Tag: A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : Bear With Me (The Bears of Falcon’s Ridge) by Susan E. Scott

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Bear with MeThis is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I enjoyed the romance that developed between a big, burly bear shifter who happens to be the town sheriff and head of his clan and the young gay man, the family black sheep who has come to make an offer on land that’s been in the Falcon family for years.

When he arrives on the outskirts of Falcon’s Ridge, Connor Rhodes is not surprised to be pulled over for speeding by the local sheriff. What he is surprised at is the size of the sheriff, his gorgeous silver-gray eyes, and the hint of interest he spots in those eyes.  Connor flirts outrageously, but as expected, gets nowhere with the sexy guy in uniform.  Connor is there on behalf of his father whose sole purpose seems to be to get the land surrounding the town for real estate development.  Connor is only there because his other brothers weren’t available and doubts he’ll be very effective, but he decides to enjoy his mini-vacation anyway.

Caleb, known to all as Falcon, is drawn to the young guy, and when he pulls him over the next day for what appears to be drunken driving, he’s shocked by the feelings he’s rapidly developing for Connor.  Consulting with his grandmother, he finds out that members of his clan can have a fated mate, and though he doesn’t want him, he suspects Connor may be his.  When his desire and need to take care of Connor overrule his good sense, he marks Connor with the mating bite. Finding out there’s no way out of it, the only thing he can do is confess about the mating, and about the fact that he’s a bear shifter.

Both men have to face some truths and overcome the factors against them. Connor is a city boy, and Falcon is the clan leader, so there’s no way he can leave the area.  Add to that the facts that Connor’s dad wants that land no matter what; Falcon’s grandmother informs him either or both men will become ill and possibly die if they are separated; and the decisions that need to be made could be a matter of life or death.

This story was quite good as well as fun and interesting.  Though some aspects were predictable, the characters themselves were well-rounded, and the secondary characters will likely star in their own stories in the future.  A quick and easy read, I’d recommend this to those who enjoy shifter stories as well as stories of soulmates and true love.

~~~~~

Cover Art by E Connors depicts a tall, muscular male with a naked torso and arms crossed in front of his chest.  Very nice depiction of Falcon.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 118 pages
Published December 28th 2015 by Dark Hollows Press, LLC
ASINB019YHF7X4
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Flesh Market (Bodies and Souls #1) by Kate Lowell

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Flesh MarketSpecial Agent Leo Gale is up a creek. A year and a half of deep cover is about to go up in flames. He needs help – something, someone to salvage the operation and save the lives of untold numbers of trafficked teenagers.

But he wasn’t expecting the partner they sent, or his own gut-punch of a response to the man.

Julian worked hard for that FBI Honors Internship. It was supposed to be a foot in the door. He’d never expected it to catapult him into the middle of a major undercover operation. Yet here he is, sleeping on a filthy mattress and using every trick in the book to avoid torture–and worse. He’s never felt so scared, or so alive, in his entire life, and he’s not sure if it’s the danger, or Leo, that’s making his heart race.

There’s no time to think about it, though. The operation is heating up, and Leo and Julian are running out of time and options. As choices become more difficult, they must find a way to take the traffickers down, or risk becoming just another set of organs for sale.

This is a riveting, nail-biting, action-adventure with a few very dark moments as two men go undercover to bust a ring trafficking in prostitution and organ harvesting.

FBI Special Agent Leo Gale was planted undercover over a year ago to infiltrate a ring specializing in kidnapping young, well-to-do teens. It’s slow going, and he’s helpless to stop the kidnapping of these young men and women who are trained and sold into prostitution nearly every day. He needs to decide whether to blow his cover and call in a raid, or stick it out. Just after he receives a message saying help is on the way, he finds himself promoted to the procurement team. And when his help arrives, it isn’t in the form of a rescue—it’s another agent, a young man named Julian Fitzroy.

Julian is actually an intern in the analyst division of FBI headquarters when Leo’s boss spots him and decides he’d be perfect for the job of going in as a kidnapped teen. Promising him a spot in the next FBI training class, he gets Julian set up for Leo to procure. The two are immediately attracted to each other, despite the fact that Leo is in his late thirties. He’s never given Julian’s background, but he figures Julian is about twenty-five or so, and he also assumes he’s been an agent for a year or more. Julian’s immediate task is to survive the training, aka torture, without blowing his or Leo’s cover.

He does, and together they uncover the fact that this “flesh market” is not only kidnapping young men and women for prostitution, but they’re also kidnapping those who aren’t so handsome or beautiful for a secondary market—organ harvesting. When they find out that the boys and girls who aren’t able to be broken for service prostitution are moved to the organ harvesting program, both men decide they must put an end to this travesty, no matter what. Julian refuses to allow Leo to call a halt to the operation until they get their hands on the data for the operation, even though it puts him in jeopardy.

The author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions as Julian manages to survive beatings and a night with a wealthy client and his other “boy.” The descriptions of some of the activities related to captivity and organ harvesting may be too dark for some readers, so caution is advised. However, overall, the story itself is extremely interesting, and the way the author works through the finale and solution to getting the men out of there is very heavy in action and suspense.

There is no HEA, but the HFN is satisfying, and it’s very evident that there will be a sequel. This story would be perfect for those who enjoy age gap, law enforcement, and/or dark themes.

