Joel Ricki has decided he’s had enough of being in foster homes. A few weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he plans to grab a bus to anywhere. Before he does, he has only one desire, to see The rock group Unhinged in concert. He doesn’t have a ticket but he’s not going to let that stop him. In fact nothing will stop him from seeing the band that saved him.
Stone Lewis is the frontman for Unhinged. He is gorgeous, and talented. It appears he has everything. Yet he can’t sleep at night and he drinks too much. Consumed by guilt and grief, the nightmares remind him of the brother he lost in a horrific car accident two years ago. Then Joel Ricki shows up on their tour bus and everything changes
This was an alright story but there were just a few things that couldn’t redeem it for me. Joel successfully gets into the concert but hides out on the wrong bus. Stone takes Joel under his wing and helps him build a life now that he is free to make those decisions.
Joel has had to do a lot of things to survive the times he has been on the street and wants to escape the endless circle he has been in and we see him get the chance to do this with the help of all the members of Unhinged. He is very emotionally open and innocent and wears his feelings on his sleeve. Stone feels responsible for Joel but not just in the older brother sort of way. Stone hides his feelings behind booze and what his record label wants him to do. I can’t forgive him for using and hurting Joel the way he did throughout the book though, I just feel that he dug the knife a little too deep before he finally opened his eyes.
The cover art by Martine Jardin is okay gives a nice visual of Stone.
The Von are on their way. With a recording contract under their belt and a tour opening for a popular band, the world is at their feet. For those left behind prospects are not so bright, especially with someone trying so hard to break them apart.
With the spotlight on The Von, no one sees the evil waiting in the wings until it’s too late.
Buy Links – Coming Soon
Excerpt
After a long moment of waiting for Asher to return, Vince heard the door open, albeit slowly. He put down his glass of orange juice and peered suspiciously at his friend. “Hey, what is it? Bad news in the mail, also known as bills?” he joked. Asher didn’t say anything, which worried him. He stood and walked over to him to look at what he had in his hands.
“I… It… I don’t know what to do.” Asher turned to Vince and grabbed his arms with bruising intensity. “Vince, I don’t know what to do.” He pleaded, begged, but there wasn’t anything Vince could say as his gaze flicked between the two photographs and Asher’s stricken eyes.
“Let me see them, please?” He wrested the slips of paper free from Asher’s grip long enough to see the photos and got the shock of his life. Glossy, set in some cool, trendy club surrounded by gorgeous people, Erik kissed a total stranger like he might inhale the guy and Billy was kissing a redheaded guy who looked very familiar.
What the… No. Not again. Wait. I know that guy… Holy shit, I know him!
Vince’s stomach twisted, and he covered his mouth, completely understanding why Asher looked ready to vomit. “We’ve been fucked over again? What the hell? There has to be an explanation. Drunk again…something… We have to… Shit. When they come online, I’m not gonna roll over for him again. What the fuck?” He tore from Asher’s grasp and tugged his hair, letting the angry tears come.
Vince grabbed the edge of the sofa and forced himself to sit down, his face buried in his hands. “What the fuck is going on over there? You know, I wish they’d never gone. I don’t care what it means to the band anymore; I want him home with me!” He kicked a textbook off the table, his anger evident. “Fuckers! I’m so sick of being lied to and being left behind. No one wants big, nice, sweet Vince! No one!” He leapt off the sofa, went to the kitchen, and hung his head over the sink. The tears wouldn’t stop.
He jumped when Asher’s hands slid around his waist and his head rested on the back of his neck. From the way his body shook, Vince was pretty certain he was crying, too.
“I wanted to believe him, Vince. I really wanted to believe him this time. I knew… I knew this was going to happen, it always does, but I-I worked so hard to convince myself it was different this time. That he was different.” Asher sniffed, rubbing his cheek against Vince’s back. “But he’s not different, Vince. None of them are.”
