Tag: gay fiction

A Free Dreamer Review: The Relics of Gods (Between Heaven and Earth #1) by Yeyu

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

The Relics of the GodsWhat is worse: Being so broke you can barely afford food, getting hired for dangerous missions way out of your league, suffocating under mountains of unanswered questions—or wanting to sexually dominate someone who can kill you without lifting a finger?

Lu Delong is a mercenary who evaluates antiques most of the time and deals with the paranormal on rare occasions—even though it’s supposed to be the other way around. When he joins a dangerous quest for an ancient artifact, he meets and becomes strongly attracted to a mysterious and powerful immortal named Cangji. Despite his friends’ warnings and Cangji’s icy, unsociable demeanor, Delong is unable to resist befriending him. However, Cangji is deeply involved in a matter beyond mortals, and Delong is drawn into a chaotic struggle by both visible and invisible forces.

Always the pacifist who wanted to live a simple human life, Delong never imagined he’d end up involved in a conflict that will affect everything from the lowest insects on earth to the highest gods in heaven.

I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I mean, dragons, gods AND Asian fantasy? That just had to be awesome. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.

First off, the author’s style really didn’t work for me. It felt awkward and a little clumsy. It didn’t really fit the setting of the story. The way Delong talked felt way too modern.

Then, there were the MCs themselves. Delong soon got annoying. He was very whiney and extremely naïve. He seemed to fail at everything and followed Cangji like a dog. He got jealous over the most ridiculous things, like a dog-like demon creature. He didn’t behave like a grown man. At times, he actually read more like a three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum.

We didn’t really get to know Cangji. He’s the silent, mysterious type. He has some terrible secrets, but we never really find out what those are.

Overall, these two felt like the stereotypical seme/uke pairing you’ll find in most yaois. The only difference is that Delong wants to be the dominant part in the bedroom.

There are lots of minor characters, that seem important at first but they quickly disappear after they’ve served their purpose, never to be heard of again.

The love story didn’t work for me at all. I really couldn’t understand why Delong would fall in love with Cangji. Cangji seems more annoyed by Delong than anything else. Delong mostly gets ignored or glared at. And yet there’s insta-love on Delong’s part. Why? I have no idea. Cangji doesn’t get his own POV, so I don’t know how he truly felt about Delong.

Somehow, the plot moved too fast and yet didn’t seem to go anywhere either. There was mission after mission, Delong gets hurt, Cangji grumbles and rescues him, every minor character is evil. Honestly, I was rather bored at times and seriously considered skimming great parts of the story. It didn’t feel like I’d miss anything important if I were to just read the beginning and the end.

There was also a lot of mythology mixed in. Usually I love that and I like to think that I’m not completely clueless about the topic. But here I felt like I would have needed a degree in Chinese mythology to get all those references. There was a glossary at the end of the book, but I think the author should have explained at least the basics during the story itself.

And before I forget, the blurb is missing a warning about some dub-con kink. Oh, and it does get rather violent at times.

Long story short, I was sorely disappointed by this book. It had great potential but didn’t live up to it.

Cover: The cover by Reese Dante is absolutely gorgeous, just like most DSP covers. I love that dragon.

Sales Links:  DSP Publications |  Amazon

Series: Part 1 of the Between Heaven and Earth series

Book details:

ebook, 350 pages
Published January 6th 2015 by DSP Publications
Original TitleThe Relics of Gods
ISBN139781627987790
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL
SeriesBetween Heaven and Earth #1

A Stella Review: Drawing Love by Tully Vincent

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Drawing LoveYears ago a childhood trauma ripped away Taylor Elliot’s confidence and made leaving his own home a struggle. Now a senior in high school, he finally has his life back on track. As head of the decorating committee for the Cupid Dance, he’s determined to showcase his creativity by dazzling his fellow students with glitz and glamour they won’t soon forget. But when his committee’s resident techie bails at the last minute, Taylor’s chance to shine is slipping through his fingers, and he’s on the verge of a panic attack.

Can the unexpected appearance of a real-life cupid help Taylor create something special after all?