~~~

Cover art depicts a young man in the arms of a larger, tattooed man with the profile of another man in the doorway beyond. This scene represents Julian being held, and supposedly trained, by Leo while Leo’s boss looks on to be sure he’s doing his job. It’s a perfect representation of the helplessness of the situation for both men.

Sales Links:  Loose Id LLC | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 10th 2015 by Loose Id
ISBN139781682520321
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBodies and Souls #1

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : The Subs Club (The Subs Club #1) by J.A. Rock

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

TheSubsClub_600x900Dave is hurting and angry. He’s lost one of his closest friends in a scene gone wrong. Hal was asphyxiated when Bill, the Dom working with him, left the room to get him water, and the rope around Hal’s neck wound too tight. Dave and his closest friends, Gould, Kamen and Miles all hung out together with Hal and shared a close bond as submissives from the time they first entered the lifestyle. Not knowing where or how to direct his anger when he finds out Bill has been allowed back into the club where Hal died, he comes up with the idea to form The Subs Club in Hal’s memory. It’s set up as a blog where submissives can review Doms and rate them on how well they follow safe practices. The blog quickly takes off but with unexpected results—both Doms and other subs are up-in-arms about the rating and review process, arguing that the rating system violates a Dom’s privacy. What started out so simple has ripple effects which eventually impact most of the group, including Dave himself.

Early in the story, concurrent with the events which led to forming the Sub Club, Dave encounters a Dom he refers to as Pornstache. Though ostensibly very plain, something about him captures Dave’s attention, and when he and his buddies are looking over the Fetlife profiles one evening, he realizes that Pornstache is actually The Disciplinarian. In a fit of temper that anyone would have the audacity and ego to call himself a name like that, Dave applies to be one of the Disciplinarian’s subs. He’s immediately rejected. Knowing his answers were bratty, he tries again, being a bit more honest, and he gets his appointment. But once there, the experience isn’t what he thought it would be, and he leaves dissatisfied and angry. His temper and general brattiness are just not conducive to good submission, but deep in his heart he wants to find a Dom who will make him obey, give up control, and find peace.

Trying again and finally getting to know the man behind the Disciplinarian persona, Dave learns his Dom’s name is David—an omen of good fortune or a doomed coincidence? Pushing David’s buttons is sometimes as easy as calling him D instead of Sir, but Dave’s the one who learns that David is not so easily pushed into rash behavior. It isn’t until he’s finally giving up control to D that he realizes his emotions have been all over the board this year in a frantic effort to keep his friends from sinking into grief and despair after Hal’s death, and he never allowed himself time to grieve. Could this be why he’s acting out so much recently? Is the solution as simple as giving up complete control to David? He reminisces that he knew as soon as he first saw Pornstache, he wanted to have sex with him and have the Dom spank him and hopefully make his life better, but now he’s giving up control like he’s never done before, and he’s afraid he’ll never get it back.

He’d thought submitting to D was going to be simple, but it’s far from that, and some of Dave’s most introspective moments are the best passages in the book. Thinking about Hal’s death and his reaction to it, helping the others to heal from the grief, actively hating and badmouthing Bill are all things he’s been doing to keep the focus away from what he really needs. He finally realizes if he stops focusing so hard on others, he might actually be able to think about what he could do with his own life if he would just quit procrastinating.

