Review: Saugatuck Summer (Saugatuck #1) by Amelia C. Gormley

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Topher Carlisle likes to think of himself as fabulous. Topher knows he looks fabulous, now only if he felt that way on the inside. He is turning twenty one and stands on the precipice of adulthood with life changing decisions rising up around him. Gay, gorgeous and of mixed race, Topher’s upbringing has been anything but normal. Or happy. Or safe. His mother is a drug dependent alcoholic whose mental health issues threatened his health and his sanity growing up. His other relatives are little better, giving him support on their terms, which were both emotionally and physically abusive. And while most people only see a flamboyantly gay, intelligent and perhaps superficial young man, the inner Topher is the one who continues to battle with his depression and thoughts of worthlessness.

Supporting himself through college on a swimming scholarship, Topher’s education might be cut short if he can’t get in condition to compete for the team in the fall and earn the money he needs for board. Luckily for Topher, his BFF, Mo is bringing him with her to the family beach house on Lake Michigan. A summer of swimming and, hopefully, part time work, should just do the trick if Topher can stick with the program, but that is something he rarely does. And something totally unexpected and disasterous happens….his bestfriend’s father is handsome, closeted…and it turns out, available for an affair. An affair that ruins everyones lives before the summer is over.

Now homeless, friendless and desperate Topher needs help in the worst way. And it comes in the shape of a artist named Jace who asks to paint his portrait and sees beyond the facade Topher has erected to protect himself from further pain. And he just might be the answer to this young gay man’s prayers…if only Topher will give him a chance and let him in.

What? Don’t recognize the book by the synopsis above? Not even close to the blurb you read that starts out “Hi, I’m Topher Carlisle: twenty-one, pretty, and fabulous”? Not surprising because that light, somewhat comedic summary has little in common with the dark, heartrending story that is Saugatuck Summer. Just like you, I was expecting a sort of coming of age story featuring one of those fabulous characters who burbles on in an almost stream of consciouness, missing an editor gate sort of inner monologue. You know light, kind of frothy, with hints of angst here and there. That is not, as I said, Saugatuck Summer. What I got was darker, deeper, and totally involving featuring a mess of a main character who is not instantly likable. All of which is much, much better than anything I had originally anticipated.

Instead of light romance, Gormley gives us Christopher “Topher” Carlisle, a chronic depressive who is half black, gay, and on the cusp of turning twenty one. A traumatic event sent him into a downward spiral last year in college, turning him into a black hole of depression and making him unable to attend classes or stay in shape to swim. We meet Topher as the summer starts. His bestfriend, Mo, has invited Topher to stay with her and her family at the summer vacation home on Lake Michigan free of charge. There Topher can swim himself back into shape and get a part-time job to help pay college expenses in the fall. Sounds great, right? And it would be for anyone but Topher who is also self destructive and possesses of poor self image. He is, as they say, his own worst enemy and proves it over and over again to himself to be certain.

Gormley establishes that the reasons why Topher acts the way he does are grounded in his abusive past which continues to haunt him as he cannot bring himself to cut all ties to his mother and his family. The author doesn’t dump all the horror that is Topher’s family on the reader at once which is probably a good thing because the ghastly mess that is Topher’s family and upbringing is made more effective when it is revealed in segments of painful revelations as Topher relives scenes from his childhood and other memories that refuse to stay buried. Topher himself is aware of his self destructive tendencies. He is the product of years of therapy and doctor ordered medications that help with the depression. But as the cause of most of his pain is only a phone call away, a complete breakdown is a possibility in any given stressful situation. Over and over again, Gormley’s Topher will bring us to tears even as we want to give him a shake in frustration over his actions. We get it and him. It will take a while to accept Topher as he is such a deeply flawed young man but when you do (and you will if you give him a chance), then his journey out of the darkness and into a reality where he just might find happiness is one you will wholly invest yourself in. You will love this young man and every step he takes, forward and back, are ones that you will take together.

Ah, yes, the cheating. I know that for some of you, just the mention of cheating will have you crossing this off your TBR list. And that the man who cheats is not only married but Topher’s best friend’s father might send the rest of you running for the proverbial door. To all of you, please put that issue aside and read this story. Brandon, the father, has his own demons to fight and he also is a flawed, impulsive human being. Brandon knows that this affair will end badly but like Topher, he can’t help himself. Again, Gormley provides a solid and realistic rationale for both men’s actions. You don’t have to like what they are doing, just understand that each man, or almost man in Topher’s case, has so many dark skeletons in their closet that it makes this jump into bed almost a given. Everyone here is so authentically human, painfully so that no matter how awful their actions seems, you still end up empathizing with everyone who gets pulled into this mess. And that includes the two main participants.

Gormley does an outstanding job with all her characters here. Mo, the best friend betrayed by both her father and Topher, is a portrait of loyalty and heartbreak. A married couple, Robin (an art gallery owner) and Geoff, his partner and tattoo artist, who turn out to be the grounded gay couple who helps save Topher by providing a framework of knowledge and friendship that Topher has never had before. And finally Jace, the artist who sees deeply into the troubled Topher and still wants to pursue a relationship. Each and every one is a stunner of a character. And their importance to this story and Topher is beautifully rendered in scenes that will make you laugh and cry and want to be a part of that village that starts to raise Topher up out of the hole made by his upbringing and family.

Is this an easy book to read? No, not really. But it is a wonderful one. It will pull you in, involve you emotionally and mentally. It will tear you up as you watch Topher breaking on the shoals of his illness and family history. And finally it will move you to tears and happiness as Topher finds his way to love and a future. Thankfully, Amelia C. Gormley realizes that there will never be an easy resolution to someone with Topher’s illnesses and past, only better ways to handle them with the right therapy and a balanced doctor proscribed plan of medication. So the ending is marvelously conceived and wonderfully realistic. I loved it as I did Topher and everyone else found within the covers of Saugatuck Summer.

Saugatuck Summer is a book not to be missed. It will be one to be remembered. And Saugatuck Summer will be on my Best of 2014 list at the end of the year.

Cover artist is LC Chase. That cover is beautifully deceptive. You only think it shows a lovely peaceful beach scene but look at the gathering storm clouds and the portent is clear. Just an amazing cover, one of the best of the year.

Of Special Note: Be sure to check out the Saugatuck Summer soundtrack by singer/songwriter Casey Stratton . This soundtrack is the soundtrack for Topher’s life. Stratton’s music and lyrics are found throughout the story, linking events, memories and happenings together in a seamless strand of melody. I found a new musician to love with this story. Visit his website. I think you will find the same.

Book Details:

ebook, 363 pages
Published May 19th 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published May 17th 2014)
original titleSaugatuck Summer
ISBN139781626491168
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/
seriesSaugatuck #1

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing Amazon ARe

Review: Hostile Ground by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Enemy territory is a dangerous place to fall in love.

After three undercover cops died while investigating a Seattle crime lord with international ties, Detective Mahir Hussain was chosen next to infiltrate the drug ring and finish the job they started. His superiors reasoned that Mahir had an advantage the other officers didn’t, the first and foremost being that Mahir is gay and currently lacking a partner. The drug ring operates out of a disreputable nightclub in one of the worst districts in Seattle and its head of security is known to only hire gay men. Mahir is also a Muslim and of Arabic descent which makes Mahir work that much harder to prove himself while taking on jobs that others might flinch at, including this one.

