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Need A New Story? Check our the Tour for T.A.D.: The Angel of Death by M.D. Neu (excerpt) a MM paranormal/alternate universe novel!

The Angel of Death

M.D Neu has a new MM paranormal/alternate universe book out: T.A.D – The Angel of Death.

Tad loves bouncing around in time and watching mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people. He’s an Angel of Death.

Doug is fun loving and a drama queen. Despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction. He’s also an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams.

When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and the two start a friendship that will shape them both and last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?

NineStar Press | Goodreads

Giveaway

Giveaway:

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Excerpt

The Angel of Death

Doug glanced up at the big void where the buildings once stood.

How could anyone do that? All those people, and for what? Thank God, no one I know was there. Thank goodness, Garret’s train was running late. Even from across the river, seeing the buildings fall, one minute there, the next not, awful. Not knowing if Garret was alive or dead. The not knowing was awful, and it seemed to last forever. Then getting his call when the phones were back up. It was a relief. Still, the not knowing? Horrible. How do survivors do it?

Doug shuddered. He had to look away before he started to cry again. That day. The world wasn’t the same. How could it be? Would it ever be the same again? He swiped at his eyes, keeping the tears he was trying to hold back from dropping. He caught his reflection in one of the storefront windows and fussed with his blond spiky hair.

One year.

The months right after the attack had been hell for everyone. People from all over the world sent support and offered help. But New York was moving on, as it should. They already had seven different architects offering new designs to fill the empty skyline. Mayor Giuliani was doing everything he could for the city, and there was even talk of him running for president.

Doug checked his flip phone and picked up his pace. He was running late. He shouldn’t have spent the night at Tim’s, but leaving such a sexy guy was no easy task. Not to mention they might have partied too much.

I doubt that is even possible. You can never party too much.

There was a large group of mourners, and he had to step to the side to let them pass. He took a deep cleansing breath, pushing all thoughts from his mind, and started walking again. He rushed past the families and friends heading to Ground Zero. Now he had to hustle to make it to work. He’d gotten lucky no one he was familiar with was killed. Still, every time he thought about the attack and looked up at the twin lights filling the night sky, he wanted to cry.

Monsters.

Why President Bush didn’t blow up the whole of the Middle East after the attack, Doug would never understand. Instead, the president sent troops to Afghanistan, searching for Osama bin Laden and taking out Al-Qaeda.

Just as long as they find and kill the monsters who did this to us.

Doug couldn’t help but stop again and glance up to where the twin towers once stood. He quickly wiped at his eyes. “I need to get out of here.” He moved over to the brick façade and leaned against the wall as more people passed him, heading to the memorial ceremony.

“So much suffering and for what?” Doug mumbled. He started walking again, taking a deep breath and trying to avoid the crowds. A woman in a dark jacket passed him and bumped his shoulder, causing him to step closer to an alley. She didn’t bother saying anything; however, Doug thought she said something about his size. He caught his reflection again. He hated how everything made him feel so fat. Nothing he wore looked right on him. Even the baggy pants still made him look fat and messy. He would need to start at the gym if he wanted to continue dating Tim and keep up with his partying. He frowned.

At least I have good hair.

He played with the spikes of his hair.

“It’s my fault,” a gruff voice whispered from behind him.

Doug startled and turned around, but no one was there. He glanced over to the dumpster.

Sitting there, a raggedy black man, with kinky hair in desperate need of a cut and wash, stared at him. The man had the most beautiful green eyes Doug had ever seen. The rich tones of his skin really made his eyes pop, quite possibly the unkempt man’s best feature. The man was in shambles, and tears streamed down his dirty cheeks.

The anniversary affects everyone.

“I did this,” the man groaned through his sobs. “And now I’m being punished.”

Doug wasn’t sure what to do or say. Should he walk away and get to the salon? Leave what appeared to be the crazy homeless guy alone? Could he do that now that they made eye contact? Could he do that today of all days? The man needed help. The man needed a shower and clean clothes. Perhaps, if he talked to him, that would be enough…well, the talk and ten bucks.

