Category: Uncategorized

A MelanieM Review: Midsummer Curse (Midsummer #2) by Megan Derr

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Midsummer Curse coverBrayton’s a lone wolf.  He’s also a “jack of all trades”, roaming the country fixing  problems for the supernaturals who call on him.  A call from a friend sends Brayton to supernatural town of Midsummer’s Night where a curse on the town’s gremlin threatens all things mechanical and worse in Midsummer’s Night. It should be a easy job, find the person responsible, have them break the curse and the gremlin and the town’s problem is fixed.  But nothing is ever so simple in Midsummer’s Night.

Ferdinand (Ferdy to friends), the town’s adorable gremlin, is miserable. His passion and nature is to fix and tinker  with all manner of things mechanical.  But someone or something has put a curse on him and now everything he touches falls to pieces…coffee pots, cars, clocks…everything.  His only hope lies in the gorgeous werewolf who has just arrived in town to fix his problem.  Ferdy has just broken up with his boyfriend and doesn’t want another.  So why can’t he get Brayton out of his head and heart?

Brayton’s stymied.  Everyone seems to love Ferdy and no one can figure out why he’s been cursed.  Something peculiar is going on and Brayton is determined to get to the meaning of it all.  But all he can think of is Ferdy, how the endearing pint sized gremlin smells and giggles.  What is happening to them both? Only time and a keen nose will sniff out the cause of their problems and much, much more.

Who knew gremlins could be so endearing?  Obviously Megan Derr, because with Ferdy she has created a pint-sized character full of vulnerability, sweetness, and a innate need to tinker with everything that has gears and mechanical moving parts.  With Ferdy and the reader its love at first sight.  For others it might take a sniff or  two before a powerful connection is made.  That’s where the other wonderful character of Brayton comes in.  Brayton is the odd were known as a lone wolf.  He wanders without a pack on business brought to him by word of mouth (or whatever parts necessary).  Brayton is snarky, self assured, and powerful in his own right.  Ferdy’s  total opposite or is he?  That’s one of the real delights of this story.

The chief plot of Midsummer Curse is a mystery.  Who and why cursed Ferdy so that everything mechanical he touches falls immediately to pieces?  As he is the town’s chief mechanic and handyman, this poses a huge problem for all.  That is hurts Ferdy horribly only gradually comes out as well. There are other small plot threads woven through this story that are equally enjoyable and twisty.  I love it when that happens.

Midsummer Curse may just be my favorite of the series.  A romantic duo of werewolf and gremlin?  Be still my heart and let my feet find a path to Midsummer’s Night and more stories to come.

Cover art by Megan Derr.  Love the car, now where’s my wolf?

Sales Links:    Less Than Three Press          All Romance eBooks    Amazon    Midsummer Curse

Book Details:

ebook, 57 pages, also available in audio
Published January 2010 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781936202157
edition languageEnglish
seriesMidsummer #2

Midsummer Series in order they were written and should be read (available in print, ebook and audio):

  • Midsummer Moon
  • Midsummer Curse
  • Midsummer Law
  • Midsummer Baker
  • Midsummer Days (Print collection of all stories)

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On Tour with Elin Gregory – A Taste Of Copper! (contest)

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Check in with Elin Gregory and her latest release, A Taste of Copper,  soon to be published on September 26th by Love Lane Books.  The cover is gorgeous and Elin Gregory is always on our TBR list of authors!

Elin Gregory – A Taste Of Copper
Published date 26 September, by Love Lane Books.
More information, buy links, reviews, and excerpts can be found here: at http://lovelanebooks.blogspot.co.uk/

Buy Links to follow when available when released on September 26th.

Cover Art by: Meredith Russell

 A Taste of Copper Blurb

Your master has the field for today, but his name, whatever it might be, is without honour.
Olivier the squire worships the Black Knight and takes a fierce joy in his prowess as he defends a bridge against all comers. Olivier only wishes that his master loved him as much in return instead of treating him as a servant and occasional plaything.