“I’d have sworn my Billy was different. I knew him before we even dated. Gawd, we couldn’t get enough of just hanging out together.” Vince turned and leaned his head against Asher’s. “I guess it didn’t mean very much to him, did it? If being away from us this short a time makes them do this…” He paused. His head and heart were in torment. He felt awful for Asher, too. He and Erik had a tumultuous relationship from the very beginning and although he’d thought it was fine, it sure wasn’t now. The computer beeped, and he glanced over. “Fuck. They’re gonna come online now. I don’t even know what to say.” He looked at Billy’s ring and wanted to toss it across the room.
“Well.” Asher drew his spine up straight. “I, for one, am going to get some answers. I don’t care what you do with Billy, but as far as me and Erik go, unless he has some pretty good reasons for what happened, this is it. We’re over.” The computer beeped again, and the call was live.
About the Authors
S. L. Danielson
S. L. (Stephanie) Danielson began writing at the tender age of five. She knew it was her calling from the moment she put pen to paper. In her teens she began writing alternative works and the genre stuck. She created ever more elaborate tales and finally in her early 20’s years began to create works with her new love; male/male romance. She has since written more than 30 works (both solo and collaborations).
Stephanie is classically trained in business, accounting, and HR/training, possessing both an undergrad and graduate degree. She also owned and operated Romance First Publishing where the ultimate goal was to help other unknown, as well as known authors get their start in the publishing world.
Beyond writing, her other hobbies include: painting, gaming, and spending time with her husband and two cherished cats.
Born into a poor but loving mining family in the United Kingdom, Cheryl grew up in the beautiful and history rich South Wales Valleys, becoming the first in her family to attend university. Practicing law, as a family lawyer for over twenty years allowed Cheryl to learn more about human nature at its worst and best moments, and develop empathy and a view of life not limited by social standing or background.
Tapping into the heritage of her people that throughout Earth’s ages welcomed the wandering bard into the hearts of their villages as keepers of lore, Cheryl trained as a Druid and brings the richness of her Celtic past and spiritual training to elevate her writing. Since a child, Cheryl has been fascinated with other worlds, which exist within and alongside her own and has reveled in creating worlds and characters for others to enjoy.
Despite lack of family support, Cheryl continued writing privately and eventually found the Gay Authors website. With the positive response and a warm welcome received, she found the confidence to pursue her passion to a greater degree. Feeling gay fiction was a woefully neglected corner of the market where readers were all too often presented as limited to erotica, Cheryl strives to write quality gay fiction where sex and sexuality is not the central premise. Instead, concentration is given to character and narrative development through storytelling that goes beyond the physical.
Cheryl still resides in Wales, UK, and enjoys writing, reading, art, and taking part in medieval reenactments.
Julian Davis has no time for love—everything must be under control. He steers clear of messy emotions or out-of-control passions. This attitude is the key to his success as the VP of CyNapse, one of the world’s leading technology companies. When Tarek Kettner is assigned as his lead bodyguard, Julian’s life is turned upside down. The baby-faced bodyguard had always been Julian’s secret weakness. After one intimate encounter with Tarek, Julian begins to question his life decisions.
Tarek is one of the deadliest bodyguards working for CyNapse Security, Inc. He also wants to show Julian what it would be like to have a meaningful, loving, and trusting relationship instead of one based on physical passion and lust.
Can Julian let go of his apprehensions and embrace Tarek’s offer of love when his life is in danger?
I enjoyed this story, it apparently connects with a previously released story from Jo but it didn’t take away from this one even though I hadn’t read it. Julian has spent his life keeping most at arm’s length and not getting into any relationships. Tarek has been able to keep his thoughts about Julian at bay until he finds him at a gay bar one night when Julian has once again slipped form his protection detail.
Tarek and Julian seemed to kinds jump head first into their relationship and they weren’t on the same page. You could see how they both wanted more but didn’t voice it until much later. There were a few times throughout the book where a topic seemed to be talked about and resolved but would come back up a few times and I’m not sure if that was due to the characters actually feeling like it wasn’t resolved or if it just wasn’t caught in editing. I liked these guys but can’t say I was fully invested in their relationship either. I am interested to see the mystery come full circle so I look forward to other books in the series.