That’s what Shannon would do. Talk to him and give him money. Shannon was such a kind soul, and I need to be more like him, more like he was. To honor him. Just like my drag name. Maybe Miss Enshannon needs to be more. I need to be more.

Doug’s heart ached at the memories of Shannon and how wonderful he was. When he picked his drag name there was no doubt on what it would be, but to honor someone you loved had to be more than using their name.

“It’s not your fault.” He knelt close to the man, still keeping his distance just in case. “It was the work of terrorists. They killed all those people, not you.”

“I should have stopped them. I should have done more,” the dirty man moaned.

“Oh, baby, no one could have done more,” Doug offered. Some people thought the government knew about the attack beforehand and the president allowed it to happen. Doug didn’t buy it. Why anyone listened to these people was beyond him, but they did. He just wished they would shut up and crawl back under the rocks they came from. They weren’t helping anyone, and in the long run, their remarks and comments only hurt people more.

“Now, I’m being punished. They sent me here and took my wings,” the man whispered.

Was this guy a pilot? Oh, that would be awful. I bet he was supposed to fly one of the planes, and he couldn’t take it. Survivor’s guilt.

Author Bio

M.D. Neu

M.D. Neu is a queer Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.

Author Website: http://www.mdneu.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/mdneuauthor/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writer_MDNeu

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormdneu/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17206592.M_D_Neu

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-neu/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-D-Neu/e/B076FK1S14/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

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Review Tour and Giveaway for Wolf Lost (The Wolves of Kismet #1) by Sam Burns

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link – Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow With Kindle Unlimited
 
Length: 50,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Natasha Snow
 
Blurb



An omega on the run.


An alpha fractured.


Sawyer Holt can’t go home. The Alpha who has replaced his father wants to use him as a tool to cement his political power, and Sawyer isn’t interested in marrying his father’s murderer.


Dez Sullivan’s leg may never heal from his last mission in Afghanistan, but he’s getting used to that. What he can’t adapt to are the nightmares and the tremor in his hand that the doctors insist is all in his head. Next to that, being a brand new werewolf seems easy, until Sawyer Holt blows into his life. The omega activates his burgeoning wolf instincts in a new way, and they threaten to overwhelm his common sense.


Both men are in Colorado searching for a new start, a new pack, and the safety they’ve lost. Their meeting is pure Kismet.

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 6 star review here. We highly recommend it.

 

Sam Burns wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.
If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.

 
 
 

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Dont Miss the Blog Tour for Last Call in Wonderland by Rob Browatzke (excerpt)

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Last Call in Wonderland

Author: Rob Browatzke

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

Release Date: August 4, 2019

Genre/s: Contemporary gay fiction

Length: 62000 words/330 pages

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

 

 

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Paperback  |  Amazon UK

 

Last Call Is Coming

Blurb 

Wonderland is the hottest club in River City, but it’s time to close. It’s a different world now, and club owner Chester doesn’t see Wonderland having a place in it. What will that mean for resident bartender and hotty bottom Brandon Sweet? Or for headliner, the Queen of Hearts? Or customers like Jesse and Colton, whose open relationship and threeways are the stuff of legend? This group of friends navigate the changes in their lives until one night when everything changes for good.

 

 

Excerpt 

Brandon Sweet’s first thought on waking up was this isn’t my room.

His second thought was oh god, who is this?

He rolled over, facing away from the stranger next to him, in this strange bed in a strange room. He hadn’t even had that much to drink really. At least, not compared to a weekend night.

It’s the tequila, he thought. I need to stop with the tequila.

“Morning,” the twink next to him said with a moan.

Brandon rolled back over and took him in: brown curls and blue eyes and a smooth slender torso with a whisp of hair on abs that disappeared into the white sheets tangled around his waist. Whoever he was, he was certainly Brandon’s type.