I laughed out loud during some of the scenes in this story but wanted to cry during others. I love JA Rock’s sense of humor, the way these characters come to life, and the snarky attitude Dave displayed, all while endearing himself to me as the damaged brat he is. One of my favorite lines was his description of D: “He was wearing a casual sweater and khakis, looking like Daniel Boone had discovered a sale at LL Bean.”

As soon as I finished this story, I immediately sat down to register my first impressions. Top of the list is I love a story where a sub meets a Dom who is up to the challenge of finding what really makes him tick. This brat has found the perfect Dom in The Disciplinarian. The second thing I love is that the Dom is not some gorgeous hunk of manhood with toned abs and arms to die for. D is a perfectly ordinary-looking man who leads a quiet, simple life before Dave bursts in to turn his world on its axis.

There’s plenty of conflict between D and Dave, between Dave and his friends, between Dave and the owners of the club where Hal died, and finally, between Dave and the members of the Sub Club. This book is highly entertaining, educational, humorous, thought-provoking, and gives us a beautiful love story to boot. I highly recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance, and especially to those who enjoy BDSM themes. I plan to be first in line for the next stories in the series.

~~~~~

Cover Art by Kanaxa shows a cane against a red argyle background. The background, using different colors, will be repeated throughout the series, and a different BDSM-related symbol will be displayed on the cover each time. I like the way the general look of the cover links all the stories in the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

A Very Special Charity Spotlight: A Intimate Look at Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton (guest post and giveaway)

Winter Oranges cover

Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist:  L.C. Chase

This title is part of the Love for the Holidays: A Charity Bundle Benefiting
the GLBT National Help Center collection. 
You can purchase it and learn more about the charity bundle here.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is so happy to have  Marie Sexton here today to talk about the inspiration behind her Christmas novel, Winter Oranges.  Marie is sharing some of her photos from her Pinterest board and thoughts behind her characters.  Winter Oranges is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Novels.

Hello, everybody! This is Marie Sexton, and I’m thrilled to be here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words today talking about my Christmas novel, Winter Oranges. I thought I’d share some photos that helped inspire the novel.

First things first: I started with the house. I originally planned to set the book in rural West Virginia, so I started out researching older homes. Later, I decided to move the story to Idaho, and I ended up making the house a “revival” built in the 1980s, which meant there was no “servant’s room” on the ground floor. I rearranged the entire dining room/kitchen setup, and added a Winter Oranges House Planspantry/mudroom. The other problem was, I kept picturing the garage on the left side of the property (the left when facing the house, that is). I tried over and over to flip that image in my mind, but it didn’t work. And why would the garage be on the family room side of the property rather than the mudroom side? It didn’t make sense. So I flipped the entire bottom floor. But for the most part, this is Jason’s house. (I’m sure he paid more than $1548 for it, though!)

The next step was the snow globe. Yes, I could have just made it up, but I wanted a photo. It needed to look old-fashioned and have a cottage. So I settled on this one:Winter Oranges_Snow Globe

Now, for the characters.

Winter Oranges_Tom HughesIn my brain, Ben looks like Tom Hughes, minus the bad boy attitude.

Ben’s clothes were based largely on this picture:Winter Oranges_civil war men

And Jason… well, I wasn’t entirely sure what Jason looked like. I was pretty sure he was blond, and I knew he was in his late 20s. That was good enough, until I got to a line where somebody says to him, “You look familiar.” Jason hates his semi-celebrity status, so rather than telling her who he really is, he says, “Some people say I look like [some other celebrity].” The problem was, who did he look like? I spent a stupid amount of time googling actors, but I finally decided on William Moseley.Winter Oranges_William Mosely

That’s it for my primary sources of inspiration, but for more pictures, check out my  Winter Oranges Pinterest Board. Have an image you’d like to add? Leave your Pinterest user name in the comments, and I’ll send you an invitation to add to the board.

And be sure to check out Winter Oranges! 20% of the proceeds go to the GLBT National Help Center.

About the Book

Jason Walker is a child star turned teen heartthrob turned reluctant B-movie regular who’s sick of his failing career. So he gives up Hollywood for northern Idaho, far away from the press, the drama of LA, and the best friend he’s secretly been in love with for years.

There’s only one problem with his new life: a strange young man only he can see is haunting his guesthouse. Except Benjamin Ward isn’t a ghost. He’s a man caught out of time, trapped since the Civil War in a magical prison where he can only watch the lives of those around him. He’s also sweet, funny, and cute as hell, with an affinity for cheesy ’80s TV shows. And he’s thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.

