Tag: JMS Books

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Permanently Legless by JL Merrow

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Permanently Legless newChris came home from Afghanistan when he was severely injured and lost both legs. Finally released from medical care and adjusting to civilian life, with his sense of humor intact, he sets out for the local gay bar where he met a guy the week before he shipped out. Josh has been on his mind a lot, and he hopes to at least get to see him there, though he’s pretty sure Josh has forgotten him, and even if not, Josh may be turned off by Chris’s disability.

When Josh gave his number to Chris, he really hoped he’d hear from him again. It’s been close to a year but the man was truly unforgettable. Now, when he turns around and spots Chris, he’s shocked but finds himself still attracted. Can there be any hope for someone Chris probably filed away as a one-night stand?

I hope all readers enjoy this story as much as I did. Though brief, it packs a lot of punch. And it’s also full of humor, much of it from Chris and his light-hearted view of his circumstances. Both characters are sweet and seem genuinely suited to each other. A nice tidbit to make me wish for more about these guys in the future.

Cover art on this new edition, by Written Ink Designs, depicts a fully armed soldier in uniform looking skyward. There’s a British flag superimposed at the bottom of the cover with a small wheelchair in the left corner. The cover captures Chris’s spirit.

Sales Links:  JMS Books |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 23 pages
Published June 4th 2016 by JMS Books (first published January 22nd 2012)
ISBN139781634860994
Edition LanguageEnglish

In the Book Spotlight: Slippery Slope by Iyana Jenna (blog tour and contest)

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Book Name: Slippery Slope
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Iyana Jenna

Author Bio:

Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.

Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.

Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.

Publisher: JMS Books
Author:  Iyana Jenna
 Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Sales Links:  JMS Books     Amazon US    Amazon UK   Smashwords     All Romance (ARe)  Bookstrand

Slippery Slope Blurb:

Actors Ethan Grey and Alex Haynes are gay, but in Hollywood, they can’t be open unless they’re willing to be typecast in future movies or they’re dating prominent gay producers. Since neither are willing to become stereotypes, and neither have studio boyfriends, they take another path — hiding their relationship under the cover of a pretend girlfriend.

What works for Ethan, though, doesn’t work for Alex, who screws up to the point of losing his job and the chance to get another. His manager finally finds him another job across the pond, where he meets Nathan Wells.

Nathan can be the prominent producer Alex needs to further his career, but there’s something Alex doesn’t know about the man.

Soon Wells grows obsessed with Alex, and he’ll do anything to keep Alex from getting away.

Though Nathan wants Alex for himself, there’s still Ethan to think about. Is the love story between Alex and Ethan really over? Or will Ethan find a way to get his boyfriend back?

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Words: 20,000

Excerpt:

“Come on, Ethan. You don’t have to pretend. I’m in love with you, but I’m not blind. There’s clearly someone else you’d rather be with right now instead of me.” Lea wrapped herself up in the silky coverlet, leaving Ethan staring at her, shocked, as he sat back on his heels.

Feeling ashamed yet not totally guilty, Ethan backed away from the bed and put on his jeans.

“Who is it that you want, Ethan? It’s Alex, isn’t it?”

Ethan just looked out of the window. The setting sun was golden on the horizon.

“I—I need to do something,” he mumbled then, and left the room. He felt Lea’s eyes boring into his back but Ethan just couldn’t make himself turn around. He’d been unfair to her from the very beginning.

Ethan sank into the chair and turned on his notebook. He hadn’t checked his email for too long. This might be the best time to do so. Time to find out what was hot in the world right now.

His eyes fell to the first mail, and Ethan’s heart started to pound. It was a Google alert he had for Alex. It had been months since he’d heard anything about Alex. Ethan felt like crying.

 

SSBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

24-Nov

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

The Hat Party

25-Nov

BFD Book Blog

25-Nov

Bayou Book Junkie

26-Nov

Up All Night, Read All Day

MM Good Book Reviews

27-Nov

Parker Williams

3 Chicks After Dark

28-Nov

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Love Bytes 

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Slippery Slope. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided below for all contest details and for the entry form.

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Review: Christmas Serendipity by Liam Livings

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Christmas Serendipity coverIts December 23rd and things aren’t going well for David as the days head into Christsmas.  Only days before David had just been dumped by his philandering boyfriend, and now he has just been fired from his job at the pub.  Only his friends, Tony and Cathy save him from a lonely and despairing Christmas when they invite him to spend the holidays in the flat they share in a small town in England. Unbeknownst to David, he will not be the only guest invited.

Handyman Christian decided that now he had a boyfriend it was a good time to come out to his parents and bring the new boyfriend home for the holidays.  Unfortunately for Christian his parents weren’t overjoyed about the news that he was bringing home a significant other that was male and that Christian was gay, so they disinvited him to their Christmas.  Then Christian’s new boyfriend promptly dumped him saying he couldn’t take the drama.  Alone and unwelcome in his family home, Christian has no where to go until his friend Cathy invites him to share in the holidays with her flatmate and their friend, David.

As the good food is cooked and the beer flows, a connection is made between David and Christian that offers a chance of becoming something deeper and quite wonderful.  But their painful pasts lurk just outside the door, waiting to enter and ruin the tentative start on romance and love.  Can David and Christian find the strength to move into the future and leave their past behind or will they lose the chance at love this special Christmas has offered them both?

As we head into the holidays, another lovely way to add to the warmth of the season is the pleasure of reading stories set in this season of celebration and love.  Christmas Serendipity is just that delightful story that will warm your heart and leave a smile on your face.  I am unfamiliar with Liam Livings but based on this story alone, I will certainly be seeking out more of his stories in the future.

One of the most frequent issues I have with holiday stories is the saccharine quality that can overpower the best of them, leaving the romance and characters almost too sweet to be palatable.  But here nestled in a flat in a small village in England, the four characters of this story, David, Christian, Tony and Cathy, never fall into that trap.  Instead I found them to be engaging, funny, and very, very human.  It didn’t matter whether they were trying to organize Christmas dinner or locate that last tree to be hauled up into the flat, this group of friends  were people I enjoyed  spending time with, foibles and all.

At forty-five pages, Christmas Serendipity is just that, a serendipitous holiday short that offers a chance at love and family to four people, especially David and Christian who need it the most.  I would have loved a little more of Christian’s back story as well as David’s rocky relationship history.  Yes, Tony’s character ventures into cliche, but it’s a delightful cliche and I adored him as much as I did David and Christian.  And yes, there was that scramble to bed and sex, albeit a sofabed, but Livings explained that away nicely via drink and desperation of the holidays, a stressful event that has caused more than just a couple of out of character behaviors from people.  So I can say I definitely can recommend Christmas Serendipity as a story to put on your holiday reading list.  Grab this up and a hot toddy or two and enjoy the warmth of the  holiday season!

Book Details:

Expected publication: December 8th 2013 by JMS Books