Drawing Love is a short young adult story about Taylor, a high school student who suffers of agoraphobia and lives in a small town. He is planning the Cupid Dance, the yearly Valentine dance but something is going wrong.

What a surprise! I have to say I’m always in awe of authors who can write story so short and do it right. Just like this one. In so few pages (just 19!) I was able to know the main characters pretty well, especially Taylor. The author gave me all the important things about his life, his thoughts, his wishes, his fears. Plus she gifted him a tenacious best friend, Drina, a powerful mum and a sweet kindergarten friend, someone who is now back to join Taylor in their adult life.

It’s a quick story, short of course but well done, with unbelievable well defined characters and an unexpected ending. Can I tell you the truth? I wanted more and this is the only reason I didn’t give this review five stars. Still Drawing Love is a lovely read. I highly recommend to everyone who wants to spend half hour with a sweet and well thought read.

The cover art is simple, clean and fitting, I like it.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details;

Kindle Edition, 19 pages
Published February 17th 2016
ASINB01BW8K4P4
Edition LanguageEnglish

Two Lovers Take a Leap of Faith with J.L. Merrow’s Lovers Leap (author’s blog and contest)

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Lovers Leap by J.L. Merrow
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by Lou Harper

Goodreads Link

Purchase/Read an Excerpt

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have JL Merrow here today to talk about Lovers Leap, her latest novel.  Welcome, JL.

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Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here as part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of Lovers Leap, my fast-paced romantic comedy with a leap year theme set on my beloved, native Isle of Wight. Lovers Leap features two very different young men—each of whom will need to take a leap of faith if their love is to survive!

About Lovers Leap

If they looked, would they ever leap?

Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Lovers Leap is also available in audio from Amazon and Audible!

About J.L. Merrow

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea.  She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again.  Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour.  Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy, and her novella Muscling Through and novel Relief Valve were both EPIC Awards finalists.

JL Merrow is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Verulam Writers’ Circle and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Connect with JL:

LoversLeap_TourBanner

Giveaway

Leave a comment for a chance to win $29 in Riptide credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 5, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Lila Review: Convincing the Secretary (London Legal #3) by Ava March

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Convincing the SecretaryBusiness and pleasure is a mix no gentleman should consider.

Lord Grayson Holloway goes after what he wants—be it in the law office on his clients’ behalf or in the bedchamber. His new position as partner puts him closer to achieving his goal of becoming the most successful solicitor in London. There’s just one problem—his new secretary. Broad of shoulder yet mild of manner, Edward tempts Gray like no other. Yet the young man barely notices him.

Edward Fenton tries to be a good secretary, but being in Lord Grayson’s hard, commanding presence rouses Edward’s most forbidden desires. Wicked, naughty desires no gentleman should consider giving in to, let alone with his new employer.

Gray is more than willing to mix business with pleasure. But convincing Edward to take a chance on a future with him? That might be the most challenging case Gray has ever taken on.

Our introduction to Mr. Fenton is through Lord Grayson’s eyes, and it would play an important role later in the story. We get an account of Mr. Fenton’s whereabouts, the other man with him, his physical description and the type of man Lord Grayson thinks Mr. Fenton is looking for as a partner.

 We get to see then, Mr. Fenton’s competency and his physical response to Lord Grayson’s proximity. Gray is trying to measure Edward’s attraction to have a better idea of his secretary’s wants. And from there, he devised a plan to gain Edward’s attention.

 As we learned more from Edward, we get to see a very different man than the one described by Lord Grayson. As well as eroneous assumptions by Edward about the Lord. After a subtle test by Gray, their relationship turns physical, and Edward’s wicked desires are fulfilled.

 They have about four days together before everything goes wrong due to lack of communication. Both men believe they are justified in their actions and made decisions that affect the new relationship blossoming between them.

 Thanks to a first step taken by Lord Grayson, they are able to understand each other better and what they need from each other. The story ends with an epilogue and the exchange of I love yous.

 Convincing the Secretary is the third book in the London Legal Series. I hadn’t read the first two books in the series, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this particular installment. Unless, you want additional background information about some of the characters mentioned in the story– including Edward.

