Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The creators of the Bluewater Bay series pulled out all the stops when they lined up a highly talented group of authors to write the series. For this book, #4 in the series, the amazing team of Voinov and Witt come up to bat and they bring in a home run. “Lone Wolf” is very different from the others in that it features the writers, rather than the actors of the highly successful show Wolf’s Landing, a show set in the tiny town of Bluewater Bay, Washington. But “Lone Wolf” is very similar in that it’s another outstanding example of M/M romance at its finest.

The premise is simple, the execution exceptional. Hunter Easton, author of the Wolf’s Landing series, has writer’s block—the worst he’s ever had, and he can’t seem to get book eight done, despite having already passed his deadline. He spends more time on his favorite form of relaxation—participating in the Wolf’s Landing fandom, bantering with his principal ally, Lone Wolf, who happens to be one of the administrators of the site. Lone Wolf and Hunter, aka Wolf Hunter on the site, have been online friends for two years, and recently started to share short stories and slash fiction they’ve written, some of it very erotic, but the one piece which tips the scales is the huge 250,000 word novel, “The World Tree”, which Lone Wolf pens and asks Wolf Hunter to critique.

Hunter finds the work outstanding and although he knows an author shouldn’t get involved in reading the work of a fan, he’s so amazed by the piece that he asks Lone Wolf if he’d like to meet for a coffee. When Kevin Hussain, aka Lone Wolf, lays eyes on Hunter Easton coming through the door of the coffee shop, he’s ready to faint. Imagine seeing the author of his dreams and getting to meet his online friend all in one night. But when he finds out the two are the same, he’s left speechless. Not surprisingly, the two hit it off very well in person. They’ve been online friends for two years and now they not only pick up where their conversations left off, they find they are also sexually attracted to each other.

But the surprises for Kevin haven’t ended, and when Hunter tells him that he’s sent the book to his agent and that he wants Kevin to allow him to use the ideas in the book and come onboard as a co-author, Kevin’s world begins to spin out of control. The story revolves primarily around Kevin’s reactions to being thrown into the world of a successful author, both the ups of getting paid and enjoying your own working hours, and the downs of being dissed on review sites and being harassed by fans, never being out of the spotlight.

The banter between the two is witty, the sex divinely hot, and the melding of their worlds well-done. Watching their relationship develop is sweet, with very little angst other than a few misunderstandings along the way—until the stress of being at a live convention as a celebrity for the first time proves too much for Kevin. He takes Hunter’s advice to go home and rest in peace and quiet, but he fails to tell Hunter what he really wanted, and he allows his misinterpretation of Hunter’s behavior to blow everything out of proportion. He wallows in angst and self-imploding hurt until circumstances finally allow the two to talk things out and ultimately find their HEA.

I highly recommend this series to all lovers of M/M romance. Each book can be read independently, but it’s so much more fun to read them one after another and enjoy the vignettes of previous characters. Don’t miss out.

The cover Art by L.C. Chase captures each of the MC’s descriptions perfectly. The library setting conveys their career as writers and represents Hunter’s work space where the men spend much of their time so the cover is perfect for the story.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

Author: Aleksandr VoinovL.A. Witt
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-239-4
eBook release: Dec 22, 2014
eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-240-0
Print release: Dec 22, 2014
Word count: 96,000, Page count: 358

– See more at: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/lone-wolf#sthash.ElMEXUFf.dpuf

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay story) by L. B. Gregg

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

From the moment I met Ari as a bright, energetic child on his first day of school, I was hooked. I loved that kid! But I loved him more as a man, a handsome man who returns to his hometown to win over his childhood best friend and the love of his life, Buck Ellis.

Ari and Buck were inseparable from the time they first met. As opposite as night and day, Ari was a tiny bundle of energy who couldn’t focus on schoolwork and talked non-stop. Buck was big and awkward, very bright, but an introvert at the top of his class and headed to college and a bright future. Both were gay, but neither told the other. It turns out that both loved the other, but that went unsaid as well. When Ari ran away from home, leaving Buck behind shortly before their high school graduation, he didn’t share his reasons with Buck and he never contacted him again. Coincidentally, that was the same day that Buck’s mother was killed, leaving him to seek custody of his young brother and start the struggle to raise him alone. It was the lowest time in Buck’s life and he needed Ari desperately, but Ari wasn’t there.

These are all things we learn when Ari shows up back in town, as a cast member of the new werewolf series which has begun shooting in Bluewater Bay and “coincidentally” as Buck’s new neighbor. Buck isn’t interested in getting together with Ari— he’s full of resentment and hurt that’s built up for the last five years since Ari left town. But Ari chips away at Buck’s façade, and the fun of this story is in watching the dynamic between the two. It’s light, and short, and just the perfect kind of book to give your mood a pick-me-up. Of course Ari wins Buck over, and the guys are on their way to their HEA by the end of the story. This one is a definite must, especially if the stories of Backwater Bay have found their way onto your TBR. Be sure to grab this and enjoy it as the treat it is. Hint—this would be a great stocking-stuffer!