Then word comes that the King desires to cross the bridge. With an army approaching, a bright eyed archer enticing him to desert and the first cracks beginning to show in the Black Knight’s gruff demeanour, Olivier is left wondering if his honour is worth more than a chance for happiness.
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A Taste of Copper Excerpt

Olivier knelt at his master’s side and used a little of the hot water and a clean rag to clean around the gash. More blood ran as he pinched the flesh to search the wound, but it had to be done. There—almost invisible against the flesh—a shred of thread from the torn shirt. Such a thing caused bad humours in a wound, caused it to stink and rot, could cause a limb to blacken, a man to die. Olivier took a silver needle and silk thread. He seared the needle in flame and soaked the thread in spirit. Even in the dimness of the pavilion, the tip of the needle shone bright against the exposed meat of Maheris’s arm. Olivier teased out the shred of fabric, wincing on Maheris’s behalf as the muscle tensed, then closed the wound with three even stitches.

Maheris breathed deeply through his nose, his right hand clenching on the arm of his chair until Olivier was sure the wood would crack, but he made no sound at the bite of the needle. Olivier pushed his hair back from his cheek with his wrist, grimacing at the scent of blood on his hands. He could taste the coppery tang of it, mingling with the far more pleasant smell of Sir Maheris’s sweat.

“Done, sir,” he whispered once the final stitch had been tied off, the bandage secured.

Connect with Elin!

Elin Gregory lives in South Wales and works in a museum in a castle built on the edge of a Roman fort! She reckons that’s a pretty cool job. It certainly provides more than enough inspiration for her writing.

“The button from a military jacket found in an orchard, a 16th century Venetian coin found between the cobbles of a Welsh street, a carnelian from a Roman signet ring – one can’t handle them without wondering who lost them, how much they regretted it and what kind of disaster was sparked off by the loss.”

Although Elin usually writes on historical subjects, she has also written contemporary and historical paranormals, science fiction, crime and a Western, none of which have, as yet, been published. She likes her heroes hard as nails but capable of tenderness when circumstances allow.

elingregory@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/ElinGregory
https://www.facebook.com/elin.gregory
http://www.elingregory.com/
http://elingregory.wordpress.com/

 

Competition:  Enter to win: $15 ARe/Amazon voucher using the link provided below for the entry form and for all  other contest details.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

 

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On Tour with J.K. Hogan and Love and the Real Boy! (contest/author interview)

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Scattered Thoughts is happy to welcome J. K. Hogan here today to talk about her Coming About series and the latest story, Love and the Real Boy.  Along with an interview and except, there is a contest to enter as well.  Now lets get started…

STRW• I really enjoyed I Survived Seattle.  Love and the Real Boy is focused on a divisive character from the first story.  Did you always plan on his redemption being part of this series?

JK:  No, when I first created Rich, I didn’t expect that he would be anything other than an over-the-top antagonist. As I moving towards the end of I Survived Seattle, I started wondering what would cause him to act the way he did—and then he started speaking to me. I knew at that point his redemption would have to be a part of it, because no one would be able to get behind him as the hero in his own story if it wasn’t.

STRW• What is it about wounded characters that make them so appealing?

JK:  That’s a good question. Maybe the idea that someone who’s been kicked around by life, either physically or emotionally, can go on to have a fabulous HEA gives us all hope that it’s never too late or too hard to find our own.

STRW• Boats, sailboats especially, play a large part in this series.  Is that a major love of yours?

JK:  Yes and no. I grew up on a large lake (we always lived on the waterfront) and we were constantly going back and forth to the coast. My dad being a recreational fisherman, we always had motor boats. I learned how to drive a boat when I was just a little kid, and boats have always been as much a part of my life as cars. I’m very at home on the water.

Sailing on the other hand has always been a dream of mine. My family wasn’t really into sailing, although I saw it happening around me a lot living on the lake. The closest I ever got was tagging a ride on my parents’ windsurfer. I’ve been sailing several times, but just as a passenger. I’d really love to have my own sailboat someday.

STRW• Where did the inspiration come from for this series and its location?

JK:  Last year, right after Washington legalized gay marriage, we took a trip to Seattle to attend our friends’ wedding. We had so much fun and all kinds of crazy things happened. Most who know me know I struggle with severe anxiety, and one of my triggers is travel. I decided to explore that in I Survived Seattle, hence the title (I actually said those words to my friend Cardeno C. when I got back, and CC said it sounded like a great book title!). There were too many interesting characters to just stop at one book, so I just kept going!

STRW• Do you know how many books you have planned for this series or it is one that will develop along the way?