 The first part of the story reflects the musings of both MC about each other. We get to know the basics, as well as the insecurities they had. Certainly, they don’t believe to be good enough for the other. And we see all this during their interactions at work.

 The physical chemistry between the characters is palpable since the beginning of the story. I just had trouble believing in how openly Lord Grayson asked Edward about his inclinations. Even if they were both being bold, the question felt out of place with the story and the soft spoken man Gray seems to think of Edward to be.

 The novella was easy to follow and entertaining. The sex and kink scenes up to par, without excessive wording and endless orgasms. The two characters acted according to their stations even when most of the story kept them isolated from other most of the time.

 Overall, a good read. Just not enough to make me want to read the previous books.

Designed by Kim Killion, the cover follows the previous two books– a bare torso over the night skyline of London. Perhaps more contemporary than historical, but goes with the rest of the series.

Sale Links: Samhain | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

 ebook, 138 pages
Published: March 8, 2016, by Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1619222523 (ISBN13: 9781619222526)
Edition Language: English

 

Series: London Legal
Book #1: Convincing Arthur
Book #2: Convincing Leopold
Book #3: Convincing the Secretary

Go Nutty Over Love with Rise of the Alpha Squirrel by Kate Lowell (guest post, excerpt and giveaway)

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Rise of the Alpha Squirrel (Nutty Romances #2) by Kate Lowell
 Release Date: February 25, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Kate Lowell
Cover Artist: Ana J. Phoenix

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Kate Lowell here today. Kate is the author of Rise of the Alpha Squirrel and has brought some lively excerpts for us. Welcome, Kate!

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The following excerpts are taken from the best-selling series ‘A Were’s Guide to Living in the Human World’ by Finnley Lakewood, Ph.D, and Gardenner Monk, Ph.D. Please don’t tell anyone where you got these excerpts—I had to take ridiculous risks to get my hands on these books and if they found me, they’d probably eat me.

Appendix B: marking your territory–long-standing tradition or unsightly behavior?

In the were community, scent marking is a common and generally understood occurrence. The differences in styles are generally overlooked, and scent-marking itself is generally encouraged in mixed population areas.  However, the human’s weak scenting capabilities often result in misunderstandings with particularly uncomfortable consequences.

For example, the typical carnivore uses specific pheromones found in urine to mark the perimeter of their established territory. In situations where many weres are living in close proximity, this is an essential step to preventing inter-were violence. However, humans and their essentially inoperative noses will inevitably fail to notice scent markers. Not only does this cause them to invade territories on a regular basis, but the necessary actions required to establish scent boundaries (peeing on fences, doors, walls, furniture, etc) often take on an entirely different appearance and, within their relatively uneducated culture, occasions various, but generally unpleasant, reactions.

In cases where your roommate or another human has caught you in the process of leaving scent pheromones in place, and in the situation where it causes an undesired reaction on the part of the human, your first line of defense should be…

Now more about Rise of the Alpha Squirrel….

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Blurb

Nathan’s met Vince’s family, but Vince hasn’t met Nathan’s, and Nathan would like to keep it that way. Holy smoked almonds, what else do you do when you know how completely nuts your relatives are?

Why, you ease your man into it, by introducing him to normal shifters. Assuming you can find any.

But with a gossipy werehummingbird spreading the news, and a pair of young red pandas wreaking havoc with their fainting goat friends, Nathan’s about ready to climb into a pine cone and pull it in after him.

Then the local playboy weremoose hears about Vince, and Nathan has to find his inner alpha or the consequences will be worse than moldy hazelnuts.

 

Pages or Words: Approximately 24,000 words
Series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment
 Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Excerpt

“Breakfast,” Vince said and waved a hand toward the table.

It was a squirrel’s wet dream. Or it would have been, if good-enough-to-lick-all-over-then-eat Vince hadn’t been sitting on the other side of the table. Maybe he could say it was any other squirrel’s wet dream—whatever, it was the breakfast of Roman squirrel emperors.