“Morning,” Brandon said, sitting up in bed, letting the sheet drop to his lap. He looked down at his own body, comparing it to the twink beside him. Not bad, for thirty-one, but oh, to be twenty-one again! When he was twenty-one, he could’ve handled twice the tequila he’d had last night, and woken with half the headache. He knew he could have, because he had done just that. Week in, week out, for a decade.

Too early for that train of thought, he told himself.

“I had a really good time last night,” Twink said.

“Me too, me too. Hey, where’s my phone?” He looked on the floor for his clothes.

“Other room. You stripped off as soon as we got here,” Twink said with a smile. “So hot.”

“Hey, what can I say? I know what I want.” Don’t know your name, mind you, but I do remember how badly I wanted to get laid.

He did love a good Thursday night fuck.

“I can’t believe I finally got to fuck THE Brandon Sweet.”

Brandon smiled at him as he stood up. “Hope it was everything you expected.”

Twink reached across the bed to run his hand over Brandon’s abs. “And more!”

Brandon smiled again. “I’m going to get dressed then. Work night.”

“I’ll walk you out.” The twink stood up and yes, Brandon remembered that impressive appendage. Young, hung, and hard – check, check, check.

Had they gone to Brandon’s last night, if he’d woken up with home turf comfort, he’d be pushing Twink back into the bed and climbing aboard to go again. Here though, in a room he didn’t know, with a guy he didn’t know, he suddenly felt vulnerable.

Once he’d slid back into underwear and jeans, it was a bit better. But his phone had 3% power, 32 notifications and it was halfway through the afternoon. He had to get home.

“Hey, my phone’s dead. Can you call an Uber for me?” He hated to ask but…

“Really?” Twink asked. “You said last night you only live a couple blocks away.”

That rang no bells, but Brandon was professional. “Oh yeah, I remember now,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head. “Will you be out later?”

“It’s Friday,” Twink said. “Of course.”

As Twink walked him to the door, Brandon took in the apartment, trying to find something to jog his memory. It was simple, sparse, and wholly unfamiliar. Luckily, as he bent down to tie his Converse, he happened to glance at the fridge, where a photo radar ticket was held by a magnet. With his name in black and white.

“Ok, well, I’ll see you later then, Billy,” he said.

Twink laughed. “You don’t know my name, do you?” he asked. “Billy’s my roommate.”

Fuck. Brandon swallowed and smiled. “Sorry. Tequila. What was it again?”

“Derek.” Twink grabbed Brandon by the belt and pulled him closer, taking his hand and guiding it down. “You’ll remember this at least,” he said.

Brandon smiled again, kissed Derek’s cheek, and bolted out the door.

 

About the Author 

Rob Browatzke has been writing for as long as he can remember, and is pretty darn excited for someone else to be reading his stuff finally! When it comes to gay bars and booze and drugs and drama, he knows what he’s talking about. He came out in the mid-90s, and liquor and drama went hand in hand. He has 20+ years of experience working in gay clubs in Edmonton, Alberta, and his current Wonderlounge is every bit as amazing as Alex’s Wonderland. Rob is now 8+ years clean and sober, although there’s still a bit of drama once in a while, for old times’ sake. 

 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter: @robbrowatzke

Instagram: robbrowatzke 

 

 

Follow the tour and check out the other blog posts and reviews here

 

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September Reading and Sports  (cont’d. This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

September Reading and Sports  (cont’d)

So with the sounds of Friday night high school football as well as the Saturday game that plays behind me still ringing in my ears, I’m well aware of the place that September has as a marker for  certain sports. Fall especially.  It trumpets the call to the line, the shout of “play ball”, and the loud roar of air horns so ubiquitous  at games these days.  Football once again is flooding the media with team speculation, games, and player drama of all types.  One player was let go after being fined for repeated bad behavior and immediately resigned and rehired (Antonio Brown from the raiders to the Patriots), another famously retired pre 30 early leaving millions on the table because of injuries and pain (Andrew Luck).  That drew some derision from some corners, support from much more considering what we know now about brain injuries and the treatment of players as a commodity.  And then there is this.