The cover art by Angela Waters is great but doesn’t seem to match either of the characters.
Just a little Love Bite: When a vampire chef meets his soul mate, he must discover if the way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach.
Patrick Brown knows he’s a little odd for a vampire, enjoying cooking and dancing. It works for him, though, since he’s his vampire coven’s chef, and he loves spending hours doing both as he shimmies around his kitchen. On a routine food run he stops a robbery at his local grocer’s. To Patrick’s surprise, the blood of one of the officers calls to him like nothing ever has. He realizes the human policeman is his beloved, his soul mate. While Patrick easily scents the human’s arousal, betraying his interest, Officer Allen Robinson barely gives him the time of day. Undeterred, Patrick begins a quest to learn everything about the human, and with the help of friends, he sees him again…and again. Can Patrick figure out a way to woo his closeted cop, or will fears and prejudice destroy their chance at a future?
This was a sweet short story. Patrick enjoys his life but desires to have to have a soul mate like many around him have found. Allen has kept his sexuality a secret forever and his strong attraction to Patrick sends him running even farther in the closet.
Patrick tries to woo Allen but it didn’t seem to do much. Allen knows he’s running but can’t help himself and when he sees Patrick out with some friends. I could feel Patrick’s desire for Allen and what seemed acceptance of his fate when Allen didn’t come back after his first visit. I was able to see Allen’s fear of coming out but didn’t really connect with him. As expected in a short story it seemed to be tied up in a bow much faster than I would have liked but I still enjoyed this story.
The cover art by Angela Waters is nice and I love the visual of Patrick in his kitchen.
How do you join a mountain wolf pack when you’re afraid of heights?
When Smith Ryland develops a sudden, pathological fear of heights, he seeks professional help. A lifelong animal ecologist, he can no longer climb trees or trek through rainforests to follow the bird colonies he’s studied for eleven years. He takes a job looking after wild animals in the oddly named Timtuk Canyon Ranch, in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert. He’s astonished to find the ranch is in the mountains. How can he handle this unusual assignment? And what’s up with Jones, Just Jones, the mysterious, magnetic owner of the ranch?
Jones has secrets. Smith intrigues him because Jones is the caretaker of numerous animals most people don’t even know exist. Smith is comfortable with all the animals, including the ones that aren’t part of the…everyday world. Jones senses Smith needs the ranch as much as Timtuk needs him. Can Jones trust this newcomer? Something is changing, bringing with it…magic, but also the threat of lethal danger to Timtuk Canyon Ranch.
This story left me a bit confused. Smith has been trying to get over his new fears and it seems to work out well after he accepts a new job. Jones and Smith have an interesting connection that confuses Smith as Jones seems to appear and disappear at will. Smith’s inner beast has been suppressed and being around Jones starts to bring it out along with some knowledge about his family.
There were so many things that didn’t add up during this story or were not explained, I had a little trouble figuring out what was going on. I’m hoping that as this series continues I’ll start to understand more of what is happening.
The cover art by Martine Jardin is nice and I like the visuals of the characters.
When Michael Broadhurst invites a total stranger to share his sleeper on the overnight train, he’s asking for trouble—not that his life could get any more complicated than it already is.
After years of working on outback properties, Gazza Kelly is finally heading back to the city. With his criminal past behind him, Gazza has no plans until he’s invited to spend the night with a guy he’s never met before.
Partner with Benefits (Kolar Creek Tales #2) by Val Francisis one of those stories I had to slowly get into. I found the premise inviting and loved that cover but getting a real connection to the story can be laid at the feet of one of the main characters.
That would be Michael Broadhurst, the privileged, sensitive, and honestly, sort of whiny second son to the powerful Broadhurst family. Yes, the author sets it up that we immediately understand that Michael’s father and oldest brother are the bully bookends that have kept Michael sandwiched between them, beaten down and feeling inconsequential. But has Michael ever tried helping himself? Nope.