A pile of thick, deep brown pancakes waited for him in the center of his plate. Raspberries and shaved almonds sprawled seductively over the side of the stack, glistening with sweet, sticky maple syrup. Some of the less audacious ones hid decorously beneath the edges of a heavy daub of whipped cream, but Nathan knew they were there, waiting for him to discover them. He could see them peeking diffidently out, uncertain whether they wanted to attract his attention or not.

And the best part—the most gorgeous massage therapist in the world was sitting across the table from him, watching him with eyes that were dark in more than just the usual way. He looked at Nathan like Nathan was a maple walnut ice cream with a peanut dip. Like he wanted to lick him all over and suck bits of him deep inside his mouth…

Buy the book: ARe  | Amazon

 

Meet the Author

Kate Lowell lives on the east coast of Canada, in an old farm house that has way more personality than it has any right to. During the winter, she spends her time dreading snow, cursing at snow, shoveling snow, and scheming ways to shove it down the kids’ necks. During the summer, she prays not to have snow. 🙂

Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and–weirdly–romantic comedy. She’s willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with a Time Turner, or find her an agreeable Time Lord to sort out her scheduling problems.

You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.

Where to find the author:

 


BannerTemplate Tour Dates & Stops:

25-Feb: A.M. Leibowitz, Hearts on Fire, Velvet Panic, Nautical Star Books, MM Good Book Reviews

26-Feb: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Inked Rainbow Reads, KathyMac Reviews

27-Feb: Happily Ever Chapter, Molly Lolly, Love Bytes

29-Feb: Nephy Hart, Man2ManTastic, Bonkers About Books, Open Skye Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook

1-Mar: BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, V’s Reads, Boy Meets Boy Reviews

2-Mar: Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books, Alpha Book Club

Divine Magazine

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Giveaway

Enter to win a  Rafflecopter Prize: http://www.stuffedsafari.com/Plush-Ruby-throated-Hummingbird-Audubon-Bird-p/wr-83900.htm.   Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A BJ Review: Prelude to Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings 0.5) by Lyn Gala

Rating:  5 stars out of 5               ★★★★★

Prelude to ClaimingsBefore Liam had a new commander who openly distrusted him, before Ondry earned his ka status, there were two traders. Ye Ondry wants to earn status, and he is curious about this new human. Liam has just arrived on the planet and he’s trying to figure out these aliens who supposedly have good metals to trade. Neither of them suspects that a chance trade and a few pots knocked off a table could lead their lives and their fates to intertwine.

Note: This free story is a prequel to the story of Ondry and Liam that details how they met. As such, it’s not a romance.

Despite the note, I did find this very romantic and sweet. No sex, yes, but there is budding feelings and loving care enough to make me swoon. The book includes the following stories, some which have been published elsewhere (web) and some new. We get Liam’s POV, Ondry’s POV, and even one from a Grandmother’s POV. All of which give extra depth and dimension to the beginning of an already awesome story.

Even though this is a prequel, I think it’s best read after having read book one of the series at least… although it was just as good for me having read the complete series already. I absolutely adored the addition insights into Liam and Ondry’s. The first and longest story in the anthology is aptly titled “The Beginning,” and it shows us their initial meeting! This one shows Liam as he was when he first arrived on the planet and began to learn about Rownt and trading. I adored the way the trading worked, and the details of it we are given fascinated me to the point I wanted more. Plus the words Liam used to describe Ondry phyiscally the first time he met him were quite enlightening. I won’t say more on that, but if you are as curious about Ondry’s appearance as I am, I highly suggest you read this now.

The next story, “First Sight,” we get cover the same time period and, indeed, some of the same events, but this time from Ondry’s POV. I found this perfect. Even though the same things were going on, seeing them from the other side gave the scenes so much more depth and understanding. Reading these back to back also made it very clear the difference in these two’s thinking, and in Rownts and humans. Explanations of why Ondry reacted as he did to what Liam said and did in the first story, as well as the difference in language between what Liam thought he was saying in Rownt to the way Ondry actually heard it. And nuances of both Ondry’s action and the reactions of those around them of which Liam was only vaguely aware. I loved this so much.