Mahir joins the club’s security team but only after passing his inspection and initiation by Ridley, the drug lord’s right hand man. And as only gay men are allowed to protect the strippers, Ridley knows exactly how to test each man that applies for work there….by testing his sexuality up close and personal. A test that Mahir passes with enthusiasm to his surprise. Ridley is not only cold and intimidating but extremely dangerous and dangerously handsome as well. Mahir finds himself getting in deeper than he expected….deeply involved with the sexy, ruthless Ridley and pulled deeper into a crime organization that is more than it seems from the outside.

Mahir knows that his position is shaky. He must find the answers he needs as well as the evidence to convict the criminals. And Mahir must do so quickly before he is discovered to be a cop and the ties and emotions he feels towards Ridley become too deep to cut. Mahir Hussain is a man on hostile ground. Will he be able to save himself when the danger is to his heart as well?

Undercover cops in danger is a terrific and exciting element for any story and in Hostile Ground, it is only the jumping off point for the action and adventure that Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt have in store for the reader with this marvelous tale of crime, passion, and deception. With Voinov and Witt at the helm, mayhem and hot, dangerous liaisons are sure to follow. And one half of the explosive duo here is a not only a total surprise but my favorite characters in the story. That would be Mahir Hussain.

To have your tale unfold from the viewpoint of an American Muslim of Middle Eastern descent is not only unexpected but adds a dimension of tension and potential for bigotry not found to often in the m/m genre or any genres I can think of outside the role of villain or conspirator. Having Mahir Hussein, as a main character in a m/m story, someone who is both a Muslim and of Arabic descent, who is also the romantic “lead” is both fascinating and compelling. That Mahir faces discrimination and hostility in both his law enforcement profession and from the criminals in his undercover role just points out that bigotry and race hatred has no boundaries. Between the “camel jokes” Mahir makes before anyone else can and his interaction with his strict Muslim brother who refuses to accept Mahir’s sexuality. we are given a broader picture of the consequences of his heritage, sexuality, and religion within society, whether that society is legal or not. Mahir is such a great character, flaws and all, that the reader will fall for this intense and complicated man from the outset.

Mahir’s character is grounded by his family, estranged brother included. The authors have given Mahir a young, gay nephew whose troubles with his father and family mirror those that Mahir went through earlier in his life. Seen through both their eyes, the struggle to remain a part of the tightknit conservative family while staying true to who you are and who you love becomes understandable with its familial pull and emotionally explosive issues to resolve. I loved the nephew too, so young, troubled, and in need of love and support from his uncle.

Ridley, the head of security for the crime boss, is deadly, ruthless, and sexually commanding. Ridley is both a threat and the magnet that is pulling Mahir into a relationship he never expected and a sexual role that is outside his comfort zone, or so Mahir thought. Prior to Ridley, Mahir has always been the person in command in the bedroom and elsewhere but Ridley expects submission and obedience. How Mahir handles that change in roles is both challenging and extremely hot to read about. Witt and Voinov up the suspense and action as the relationship between Mahir and Ridley gets as out of control as the situation they find themselves in.

Things I would have loved to have seen expounded on was Mahir’s role within his family and his nephew Kinza, mainly what happened to Kinza who I adored. Plus a little more transition between the last two chapters and the epilogue. It all happens so quickly at the end (as it would when that action was going down) but a little more explanations after the climax would have fleshed out the resolution as deeply and completely as the rest of the story felt. I know that is asking a lot as the book is already at 362 pages, but a complex plot needs that complexity mirrored at the end and I am just not sure that happens to its full potential.

As with all reviewers, the challenge is to talk about the book but leave out the information that spoils the plot and the ending. That is particularly tough here where the plot has more layers than an English Trifle. You must first navigate your way through all the layers of this story that the authors have constructed, to figure out all the hidden subterfuge, the antagonists and their roles, and exactly what the criminals are hiding, selling and willing to kill for….well, that’s a deep and complex dish. It’s very satisfying but the smallest additional information would reveal the wrong thing at definitely the wrong time.

Do I recommend Hostile Ground? Absolutely. It’s hot, sexy, surprising, and action packed. It’s a love story and a thriller. What’s not to love? Add an undercover Muslim detective, a commanding and dominant sexy criminal, a young, naive gay nephew and more secrets than any one cop can handle, and you have a recipe for an entertaining and hard to put down story. Grab this up and begin your investigation on Hostile Ground today.

Cover art by LC Chase. Chase gives us a dark and sexy cover which totally works for this story and its characters based in Seattle.

Book Details:

Word count: 96,600; Page count: 362
Kindle Edition
Published May 11th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ASINB00K9YM52I
edition language English

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing Amazon ARe

Totally Bound Tour Stop & Contest for Sierra Cartwright’s Crave (Bonds #1)

Sierra Cartwright’s Crave Totally Bound Publishing May 2014

To celebrate the release of Crave Totally Bound are giving you the chance to win a Kindle Fire HD! Enter here for your chance to win!

Contest: From the internationally best selling, author Sierra Cartwright comes the first story in her new series Bonds, Crave. The competition for the Kindle Fire HD runs from the 26th May to 4th June with winners being announced at Totally Bound’s facebook release party on 4th June. Open internationally, must be 18 to enter. Visit this site to enter and for more information.

Crave (Bonds #1) Blurb:

She still craved him… The sight of a collar in her boyfriend’s drawer had stunned Sarah. Panicking, she had fled. But no other man has ever been his equal.

Two years ago, the woman he’d hoped to collar and marry disappeared. So Reece McRae is stunned to find his former girlfriend on her knees, behaving as the submissive he’d always wanted.

Is it too late? He should refuse her, but an undeniable sexual attraction consumes him.

Sarah had been under Reece’s spell from the moment she met him. When she found a steel collar in his drawer, she panicked. The idea of a lifetime of his relentless demands, sensual and otherwise, suffocated her.

In the years they’ve been apart, she hasn’t met his equal. Now, convinced one last night will vanquish his memory, she sets out to seduce him.

The Reece she returns to is even more determined to have his way. Is she now strong enough, brave enough, to surrender to his love?

Reader Advisory: This book contains sensual torment, flogging, anal sex and sex in public.

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: May 30th 2014 by Totally Bound
ISBN139781784300289
url https://www.totallybound.com/crave
seriesBonds #1

Excerpt:
Humidity drenched the evening air. Noise from the hotel faded into the background. Potted plants lined the sidewalk, and a few palm trees swayed in the light breeze.
As she neared the restaurant entrance, she saw Reece.
He was waiting in the shadows, shoulders against the stucco wall. Her heart stuttered before surging on, thundering in her throat.
This man dominated her thoughts along with her body.
“Good evening, Sarah,” he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips.
His old-world charm had always undone her. “Reece,” she said.
“You look lovely.”
She knew his compliment was sincere. As she’d learned, he never said anything he didn’t believe.
“You’re wearing panties?”
Despite the heat, she shivered. “I am.”
“Again, that’s remiss of you.”
“I had no idea it mattered to you.”
“It does.”
Even in the fading darkness, she felt the power of his gaze and heard the tension in his tone.
He gripped her shoulders and moved her so that her back was to the wall. Her insides turned molten.
Reece McRae overwhelmed, consumed her.
Helpless, she linked her arms around his neck. As he demanded entrance to her mouth, she yielded.
His tongue met hers, and she tasted his passion. This was the man who’d captured her heart as well as her body so many years ago. And it was a reminder of why she’d run. When she was this close, her brain function shut down. All that remained were her base needs. She’d do anything, surrender everything.