JK:  I have at least one more planned for sure, but who knows? Once I write that one, I might get inspiration for more!

STRW• Most favorite childhood story whose impact has stayed with you to this day?

JK:  Oh gosh, this is a hard one because I have an absurdly good memory when it comes to the past—though sometimes I can’t remember what I did yesterday. I guess in this context would say I remember playing with my dolls (probably way longer than I should’ve) by myself. I was perfectly happy sitting there for hours by myself, because I was simply using them as tools to create stories. I would write down what I now know as outlines for plots, character lists, and titles, and proceed to construct an elaborate tale until the whole thing crashed and burned because I ‘wrote’ myself into a corner. It wasn’t until I figured out how to get out of those corners that I was able to turn stories into books.

STRW• If you could live aboard a boat, what type of boat would it be?

JK:  Hmm, live? I’m all about the creature comforts, so I’d say either a houseboat, or a giant fancy motor-yacht like Nic has in I Survived Seattle.

STRW• Most romantic place to sail to.

JK:  Hubby and I took a sailing excursion in St. Thomas on a tiny 6-man sailboat. We tooled around the bay and then went snorkeling. It was pretty darn romantic. 😉

STRW• What is next for J. K. Hogan?

JK:  Well of course I’m working on book 3 in the Coming About series. I won’t say much about that one yet except we’ll get to see all our old friends from the first two books again in some capacity.

I’m also working on something a little different for me: it’s sort of an m/m romantic suspense crime thriller with a light paranormal element. I know it’s kind of a weird concept, there being varying degrees of paranormal, but since there are certain paranormal things that are commonly believed to exist in our real-life society—like psychics, ghosts, and such—it makes sense to me. So this story could probably be enjoyed by those who wouldn’t normally read paranormal. Keep an eye on my website http://www.jkhogan.com for more news.

 Thanks, JK, for the wonderful interview!  Now check out the book, blurb and excerpt below.  And don’t forget to enter the contest! Happy Reading.

Book Name: Love and the Real Boy (Coming About, Book 2)
Sequel to I Survived Seattle (Coming About, Book 1)
Publisher:  Wilde City PressHogan600x600Banner

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22756605-love-and-the-real-boy

Author Name: J.K. Hogan

Author Bio:

J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?

J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit http://www.jkhogan.com.

Author Contact:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJKHogan, https://twitter.com/JK_Hogan, http://www.pinterest.com/jkhoganbooks/, http://officialjkhogan.tumblr.com/

LATRB_JKHogan_CoverTitle:  Love and the Real Boy by J.K. Hogan
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: JK Hogan (KHDGraphics.com)

Sales Links:   Wilde City Press     Amazon

 

 Love and the Real Boy Blurb:

How­­ much heartache can one man take before he breaks? Rich Langston asks himself that question every day.

A Seattle advertising exec who uses his designer suit and showy car like a suit of armor, Rich refuses to let the world get to him. His traumatic childhood has ruined any faith he had in people, friendship, and love. After a meltdown that led to him alienating everyone in his life, Rich agrees to help with the restoration of an antique sailboat as a form of penance.

Roped into heading up with the boat repair by his mother, marine restorer Patrick O’Dowd finds himself having to babysit a moody, spoiled rich boy with absolutely no carpentry experience. His easy-going nature is sorely tested, but he quickly realizes that things are not always what they seem; sometimes a fancy suit is nothing but an elaborate deflection from what’s real.

Through unavoidable personality clashes and fierce attraction, both Rich and Patrick explore their hidden pain and inner demons, and they end up finding with what really matters—love.

 Love and the Real Boy Excerpt:

Rich forced himself to relax. Why shouldn’t he give his brain a little mini-vacay? He was of a stressful nature—he had to constantly stress over work, over making enough money to keep himself in suits and expensive toys to remind himself he wasn’t homeless anymore, that he wasn’t going to end up like his mother. He stressed over the wrong people finding out he was gay, while stressing that he might just go mad from lack of companionship—and that was just the tip of the crazy-berg.
Underneath it all sat his pent-up grief, anger, and guilt from his stolen childhood, cowering like a beast in the dark, a sleeping monster. That was Rich’s biggest, most constant fear—that one day he would no longer be able to contain it. What would happen then? Would he lose his mind?
So all things considered, why shouldn’t he just let it go for one night? What was wrong with letting a big, burly Irishman take him in hand—heh—and drive the boat for a while.