In some books, you feel that total lack of self worth and inability to protect one’s self. But here, at least in the beginning and really, most of the the first half, Michael just whines about the loss of the money, how he’s bad at writing, relationships with woman, etc. until you just want to smack him upside the head. The saving grace is that he’s offset by Gazza, the recently released ex prisoner who Michael meets on the train. Gazza full of gritty, real life issues and a past that Michael can’t begin to conceive of, befriends the “supposedly straight” Michael and they become friends of a sort.
The story’s focus is primarily on Michael, his cold, emotionally dysfunctional family and the challenge that awaits him and Gazza in Kolar Creek. That’s the section that saved this story for me and where Michael finally grew up and came alive. Here we learned more about Gazza, his background and the abuses in prison. Their slow movements towards a relationship, Michael’s acceptance of his sexuality, and yes, a permanence for them both. I wish this section had been extended and the early section reduced.
But that’s just me.
By the time you get to the Epilogue, you will get the HEA you will hope for this couple and their relationship. I have read the first Kolar Creek Tales story by Val Francis, Bombay Bushie (Kolar Creek Tales #1). But I enjoyed this one so I will seek that one out as well. Plus that couple makes an appearance in this story and they intrigued me.
If you like contemporary M/M romance, you will like Partner with Benefits (Kolar Creek Tales #2) by Val Francis. I’ll be checking out the other story in the series and will let you know what I find.
Cover art: Love this cover. great job with the characters and scenery.
This week I’m still trying to wrap my head around several thoughts this week, none of which is actually coming together into an cohesive post. That’s the impact of all the events of the last week is having on me I guess.
Without even knowing the people involved, I’m hurting for them. And our LGBTQIA community. I don’t know why I would think that the harm to the community would always come from outside. Several times that’s proven not to be the case. Santino Hassell is not the first case of catfishing, but he has also hurt others in far worse ways. That story is still unraveling.
Then there is the deeply disturbing events that lead to Riptide Publishing cutting all ties to Sarah Lyon, ex Editoral Director, and Kate DeGroot, ex freelance editor and regrouping. So many elements there to occupy my mind, but floating to the top have been things like “POC can’t be on book covers because they won’t sell. ” And the obvious racism that existed at every corner there for some personnel/authors. In an age of diversity, when we are talking about Quiltbag fiction…how can we still be facing such blatant racism?
Any why was it allowed to continue?
I get the power imbalance. How could any of those authors speak up? It would cost them their stories and perhaps their livelihood. Or the artists who design covers they authors get to choose from. I bet they got the message loud and clear to begin with. But truly? Now, here? Isn’t it time for us to be done with this?
But then I started to look through all the stories, catalogs, tons of covers…and noticed a dearth of yes, POC. I began to wonder….are there more people like Sarah out there telling artists and authors in our community …”don’t put POC on the cover, it won’t sell…”. What an insidious, mean, racist sentence. Guaranteed to make someone without power stop and think, and perhaps pull back.
I think it’s becoming clear..yes racism is with us…even in the LGBTQIA community. We just need to choose to recognize it. And then deal with it in a positive manner. Help support those authors and publishers going forward towards diversity across the spectrum in every way.
What are your thoughts on this and this whole sorry week. Mine clearly are still coming together….