Like the sound of Crave? You can buy it here:

Author Bio:

Born in Northern England and raised in the Wild West, Sierra Cartwright pens book that are as untamed as the Rockies she calls home.

She’s an award-winning, multi-published writer who wrote her first book at age nine and hasn’t stopped since.
Sierra invites you to share the complex journey of love and desire, of surrender and commitment. Her own journey has taught her that trusting takes guts and courage, and her work is a celebration for everyone who is willing to take that risk.

You can follow the author at:

Website
Twitter
Totally Bound Author Page

A Totally Bound Publishing Book Tour

Author Spotlight: Writing with Humor by John Inman (contest)

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Author Spotlight: John Inman On Writing with Humor

The stories of John Inman are a true favorite of mine. I think of John Inman and his stories and immediately I start to smile. He has the ability to convey the emotions and thoughts of real people with startling issues in his stories through humor, frankness, and acceptance. Interspersed, of course, by the occasional moments of angst.

“Laughing through our tears” is probably a phrase most readers would associate with this author, whether it is through his books, Shy, Hobbled, or the recently released Spirit. I invited John to talk a little about how he combines the authenticity of every day problems and real life difficulties with humor. John has brought a copy of his latest release, Spirit, to give away. To enter to win leave a comment and an email address where you can be contacted. The contest ends June 4 at midnight.

Writing with Humor by John Inman

I was recently asked how and why I temper the impact of real issues with humor.

Well now, there’s a question and a half, huh?

Questions about why I write the way I do always go flapping over my head like distraught pigeons, because I honestly never know how to answer them. My motives are a mystery even to me. They always have been.

I do know there are times when I’m trying to delve into serious issues in a story and it’s an uphill battle for me to not start cracking jokes or going for a laugh. I’m talking about my writing here. In real life I’m much too shy to shoot for a belly laugh from anybody. I’m the guy sitting in the corner behind the potted palm slurping down cocktails to calm his frazzled nerves and trying to be inconspicuous. On paper, however, I’m fearless.

I honestly had not thought about it before, but behind every one of my comedies — SHY, HOBBLED, SPIRIT, LOVING HECTOR, SERENADING STANLEY — (I’m leaving out PAULIE because the only serious aspect to that story was the fact that everybody wanted to get laid, and I mean seriously.) Taking those other stories in order, the serious issues are Social Anxiety, Murder and Kidnapping, just plain Murder, Physical Abuse, and with STANLEY, an apartment building full of crazy people and the MC’s Inferiority Complex.

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Even my serious novels have a good deal of comedy interwoven into the story. Take A HARD WINTER RAIN, for instance. With all the people being violently mowed down left and right, that one simply cried out for mood lighteners. So I gave them to the reader through the gallows humor of two homicide detectives chasing down a serial killer. JASPER’S MOUNTAIN, too, had its lighter moments. How could there not be an underlying comedic tone when the main character had three dogs, two cats, a couple of baby pigs, and a shitload of alligator lizards infesting his mountain retreat?

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I think even in the most serious story lines, there is a need to lighten the mood now and then. I realize I go a little overboard with my humor sometimes, but still it serves a purpose. I know when I’m reading a long, sad, morose tale of abuse or angst or heartbreak, I require an occasional chuckle just so I won’t set the book aside periodically and toddle off to the bedroom to blow my brains out.

When I was a high school kid back in Indiana about a thousand years ago, I remember my English Lit teacher giving us an assignment to write a story about ancient Rome. Growing up in Switz City, Indiana, with a population of 212 people, and with only one stoplight, one feed store, one tiny market where the clerk doled out change from a cigar box, and about a gazillion churches, I had, of course, never been to Rome in my life, ancient or otherwise, and unless I was sorely mistaken, I was pretty sure none of the other kids had been there either.

So instead of writing a story about something I knew absolutely nothing about, I wrote a commercial. A commercial like you might have seen had ancient Rome been bombarded with endless hours of mindless television shows like we are. (Yes, even as a kid I hated TV.) Remember Cal Worthington and his dog Spot (who was actually a tiger) hawking used cars all over TV? That’s the type of guy I based my commercial on. Only Cal wasn’t Cal anymore. He was Calicus. And he didn’t sell cars, he sold chariots. Calicus stood there in his lot full of used chariots, his toga flapping around his pale skinny legs, touting the wonderfulness of his inventory in a loud booming voice, while his bigass pet elephant, Spot, followed him around like a Corgi.

I fully expected to get an F on the assignment, but strangely enough Mrs. Donahue (who I always thought hated my guts) –see? I was paranoid even then — well, Mrs. Donahue gave me an A+ and asked that I read my creation in front of the class, which I refused to do because I was just too damn shy. My best friend at the time, Linda Strietelmeier, of brave German stock, took pity on me and offered to read my story to the class in my stead.

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I still remember the kids laughing at my silly commercial as Linda stood at the podium reading it out loud. Even sourpuss Mrs. Donahue cracked a smile or two. I sat there looking down at my lap, blushing up a storm, and loving every fucking minute of it. Looking back now, I do believe that day was the beginning of my need to write comedy.

It isn’t a pretty story, I know. But it is my own. And as true as the day is long.

So in answer to the question, how and why do I temper the impact of real issues with humor, the answer is — I have no choice. It’s just what I do, what I am, how I write. There is no big mystery to it. I’m just doing what I enjoy doing. And in truth, I think the answer to the question is pretty simple.

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Not only am I simply wired that way, but maybe even more to the point is the fact that I’m doing it because that’s the kind of writing I like to read.

And what better reason is there than that?

Author Bio:

John has been writing fiction for as long as he can remember. Born on a small farm in Indiana, he now resides in San Diego, California where he spends his time gardening, pampering his pets, hiking and biking the trails and canyons of San Diego, and of course, writing. He and his partner share a passion for theater, books, film, and the continuing fight for marriage equality. If you would like to know more about John, check out his website at—-

Follow John Inman at:

If you are unfamiliar with John Inman and his stories, I have listed a few,ok a lot of my personal favorites below. Check them out and prepare to start laughing. It’s the only way to go. Those marvelous covers are by artist Paul Richmond except for Spirit whose wonderful cover was done by Reese Dante.

Review: Love Comes Home (Senses #3) by Andrew Grey

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Architect Gregory Hampton’s son, Davey, is playing in a Little League softball game and having difficulties with pitching and hitting where he had none before. Then a stranger approaches Gregory with a startling suggestion…that Greg should take Davy to an eye doctor for an examination. The diagnosis is frightening. Davey has a genetic occular disease that has just kicked in with the result that Davey’s sight is degenerating rapidly, and eventually he’ll go blind. Suddenly life is all about helping Davey adjust to his impending loss of eyesight and a romance with the handsome businessman he just met has to be relegated to the background. Or does it?

Wealthy businessman Tom Spangler had no sooner met architect Gregory Hampton and arranged to go on a date when a call arrives to disrupt their evening. Sometime during the evening, Greg’s son Davey had completely lost his sight and a traumatized son is in need of his father. After ferrying them both home, Tom waits to hear from Greg. And while he waits, Tom researches how to help Greg and his son, Davey even though he is not even sure the man and his son will accept his help.