Categories per the author: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

HoganBadgeTour Dates/Stops:

9/17: Havan Fellows
9/18: Iyana Jenna, Cathy Brockman Romances
9/19: Amanda C. Stone
9/22: Andrew Q. Gordon, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
9/23: Prism Book Alliance,
9/24: Butterfly-O-Meter
9/25: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/26: Parker Williams
9/29: Cathy Brockman Romances, Nic Starr
9/30: My Fiction Nook
10/1: Romance the Night
10/2: Jade Crystal
10/3: The Hat Party
10/6: Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
10/7: Love Bytes, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/8: Velvet Panic
10/9: Foxylutely Book Reviews
10/10: Multitasking Mommas
10/13: Queer Town Abbey
10/14: MM Good Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Love and the Real Boy’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for the entry form and for additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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On Tour with Will Parkinson and Wet Paint!

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Will Parkinson is here with his sequel to Pitch, the YA release Wet Paint.  I had some questions for Will and he nicely agreed to spend time in my author spotlight!  He also brought along a contest for all of you to enter and a poignant video trailer for you to watch.  Don’t miss out on any of it.  Now on to our interview…

 

STRW:  What made you want to tell this type of story?

Will Parkinson: Oddly enough, a dream. It was so vivid for me. I saw Taylor and Benny talking about Jackson and how Taylor had a crush on him throughout high school, and now Jackson – star pitcher and student – was now in danger of failing if he didn’t get help on an art project. Benny knew Taylor had feelings for Jackson and told Taylor that helping his old classmate might help him, too. So Taylor went to see Jackson. The thing was, Jackson wasn’t failing. It was a setup by Benny and Jackson to get the he and Taylor together.

The thing was, the story was a college story with sex. Which leads into question two.

STRW:    Why YA?

Will Parkinson: Growing up, there weren’t any YA books. Heck, there were hardly any adult books I could get my hands on. It’s hard not knowing why you are the way you are, and how it seems that everyone around you isn’t. A friend who read the story that I feverishly wrote down at two in the morning, read it and said I should make a story from it. A good friend of mine, Eden Winters, told me I had a young adult ‘voice’ and that I should try to write something. So I thought about Taylor and Jackson and decided that I could send them to high school, and Benny would, naturally, be there, too. The story took on a life of its own from that point.

STRW:  Wet Paint is a sequel to Pitch, your first YA story.  Why continue? what was it about those characters and their story that called out  to you?

Will Parkinson:  It was Addy and Benny. People who beta read the stories for me asked if I was going to give either of them a HEA. Honestly, I had no intention. Benny was going to be the straight best friend and that was it. But when I got to the end of the story, Benny displayed amazing sympathy and sensitivity. And it was then that I realized how I wanted to finish the story.

STRW:   LGBTQ teenagers face all the normal issues of teenagers face and then have the added pressure of acceptance and same sex romance/dating/.…what do you bring to the fictional “table” as it were, to make those issues immediate, and real?

Will Parkinson:  In Pitch, Taylor was forced to come out. He had some repercussions, but not what he expected. In Wet Paint, there will be dealings with what happened to Addy when he was a child.

A review of Pitch said that the subject matter was too adult to be young adult. I disagree. Kids aren’t stupid. They see things on television and movies, they hear about it from their friends. We can’t ignore them and hope to keep them in a safe bubble, because it’s not going to happen.

If you think a book deals with subjects you don’t want your child exposed to, then I think you’re being myopic. You’ve got a chance to talk with them about real life issues, and sticking your head in the sand is a disservice to them.

STRW:   I know you have a lot going on at the moment with (Pride Promotions) business matters and such, when do you find time to write?

Will Parkinson:  I try to find the time to do some words every day. A group of friends that I write with tell me when it’s time to stop doing and start writing. I usually listen to them.

STRW:    Do you see this becoming a series?

Will Parkinson:  I hadn’t. Then Benny and Addy came along and suddenly my head was filled with thoughts of characters and what they would be doing. If I do another story with Benny and Addy, it would be shifted from Will to Parker Williams (my adult penname) since the boys will be in college. But Will still has one more story to tell, I think, in regards to this branch of the story.

STRW:  What other YA issues do you want to address in your stories?

