Tag: JMS Books LLC

A VVivacious Pre-Release Review: Unconditionally by Nell Iris

 

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

 

unconditionally-by-nell-irisLuca and Gus are getting married. But when Luca’s mother violently criticises Luca’s wedding attire, a flood of uncertainty hits Luca and he runs. Now it’s up to Gus to find and convince Luca that he has nothing to be ashamed of and to convince him to return to the wedding dressed just as he wants to be.

 

This is a short story which takes us through three moments in the life of Luca and Gus. The first being the moment they met, the second and most significant one being their wedding day and a third moment which constitutes the epilogue.

 

This is a short and sweet story. It is very well written and makes for a fun and enjoyable read. I liked the premise of the story which was basically about accepting who you are but I really appreciated the unique way it was applied to the story, with the choice of clothing forming a big part of the narrative.

 

Luca is flamboyant and prefers to wear androgynous clothing. Despite the fact that we see him at his most insecure, I could appreciate the quiet strength about him. He actually came across as someone comfortable in his skin and confident. Then there was Gus who was such an unassuming character but I loved his integrity and this quiet dignity he had about himself.

 

Luca and Gus made for a handsome couple. I really think they complemented each other well and that they would make it.

 

What I found weird about this story was that despite Luca and Gus being so close to each other, for some reason Gus is completely unaware of Luca’s history with his mother who has never been able to treat him with the respect he deserves and somehow Gus was able to miss this fact for going on six years. Now this fact makes me question Gus and Luca and how well they truly know each other as compared to how they are projected to be. While giving someone time to tell you the details is one thing, having not picked up on the vibe at all seems unrealistic.

 

This story is a nice read and it is written flawlessly making for an enjoyable, short and sweet read.

 

Cover Art by Written Ink Designs. I actually really like the cover especially with the rings placed just so at the bottom and the font for “Unconditionally” which really complements the cover design. I even like the two men wearing formal suits who appear to have just gotten married but I wonder, considering, how a particular wedding attire is the trigger for the whole plot, if it was wise to have the two men on the cover dressed otherwise.

Sales Links

JMS Books LLC

7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: March 4th 2017 by JMS Books LLC admin@jms-books.com
ISBN139781634863230

SNAPSHOTS release blitz by Addison Albright (exclusive excerpt and giveaway)

snapshots-banner

Title: Snapshots
Author: Addison Albright
Release Date: February 25th 2017
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

snapshots_400x600

BLURB

Whatever your romance reading preference — gay virgin, opposites attract, friends to lovers, or simply fun how-they-met stories — this collection contains a variety of sweet, contemporary, short gay romances, sure to make you smile.

Rewritten and re-edited, these stories were previously published singly and are available now in one collection!

Contains the stories:

* Cow Pie Bingo

* King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate

* Born to Be Wild

* The Straggler

* Now and Forever

* Moving On

* Moving Along

* Dropping Quarters

* Nevermore

* Photo Shoot

* Okay, Then

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Preface:

I love short stories. Sometimes a brief “snapshot” taken from a couple’s larger story is all that’s wanted. The narrative of “how they met” is the focus of six of the shorts in this set—quirky tales ranging from meeting at a charity fundraiser, to college kids pranking each other, to a mishap at a XXX adult video arcade.

Also included is a story featuring a well-established couple’s wedding dilemma, a friends-to-lovers tale, a coming-out-of-the-closet drama, and a continuation short that follows one of those how-we-mets. Rounding out this collection is an account revisiting the main characters from my full-length novel, ’Til Death Do Us Part.

All of these stories are contemporary, although one has a bit of paranormal flavor to it. Heat ratings range from “fairly sweet” to “rather steamy.” Excepting the final story, all were originally written in 2008 and early 2009. One (“Photo Shoot”) started out as a prompt word ficlet that I later fleshed out to a more complete story. Each has received a thorough overhaul, some more extensive than others. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.

Find Snapshots on Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | JMS Books

king-kong

**Please note King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate is FREE as a separate ebook

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | JMS Books

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Snapshots exclusive excerpt

(from Nevermore)

Ted made his way to the edge of the dance floor and looked around. He saw a man staring at him— tall and muscular, just like Ted preferred. The stranger smiled, and Ted grinned back. Just as he started to walk around the room to join the man, a voice, low and sensual, came from behind.