One of the things that Tom has researched is beep baseball. Here balls and bases make sounds to enable the visually impaired to participate in Little League. When Tom spearheads an effort to form a team so Davey can continue to play the game he loves, it draws Tom and Greg closer and brings Davey back to the game he thought he would never play again. But Greg’s ex wife has returned with a plan in mind for Davey that will reject everything that Greg, Tom and Davey have worked so hard to accomplish. With a threat to Davey’s happiness at stake, what will Tom and Greg do to ensure his safety and future?

Love Comes Home is the third story in the Senses series and it is a lovely one. The previous story focused on Howard who is blind and his lover, Gordy, both of whom are a strong presence here in Love Comes Home as part of the village of people who help Davey accept his blindness and move forward. Once again, Andrew Grey’s story is centered on someone who is blind but in this case it is a young boy who turns blind almost overnight due to a genetic ocular disease no one knew he had until puberty sets it off. Up until then Davey is a highly athletic, normal boy being raised by a single dad, Greg Hampton.

Andrew Grey’s characters comes across as totally believable human beings, albeit sometimes a little too nice given some of the circumstances they find themselves in. Gregory Hampton is high on my list of favorite characters here as a single dad who puts his son first, including his own wants and needs. His reactions when informed of his son’s diagnosis seems so authentic as he reels between denial and acceptance, not for himself at first but for Davey. Then later, Grey shows Greg’s own grief set in and its both wrenching and raw. Davey too feels all too authentic as a young boy who thinks his life is over until he is shown how to move forward with his disability by a close knit circle of friends. Tom, however, is a little more too, too everything. Too wealthy, too handsome, too great a boyfriend and potential stepfather to Davey. I just wish he had a tad more flaws to make him less a knight in shining armor and more a lonely man looking for love who finds a family as well. A flawed human being for me is always the more interesting and absorbing person to read about. Tom seems almost too perfect to be read and that lessens the romance for me as well.

Andrew Grey has indicated that he has done a mountain of research towards this book and it shows. From the classes that Davey is immersed in to teach himself how to read and write Braille or to simply function in every day life, the author moves his characters through the necessary steps towards Davey’s independence and acceptance at exactly the right pace for a family still trying to deal with Davey’s disease and altered lifestyle. It’s a wonderful journey and it culminates in Davey’s introduction to Beep Ball and the formation of a team of children like Davey in that they are sight impaired.

Ah, Beep Ball. What a splendid sport. And through Grey’s descriptions we are able to visualize how Davey and the other kids step forward with enthusiasm for some and trepidation for others to have fun, be a part of a group and play a sport that was thought impossible to participate in for some kids and parents. We get the laughter, the dropped balls and the tears that flow as parents realize just what it is that they are seeing. Be prepared for a sniffle or two yourself. This really made the story for me.

Romance is well represented here. There is the slowly evolving love between Greg and Tom, marked only by the hiccup arrival of Greg’s ex wife. That part of the story seemed odd and less realized. Absent for 2 years, she appears with demands about her son’s future. It never comes across as though that is her true reason for her appearance. The reader will keep wondering when “the other shoe” will drop and her hidden agenda will be revealed. But that aspect is dropped and the resolution between all the parties comes off as a little contrived. This is probably my biggest issue with this story.

But that element aside, I loved this story. Davey and his journey towards acceptance of his blindness, the manner in which Howard and Gordy helped Greg through the challenges they all faced, the realistic and heartwarming manner in which I felt I knew this group of friends by the end of the story….those are all terrific reasons to buy this book. The romance too will keep you smiling as well as the picture of a new family formed by love at the end. So charming, so heartfelt, and imminently enjoyable too.

Cover design is both lovely and relevant.

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published March 7th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 6th 2014)
ISBN 1627986626 (ISBN13: 9781627986625)
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesSenses #3

Books in the Senses series include:

Love Comes Silently (Senses, #1)
Love Comes in Darkness (Senses, #2) (Howard and Gordy)
Love Comes Home (Senses, #3)

Memories, Memorials, and Memorial Day and the Week Ahead

Memorial Day. Two words that bring forth powerful emotions and memories of both of those from our past as well as our present. We think of the past and those deceased while at the same time our memories are full of family celebrations, and the laughter and love that speaks of life itself.

I was thinking of both of those as I watched the film on the news of the inauguration ceremony of National September 11 Memorial & Museum in NYC. The pictures brought forth a profound sadness as the cameras scanned over the survivors and their families as well as the exhibits, stopping here and there for closeups and personal stories. A staircase that was the only avenue for some to freedom and life stands bone white, covered in ash. Bent, blackened metal framework from parts of the structure from the towers loom upwards over the crowds within the museum, much like the towers they once helped support. All chilling and stark reminders of that day and our national tragedy.

But for me it was the small items that were so poignant and personal that they made the pain and loss intimate and immediate once more. A red bandana from a young man who sacrificed his life to make sure others got down safely. His mother was present,full of pride for her son, as she stood next to his photograph and his red scarf now enclosed in glass. It was the scarf that the survivors he helped down that day remember him by. Over and over again, a young man in a red bandana grabbed people, moving them towards safety and life. The expression on her face, so full of love, loss, and grief, was visceral as she looked at the scarf. Another survivor was there looking at the black, dusty shoes she donated that she wore that day as she walked down all those flights of steps. She ended up caring them as she ended up finally walking down in her bare feet because the pain of going down all those steps made wearing them impossible. Small item after item, watches, cell phones, glasses, standing side by side next to the physically imposing and massive items from the World Trade Center bombings, like a fire truck and or large pieces of masonry from the Pentagon, yes that’s there too. And there is a wall of photographs of those that died that day. Every race, every gender,, every age….all represented there. Forever remembered, forever immortalized.

It made me think of another wall, one full of names on black marble. Here in Washington, DC, where huge crowds will gather on this weekend to remember, to grieve and to celebrate lives now gone. There will be Rolling Thunder, and parades, and the echoing refrain of Taps heard over Arlington Cemetery this weekend. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, my favorite of all Washington memorials, stands as one of our more striking and haunting memorials. The pictures found there aren’t on the wall but will be left by loved ones, friends, family, and fellow soldiers who come to commune with the dead and their memories. There, as well as in New York City, the memorials will help all of us remember and help to mitigate the grief left behind. Powerful images, powerful emotions, and a powerful almost unimaginable amount of loss.

Take a moment this Memorial Weekend and remember. Do something that will celebrate their life as well as remember their loss.

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Now for the week ahead here at ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords:

Monday, May 26: Love Comes Home by Andrew Grey
Tuesday, May 27: Author Spotlight: Writing with Humor by John Inman
Wed., May 28: Book Tour: Sierra Cartwright’s Crave
Wed., May 28: Hostile Ground by Aleksandr Voinov and LA Witt
Thursday, May 29: Saugatuck Summer by Amelia C. Gormley
Thursday, May 29: Clipped by Devon McCormack
Friday, May 30: Moving Earth by T.A. Webb
Saturday, May 31: Back Burn by Laura Harner
Saturday, May 31: May Summary of Reviews/Best Covers

Thoughts on Memorial Day…

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep – Mary Frye (1932)

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow;
I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain;
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush;
I am in the graceful rush.

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.