Will Parkinson: In one story I’m looking at, the young man has a reputation because of things he’s done sexually in the past. He’s trying really hard to move beyond that, and find something real.

STRW:   Or is it enough just to write a YA story, not particularly a YA GLBTQ story?

Will Parkinson:  Any story I write will be a gay themed story. I want people to know that they’re not alone, no matter how it seems.

STRW:   Are there dragons in your future?  Or perhaps a wizard or two?  Or is contemporary fiction your genre?

Will Parkinson:  I don’t know that Will is going to move beyond contemporary, though it might be interesting. Parker has a shifter story I’m working on.

STRW:  What’s next for Will Parkinson?

Will Parkinson:  I have no idea. Half the fun of finding out is in the doing.

Thank you, Will, for taking the time to answer my questions.  That was lovely.  For all the readers, don’t miss out on the excerpt below and the contest to enter.  Keep scrolling down for more of everything Wet Paint and Will Parkinson…..

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Book Name: Wet Paint
Author Name: Will Parkinson
Author Bio:

WILL PARKINSON believes that no matter what obstacles are thrown in the path of young love, it will always find a way to win in the end. He wants his characters to have their happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to come easily.

None of this would have happened if he had followed the advice he was given many years ago. “What are you wasting your time on that for? It’s never going to amount to anything.” He believed it for the longest time, abandoning characters he’d created in his childhood.

He picked up his very first m/m story by a writer named Eden Winters, who was an absolute joy when they corresponded. She asked him if he wrote and he told her the story. Eden explained to Will that the voices in his head would never go away and how he needed to let them out. With that thought in mind, Will put e-pen to e-paper once more. It was truly a liberating experience and one he has no intention of giving up again.

Author Contact:

Wet Paint 400x600Title:  Wet Paint by Will Parkinson
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

Sales Links:    Dreamspinner Press eBook   DSP Papaerback

Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVOiQ8yOsII

Blurb:
Although Addy’s heart and body bear the scars from his life before he was adopted by the Deans, he’s ached for something he thought he would never find. Until he met Benny. He isn’t sure how anyone can care for someone as broken as he is, even though he wants it desperately.

High school senior Benny Peters has his whole life planned out for him, until a chaste kiss at summer camp opens a new world of possibilities. Determined to erase Addy’s insecurities, Benny works to take away his boyfriend’s pain and replace it with love.

When Addy’s past intrudes on their future, it’s going to take everything Benny can muster to show that no matter what – or who – they face, they belong together.

Excerpt:
Benny cast a glance at Addy, noticing how his eyes kept darting to him and then to the floor. He seemed troubled, unsure.

“Addy? Is there something wrong?”

Addy heaved a deep sigh, then was quiet for a moment. “Do I embarrass you?” he finally asked.

“What? No, of course not. Why would you even think that?” Benny was genuinely perplexed.

“Jackson and Taylor don’t seem to have any problem touching each other, but you act like I’ve got germs or something and won’t come anywhere near me when there’s other people around. I have to wonder if you’re ashamed to be seen with someone like… me.”

“Oh God, no,” Benny replied sharply. “Please don’t ever think that. You know what? C’mere.”

He grabbed Addy’s arm and dragged him into the lounge.

“Listen to me, little man. I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be ashamed of you. If anything, you should be ashamed of me.”

Addy looked puzzled. “Why?”

Benny slid his fingers through his stubbly hair, then rubbed the back of his neck before he spoke. “I’m not really comfortable with being… like this. I really do care for you, but I’ve never felt this way about a guy— well, about anyone—before, and I don’t know how to handle it. So no, I’m not ashamed or embarrassed of you at all. I’m just not sure how to deal with everything.”

Addy took Benny by the hand and peered into his eyes. “That’s all I needed to know. I don’t want to rush you. If you need time, you’ve got to know I’ll give it to you. I just wanted to be sure that you wanted me.”

Benny regarded his boyfriend. Yeah, his boyfriend. Benny had never been afraid to stand up for anyone in his life. Why should he be ashamed to stand up for himself now?

“C’mere, little man,” he growled, putting his hand on Addy’s neck, pulling him in close.