The cover Art by L.C. Chase depicts a very grown up and handsome Ari, against the backdrop of his hometown, Bluewater Bay. The cover is perfect for the story, showing the man the readers will come to love within a few hours.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 95 pages
Published November 10th 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 8th 2014)
original titleThere’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay Story)
ISBN139781626491694
edition languageEnglish
series Bluewater Bay #2

Bluewater Bay series, one location, different authors:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by LA Witt
There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay Story) by LB Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by ZA Maxfield coming Dec 2014
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov coming Dec 2014
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau coming in 2015

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

I am totally hooked on this Bluewater Bay series! Each book is better than the previous one, and that’s saying a lot, considering the amazing list of authors Riptide has engaged for this series. In this story, Spencer Kepler-Constantine comes to Bluewater Bay to renew his recurring role in the Wolf’s Landing television series being shot in the town. He arrives on the heels of the sensational breaking news that his husband of six months, Peter Kepler-Constantine, has impregnated a famous Hollywood actress and left him for her. To make matters worse, his rental Mercedes has broken down outside of town.

Nash Holly is out riding his Ducati, enjoying the speed and the feel of the breeze along the Washington coast when he comes upon the parked car. Aside from nearly crashing into it, he’s intrigued by what it’s doing there. Nash happens to be the manager of his dad’s auto repair shop, a shop that specializes in foreign cars so he decides to step up and offer assistance. One look at Spencer and he’s lost in those gorgeous gray eyes. Convincing Spencer that he’s not a maniac, Spencer invites him in out of the rain and while sitting together, waiting for the tow truck Spencer had called, the two find themselves immediately attracted. Nash decides to help the uptight guy relax with a quick handjob. Thinking no more of it, he takes off when the tow truck driver arrives.

To make a long story short, the attraction between the two men develops further, and during the time that Spencer is in town filming, it escalates. But it’s more than just sex for both of them, and despite the fact that Spencer is estranged from his husband, Nash and Spencer create a safe space for each other while the beginnings of a relationship form without them even trying.

During this same time, other events in Nash’s life seem destined to throw him into upheaval. First, he finds out his widowed father has been seeing someone, and it’s getting serious. Then, his sixteen-year-old sister, Shelby, who has been wheelchair-bound since she was three, decides that she wants to exert her independence by applying to the Students Abroad Program. It’s bad enough that his twin is away at college and Nash already feels the hole in his life, now Nash finds it harder to cope with the fact that both his father and his sister don’t seem to need him anymore, and taking care of them has been his primary purpose for years. How can a caretaker exist without someone to take care of?

When Peter pulls a spectacular stunt to get Spencer back during Spencer’s late night television interview, Nash happens to be watching. He’s disgusted by Peter’s grandstanding, but he also knows in his gut that Spencer is going to allow him back into his life. Just what Nash needed—one more hole to fill.

The author gives us a wonderful wrap-up to this story and provides Nash with a perfect HEA. But before we get there, we get to know a man with so much character, so much life, that I became immersed in his story and invested in his future happiness. I loved Spencer as well, but my emotional investment was with Nash. And somewhere around the 75% mark in the story, it occurred to me that the feelings I was having were the same feelings I experienced when I read “St. Nacho’s” for the first time. I was left with that same warm emotional attachment to the character as I was in that original story, one that I read nearly three years ago. I haven’t felt that with any of Ms. Maxfield’s other works since then, and I’m so happy to have found it again because she was one of the authors who originally hooked me on this genre.

I highly recommend this series to lovers of M/M romance. Each author is uniquely talented and brings a new perspective to the series. This one is perfect for those who enjoy a hero with a heart of gold. As Spencer put it when describing Nash’s role in his life: “You’re necessary because you make my heart lighter and my mind clearer and my work meaningful, as long as I get to come home to you at the end of the day.” Aww, what more could I ask for than that?

Buy this book. You won’t be sorry. Oh, and it’s not necessary to read the others in the series. Each can be read as a standalone, though you’d be missing out on a great series.

The very nice cover art by L.C. Chase depicts the two young men who are the MCs in the story.

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

Book Details:

book, 225 pages
Published December 1st 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 29th 2014)
original titleHell on Wheels (A Bluewater Bay Story)
ISBN139781626491724
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/hell-on-wheels
seriesBluewater Bay #3

Bluewater Bay Series-written by different authors:

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt
There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay #2) by L.B. Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau

It’s “Hell On Wheels” when Z.A. Maxfield Goes To Bluewater Bay! (Book tour and contest)

Z.A. Maxfield is here with Hell On Wheels, the latest Bluewater Bay story and one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Must Read Stories!

Check it out below and don’t forget to enter the contests Z.A. Maxfield has for all of you to enter. Welcome, Z.A. Maxfield.

****************************

Many, many thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for inviting me to be here today to share my latest book release, Hell On Wheels.

While I was writing this book, one of the things that struck me was how much I enjoy writing characters who don’t do what one expects them to do. I think this goes back to my love of the screwball comedies of the thirties, to actors and actresses like Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, William Powell and Myrna Loy.