One that pertains to this community and certainly our stories.  A story and excerpt in The Advocate about NFL lineman Ryan O’Callaghan and his new story My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me, and Ended Up Saving My Life by Ryan O’Callaghan and Cyd Zeigler, courtesy of Akashic Books.

The Exact Moment NFL Player Ryan O’Callaghan Came Out

 

If we are ever inclined to think that perhaps these authors take it too far in these stories, make the angst and pain too much, make the terror of discovery, and have a character collapse under the weight of being closeted or being unable to face those he loves with the truth that he is gay, well, just read even the excerpt from The Advocate to know perhaps how much some of those authors may have been holding back.  This book is now on my list for this month and I will be reviewing it here.  But go to that link and bring a box of tissues and prepare for a window into courage.

I think we sometimes forget the reality behind our stories.  The grit beneath the sweet contemporary, the raw behind the warm-hearted goodness.  Reading the excerpt from My Life On the Line was a swift and needed reminder of the men who still fight for the right to be who they are in professional and non professional sports these days.  We still have so far to go.

Have a great Sunday.

Now for this week ahead…

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 8:

  • Dine with Me by Layla Reyne Promo
  • September Reading and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, September 9:

  • Review Tour – Sam Burns – Wolf Lost
  • Blog Tour – Last Call in Wonderland by Rob Browatzke
  • Check our the Tour for T.A.D.: The Art of Death by M.D. Neu
  • An Alisa Review: The Ninth Elixir by Pelaam
  • An Ashlez Review: Wolf Lost (The Wolves of Kismet #1) by Sam Burns
  •  Caryn Review : Last Call in Wonderland by Rob Browatzke

Tuesday, September 10:

  • Release Blitz Happy For You by Anyta Sunday
  • Release Blitz SOULBOUND #3 by Hailey Turner
  • PROMO Andrew Grey
  • An Alisa Review: Kept in the Dark (Locke and Keyes Agency #1) by Charlie Cochet
  • A MelanieM Prerelease Review: Goalie Interference (Hat Trick #2) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Dead Man Stalking (Blood and Bone #1) by T.A. Moore

Wednesday, September 11:

  • PROMO PARKER WILLIAMS
  • Cover Reveal, for FLAME AND ASH by Morgan Brice
  • An Alisa Review: Love Potion #9 by Tinnean
  • A Lucy Review: Happy for You (Love and Family #3) by Anyta Sunday
  • A MelanieM Audio Review: Family Camp (Daddy Dearest #1) by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Thursday, September 12:

  • AUDIOBOOK REVIEW TOUR – Tainted Life by Mel Gough
  • Blog Post – Sam Burns – Wolf Lost
  •  PROMO Rowan McAllister
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Hellion (415 Ink #3) by Rhys Ford
  • A Stella Review :Stained Hearts (Links in the Chain #3) by Parker Williams
  • An Alisa Audio Review: Dirty Mind by Roe Horvat and Vance Bastian (Narrator)

Friday, September 13:

  • Audio Review Tour for Family Camp (Daddy Dearest #1) by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)
  • Release Blitz Garrett Leigh – Fated Hearts
  • Promo Tara Lain
  • A Lila Review: Mystery of the Bones (Snow in Winter #4) by C.S. Poe
  • An Alisa Review: Hearts of Blood (Chevalier) by Kay Doherty
  • An Ashlez Review Resonance (Rhythm of Love #2) by Neve Wilder

Saturday, September 14:

  • Release Blitz – Leta Blake – Bitter Heat (Heat of Love #3)

Need a New Contemporary Romance? Check Out Dine with Me by Layla Reyne!

 

 

 

 

Layla Reyne’s DINE WITH ME is a contemporary m/m romance following a dying chef on a last tour of his favorite meals, and the travel companion who must convince him he’s more than his taste buds and that the cost of love is worth living for.

Title: Dine With Me

Release Date (e-book and audio): September 16, 2019

Blurb:

Life never tasted so good.

Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.

But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cuppa joe.

As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Links:

AMZ: https://amzn.to/2CNDzbA

Universal: https://books2read.com/DineWithMe

September  Teaser:

“Any other rules?” he asked.

There was one other, though not a rule so much as dispelling a myth that Miller, as a chef, fucking loathed. “If someone has ever told you to leave a tiny bit of food on your plate as a gesture of respect to the kitchen, don’t listen to them. And don’t do it. It’s a load of horse shit. If you’re full, then fine, don’t force yourself. But if you want to eat it all, by all means, eat it all. Nothing I liked better than seeing empty plates come back to the kitchen.”

“If someone ever told me that, I didn’t listen. It’s fucking idiotic.”

“Good,” Miller said with a sharp, satisfied nod. “I’m glad we have an understanding there.”

“I understand that every bit of food I can get in my belly is going in there.”

Miller had no idea where it was all going to go in that trim body, but he looked forward to seeing Clancy try. “Then we’re all set.” He shrugged into his overcoat and opened the door for Clancy. “Shall we get the belly stuffing underway?”

“Two and a half hours of it.” Clancy patted said belly as he stepped into the hallway. “I can’t wait.”

“Revise that.” Miller pulled the door closed behind them. “Four hours.”

“Four? All the reviews I read said to plan for two and a half.”

“Those people received menus. We won’t. Think you can handle it?”

“I’m game.” The eagerness in Clancy’s eyes was a good sign. Miller’s experience with people who said they “eat it all” was that their no-no list was in fact a mile long. He didn’t sense that was the case with his companion, which boded well for tonight. And the trip as a whole. If it was true.

He gave Clancy a wink. “You’re in for a treat.”

About Layla Reyne:

RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Fog City, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. Layla is a 2019 RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laylareyne

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laylareyne/

Newsletter: https://www.laylareyne.com/signup

AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/author/LaylaReyne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne

A MelanieM Review: Coach’s Challenge (Scoring Chances #5) by Avon Gale

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds out the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression—especially when Shane’s rough good looks have Troy thinking inappropriate thoughts about a player, even if he’s set to retire at the end of the season.

Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon, and with a team that doesn’t trust him, Troy, or each other. Despite his determination not to get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff, out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything.

I hate coming to the last of the released books in a series I love, especially this one.  Scoring Chances has really grabbed at my heart with the stories of competing teams in the ECHL, whether it’s been the  Jacksonville Sea Storm, Spartanburg Spitfires, and here finally the reviled Asheville Ravens, and the hockey players within those teams that love and fought hard on and off the ice.

What a group its been.  Closeted players, tormented coaches, goalies tossed away by their families and rich kids coming into their own and finding love and themselves on and off the ice.  Avon Gale has captured the essence of this game at its most basic while giving the readers great romance and yes, sexy men.

ECHL is a special place.  Easy Come Hard to Leave as the author has mentioned the East Coast Hockey League is called.  The players come into it not solely by draft, although those lucky enough to be drafted by the NHL are sent there first to learn the ropes and get seasoning.  No, hockey players can just show up and try out, no draft needed.    It lends itself to a special type of player and mentality.  And a camaraderie between the players off the ice after the games are over.  It’s an atmosphere where the pay is miniscule, the hours long, and the passion for the game hot.

We get that in these stories and from these men and couples.  Certainly so here from the man trying to rebuild one of the most hated teams in the ECHL.  That would be the Ashville Ravens. In Coach’s Challenge (Scoring Chances #5) by Avon Gale we finally get an inside look at the team we’ve only seen on the other side of the rink.  Usually its after they’ve tossed slurs at some of our favorite men or even committed crimes against them.   Now we get the flip side as Troy Callahan takes on the unenviable job of coach and rebuilding this team completely after the events of the last story.