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, March 18:
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Monday, March 19:
DSP Promo Sarah Black on American Road Trip
BLITZ Tomboy by Janelle Reston
Livingston (Trenton Security #1) by J.M. Dabney Release Day Blog
A MelanieM Review:Livingston (Trenton Security #1) by J.M. Dabney
A Stella Review One Underby JL Merrow
An Alisa Review: No Rulebook for Flirting by Laura Bailo
Tuesday, March 20:
Blog Tour Jace’s Trial by JM Wolf
BLITZ The Moth and Moon by Glenn Quigley
TOUR Cutie Pies by Barbara Bell
A MelanieM Review: Mage of Inconvenience by Parker Foye
An Alisa Review: Captive Hearts (Deviant Hearts #1) by A E Ryecart
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: A Wild Ride (The Bullriders #1) by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)
Wednesday, March 21:
DSP Promo Julia Talbot
BLITZ The Vampire’s Angel by Damian Serbu
Release Blitz – Breaking the Rules by C.J. Lynne
A Caryn Review The Weekend Bucket List by Mia Kerick
An Alisa Review: The Paramedic Who Hated Jazzby Stephani Hecht
A Stella Review: Jace’s Trial (Trials in Abingdon #1) by J.M. Wolf (
Thursday, March 22:
DSP Promo S.E. Harmon
TOUR The Vampire’s Angel by Damian Serbu
RELEASE DAY BLITZ Moon Illusion by Michelle Osgood
An Ali Review: Oskar Blows a Gasketby Al Stewart
A MelanieM Review: Partner with Benefits (Kolar Creek Tales) by Val Francis
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives #1) by Alexis Hall and Joel Leslie (Narrator)
Friday, March 23:
DSP PROMO SJD Peterson on Going Of Grid
Release Day Blitz for Leaning into the Look by Lane Hayes
Tour and Giveaway: One Under by JL Merrow
A Lila Release Day Review: Going Off Grid by SJD Peterson
A MelanieM Review: One Under by JL Merrow
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Permanent Ink (Art & Soul #1) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn /Kirt Graves (Narrator)
Saturday, March 24:
A MelanieM Review: Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon
This is the last book in the Dead Camp series, five books in total
Blurb
All stories have a beginning and a middle, but it is how those stories end that we remember them.
Everything must come to an end, and as Eli contemplates the loss of Malachi in a London ripped apart by war, he knows that the final battle looms ever closer. Where is Ethan? Eli can feel him, their love for each other calling through time, but History conspires to keep them apart as Morbius uses him for the final game.
Desperate to find a way to end the war, Eli once again delves into the distant past in search of answers, but as Jack the Ripper taunts him from the pages of his dead lover’s diary, Eli is left despondent.
So many lies, so many terrible secrets bleeding across his memories, and all of it to keep him safe from the fingers of those who would destroy him. Love. All of it for love. So much lost, and all of it because of love.
As Eli says goodbye to London for the last time, he can only hope that love will be enough to end the madness. He has a plan to rescue Ethan. An audacious plan and it will take all of History by his side to see it through to the bitter end. It is time to break Ethan free from the bonds that enslave him, and as they hurtle towards Berlin, the final sacrifice begins.
Excerpt
Suddenly he lay atop of me, baring down upon me in all his spectacular might. Sweat glistened upon his carved chest, rivulets of perspiration dripping off his pert nipples, and I found that I needed to drink him. I leaned forward, my tongue eager to feast, but he pushed me back sharply, filling my gaze with his magnificent head. He liked to wear his hair short these days, and it suited him, making the most of those huge green eyes and luscious lashes. Yet again, I found my gaze returning to the crevice of his chin, my cock rest, and I lashed out quickly, my tongue brushing over the velvet of his lips.
His knees pinned my arms in place at my side, and he sat up, his ass on my stomach, forcing the air up out of my lungs.
“That will fucking teach you to be cheeky,” he grinned.
“You swore!! You actually broke the rules and swore! I’m impressed.”
“We are about to break every rule in Heaven. I think a little curse word is the least of our problems, don’t you?”
His hands moved behind his back, and I felt my stiffening cock encased in the warmth of his palms. With slow, playful jerks, he quickly brought me to attention.
“Stop it!” I demanded, though my words lacked conviction.
“Stop what?”
“That!”
“This?” His hands moved faster, pumping me mercilessly until I squirmed beneath his considerable weight.
“We haven’t…got…time,” I gasped, but already I could feel my blood rising in my cheeks as my balls tightened in his grip.