“I was hoping you’d be here tonight, Raven.” That voice always sent a jolt straight to his cock.

“Caesar.” Ted turned and smiled. At six-three, the handsome man stood several inches taller than Ted, and had short, light brown hair and deep blue eyes. “Always good to see you, babe.”

“Darling, you are breathtaking as always.” Caesar looked Ted up and down as a saucy grin spread across his face. “Shall we dance?”

“Of course.” Ted put out his hand.

Caesar led him to the middle of the floor, then pulled him close so their bodies rubbed as they danced.

Ted closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Caesar’s neck. The man gave Ted’s ass cheeks a squeeze, and Ted ground his pelvis against him so Caesar could feel his growing hard-on.

Caesar’s chuckle vibrated across his broad chest and through Ted. “Is that for me?”

Ted nibbled at Caesar’s neck. “It’s all yours, babe.”

teaser_snapshots_okaythen02_400x400

 

Giveaway

Giveaway : WIN a Snapshots ebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

addison-profile-pic

Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with three peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Release Blitz – Rick R Reed’s Class Distinctions (excerpt and giveaway)

Buy Links: JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK 


Publisher: JMS Books


Length: 11,546

Blurb

Kyle and Jonathan were perfect for each other, the two halves that, once together, made a whole. And then one snowy night just before Parents’ Weekend on the campus of Hamilton University, Kyle drops a bomb: he’s breaking up with Jonathan.

Follow the couple through the stormy (in more ways than one) night that ensues. Why has Kyle suddenly decided to throw away something so precious and good?

The answers lie in their backgrounds, and will gradually come to light as a winter blizzard rages around the young couple.

Their tortured paths bring them to the covered bridge where their love had sprung to life on a hot summer day. But will the warmth of that memory and the heat of the love they once shared be enough to outclass the storm, and more importantly, bring them back together?

Excerpt

Jonathan got up, grinning, and crossed the room, ready to fling open his door and his arms to Kyle. He could picture his boyfriend in his mind’s eye: the short muscular build, the hazel eyes, the mop of curly sandy hair that blended so perfectly with the constellation of freckles across his nose. He thought of the little tragus piercing in Kyle’s ear that for some inexplicable reason, Jonathan adored and could always be counted upon to play with his tongue, which drove Kyle nuts. The knock sounded again, and Jonathan took exactly three seconds to check his image in the mirror above his dresser. His blond hair had been cut that morning and, with a little dab of gel, looked stylish and alluring, the classic combo to his pale blue eyes and dark lashes. He wore only a plain white T-shirt and a pair of plaid boxer shorts. He figured they’d be naked soon enough, so why bother with a complicated ensemble that would only slow them from getting to the main course?

Jonathan would swear his heart began to beat faster and he got a little breathless as he approached the door. He couldn’t stop the beaming smile that spread across his face as he reached for the knob.

But that smile vanished when he saw Kyle standing out in the hallway, staring down at the floor and radiating dejection. His shoulders slumped and there was about him an overall lack of energy. When he managed to tear his gaze away from the tile floor, he looked at Jonathan with sadness. Jonathan frowned too when he could discern no excitement, no joy to see him, in those hazel eyes.

This was not the picture he had been anticipating when he swung open the door.

“Good God, Kyle, what’s the matter? Is everything okay?”

Kyle’s gaze returned to the floor and Jonathan shook his head, reached out and forcibly pulled his boyfriend inside the room, closing the door behind him. Jonathan cocked his head, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He smelled cooking grease on Kyle, the after-effect of toiling in the Hamilton University student cafeteria. Normally, he would suggest the two of them slip down the hall and into a shower together — a nice, sudsy, both clean and dirty beginning to their three-day weekend.

But the game plan seemed to have changed. Kyle’s bad mood, so rare and unexpected, cast a pall on the anticipation Jonathan had felt only moments ago.

Kyle didn’t answer.

Jonathan turned down the music, which was Moby’s “We Are All Made of Stars” and said, “Sit down, Kyle. Let’s talk. It’s obvious from your face, hell, from even the way you’re standing there that something is very wrong. What is it? Trouble in one of your classes? Is that Psych bitch giving you problems again?”

