ability to shift into a coyote form.  That hole in who they are has brought about the dissolution of the clan, another key component of the basic coyote nature.   From Miller Hudson to his mother and other coyote shifters we see a close-knit group of people trying to hang on.  Miller is especially strong.  In fact it’s his strength of personality and outlook that takes charge of this story and Gideon in ways you are going to love.   I love all the dimension and depth to this group of people.  From their artwork to their philosophies, they are a fascinating clan and a perfect one to build a series around.

Then Bailey Bradford brings in Gideon Wells, the opposite of Miller and his people in every way, including pack/clan structure and society.  I felt that the rigid bear clan structure was less effective than the one created for the coyotes but we also get a reduced feel for them as not a lot of information about their background is  present so perhaps that’s coming.  But in Gideon Wells,  Bradford has a winning character, one I just adored from the moment we meet him.  Gideon is bearlike in every way, big and tall without being imposing, a little soft about the tummy, his is a personality gentle, hurting, and endearing.  He lacks self confidence and is clearly in need of love and a home.  And of course, his senses are muted so he has no idea who is a shifter and who is human, another fun element to explore.  This is a savory romance, hot and sexy, gentle and sweet.  I need more of these two shifters.

With a first novel in a series, the author has to lay the ground for the other stories to come and, again, Bradford does that successfully here.  There are a number of characters introduced who need their mates and HEA.  And the major threads of shifter species decline and the Coyote Clan are fascinating, so I can’t wait to read the next story to see how the author develops her series theme as well as character growth that I see coming.

If you love romance, especially one  with a supernatural shifter element, pick up Off Course by Bailey Bradford.  I throughly enjoyed it and think you will too.

Cover Artist:  Posh Gosh.  I liked this cover but didn’t love it.  Its dark, instead of the heat and lightness of the desert.  Plus where is the coyote or  bear elements?  So much to work with and yet that seems to be another “wolf shifter” cover.  A missed opportunity that the next cover will pick up on.

Sales Links:   Totally Bound      All Romance eBook (ARe)             amazon        Off Course

Book Details:

ebook, 164 pages
Expected publication: November 21st 2014 by Totally Bound (first published October 24th 2014)
ISBN139781784302924
edition languageEnglish
url https://www.totallybound.com
seriesCoyote’s Call #1