Addy’s eyes went wide, excitement dancing in them. Benny licked his lips and then pressed them to Addy’s in a deep, thrilling kiss. Someone whimpered. Benny wasn’t really sure which one of them it had been. He felt his synapses fry. It was the most incredible thing he’d ever experienced. A voice called out, startling them both.

“Benny? Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

Benny looked up and stared for a moment at Taylor, who had a wide smile across his face. Benny could feel his cheeks heat up. This wasn’t the way he wanted this to go, but damn, right now he needed Addy in the worst way.

“No, Taylor, not right now,” he replied quietly.
Then he went back in for another one of those amazing kisses.


BadgeTemplateRedTour Dates: 8/18/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Angel Martinez, Hearts on Fire, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Amanda C. Stone, SA McAuley, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Love Bytes, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Prism Book Alliance, Havan Fellows, Emotion in Motion, My Fiction Nook, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Charli Green, Jade Crystal, Lee Brazil, Trisha Harrington’s Blog, Will Parkinson, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, EE Montgomery, Inked Rainbow Reads, Full Moon Dreaming, Top2Bottom, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Fallen Angel Reviews, Sinfully Sexy, Iyana Jenna, Andrew Q. Gordon

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: One of two $10 gift card to Amazon or ARe.  This is a YA Book, so contest age runs along YA restrictions.  Please use the Rafflecopter link provided for the entry form and for additional contest details.

Cover Reveal for From Chicago, With Love, a GRL Anthology (contest)

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 Are you heading to Chicago in October for GRL 2014?  Check out the special anthology prepared just for this occasion!  More than 80 authors and stories for all.  It’s going to be awesome!  Don’t need to be attending to enter the contest.

Book Name: From Chicago, With Love
Book put together by: Cate Ashwood
Author Name: More than 80 of the Featured and Supporting Authors of GRL
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

Sales Links: This is an exclusive at GRL 2014 in Chicago

 From Chicago, With Love Blurb:

Writing is a solitary activity, and yet authors would be useless without readers to devour the words they create. GayRomLit brings the two together; a community made up of people with different tastes and styles, from all over the world, all with one thing in common: a passion for romance.

From science fiction to urban fantasy, from historical to paranormal to contemporary, enjoy an eclectic collection of stories and excerpts from the authors attending GayRomLit 2014 in Chicago.

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TCWLBadgeTour Dates: 9/24/14

Tour Stops: Carly’s Book Reviews, Parker Williams, The Novel Approach, Angel Martinez, Amanda C. Stone, Kimber Vale, Tara Lain, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Prism Book Alliance, Andrew Q. Gordon, Cathy Brockman Romances, Jade Crystal, MM Good Book Reviews, The Blogger Girls, Foxylutely Book Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark, Queer Town Abbey, Sinfully Sexy, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Kimi-Chan, Dawn’s Reading Nook, , Love Bytes, Fallen Angel Reviews, Multitasking Mommas, My Fiction Nook, SA McAuley, Iyana Jenna, Cate Ashwood

 

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: $10 ARe gift card.  Use the Rafflecopter link provided for the entry form and for additional contest details.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Good luck!WillPride

 

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

A MelanieM Review: Men of the Manor: Erotic Encounters between Upstairs Lords and Downstairs Lads by Rob Rosen

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

MenOfTheManorCover2-413x600Thirteen authors with thirteen stories that take you back to the turn of the century to explore the Lords of the Manor and their varied relationships with the servants of the back halls and downstairs.  From the naughty to the salacious, from the  humorous to the romantic, all sorts of relationships are set against the backdrop of pre World War I Europe, a time where the wealthy aristocrats may only think they rule the world but the working class has far different ideas

Thirteen stories by various authors such as Dale Chase, J. L. Merrow, Rob Rosen, Brent Archer, Michael Landon and more explore the ups and downs, ins and outs of the Lords of the Manor and the downstairs help who serve them in so many ways.  Randy members of the ruling class and footman, manipulative butlers and hedonistic lords, and even a stable boy or two to bring joy and kink into an aristocrat’s life…variety is the spice of life and this anthology has it all.