I am the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

Review: Spirit by John Inman

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

When Jason Day, video games designer, agrees to watch his precocious four-year-old nephew, Timmy, for four weeks he has no idea how his life will be forever changed by his acceptance. Jason works from home and is a confirmed, but not happy about it, gay bachelor. He is the only immediate family in his his nephew’s life outside of his nephew’s mom as Timmy’s father disappeared several years ago and has never been heard from again. Jason is surprised to find himself bonding with Timmy, loving the 4 year old’s company even as it exhausts him.

Then a young man arrives and announces himself as Timmy’s uncle too but from the other, still missing, side of the family. His appearance starts off a series of startling events, not the least of which is a ghostly presence that is getting increasingly agitated by the hour. Soon Jason finds himself with a burgeoning love interest, a mystery that turns ominous, and a ghost with an alarming sense of humor. Things are getting out of hand and Jason finds himself and Timmy right in the middle of it all. Can the weirdest summer Jason has ever had also turn out to be his best?

I found author John Inman about 5 books of his ago after cuddling up to Loving Hector. Between gales of laughter and more than a few shed tears, I knew that John Inman, with his talent for writing comedic fiction with a heart, would always have a place on my must read author list. After Loving Hector, came Shy, and Hobbled, and Serenading Stanley, and all the rest leading up to Spirit, a whacky, supernatural infused tale of love and what it means to be a family, ancient Chihuawhatits included. And while I can always be certain that each tale of his will include some gut busting scenes of humor and maybe a dog or two, everything else comes as a surprise. That’s what I found with Sprit. Surprise after surprise to my total delight and absolute amusement.

How else can you explain a supernatural love story murder mystery? Because that is exactly what Spirit is, a conglomeration of elements and genres that swirl around a thirty something video game designer, Jason, and his energetic, intelligent 4 year-old nephew, Timmy. It is clear that when Jason’s sister drops off Timmy before heading off on vacation that Jason has only spent short amounts of time with his nephew and has no idea what is in store for him during this extended stay. Why you ask? Because so much of what happens with Timmy here is accurate (ok, supernatural stuff not withstanding). YOu can child proof your house all you want but there will always be something that is missed or not thought of. That haircutting business that Inman throws in? Perfection and spot on. Sometime I will recount my college days in Ohio and a certain preschool playground when scissors reigned supreme and 3 to 5 year olds ran amuck inside those concrete cylinders that were ubiquitous at the time. Thank you, John Inman, for bringing those memories so vividly back home. I had to put my Kindle down because my sides hurt from laughing so much at Timmy and his haircut.

Some readers will look at Timmy with askance. I can hear them asking “Is that really how a 4 year old will act and speak?”

Let me say, with years of experience behind me as a parent and park naturalist, ” why yes, indeedy, they do”. Some toddlers and older kids come out just preternaturally smart and smart mouthed. They can say the most amazing things and have the most acute and unexpected take on situations that astound those that care to listen to them. Not all, surely, but a larger amount of children than you would expect. So when I came across Timmy, I felt as though here was a child I already knew. And watching the relationship between Jason and Timmy unfold was truly a thing of joy. From the funny conversations to the walks they had with Thumper who is, in John Inman’s words ” … a mix of Chihuahua, dachshund, miniature poodle, and quite possibly a three-toed sloth” and also 20 years old, this uncle/nephew bonding time felt real and loving. The love that Jason feels for Timmy grows so strong and heart deep that it becomes ours as well.

That’s the just one of the familial love elements here. Then Inman introduces us to Sam, Timmy’s uncle from his father’s side. With Sam’s appearance, a whole slew of new elements come into play. First there is the love aspect for Jason and Same, who is just as happily gay as Jason is. Their attraction is immediate but there is no instant love to be found here, thankfully. Just a naturally occurring affection that turns into something deeper as time passes and the astounding events unfold. Sam is as realistic a character as the rest of the people to be found within this story. His cautious acceptance of Jason and his pain over the mystery of his brother’s disappearance are easy to empathize with and believe in. So we have love, love, and more love. Terrific and endearing on every level. Did I mention a dog’s love for a boy too? That’s here as well.

Then Timmy starts to see a ghost and everything turns into a supernatural mystery that starts pointing towards an dark happening in the not to distant past. I loved Inman’s ghost, a supernatural entity at turns humorous and chilling. And you never know which side of the ghost will arrive at any given situation. That’s another marvelous aspect of this story too. The ghost does what all ghosts should, scare you, entertain you, and provide a certain amount of pathos one would expect from someone who…..oh never mind, Find out that one for yourself.

So yes, a mystery, a ghostly tale, a couple of love stories, both familial and romantic, Spirit is all that and more. I loved it. Did I see the ending coming? Kind of but that in no way lessened my enjoyment of this story. I don’t think it will yours either. If you are unfamiliar with John Inman, this is a wonderful place to get acquainted. Pick up Spirit and then work your way through his back list. If you are already a fan of this author, then this is another story that you are sure to love. Either way grab it up now and start reading! I consider Spirit to be one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Highly Recommended Novels of 2014.

Here is an excerpt from the beginning chapter of Spirit:

I HAD toddler-proofed the house as best I could. The basement door was securely latched so the kid couldn’t tumble headfirst down the flight of stairs leading into the bowels of the house, snapping a myriad of youthful bones along the way. Electrical wires were safely coiled and taped up and tucked under furniture in case Timmy got the inexplicable urge to chew on them. Electrical outlets were covered. All breakable knick-knacks were raised out of reach and all dangerous objects securely stashed away— switchblades, rolls of barbed wire, plastic explosives, bobby pins. (Just kidding about the bobby pins. I’m not that nelly.)

✍My dog, Thumper, who was a mix of Chihuahua, dachshund, miniature poodle, and quite possibly a three-toed sloth, was no threat to Timmy at all. The poor thing was almost twenty years old and hardly had any teeth left. I hadn’t heard her bark in three years. She only moved off the sofa to eat and go potty, and once her business was done, she stood in front of the sofa looking up like the Queen Mother waiting for the carriage door to be opened until I scooped her off the floor and redeposited her among the cushions. Poor thing. (I mean me.) She lay there all day long watching TV: Channel 9, the Mexican channel. Don’t ask me why, but that was the only channel she would tolerate. Couldn’t live without it, in fact. The one benefit to this annoying habit of hers was that, while I didn’t understand my dog at all, I was pretty sure I was beginning to comprehend Spanish.

✍Timmy was at that happy stage of child rearing where he could pull down his own pants and climb onto the commode without any help from squeamish gay uncles. He had brought an entourage of toys with him that would have kept an orphanage entertained. The first thing I did after finding a trail of little black skid marks on my new oak flooring was to confiscate his tricycle, allocating the thing to outdoor use only, which Timmy accepted with stoic resignation, although I did hear him mumble something about chicken poop and peckerheads. I’m not sure if his watered-down-obscenity-strewn mumbling was related to the tricycle announcement but fear it was. While the kid might have gotten my brat gene, there was also little doubt he had inherited my sister’s sarcastic- foulmouthed-snarky gene. God help his teachers when he started school.