But Jason quickly discovers that spending all his time with a man nobody else can see or hear isn’t without its problems—especially when the tabloids find him again and make him front-page news. The local sheriff thinks he’s on drugs, and his best friend thinks he’s crazy. But Jason knows he hasn’t lost his mind. Too bad he can’t say the same thing about his heart.

Winter Oranges is one of Riptide’s 2015 charity titles.

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website:  “http://www.glbthotline.org/“

HYPERLINK “http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/winter-oranges“http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/winter-oranges

About the Author

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Connect with Marie:

WinterOranges_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Winter Oranges, Marie Sexton is giving away two titles from her backlist and a $50 Amazon gift card! Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 5, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway! Don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Happy Reading and Good luck!

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Rain Shadow (Bluewater Bay #10) by L.A. Witt

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Rain Shadow coverNot realizing he was gay until well into his marriage and after the birth of his two children, Jeremy Rose and his wife stayed together through multiple counseling sessions until it got to the point where Jeremy realized he was not only keeping himself from experiencing life as a gay man, he was keeping his wife from finding a love of her own.  Despite having teens who might be hurt, the two divorced, and Jeremy’s worst fears were realized—his children hated him and didn’t want him in their lives.  Not sure if he was running away or running toward a better future, he took a job as Anna Maxwell’s security guard in Bluewater Bay, Washington.

When he meets a cute older man while accompanying Anna and her lover, Leigh, to an eagle-watching expedition, he’s intrigued, but fails to get the man’s contact information.  Shocked when he later sees the man at the counseling practice Anna and Leigh attend to repair their deteriorating relationship, he decides to pursue a date, aka one-night stand, with Scott Fletcher.  Scott is also a counselor, but not the one Anna is seeing. It bothers Jeremy that Scott is a counselor because he’s never had any good experience with counseling, but it doesn’t bother him enough to keep him out of Scott’s pants and the two have their one-night stand and many more afterward.

Over time, their “fuck buddy” relationship grows and changes but neither wants to acknowledge that out loud.  They’ve gone to dinner, on picnic and weekend outings, and even to a weekend retreat at a B&B, and yet they refuse to acknowledge that they’ve become more to each other than they planned.  To add to Scott’s problems with having a relationship with Jeremy, he’s got a phobia about dating cops since his life partner, a cop, was killed twenty years before.  Between Jeremy being a “cop,” aka security guard, and Scott being a counselor, there’s not much hope of compromise for these two.

Can the two overcome these issues? Do they even want to try?  And what happens when Jeremy’s daughter backs him into a corner and blasts him with her hatred of him leaving them and living so far away? There’s quite a bit of angst involved in this story of two men who struggle with their past issues while trying to come to terms with their present attraction.

I really liked Scott who was the epitome of the older man, with salt-and-pepper hair, and a mature down-to-earth attitude.  His opinions were clearly stated, and he held his tongue when he really wanted to get in there and tell Jeremy what to do.  He was also sweetly vulnerable in his worries about something happening to Jeremy.  However, Jeremy was a different matter for me.  I liked him but I never really warmed to him as a good character.  He probably meant well but he was stubborn in his views of counselors and the benefits of counseling, and he let his kids and his ex-wife manage all their meetings and therefore all of the negative outcomes, which he then spun his wheels about over and over again.  The chemistry didn’t click for me between the two, despite how much I wanted it to.

I can’t quite put my finger on why this story fell flat for me.  It may have been that I couldn’t get into Jeremy’s character, but there was something about it that felt repetitive to others I’ve read by this author.  If you had given me an audiobook and didn’t tell me the title or the author, I would have known it was written by L.A. Witt. The style of writing, the words used, the sex scenes—I felt like I had already been there and done that.  So, overall, though I liked the story, I really can’t rate it higher than 3.5 stars.

If you like Bluewater Bay series, by all means, read this.  Otherwise, I’d only recommend it to those who like a contemporary romance between older men, one of whom spins his wheels in self-inflicted angst and makes poor choices up to the end when he finally allows the light bulb to go off so that he and his partner can work toward their HEA.   