Troy has given up the chance to coach in the NHL to rebuild the Ravens and all the reasons why fall out quickly.  Troy’s character is hockey tough, his personal pain still  driving him, and he’s easy to connect to.  So is the man arriving late to training, Shane North, a hockey player in the last year before retirement and looking to go out the right way.

Shane North, older, looking for one last year of hockey, played honorably, is a perfect person to represent a ECHL player.  Someone with years of playing behind them who still wants to play, that one more year.  Who continues to love the game.  He’s human, layered, and so personable that I just fell in love with him.   And his rickety car that barely made it to Ashville.

Between Shane and Troy, the chemistry is immediately hot, the dynamics perfect, and I love the way their relationship plays out  professionally and out of uniform.

There is still fallout from the scandal and NHL proceedings that entwine throughout the story.  The intrigue and suspense just adds to the overall depth and enjoyment.  But the real stars here remain the game and the romance.  The action on the ice, the plays, the excitement! You can almost imagine these teams and players are real.  That goes for the love and romance too.

I just adore this series and hope eventually to see another story release.  There are other players here that need their HEA and story told.   I’ll be waiting for it and them.

Until that happens, I’ll be content to reread this series as is.  Are you new to it?  I highly recommend each and every story but read them in the order they were written to understand the history of the teams, the players, and the Kelley Cup.  It’s a journey you won’t want to miss out on.

Cover art: Aaron Anderson.  Again, another great cover that brands the series and the story.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published June 26th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
Original Title Coach’s Challenge
ISBN139781635337662
Edition Language English
Series Scoring Chances #5

Reviewer note: arcs purchased directly from Amazon for the entire series.

Scoring Chances Series – add to Goodreads here

Breakaway

Save of the Game

Power Play

Overtime

Empty Net

Coach’s Challenge

A VVivacious Review :The Divorce (Starting Over #1) by Matthew J. Metzger

Rating: 3 Stars Out of 5*
Aled is wallowing at the end of his marriage while his best friend, Suze and her husband, Tom try to get him out of it, be getting him rip-roaring drunk and getting him laid via a Grindr profile. When his one-night stand with angel23 turns out to be something more, it might just be the thing that forces Aled to let go and move on.

Buckle in guys, this is a long one…

This book just won’t stop. I can’t, I tried, I really tried but I couldn’t switch my brain off. When I read I mostly dissociate from who I am as a person and I almost always read a character’s perspective which is bad because I borrow the character’s perceptions and therefore are very susceptible to the author’s manipulation, sometimes I can’t pick up harmful stereotyping and words when the character doesn’t pick up on it. I have come to realise that that is why my POV get very limited and I might not be the best person to tell you if a book might have harmful themes but you know what I do. I know what it is like to read a book which has a theme I can’t behind, it is horrible. It feels like a bad threesome starring me, the book and my brain and can I just say, it’s horrible.

This book has multiple instances of unsafe sex, like don’t even ask how many. By the 57% mark, I was still having a breakdown every time I come across this aspect of the book. Romance traditionally has a habit of romanticizing unsafe sex but unsafe sex is against every fibre of my being like the first thing I told myself when I got into romance was that I would not ever overlook this and I don’t.

But, when a book keeps on doing it without at least a veneer of excuse, I just can’t. Like, I will happily take the werewolves don’t get ill excuse as long as you actually give it to me. Anything will do, just give me something to blindfold my eyes. Anything. At this point, I have to say that they have unsafe sex multiple times in this book which becomes increasingly problematic considering that both Aled and Gabriel have sex with multiple partners. Like, that’s just putting salt on my wounds. This is my infidelity, guys, I know some people can’t read a book with cheating in it, apparently I have a hard time getting through books with unsafe sex. And it’s bad, every time they have a sex scene I have to stop reading so I can brace myself for what will in all eventuality follow and because bracing for it doesn’t work I then have to rant to my walls. I keep trying to see those scenes as fantasy and I KEEP reminding myself its just a book but then my brain comes back with the counter-argument that if the book doesn’t challenge it how is anyone reading the book going to know it’s wrong. Also, what is Gabriel’s problems with condoms? I really, really don’t understand how these two to plan to avoid STDs if they continue to have multiple sexual partners. It is so so stupid, I have no words.