Cover art by Reese Dante. Love this cover. Spooky and pertinent in every way. Great job.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press Amazon ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published March 17th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 16th 2014)
ISBN 1627986812 (ISBN13: 9781627986816)
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Review: No Ocean Too Deep (A Loose Screw) by Leona Carver

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Where Amirzade Sharouk, son of the Amirate of Ujmah, his cousin Dastyaf Begzada is sure to follow. When Sharouk decides that the only way to save his country and his people is to rebel against the Republic, Dastyaf is there to support his efforts and keep him safe. Their plan? Destroy the Republic’s fleet by allying themselves with the legendary sea folk, masters of the leviathans, immense living weapons born of the sea and magic. But during the initial battle, something goes terribly wrong and Sharouk goes overboard, taken by one of the leviathans. Now Dastyaf, warrior and tactician, must rely on one of the sea people to help him get back his cousin, the man he loves and can never have.

Nils is a sea mage, one who controls the leviathans of the deep and knows their secret. When one of his leviathans goes rogue during battle, Nils is at a loss to understand why. Furthermore, that action will cost his people their pact with the King of the land people whose prince has been taken by the rogue leviathan. Now Nils must join forces with a man from the land, Dastyaf, whose disapproval, desperation and need for control, is putting them at odds from the very start of the mission.

Both men will need to work together to save not only Sharouk but their kingdoms as well. To do so, Dastyaf must agree to transform into one of the sea folk in order to follow Nils through the ocean depths. For Dastyaf, it means not only the loss of his legs but of control over the situation and his body. He will be helpless in another’s environment, an unfamiliar feeling he despises. And by saving Sharouk, he will lose him forever to another.

For Nils, it means giving up his perceptions and assumptions, not only of the land people but of the very leviathans he is close to. The journey to save Sharouk, is full of dangers to all involved and time is running out for everyone before all is lost. Sharouk’s life, Dastyaf’s humanity, and for Nil’s? A love he never expected to feel for a man who loves another….

I love it when I find a book that unexpectedly opens the door into a mesmerizing universe. No Ocean Too Deep is just such a story. It is full of incredible creatures, dynamic characters and a plot as deep as the ocean in which all the events take place. Leona Carver is a new author for me but with this one story she turns into one of my must read authors on the strength of this story alone.

In No Ocean Too Deep, Leona Carver puts her own spin on mermen and the men who fall in love with them. Carver’s plot is guaranteed to pull the reader down into her universe from the first page. She sets up a situation in which two widely disparate kingdoms become allies to defeat a common enemy. One kingdom is human and lives in the desert Amirate of Ujmah, an environment that can be as hostile as it is beautiful. The other? Sea folk, mermen, almost mythical in their own right in their watery kingdom also full of its own dangers and delights. The two protagonists have more in common then they are aware, especially as neither has any experience with the other’s world. For Dastyaf, he usually has to deal with an ocean of sand, fraught with extreme heat, a dearth of water and constantly shifting sands. His is a world of light and dark where their caravans are guided by the stars above. Nils is a sea witch merman who lives in an ocean world of shifting current, little light, and a breadth and variety of creatures, small to gargantuan, with varying degrees of risk associated with them. Guided by his senses and shifting currents, darkness is of little concern, especially with his magic to assist him. Each character is fully formed and feels so believable no matter what world they belong to.

Carver throws her characters into a plot born of desperation. The kingdoms of a desert people and the sea folk make a pact to take down the Republic, a threat to both with its empire. The Sea folk will use their leviathans, enormous sea creatures of magic and myth, as weapons against the Republic’s fleet. The desert kingdom’s prince, Amirzade (Prince) Sharouk and his warrior/tactician cousin, Dastyaf Begzada, will be aboard one of the enemies vessels under false pretenses. This will help them direct their armies against the fleet when the battle starts. It’s a desperate and dangerous move made from necessity. Carver does such a splendid job bringing us directly into this precarious situation, a last ditch endeavor for Sharouk to break his people away from the control of the Republic with help from the sea folk. Waiting back home for Sharouk is his royal family and fiance. By his side, as always since childhood, stands his cousin, Dastyaf, a great warrior and best friend. As the ships pitch wildly in the ocean waves, tentacles start to appear over the side of the vessels,the battle is engaged and the reader is thrown immediately into the fray. Carver’s descriptions are dramatic and stirring, making the scenes scream with the emotions of the men on board.

But that is nothing compared to what happens when the location switches to the ocean depths and the sea folk themselves. Here the mermen and their watery environment comes vibrantly alive from its many denizens to the myriad ocean landscapes Nils and Dastyaf journey through. Vast living carpets of coral, phosphorescent invertebrates, forests of kelp, and dinners that consist of living organisms instead of cooked meat. Had I been able to stand within the story itself, my head would have been on a constant swivle as it turned here and there to observe all the amazing sights and creatures that Carver has in store for us and Dastyaf. An ever moving banquet for the senses made all the more palpable as Dastyaf experiences it for the first time in his new temporary merman body.

Nils and Dastyaf’s journey is full of wonder and fears as Dastyaf’s tries to reconcile his human experience with his new merman one. His frustration and fear as the light fades into almost constant darkness is tangible, and his emotions become ours. I could go on and on about the sea witches, the canyons, and the leviathans themselves…but the discovery of wonders and suspense of this desperate mission is part of the joy and revelations found in No Ocean Too Deep and I don’t want to spoil them for you. But I found myself going backwards to reread a description or scene to relive that moment over because it thrummed the wildness and surprise of life lived under water.

As I said the characters are as wondrous and layered as their environment. Dastyaf with his doomed love and desperate mission, Nils with his questions and assumptions, both men grow as individuals and together as their journey unfolds. I grew to love both men and couldn’t figure out how Carver was going to bring this journey to fruition in a satisfactory manner. She did but it tool me a while to realize that.

The ending is the slight bump in the road, the loose net in the ocean. It had me a little puzzled, so much so that I needed clarification from the author as to what happened to Nils. Turns out, I needn’t have worried but it was cloudy enough that others might feel the same way. Had there been a tad more clarity at the end this would have been a 5 star review. As it is, it comes darn close. Without revealing too much, it turns out that both Nils and Sharouk’s fiance have much the same role to play at the end, and no, its not the one you think it is. Luckily for us, there will be a sequel coming. That was the best news yet.

Not familiar with Leona Carver? Haven’t read No Ocean Too Deep? Remedy both and grab this terrific tale up and start reading. Be prepared to fall in love with these characters, their mission and the ocean deep. It will be an amazing journey you won’t want to see end.

Cover by Tanya Rehulak. I love this cover, so different and lovely.

Buy Links: Less Than Three Press Amazon ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 174 pages
Published April 9th 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original titleNo Ocean too Deep
ISBN139781620043448
edition languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nooceantoodeep-1466468-153.html
seriesA Loose Screw

Author Spotlight: Leona Carver & her latest release, No Ocean Too Deep (Contest)

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No Ocean Too Deep Carver_Cover

No Ocean Too Deep by Leona Carver

Begzada Dastyaf, a warlord of the desert Amirate of Ujmah, descends into the deep sea to find his beloved prince and cousin, Sharouk. Not only must he navigate a strange new realm, but he must master an unfamiliar body and learn the ways of the folk who live within that dark and watery place … all while struggling with an unwanted attraction to his resentful sea folk guide, the witch Nils.

My name is Leona Carver and I’m here to talk about my new novella, “No Ocean Too Deep”, and the world in which it unfolds. I’m pleased to offer an e-copy of No Ocean Too Deep to give away.