Kyle slumped down in one of the desk chairs, his long legs extended before him, the rest of his body sort of curled into itself. Jonathan wondered why Kyle didn’t take a seat on the bed, so they could at least sit side-by-side, but he let the move pass without comment.

“No. Everything is cool in my classes. In fact, I’m on track to make the dean’s list this quarter.” Not even a glimmer of a smile heralded this happy news. Kyle simply continued to appear distant and, yes, forlorn.

“So what then? Work? Trouble at home?”

Kyle snickered when Jonathan mentioned home — and Jonathan had no idea why. One of the mysteries with Kyle was that he had never been too forthcoming about his home life, only that he was from a small town in eastern Ohio, on the Ohio River, and that he was an only child. Jonathan still had no idea what his parents did for a living or how he even felt about his old hometown. Kyle shook his head. “No. And no.”

Jonathan didn’t want to entertain what the other possibility could be. He sank down onto his bed, nausea rising in his gut as he pondered being told Kyle had cheated on him (he was, at least in Jonathan’s mind, about the most handsome hunk on the campus of Hamilton University), or that he “wanted to see other people” or that he “needed a break” or that “it’s not you, it’s me” and he needed to end things between them.

But none of those scenarios could possibly be true, could they?

Author Bio

Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love.

He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.”

Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”



Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/rickrreed
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RickReedWRITER
Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Website: www.rickrreed.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rick-r-reed
Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com

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3 day release blitz: *Snapshots by Addison Albright (excerpt and giveaway)

snapshots-banner

Title: Snapshots
Author: Addison Albright
Release Date: February 25th 2017
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

snapshots_400x600

BLURB

Whatever your romance reading preference — gay virgin, opposites attract, friends to lovers, or simply fun how-they-met stories — this collection contains a variety of sweet, contemporary, short gay romances, sure to make you smile.

Rewritten and re-edited, these stories were previously published singly and are available now in one collection!

Contains the stories:

* Cow Pie Bingo

* King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate

* Born to Be Wild

* The Straggler

* Now and Forever

* Moving On

* Moving Along

* Dropping Quarters

* Nevermore

* Photo Shoot

* Okay, Then

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Preface:

I love short stories. Sometimes a brief “snapshot” taken from a couple’s larger story is all that’s wanted. The narrative of “how they met” is the focus of six of the shorts in this set—quirky tales ranging from meeting at a charity fundraiser, to college kids pranking each other, to a mishap at a XXX adult video arcade.

Also included is a story featuring a well-established couple’s wedding dilemma, a friends-to-lovers tale, a coming-out-of-the-closet drama, and a continuation short that follows one of those how-we-mets. Rounding out this collection is an account revisiting the main characters from my full-length novel, ’Til Death Do Us Part.

All of these stories are contemporary, although one has a bit of paranormal flavor to it. Heat ratings range from “fairly sweet” to “rather steamy.” Excepting the final story, all were originally written in 2008 and early 2009. One (“Photo Shoot”) started out as a prompt word ficlet that I later fleshed out to a more complete story. Each has received a thorough overhaul, some more extensive than others. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.

Find Snapshots on Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | JMS Books

king-kong

**Please note King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate is FREE as a separate ebook

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | JMS Books

EXCERPT

“Okay, then.” That’s what Sam had said. His leg had bounced like it always did when he was nervous. It was endearing, and one of the things that drew me to him. His grin was another. I melted a little each time he leveled it in my direction, which had made it incredibly hard to hide my attraction. That ship had now sailed. For better or for worse, Sam now knew of my interest, and had agreed to a date.

His words had come at the end of a conversation we’d had at breakfast yesterday morning after we’d cleared up a misunderstanding regarding my intentions when I’d previously asked him out. Well, I suppose technically I’d asked him back to my room for a drink, so I couldn’t actually fault him for not understanding that I truly wanted to date him, not just have a fling while we were here in Honiara collecting research data.

“I’m sorry, Henry,” Sam said now as we approached Mambo Juice’s entry. “I wasn’t thinking straight, obviously.”