“There is always time,” he growled, and I knew that it was too late for him to stop.
“But they’re coming…”
“Give me a second and so will you.”
My back arched beneath him as my load exploded up his back. The look of intense lust that blistered across his face empowered my orgasm, and it pumped from the tip of my cock, leaving me weak and wasted underneath him.
He brought his dripping fingers to his mouth and tasted me, his tongue licking the juice from his hand. Suddenly, his lips smashed into mine, and I felt his tongue explode into my mouth with a force that took my breath away. So intense was the kiss, so hard did he press his mouth into mine that it felt as though he wished to climb inside my body, to be inside me, a part of me, never to be separated. I pulled my hands out from under his knees, and I pulled his head into me, my fingers gripping his short hair as I drowned in him. Our tongues and our teeth ground into each other with such terrible, desperate urgency that I tasted blood upon my lips.
Hi everyone, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Sean Kerr, and I am a 47-year-old gay man living in Cardiff, Wales with my husband of 28 years, Derek. We have two cats, Rita and Harry, and a host of tropical fish.
By day, I am an Interior designer, and I have had a shop, Home Zone, in Cardiff with my amazing business partner, Jayne for eleven and a half years. It has and continues to be a struggle. The recession hit a few years after we opened, and it has been challenging, to say the least. I consider myself to be lucky though because the shop pays me a wage, and I have been lucky enough to furnish my house with lovely things because of it, and I really do have some spectacular curtains lol.
I worked on building sites for years, and I used the money earned from that to put myself through college, specialist paint techniques etc. I trained in fine art, and then I went out and painted murals on client’s walls, and created Roman Bathrooms and fantasy hand painted bedrooms, all the rage back in the late eighties and nineties. I then became an Interior Designer for a large DIY chain, and that is where I met Jayne, my business partner, and the rest is history.
By night I am an Author, and I am very proud to be an author for Extasy Books. It took me some years to get to this point. I spent a very long time trying to get an agent because I thought it was the right thing to do, and after a heck of a lot of refusals, I nearly gave up. I came so close to hitting the delete button on Dead Camp 1 because I thought I did not stand a chance. At the very last moment, I decided to have a go at approaching a few publishers directly, and I sent the manuscript to six. Within two weeks, I had offers of publication from three! Let’s just say that there may have been tears lol. It was my chance, at last, to become a part of a world that I have always loved and admired from a distance, and it is one of the very best things that has ever happened to me.
I currently have four books under my belt in my Dead Camp series, as well as a short novella called Hush Little Baby. Dead Camp is my take on the Vampire genre, a Paranormal Romance series that is set against a backdrop of World War 2. However, the series uses key moments from History to tell one enormous saga, and I have loved every single moment of writing it. There will be five books in the Dead Camp series.
Hush is a pure horror story with more than a nod towards such classic programmes as The Twilight Zone and Tales of The Unexpected. The project happened just after I completed Dead Camp 3 and it is a story that I had to get out of my system. It’s definitely a different beast to my Vampire saga, and I hope it will make you go to bed with the lights on lol!
Dead Camp 5 is the last book in the series. I will feel very sad to leave it behind. Yet, at the same time, I am so proud of this saga which has been such an important part of my life for the last couple of years. I love writing, so very much. It has always been my dream, and the wonderful Extasy Books has made my dream come true, and it is a world that I am totally in love with. It is a world I hope to be a part of for a very long time to come.
Dexter is a horse trainer, a bachelor, and Jamal’s favorite client. Their regular Tuesday sessions have been going on for years and things are great, so when Dexter has to go out of town to show his friend’s Gypsy Vanner, he invites Jamal along for the weekend as his boyfriend.
A Boyfriend for the Weekend is a cute friends-to-lovers short story. It’s more than romance, it’s about friendship and family. Yes, there are smexy times involved but the majority of the time we get to know more about Dexter’s and Jamal’s friendship.