Contest: To enter the draw, please leave a comment and an email address. The contest runs until midnight EDT June 1st, at which point I’ll draw a name from a bonafide hat.

Where will duty and love take you?

The vastness of the ocean triggers a deep sense of awe. There are a myriad of ecosystems and flora, fauna, and in-between creatures (florauna?), and we know so little about it. Every week there’s some new discovery, an animal or a piece of footage of a place that had never been seen before. It is absolutely stunning. Immersing myself in that world both thrilled and challenged me, making No Ocean one of the most satisfying stories I’ve written.

I’m from the school of, “Write what you don’t know.” I find that I’m most passionate about those stories that challenge me, make me ask questions, make me fling out the long arm of imagination to grab at answers. Dastyaf and Nils travel in a place where there is very little light and the senses are both impaired and enhanced by the characteristics of the ocean. The challenge was to describe actions, emotions, and communication without the use of vision. I drew on research about the abilities of sharks to sense the electromagnetic fields of other animals, and had Dastyaf learn the language of scents and pheromones, which gives the sea folk a nearly telepathic ability to sense the thoughts and feelings of others. If I had had the word count at my disposal, I could have filled entire chapters with Dastyaf learning his new body.

In addition to the difficulties of communicating in the sea, sans sight but with enhanced taste and skin receptors, that world adds another complexity: The entire place is alive. Tiny organisms exist everywhere, from harmful, to benign, to beneficial, and the culture of my sea folk needed to reflect that. They depend on their slimy coatings for protection; therefore, touching is limited and, when it does occur, it indicates a deep level of trust. Sea folk healers understand how some organisms can be used to fight malign organisms, how the deeper briny waters can be used to kill weaker microbes. Witches use that thick miasma of life to cast their magic, to the extreme of the leviathans, giant creatures built from the less-sentient organisms.

No Ocean Too Deep- Carver_Image 2

The people were adapted to fit the environment, influenced by existing sea creatures. Sea folk come in all forms. The Angler Fish Deep Sisters: mighty huntresses wielding bait made of light, spiky with bone, their males little more than nubs and pustules attached to their skin. The Sirens: though they can be from any species, so long as they are witches, tend to be more vulnerable species. In No Ocean, they are delicate, translucent, highly venomous jellies, and their giant nautilus entombs a leviathan.

Environment is character: Active in the story, equipped with motivations and needs, acting on the other characters and reacting to what they do. In No Ocean, the environment is partially responsible for the existence of the leviathans. They would not be possible without the soup of microbes through which magic travels and acts on the world. When witches die, if they hold onto their lives strongly enough, the sea answers them and weaves them into herself. They are eaten away over time, losing more and more of themselves as their leviathan armour grows, until they become the silent, monstrous guardians of the ocean.

It was my intention to share my love of the ocean and all she holds, and create a new and interesting world to play in. Hopefully, this came through!

No Ocean was inspired by a simple prompt: Write a romance involving mecha. Somehow, that translated into organic armour built from corals, anemones, squids, fish, crabs, etc. Thankfully, Less Than Three Press went along with it. Because, once that seed was planted, it grew into a leviathan of its own. There are deep seas, deserts, castles, a hostile Republic, and even a distant jungle nation to explore. No Ocean is only the beginning.

I’m currently working on the sequel, in which Dastyaf hunts for the ingredients needed by sea folk witches to maintain their sentience and fight their leviathan nature. Once that hurdle is overcome, he’ll need to deal with the Republic. Last we saw them, the Republic had rebuilt their fleet and commenced another invasion.

As well as the direct sequel, there will be a companion series beginning with The Clockwork Centurion. This will be another M/M fantasy/romance set in a Jules Verne-esque version of post-Roman Briton, with the heavier steampunk aspects that No Ocean Too Deep mostly missed out on, other than the Republic’s weaponry. Eventually, the characters from each series will meet and we’ll see what happens.

Sword fighting, probably. Topless sword fighting, if I have my way.

Leona Carver

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Book Blurb:

To buck the brutal rule of the Republic, Amirzade Sharouk and his men pull off a desperate plan: Destroying the Republic’s fleet by joining forces with the legendary sea folk, masters of the leviathans, immense living weapons born of the sea and magic.

Though the gamble succeeds, one of the leviathans vanishes with a valuable human, straining an already tenuous alliance. Her caretaker Nils needs to find her as quickly as possible to redeem himself before his superiors. His search is further burdened by Dastyaf, a furious human warlord and liability in the marine realm. But after combing the deep ocean and discovering the dangers it holds, Nils realizes he may need the human more than he thought, to save his mission and himself.

Buy Links: Less Than Three Press Amazon Smashwords ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 174 pages
Published April 9th 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original title:No Ocean too Deep
ISBN139781620043448
edition languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nooceantoodeep-1466468-153.html
series: A Loose Screw

Author Bio:

Leona Carver lurks in a Canadian basement with a cat and an aerospace engineer, one of whom helps with the science while the other scratches at the window to get out. She writes novels and short stories with a penchant for genre mash-ups—because fairy tales need space stations, historical romance needs steam powered cyborgs, merpeople should wear mecha, and all of the aforementioned need a little love. Or a lot of love.

Leona has published two M/M romances through Less Than Three Press: Piper, a space age version of the Pied Piper, and No Ocean Too Deep, a deep sea rescue with giant coral monsters and angry desert warriors.

Follow Leona Carver at: Leona can be rousted from her cave via email (leona.r.carver@gmail.com) or on her website (leonacarver.wordpress.com).

Author Book Tour and Contest: The Surgeon’s Apprentice by Richard Longfellow

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Richard will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click here to see the other stops on the tour. Remember, the more stops you visit and comment, the better your chances to win. To be entered to win leave a comment below with an email address where you can be reached.

✍
Alex is a ditzy but adorable final-year medical student, whose sex life seems doomed to fantasies about Hollywood hunks and abuse and misuse of the mirror in his bedroom. Then along comes blond and blue-eyed Will, all sinewy muscles, a gorgeous face and a top orthopaedic surgeon to boot, but equally hopeless when it comes to love. Their first encounter in his clinic is almost ruined by an embarrassing incident with a pair of disposable briefs, but mutual attraction prevails and brings them together.
When ghosts from Will’s past threaten their future together and all looks lost, Alex devises a plan to save Will’s reputation.
But will love be enough to save the day and win Alex the man of his dreams? Or will he be doomed to eating his favorite apple crumble all alone-–with lashings of crème anglaise, of course.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Alex sat outside Mr J’s office waiting to be called in. It had been raining heavily and his clothes were damp from the walk to the hospital. Thankfully, his pain receptors were no longer firing off whenever he moved and the bruises had turned a less alarming yellowy-brown. There was certainly nothing outward about him that would make Mr J know about the assault. And he planned to keep it that way, as it was basically his fault that he’d been beaten up.

The door opened. “Come on in, Alex. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.

Alex followed Mr J and sat down next to him. He rummaged in his bag for his statement and placed it on the table in front of them for Mr J to read. It was a few pages long and Alex used the time to absorb details about the man next to him. He had a comforting, recently showered smell to him and his hair was still damp. His right ear had been pierced sometime in the past although the hole was closed up. His nose was straight and his nostrils flared sexily. He’d missed a few hairs above the Adam’s apple when shaving. Alex was mesmerized by the movements of his soft lips as he spoke. So much for moving on from his infatuation.