~~~~

Cover Art by LC Chase depicts the two MCs: one a shorter man with salt & pepper hair and wearing a suit, the other a muscular man complete with T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket and shades over his eyes.  It’s an attractive cover and represents the MCs very well.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 192 pages
Published October 19th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN 1626493669 (ISBN13: 9781626493667)
edition languageEnglish
seriesBluewater Bay #10

Bluewater Bay series goodreads page

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Let Go of Loneliness by Edward Kendrick

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This is a fairly short, very sweet romance between two older men, perfect for fans of older men falling in love.

Let Go of Loneliness coverFifty-plus-year-old Byron Randall has relocated to take a job as archivist for the local museum, and as he’s moving in to his new condo he’s observed by Jonah Hyland, fifty-five-year-old high end real estate agent, who also lives in the building. One thing leads to another as the two bump into each other a number of times, and they become friends when they find they have so much in common.

After workouts in the gym, a shared dinner at a restaurant, and finally a delicious meal prepared by Byron, they find that their relationship can be more than just friends. Byron hasn’t had anyone in his life in a long time, and Jonah broke up with his money-grabbing boyfriend six months before, so both men are free to date. Though Jonah’s former boyfriend makes an appearance in the story, his meeting with Jonah is more of an apology than an attempt to come between him and Byron.

This story, as I said, is fairly short and definitely sweet. The only thing that bothered me is that after just a few short weeks, the men ended up declaring their love for each other. I think it would have been more palatable had they simply decided to see where their relationship might go. The insta-love didn’t seem to fit with their personalities or their life circumstances.

But nevertheless, I would recommend the story to those who enjoy a sweet romance between older men. The story has no explicit sex scenes and would be perfect for curling up to read on a rainy afternoon.

~~
Cover art by Written Ink Designs depicts headshots of two older men in the upper panel, the title in script across the center, and a cityscape in the lower panel. It’s so attractive, it’s what made me decide I needed to read this book.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLS | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 54 pages
Published September 13th 2015 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB014C7PP6U
edition languageEnglish

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review :Three’s Company by N.R. Walker

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

This is the kind of story where the characters burrow into your heart and stay long after you finish the last page.

Three's Company coverWilson Curtis arrives at the small hotel in Key West to begin his long-awaited two-week vacation for two—but without Mr. Two. His boyfriend Rod has joined with others in his Alabama hometown to ostracize him when it’s learned that he’s gay. Rod is a police officer who saw Wilson covertly for nearly two years but left him without a second thought the minute Wilson was outed while having drinks with Rod and a few other friends one night. And just like that, his life was turned upside down, because not only did he lose Rod, the townsfolk boycotted his restaurant business, and though his friend Callie is keeping it open for now, business is declining as the rumors of his homosexuality spread.

When he arrives at the beachfront hotel, he’s greeted by the handsome, dark-haired, blue-eyed manager, Simon Stanford. Simon excitedly tells his live-in lover—carefree, blond, gorgeous Adam—about the new guy who’s arrived, and together they make plans to seduce him into their bed for a night of ménage fun.

The couple is surprised, however, to discover that one night is just not enough, and they find themselves extending the invitation for the length of his stay. Suddenly, their feelings are involved, and when that happens, more than the positive feelings emerge—there’s a miscommunication, and Simon storms off and won’t speak to the others; outsiders are trying to buy the hotel; and life as they knew it goes rapidly downhill.

This was the best M/M/M romance I’ve read to date. These guys had diverse and interesting personalities as well as careers that jelled, life circumstances that fit together like puzzle pieces, and hot, steamy sex in places and positions that stoked the imagination. And they kissed—in two’s and three’s—sweetly, and oh, so sinfully, not-so-sweetly. I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve read a ménage that I can actually picture working—from the sex to the personalities and vice versa. I very highly recommend this to all M/M romance lovers who want to dip a toe into the pool of ménage, and if you’re already into threesomes, why wait? Pick up your copy right now!

Cover Art by Posh Gosh features a bright and beautiful Florida sky and blue waters. Superimposed on that is a photo of three men sitting on the beach with the center man’s arms around the others. There are also other photos depicting tropical paradise themes. Very nice, attractive, colorful cover!

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon (not supported at Amazon)

Book Details:

ebook, 176 pages
Published August 25th 2015 by Pride Publishing (first published 2012)
ISBN139781784307424
edition language English
characters Wilson Curtis, Adam Preston, Simon Stanford