Based on the title, the reader would assume Dexter needed a boyfriend for the particular event but in reality, they go together as friends and from there move forward into a relationship. It’s a satisfying HFN.
It’s a quick, sexy, and out of the box look into the start of an uncommon relationship. Perfect for an afternoon read or to read between longer books. Well-written and interesting characters with a backstory.
The cover by Erin Dameron-Hill describes the main characters and brings the theme of the story to the forefront.
What would you do if you rode into a mountain tunnel in North Carolina and then rode out into a different world? Adam Stephens is about to find out…
Adam Stephens is a man with a mission. It has been three years since they chopped that malignant brain tumor out of his head, and he is off on a solo motorcycle camping trip through the Appalachian Mountains.
When he rides into the Pine Mountain Tunnel in North Carolina and rides out into another realm—a realm that comes complete with a big sexy grizzly bear shifter, mages, and an evil sorcerer—he isn’t sure he isn’t lying in the tunnel after crashing his bike. Can such a world exist? Or is he dreaming? If he is dreaming…it sure is realistic.
Along the way, there will be some major hurdles to surpass including no indoor plumbing…and no coffee. A man needs some basic luxuries, correct?
I’m as divided about writing this review as I was when I finished this story. Beyond The Tunnel (The Wizard Shifter #1)by Dan Mitton has left me with so many mixed thoughts and feelings about this novel. Generally, they are all mostly good. I completed the story knowing I would love to read more in the series and that the characters certainly left a big enough impression that I wanted to know what happened to them after the ending.
First off? I loved the premise of this story. A man still in recovery from brain surgery decides to take motorcycle trip he had always planned on before his next chemo session starts. Only the light he sees exiting a tunnel in North Carolina shines with a different glow, the highway has disappeared, and the forest turned almost primeval in it’s towering growth. Is it a delusion…a result of the surgery and tumor or is it real? That would have been an interesting road to travel but Mitton goes for the straightford route which still works here.
Adams has found his way into another world, complete with magic, shifters, and an evil sorcerer. Whew. Once here, so many things start to happen. There’s a huge case of instant love. And to give the author his due, Adam remarks that yes, it’s instant love with tons of sex. Unfortunately, this part of the story doesn’t help the book. I liked both characters of Adam and Rafe but never felt that they had the time to develop their relationship. That ‘instant love’ thing just doesn’t work here. Good thing both are likable.
However, there’s so much more happening here. Mostly about an evil sorcerer, who just happens to be from Adam’s time. I found the author’s ability to make the villages and their inhabitants come alive especially appealing and essential to this story. I cared about them and certain events are devastating.
Mitton sets himself a high agenda here with this story, with multiple tasks he obviously he wanted to accomplish with the narrative. So much so that he starts with certain threads and then drops them throughout the storyline. I’m not sure if that’s because he’s going to use them in stories down the line or what. But to have these tantalizing hints tossed out here and then nothing made of them? Sort of irritating. Adam glowed in the dark in places Rafe reported? Had snatches of lightning that appeared around him? Little story elements so curious and neat that just disappear never to be seen again. Argh. And yes, there are huge holes in the story here that never to get explained satisfactorily or at all. Almost all center around magic, Adam and the mysterious sorcerer.
However, there are scenes so beautifully descriptive you’ll believe you are there. Characters both down to earth and magical that you’ll connect with and root for. There’s so much in this story that even when you want to say “why did he pull that in”, you keep going because you have to know what happens to them all.
I won’t discuss the ending. Parts really didn’t make too much sense, especially with regards to the evil sorcerer. So I expect he’s coming back in the sequel. It all ends on an up and joyous note, one that will make you want to read the next story.
Cover art works for both the characters and the storyline, Great job.
Joel Ricki has decided he’s had enough of being in foster homes. A few weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he plans to grab a bus to anywhere. Before he does, he has only one desire, to see The rock group Unhinged in concert. He doesn’t have a ticket but he’s not going to let that stop him. In fact nothing will stop him from seeing the band that saved him.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 