Stories in this anthology in the order they appear in the anthology:

  • The Maze by Dale Chase
  • Finnias Laredo by Alex Stitt
  • Finsloe by Xavier Axelson
  • Booting by Salome Wilde
  • Seducing the Footman by Brent Archer
  • Folly’s Ditch by Felice Picano
  • Manor Games by Michael Roberts
  • Brass Rags by J.L. Merrow
  • Mutable Memories by Michael Bracken
  • Front Door, Back Door by Logan Zachary
  • Chauffeur’s Hole by Landon Dixon
  • Master Jeffy Learns a Lesson by Sasha Payne
  • Bohemian Rhapsody by Rob Rosen

Men of the Manor Anthology is described by its editor Rob Rosen as a sort of layered english drama of classes. Or in his words “Think Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, but with enough sex to make the town vicar blush.”  So how you feel about those shows and the expectations you bring to this anthology will determine what you think about the mixed bag of stories this anthology represents.

Only some of these stories can be considered romantic, one or two pornographic or  “erotic” depending upon your  classification of a “sex only” type of  short story.  There are a few revenge type tales or getting their comeuppance plots.  One of sexual exploration and epipanies as well as some hilarious installments that kept me giggling past the endings.  I loved those with humor, clearly they were my favorites.

What did I find mostly absent?  Stories that included romance, and perhaps deeper feelings that might just be love.  What can be found in abundance?  Sexual encounters of all kinds and places.  Sex scenes both casual and coarse as well as sexual liaisons that were instructive, illuminating and guffaw inducing.  One story of one type, a couple of another, and so on.  To appreciate this collection of authors and plots, a reader should bring an appreciation for a variety of sexual relationships and encounters found within this anthology’s stories or  they will find this a disappointing read.

Which were my favorites?  Brass Rags by J. L Merrow.  Merrow’s Algy, aka Lord Algernon Huffingham, had me in stitches for the entire story.  Algy, a sort of perverted Bertie Wooster (P.G. Wodehouse), is in search of his own Jeeves, one who comes equipped to deal with Algy’s very specific and kinky sexual desires.  He finds him at Blithering Coombe, the country estate of his friend Cedric’s father.  Oh the joys of Algy’s mind and musings.  Whether Algy is remembering fondly why he was banned from his father’s stables (being discovered being ridden and whipped like a pony by a stable boy will do that) or despondently telling Cedric that he prefers “horny-handed sons of toil” , Algy and his story will leaving you grinning and wishing they had their own series.  His humorous and singular voice deserves it.

On the more serious side is  Front Door, Back Door by  Logan Zachary.  A short tale of increasing anxiety and dread over the actions of a spoiled son of the landed gentry,  Zachary weaves a lovely tale of tenderness and comeuppance.  I thought the ending of Front Door, Back Door was especially well done and unexpected.  Just lovely.

Back to the unexpected and humorous, Brent Archer’s Seducing the Footman contained a wonderful unexpected twist that made me appreciate his story even more.  Manor Games by Michael Roberts has a loyal and mischeivous gentlemen’s gentleman, Tompkins, whose Master is unfortunate at cards.  What happens to level the playing field and bring a certain Kensington-Ffoulke to heal is an entertaining and hilarious game of cards never to be forgotten.  Master Jeffy Learns a Lesson by Sasha Payne is a delight if for no other reason than that title.  Good thing the well crafted characters and comical situations inside the story match up nicely with each other as well as the title.

Those were my favorites and they consisted mostly of the stories that you would consider light hearted, droll, and oh so entertaining.  I love the characters and the situation they found themselves in.  They “tickled my fancy” as none of the others did.  Plus they had staying power.  For a different reader, perhaps they might find them too light hearted and would be content with the offerings from the other authors.

Men of the Manor is only available in paperback format which can make buying a collection more problematic when such variety is involved.  That’s why I am hesitating in my recommendations.  If this was an ebook, I would absolutely recommend it.  Brass Rags by J. L. Merrow and Sasha Payne;s Master Jeffy Learns a Lesson would be worth the price alone.  But a paperback?  Not so sure.  You must decide.  If you are a fan of a majority of those authors, than go ahead and pick it up.  You will have a better understanding of what type of story awaits you inside.

Cover art by Scott Idelman/Blink.  Wish it had a more historical feel to it. Just ok.

Sales Links – Paperback and ebook: Cleis Press   All Romance $15.95   Amazon from $12.16  Men of the Manor

Book Details:

Paperback only, 232 pages
Expected publication: October 7th 2014 by Cleis Press (first published September 9th 2014)
ISBN 1627780661 (ISBN13: 9781627780667)