This book was a literal experience, I literally can’t say where it goes on the rating scale. There were so many things happening in RL while I was reading this book and also while reading I learned that this book is planned as the first in a series and the author has a series blurb up on Goodreads which is different than this book’s blurb and actually the direction that the series blurb offers isn’t even hinted at in the first book, so I felt like I was being cheated into reading something that might later turn into something else and I’m not sure if I actually have been cheated but it does feel that way.

Aled and Gabriel are rational characters aside from that complete asinine need to contract STDs, they are amazing characters. They are both very gritty and Gabriel did start off on my wrong side but later I really came to appreciate his character though I continue to disagree with his choices during sex. I kind of get him, I totally don’t get his aversion to condoms and I can’t believe Aled gave in without a word? Aled is a good guy though there is a literal asterisk next to the word good which implies just what you though it does.

How am I going to write this review? I liked Aled and Gabriel as characters and the author had me invested in the storyline and I liked where the story is going and I liked how this story starts with Melissa and Aled’s impending divorce and how it comes full circle with that point but I don’t condone unsafe sex. I want to read the next in this series but believe me, I am already dreading the review for that one as well.

How can I say that I liked this book while not agreeing with something that is shoved in your face every few minutes? There is a lot of sex in this book which would have been amazing because I love Gabriel’s kinks but instead it was torture and not at all in a good way.

I wanted to talk themes that were approached in this book but yeah the fact is that I can’t isolate the story from the sex because it is pretty intermingled and I don’t want someone to twist my words because I don’t know how I can get my feelings across in the right measure.

So Melissa and Aled’s divorce was a refreshing topic something that you don’t see much in romance and I liked how it was done and how it was ultimately resolved. It was certainly a very unique take on an occurrence that I have never actually read being discussed in a romance. But, while the book’s title might make you think that this would be the biggest plot point it isn’t. The Divorce is in all actuality meant to be a romance and while the divorce plays a part in it, it remains just that – a part of the story.

I liked Aled’s friends Suze and Tom who are the only vanilla anything in this book. Though I was personally offended by the way they took Gabriel’s transgender status and yeah when it blows up, I was actually glad that it got addressed but I didn’t like the fact that that had to happen at the expense of Gabriel’s feelings.

I like Gabriel and Aled but I have a major problem with the way they are leading their life. How can people have a discussion about polyamory and not talk about ways to keep themselves safe. Gabriel never wanted to use condoms from the very first time he met Aled on Grindr like literally give me something to keep me disillusioned and Aled was even more pathetic in a way because he tries to use condoms and then forgets about them so easily like I was left reeling.

I want a disclaimer for unsafe sex because it is really putting off especially because after a while it starts resembling a train wreck to me.

It was actually also interesting to see an open relationship because Aled and Gabriel have a very unconventional relationship because Gabriel has sex with other individuals independent of Aled and that is definitely something I have never seen discussed in MM and frankly if the discussion on safe sex is going to be bloody non-existent I actually don’t want to read it again.

I find myself in a big dilemma because while I am invested in these characters and their story I don’t know how I can get over this roadblock.

It was a very big obstacle for me. It might not be for others, so in a way, this might be a book you might have to judge for yourself. This is a pretty unique book a lot of what I read about in this book I have never seen discussed anywhere else and it is written in a very engaging manner which was probably the only reason I got through it so well. Overall, I’m going to give it three stars but that comes with a serious disclaimer because I feel this book would have been pretty good if it had some semblance of safe sex. I can’t say that with surety because the whole safe sex thing was such a big deal to me that I might have missed subtler problems that I might have picked up on otherwise, if not for the very distracting reading experience I had.

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill is very aesthetically pleasing and does a good job of illustrating the title.

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:
ebook, 245 pages
Expected publication: September 10th 2019 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786518330
Edition Language English
SeriesStarting Over #1