Perspiration dripped down my face. My pits felt more than a little damp, and sweat matted my chest hairs. The shower I’d taken right before we’d left the Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, where we were staying a few days before heading to the smaller islands in the chain, had been a complete waste of time. But even if I’d known Sam would suggest we walk a mile to the Mambo Juice, I probably would have bathed anyway. I wanted to impress the man, after all.

teaser_snapshots_okaythen02_400x400

Giveaway : WIN a Snapshots ebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

addison-profile-pic

Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with three peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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A MelanieM Review: Man and Tree by Wayne Mansfield

Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5

 

man-and-tree-by-wayne-mansfieldNathaniel, a horse-riding traveler in eighteenth century Europe, emerges from a vast forest to see a field of golden wheat. At the centre of the field is a large tree and, at its base, a man. Strangely, the man appears to be talking to the tree.

At the village inn, Nathaniel asks the barman about the man and tree. The barman refuses to tell him anything, so Nathaniel decides to visit the man himself. The following morning he rides back to the field, where he notices the man is still there, talking to the tree.

He introduces himself to the man, whose name is Adam. When questioned about why he sits beside the tree, talking to it, Adam reveals a story so amazing, it borders on being unbelievable. Nathaniel, too, has a similar tale, the conclusion of which is just as bizarre and shocking as Adam’s.

Man and Tree is a short, and quite frankly bizarre little tale about two couples who had the misfortune to run a foul of a witch.  I think had the author tried for more of a fantasy feel, instead of locating the story in 18th century Europe and going for an adult fairy tale, Man and Tale might have come off a little better on the whole.  As it is, its hard to explain the complete lack any awareness of the laws and societal awareness of homosexuality of those times.  Its completely ignored or made little reference to.  Surprising when both couples meet and jump enthusiastically into sex and relationships.  Then things go spectacularly wrong for all four of them.

I like the imagery the author provides when that happens.  Nice, very  nice indeed.  But Mansfield leaves other holes in his narrative.  Some things makes sense, others, not so much, especially when it comes to said witch.  Tell us more about that witch and her background. And that ending?  Wrapped up way too easily and without the requisite answers to some of the  questions the author himself raised about the village and the villagers.

All in all?  Man and Tree had some nice elements to it but more aspects to it that raised questions in my mind.  It sort of felt like an outline to a larger story than a completed short tale.

Cover art is ok but doesn’t really speak to any of the elements in the story.

Sales Links

JMS Books LLC

7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 47 pages
Published September 10th 2016 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB01L8DXWMA
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Lila Review: A-dork-able by J.D. Walker

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

a-dork-able-by-j-d-walkerAlister Redgrave knows he’s a dork. He dresses in ill-fitting suits and trips over imaginary obstacles constantly; then there’s his Star Trek underwear. Still, he hopes to find the love of his life one day. And when he meets Jaiden Greyson, the new Assistant CFO in the Finance department, Alister knows he’s found his dream guy. Except, Alister makes a fool of himself repeatedly in front of Jaiden and decides he doesn’t have a chance in hell.

Jaiden Greyson doesn’t know what to make of Alister when he meets him. A more klutzy guy had never existed. But despite all that, there’s something about the man that draws him in, and he’s determined to find out what it is, no matter the antics of a jealous coworker intent on ruining everything.

Jaiden has Alister in his sights, and Alister won’t know what hit him, in the best sense.

A-dork-able is a sweet & simple story. It’s a fast tale that reads like a diary confession more than a drama-filled story. Alister does an excellent job as a narrator even when he gets lost at times. I wanted more from Jaiden but that’s one of the shortcomings of a short story.

The plot is predictable but it works. The author gave the characters enough depth to get the reader to want more, but at the same time, allowing the story to move at a quick pace. Alister’s mishaps might sound a bit over the top but the light weight of the story is enough to make them seem as an endearing quirk.

The main characters are thirty-seven and forty-one, something that I love. They’re comfortable with their sexuality and sure of what they wanted in a partner. They have good chemistry and their work relationship isn’t a concern to their love life. It brought them together.

Yes, there are some miscommunications, awkward moments, and a couple of things that might not work out of fiction, but overall, this is a good short story. A quick read for a quiet afternoon or to read between two longer stories.

The cover by Written In Designs is cute but I don’t see the characters in it. Well, personality-wise, that is, the clothing it’s up to par.