Story three, “Slow Attractions,” shows an integral event from book one which was written all from Liam’s POV now in Ondry’s POV. Again, the amount of additional depth and understanding this gives is phenomenal, and I loved it. Despite the note on the blurb, I felt like in this one we do see romance… not sex or even a touch, but the caring that Ondry displays touched my heart big time. Oh to have someone take note of feelings and moods and to just care that much. Perfect and a must read for fans of book one.

The final short is from a Grandmother’s POV and is titled “Headstrong.” Again this goes over events from the first book but from a different POV that adds depth. The title itself refers to how the grandmother thinks of Ondry, and we learn early on that this particular Grandmother really is Ondry’s genetic grandmother and gain insight into Ondry though knowing something of his mother’s personality which he has obviously inherited. This is short, but yet it let me see how the Grandmothers think of both themselves, their duty, and how they see humans. Her wisdom and caring came across quite clearly. And the whole scene was so very touching that it had me in tears. No romance? I beg to differ with that statement.

If you’ve read any of this series before, I cannot recommend this free anthology more. It adds so much depth, and I adored each and every story. Five stars across the board.

I adore what we see on this cover… never all of Ondry, but the delicious peeks this time of that tail and his neck tie in wonderfully with the additional insights into him we get in the book.

Note:This free story is a prequel to the story of Ondry and Liam that details how they met. As such, it’s not a romance

Free at:  Loose id


Book Details:

ebook, 79 pages
Published February 9th 2016 by Loose Id
ISBN139781682520888
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesClaimings 0.5

Cover reveal for ‘6 Days to get Lucky’ by LE Franks (excerpt and giveaway)

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6 Days to Get Lucky ( A Nick Valentine Story #2) by LE Franks
Release Date: March 2, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Cover Artist: Wilde City Press

Blurb

Mixologist Nick Valentine never thought love was in the cards, but after a scorching Valentine’s Day kiss from bouncer Davis “FatBoy” Newman, he’s beginning to think it’s possible. After four weeks of dry spell, Nick’s losing patience—it’s time FatBoy stop acting the gentleman and just throw him over the bar or Nick may just change his mind.

All FatBoy wants is a shot at winning Nick’s heart. As long as meddling bosses, an Irish hurling team and a bar riot don’t ruin his chances forever, he might just get lucky and take the man of his dreams, home.

 

Pages or Words: 72,000 words
Series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment
 Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

Reaching across the empty bed next to me, I rode out the last waves of my dream alone. I could still feel his phantom kiss on my lips and the sensation of a hand stroking along my thigh.

The rest of it was just a blur of emotions and sticky residue on my sheets—though I could guess at it without much effort. FatBoy Newman had been a specter haunting me at work so it was no great leap to assume he’d shouldered his way into my dreams as well.

In fact, he was at the root of my problem: I’d been having a hell of a dry spell.

Four weeks of near misses had done nothing but stoke my bad mood and turn my balls a lovely shade of indigo that matched my jeans…

Four weeks of dashed hopes…

Four weeks since the most romantic kiss of my life…

Four weeks of nothing.

Fuck the South and its mythology of the Southern Gentleman—if FatBoy Newman didn’t stop treating me like a delicate flower and throw me up against a wall soon, I was going to explode.

It was six days until St. Patrick’s Day, and FatBoy had until then to make his move, or I was moving on.

Buy the book: Wilde City Press

 

BannerTemplateMeet the Author

LE Franks lives in the SF Bay area and writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated and sometimes a little bit dark. LE Franks is a best selling author and finalist for 2013 & 2014 Rainbow Awards. Her books are available through her publishers at MLR Press, Dreamspinner Press and Wilde City Press and Pride Publishing and online bookstores.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Making It Happen, Open Skye Book Reviews, , Full Moon Dreaming,

Molly Lolly, Happily Ever Chapter, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, A.M. Leibowitz, Outrageous Heroes, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Alpha Book Club, EE Montgomery, MM Good Book Reviews, Havan Fellows, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, V’s Reads, Inked Rainbow Reads

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Giveaway

Enter to win a  Rafflecopter Prize: 6 Days to Valentine e-book & $5 amazon gift card for three total winners.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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