The dialogue was snappy. The comebacks often sarcastic and witty, and there’s sophistication, even in films like Duck Soup, which has more physical humor than I normally care for. I wanted to be Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. I wanted to be Barbara Stanwyck The Lady Eve.

Here’s my list of top five screwball comedies, the ones I found most memorable, and the ones that color my perception to this day. I’m not numbering them because ‘sniff” I love them all and I’d hate to pick a favorite.

• It Happened One Night – what is not to love about this. Between Clark Gable’s manly chin and Claudette Colbert’s legs, nothing can go wrong here. Add the road trip realities of hitchhiking with crazies and bad motels and toss in some of the best dialogue ever, and well. DO not miss out on a classic.
• The Thin Man – William Powell and Myrna Loy drink their way through a mystery. With a dog. Because Myrna Loy’s face when she says “Nicky, Darling.”
• His Girl Friday – Yes. Santa Clause. There really was Rosalind Russell. And she wasn’t just a pretty face. She’s funny and acerbic in this film, and held every bit of cinematic ground against handsome scene-stealer Cary Grant. And she wore a dumbass hat.
• Bringing Up Baby – Cary Grant again, with Katherine Hepburn this time, and a leopard named Baby. That’s right. I said a leopard. Comedy is serious business.
• My Man Godfrey – Special because its social message is timeless. Carole Lombard is simply radiant in this film and William Powell is handsome and sarcastic. These films set the gold standard of romantic and class comedy for the time in which they were filmed.

Many of these gems are available on Netflix. Check them out today!

My Blog Tour giveaway plan is as follows:

1. Comment here for the chance to win an ebook. My assistant William will randomly pick a winner for each blog I visit, and that person will win an ebook of their choice from my backlist.

2. For the Hell On Wheels Tour Rafflecopter giveaway, I will be awarding one lucky reader with a 25.00 gift certificate for Amazon. The giveaway will conclude at midnight on December 8th, at which time we’ll choose a winner. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3. There are many ways to enter, and some can be done more than once. Give yourself lots of chances to win by following along the blog tour and commenting.

Here’s the book’s official blurb:

Nash is the reliable one in the Holly family, the guy everyone counts on to keep things going. His genius twin brother is off at university, so Nash runs the family’s auto repair business and cares for his partially-paralyzed little sister while his crackpot father invents. His life seems mapped out for the foreseeable future, however much that might chafe.

So when Wolf’s Landing actor Spencer Kepler-Constantine lands in his life, Nash is ready for a diversion. Spencer is in the middle of a very painful, very public divorce and isn’t ready for a relationship—not that Nash wants one. But they both need a friend, especially one with benefits.

As they grow closer, Nash starts to see his family in a whole new light. Do they really need him so badly? Or does he simply need to be needed? Then Spencer’s ex reappears with a grand romantic gesture, and Nash has to figure out what he wants—and how to get it—before Spencer’s gone for good.

– Check out more about Hell On Wheels at Riptide Publishing’s page.

About the Author

Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.

If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”

Readers can visit ZAM at her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr.

Let’s Go Back to Bluewater Bay with Starstruck by L. A. Witt (book tour and contest)

Welcome to Bluewater Bay!

This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by ten award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Aleksandr Voinov, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, and G.B. Gordon. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Join L.A. Witt and L.B. Gregg for the Welcome to Bluewater Bay Tour, and check out Starstruck and There’s Something About Ari to meet the cast, crew, and locals!

About Starstruck

Hollywood is full of dirty secrets, but Carter refuses to be Levi’s.

Retired action star Levi Pritchard has made a quiet life for himself in the sleepy logging town of Bluewater Bay, Washington. But then Hollywood comes to film the wildly popular television series Wolf’s Landing, and Bluewater Bay isn’t so sleepy anymore. His retirement doesn’t stick, either, because he’s offered a part on the show—exactly the kind of complex role he’d always wanted, one that would prove him more than a glorified stuntman. The only catch? He has to stay in the closet—no matter how attractive he finds his co-star.

Carter Samuels is the critically-acclaimed male lead on Wolf’s Landing. And now, the man who inspired him to take up acting—and made him realize he’s gay—is joining the cast, and sparks fly between them instantly. But Carter is out and proud and determined to stay true to himself.

Remaining just friends is the only thing to do, as both the studio and Levi’s disapproving, dysfunctional family keep reminding them. Except their friendship deepens by the day, tempting them with what they can’t have but both desperately need.

About L.A. Witt.

L.A. Witt is an author of gay erotic romances, and has been recently exiled from Okinawa, Japan, to Omaha, Nebraska. She resides there with her husband, a telekinetic goldfish, and two incredibly spoiled cats. It’s unclear if the exile was the result of the mostly classified “Aquarium Incident,” or if she’s actually being hidden, for her protection, from the Polynesian Mafia and her arch nemesis, erotic romance author Lauren Gallagher.

Should you encounter Lauren, don’t tell her L.A. is in Omaha. This bio will self-destruct in 17 seconds.

Connect with L.A.:

Website: ”
Author Blog
Personal Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Contest: Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Starstruck) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 9th, and winners will be announced on November 10th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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