“Alex?” Mr J asked. He’d turned to look at him.

Alex blushed and hoped that Mr J hadn’t noticed anything. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr Jackson. Where had we got to?”

“Alex, I was asking you what you found out at the pub.

“Oh yes. Okay, I met up with someone who knew me from when I worked behind the bar. She asked me what I’d been doing recently and I mentioned your name. She immediately recognised it and started talking about a regular in the pub who was alleging the wrong operation had been performed. She also mentioned he was suing the hospital for a six-figure sum. Did you know that?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Anyway, she then talked about him coming into the pub on a crutch, but with the injured leg shifting from one to the other almost daily. To cap it all, she’d overheard a couple of his family planning the whole thing. So, she thinks he was putting it on.”

Alex was aware that Mr J was looking at him while he was speaking and he seemed to be examining his profile. He reddened again and felt strangely self-conscious.

Mr J cleared his throat. “So, Alex, putting the statements from you and my registrar together, what this adds up to is that Mr Peters could be pulling a fast one. But the fact that my registrar didn’t check your clerking makes things more difficult. On the other hand, what you turned up from your inquiries at the pub certainly suggests duplicity. But we can’t use that information directly as it is just hearsay. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why my registrar recommended the knee replacement anyway, as the osteoarthritic changes on X-ray are fairly minor. Still, he’s being discharged with outpatient physiotherapy and we’ll just have to see what the hospital makes of the whole picture.”<br /><br />

Mr J stood up. “I’m really grateful for all the work you’ve put into this, and particularly your bit of private investigation. I’ll definitely be recommending you for a commendation.”

“Gosh, thanks, Mr Jackson,” said Alex, thinking that’d be the first commendation he’d ever got in a surgical firm.

“Oh, Alex, there is one other thing,” Mr J said, just as Alex was about to open the door to leave.

“Yes?” asked Alex, his anxiety level climbing sky high.

Mr J was looking directly at him and he seemed to be smiling nervously. “I’m not sure how to say this, and the medical school would probably have kittens if they knew, but I’m going to say it anyway…” It was a pause of elephantine proportions. “…Alex, I’m wondering whether you’d like to go out for a drink.”

Alex was stunned. “You mean a coffee?”

“Whatever you like,” replied Mr J, his smile appearing more confident. “After all, I’m buying. We could have something to eat as well.”

There was a brief silence when they just looked at each other – and properly looking this time. “You don’t mean for a date, do you?” Alex asked, hardly daring to believe the turnaround from the despair and pain of the last couple of weeks.

“I hope so. If you don’t mind, of course. And the name’s Will, by the way.”

Author Bio: Richard Longfellow resides in London, Great Britain and works as a doctor. He’s tall, dark and handsome, and currently unattached. When he’s not tending to his patients, he enjoys stroking his two cats, movies with happy endings and opening the very best champagne, although not necessarily in that order. His favourite male movie stars include Brad Pitt and Hugh Jackman. ‘The Surgeon’s Apprentice’ is his first novella of quintessentially British, gay erotica.

You can follow Richard Longfellow at:

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The Surgeon’s Apprentice
by Richard Longfellow

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BLURB:

Alex is a ditzy but adorable final-year medical student, whose sex life seems doomed to fantasies about Hollywood hunks and abuse and misuse of the mirror in his bedroom. Then along comes blond and blue-eyed Will, all sinewy muscles, a gorgeous face and a top orthopaedic surgeon to boot, but equally hopeless when it comes to love. Their first encounter in his clinic is almost ruined by an embarrassing incident with a pair of disposable briefs, but mutual attraction prevails and brings them together.

When ghosts from Will’s past threaten their future together and all looks lost, Alex devises a plan to save Will’s reputation.

But will love be enough to save the day and win Alex the man of his dreams? Or will he be doomed to eating his favorite apple crumble all alone-–with lashings of crème anglaise, of course.

Additional Excerpt:

Alex sat outside Mr J’s office waiting to be called in. It had been raining heavily and his clothes were damp from the walk to the hospital. Thankfully, his pain receptors were no longer firing off whenever he moved and the bruises had turned a less alarming yellowy-brown. There was certainly nothing outward about him that would make Mr J know about the assault. And he planned to keep it that way, as it was basically his fault that he’d been beaten up.

The door opened. “Come on in, Alex. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Alex followed Mr J and sat down next to him. He rummaged in his bag for his statement and placed it on the table in front of them for Mr J to read. It was a few pages long and Alex used the time to absorb details about the man next to him. He had a comforting, recently showered smell to him and his hair was still damp. His right ear had been pierced sometime in the past although the hole was closed up. His nose was straight and his nostrils flared sexily. He’d missed a few hairs above the Adam’s apple when shaving. Alex was mesmerized by the movements of his soft lips as he spoke. So much for moving on from his infatuation.

“Alex?” Mr J asked. He’d turned to look at him.

Alex blushed and hoped that Mr J hadn’t noticed anything. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr Jackson. Where had we got to?”

“Alex, I was asking you what you found out at the pub.”

“Oh yes. Okay, I met up with someone who knew me from when I worked behind the bar. She asked me what I’d been doing recently and I mentioned your name. She immediately recognised it and started talking about a regular in the pub who was alleging the wrong operation had been performed. She also mentioned he was suing the hospital for a six-figure sum. Did you know that?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Anyway, she then talked about him coming into the pub on a crutch, but with the injured leg shifting from one to the other almost daily. To cap it all, she’d overheard a couple of his family planning the whole thing. So, she thinks he was putting it on.”

Alex was aware that Mr J was looking at him while he was speaking and he seemed to be examining his profile. He reddened again and felt strangely self-conscious.

Mr J cleared his throat. “So, Alex, putting the statements from you and my registrar together, what this adds up to is that Mr Peters could be pulling a fast one. But the fact that my registrar didn’t check your clerking makes things more difficult. On the other hand, what you turned up from your inquiries at the pub certainly suggests duplicity. But we can’t use that information directly as it is just hearsay. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why my registrar recommended the knee replacement anyway, as the osteoarthritic changes on X-ray are fairly minor. Still, he’s being discharged with outpatient physiotherapy and we’ll just have to see what the hospital makes of the whole picture.”

Mr J stood up. “I’m really grateful for all the work you’ve put into this, and particularly your bit of private investigation. I’ll definitely be recommending you for a commendation.”

“Gosh, thanks, Mr Jackson,” said Alex, thinking that’d be the first commendation he’d ever got in a surgical firm.

“Oh, Alex, there is one other thing,” Mr J said, just as Alex was about to open the door to leave.

“Yes?” asked Alex, his anxiety level climbing sky high.

Mr J was looking directly at him and he seemed to be smiling nervously. “I’m not sure how to say this, and the medical school would probably have kittens if they knew, but I’m going to say it anyway…” It was a pause of elephantine proportions. “…Alex, I’m wondering whether you’d like to go out for a drink.”

Alex was stunned. “You mean a coffee?”

“Whatever you like,” replied Mr J, his smile appearing more confident. “After all, I’m buying. We could have something to eat as well.”

There was a brief silence when they just looked at each other – and properly looking this time. “You don’t mean for a date, do you?” Alex asked, hardly daring to believe the turnaround from the despair and pain of the last couple of weeks.

“I hope so. If you don’t mind, of course. And the name’s Will, by the way.”

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