Sale Links: JMS Books | Amazon | Nook

Book Details:

ebook, 38 pages

Published: January 21, 2017, by JMS Books
ISBN: 9781634863186
Edition Language: English

A Caryn Review: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling by Matthew Robbins

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

when-irish-eyes-are-smiling-by-matthew-robbinsFelix first met Ronan in a particularly embarrassing circumstance – dressed only in his underwear, passed out on the beach, and unable to remember how he got there.  Felix was on a trip through Europe with friends, and was pretty sure that those “friends” were responsible for the entire situation, but he had no idea where he was, or where his friends were, so Ronan took pity on him and tried to help him find them.  Things went from bad to worse when he inadvertently wrecked Ronan’s truck and injured him severely enough that Ronan was unable to continue to work on his grandfather’s farm.   

The setup for the entire story started when the local Doolin police, Garda Redmond, offered Felix a choice for restitution to Ronan – either pay for a farmhand until Ronan is able to work, or do the work himself.  Felix didn’t have the money to pay, so he moved into the farmhouse with Ronan and his grandfather, and started work.  Yeah, the set-up was kind of far-fetched, but I was willing to look past that for a good story.

How disappointing not to get it.

Felix was introduced as an earnest young man who was immature, but who’d fallen in with a bad crowd and made bad decisions, and working the farm with Ronan – who wasn’t much older, but was years ahead in maturity, responsibility, and kindness – should have been an opportunity to grow up.  And I guess he did, to an extent, but my overall impression of him was that he was selfish, stupid, and acted like a spoiled 12 year old pretty much through the entire book (even his two acts of sacrifice on Ronan’s behalf were pretty dumb and he would have been better off just giving directly to Ronan).  I thought Felix was a complete douche, and I barely even liked him, much less got invested in him as part of a romance.  Ronan was this great character who was kind and generous to a fault, smart, community minded, with a plan for the future to save his grandfather’s farm, and working hard to accomplish it.  I actually liked him less at the end of the book precisely because he fell in love with Felix, and even picked up some of his stupider traits.  I thought Ronan should have dumped his ass after the first of the many stupid mistakes he made that endangered the farm.

Of course, in the end, Felix saved the day – in a very Scooby Doo-ish kind of way – Ronan declared his love, and the entire town threw them a party.  Uh huh.  I was just glad the book was over.  I would have rated it lower, but I thought Ronan’s accent was well written, and the descriptions of the Irish countryside and the farm were just lovely, so I gave it an extra half star.

Cover art by Written Ink Designs was meh.

Sales Links

JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 137 pages
Published January 7th 2017 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB01MY4NSPH
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Review: Fire Triangle by Iyana Jenna

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

fire-triangle-by-iyana-jennaWhile investigating a house fire, Detective Miles Tucker uncovers a similar case twenty years prior. Digging deeper, Miles learns that a survivor from the earlier fire might have some answers to his questions.

 

As a boy, Devin Treadwell survived a fire that wiped out his entire family. The trauma he suffered left him in a mental institution, but he has since made a full recovery and, though partially deaf and mute, now lives an independent life as a music teacher.

 

Devin’s life is disrupted when the handsome Miles suspects him of being a serial arsonist. But he wasn’t the only survivor. A boy named Sebastian who had been adopted by Devon’s family also survived the blaze.

 

Then an attempt is made on Devin’s life. Can Miles keep Devin safe from an arsonist who will stop at nothing to silence him? Or will the attraction between them jeopardize the investigation?

 

This was an interesting story.  Devin is quite young when his family died in the house fire and has come a long way since it happened.  Miles comes in and throws a wrench in his perfectly ordered life, not that he is too upset by the final outcome.

 

This story had quite a few twists and turns.  We saw some of Devin’s childhood when Sebastian came into their lives and some of Sebastian’s actions and thoughts during that time.  Miles is going through a tough time when he begins the arson investigation, which causes him to make a few rash assumptions that are quickly found incorrect once he meets Devin and learns what really happened when he was a kid.  Seeing things through Devin’s, Miles’ and even Sebastian’s eyes goes a long way towards understanding the story, though there is still a twist at the end that I didn’t expect and I always like some surprise in my stories.

 

The cover art is nice and eye catching giving a nice visual of Devin and Miles.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 87 pages

Published: January 7, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634862974

Edition Language: English