A Sammy Review: Down and Dirty (Cole McGinnis #5) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

“You are my brother’s best friend. And from what Cole’s told me about you, not someone I’d wake up to the next morning,” Ichiro murmured, scrubbing at his tired face. Peering out between his fingers, he barked a short laugh. “Fucking you would be a huge mistake, Bobby.”

Bobby’s laughter was nearly as bitter as the coffee he’d brought over for Ichiro to drink. “Well, if there’s one thing I’m good at, Sunshine, it’s making huge fucking mistakes.”

Bobby Dawson is an ex-cop with a bitter past and a slew of one-night-stands. Sure, he’s handsome, fit, and pretty damn hilarious, but if there’s one thing he’s not, it’s boyfriend material.

Jae, Cole, and most everyone who knows him all agree on that. But there’s something about Ichi, and Ichi with Bobby that make all the past screw ups seem surmountable.

It’s true. They’re the kind of couple that shouldn’t be together. Bobby has a son Ichi’s age, he sleeps around, Ichi’s too innocent… the excuses go on, but even excuses run out when love is involved

Bobby didn’t want this. He’d never wanted to feel that connection to another man. Men were… disposable. Holes and mouths who laughed and maybe kept him company but eventually wandered off like strays finding a new home.

He wasn’t supposed to want to keep them. To soothe them or wipe their tears when their worlds were shattered by violence. The world was a tough place. He’d seen enough blood and death to stare it down until it whimpered away, but he’d never wanted to keep someone else safe from its looming, dark presence.

Until now.

And it scared the shit out of him.

Down and Dirty runs concurrently with a lot of the events in Dirty Deeds, which I really appreciated, as it allows us to really see the growth of Bobby and Ichi’s relationship from the very start.

Like all other Rhys Ford books I’ve read, she has a definitive voice that is immediately recognizable and completely enjoyable. There’s a balance of humor along with a seriousness that one would think may be hard to maintain, but she does it with near flawless precision. The way she gives her characters life allows the reader to feel close to them, like they know them on a personal level, and this book was no different.

For readers of the series, we’ve gotten to know Bobby a bit along the way, and Ichi more recently. We had bits and pieces of their lives, but what I loved about this book is that it revealed a whole other layer to both characters, but particularly Bobby. I knew on a basic level that he was more than an aging man whore with a need to box and sharp wit, but that was more just my personal thought process. Rhys really gave us the window into his past in Down and Dirty, and it wasn’t at all what I expected.

On top of that, we also get to see pretty much all of our favorites, with a few exceptions. But if you’re worried that Jae and Cole are going to be forgotten in this, don’t be. They are in here plenty without taking over the story and making it their own. We even get a brief but kick-ass appearance from Claudia, some sweet words from Scarlet, and a dash of Mike that will make you want to hit your head on the desk. The story did a great job of making it Bobby and Ichi’s, but still giving us everyone we’ve come to know and love in the previous four books.

I do have a few small bones to pick. For one, that ending. WHAT WAS HIS ANSWER?! I mean, I’m hoping I know what it is. But… I need to know!. Secondly, I really wish we got to see more of Bobby with his family. We see him debating about telling his Uncle, but never really find out if he does. And I’d love to have seen more of him and his son. But can you blame me for being greedy? Of course I want more.

All around a great addition to a wonderful series.

The cover art by Reece Notley does a very nice job of connecting to the other books and making them all appear cohesive. I can definitely picture Bobby as the cover model, but I’m not so sure about Ichi. The model who is meant to depict him just seems a bit too buttoned up for me. Still, it’s a nice cover that connects to the story through small details.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: January 2nd 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
original titleDown and Dirty
ISBN139781632166159
edition languageEnglish
seriesCole McGinnis #5

Cole McGinnis Series includes:
Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis, #1)
Dirty Secret (Cole McGinnis, #2)
Dirty Laundry (Cole McGinnis, #3)
Dirty Sweets (Cole McGinnis, #3.5)
Dirty Day (Cole McGinnis, #3.6)
Dirty Deeds (Cole McGinnis, #4)

A MelanieM Review: Red Dirt Heart Series by N. R. Walker

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for the Series

Welcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.

And with those words, N. R. Walker introduces us to one of the most heartwarming, delightful, and throughly addicting series that is Red Dirt Heart! Red Dirt Heart revolves around the complex and totally embraceable characters of Charlie Sutton of Sutton Station and Texan Travis Craig. Per N. R. Walker:

Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.

American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely, it’s the man with the red dirt heart.

But that brief synopsis doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of these stories. Through 4 books we trace Charlie and Travis’ journey towards love, relationship and a permanent home with each other. Along the way we fall in love with not only Charlie and Travis but the red dirt desert of the Northern Territory that Charlie loves so much. It doesn’t happen immediately but gradually in scene after scene as the stark, red hot environment claims the heart of Travis just as surely as Charley does. And this is not a romanticized version of the red dirt country. No, its comes complete with venomous snakes and spiders, extreme temperatures that are lethal if caught unprepared or lost, and an almost alienness, a sense of solitude that can comfort or kill depending upon the circumstances. And we learn to respect and love it for exactly what it is.

The same truth can be said about Charley…complex, abandoned, self-doubting Charley. So easy to connect with and understand, Charley is a character as layered as the desert, full of extreme swings in his decision making, as durable and elemental as the red dirt he loves so deeply. The Sutton Station is a part of Charlie, although he has yet to learn exactly how much and what large boundaries that station family includes. For the Sutton Station comes with Ma and George, farm employees who are more mom and dad to Charley than his own. There’s Billy (an Aboriginal), and several other workers that over the course of the stories form a close knit family to Charley and Travis. But it’s not Charley that is the impetus for this shaping of people and events, no, its the arrival of Travis Craig that throws Charley and the status quo into shambles. Delightfully so.

When Travis arrives, he meets a closeted, closed off Charley just waiting for a love he’s sure he doesn’t deserve. And one of the things that makes this beginning of their journey so compelling is that the readers live inside Charley’s head, an element that brings us so close to this bruised man that we love him immediately. Books 1 through 3 are all told from Charley’s point of view. In a neat feat of writing, N. R. Walker gives us the ability to see through the haze of Charley’s confusion, self doubt, and desire to realize that Travis is falling deeply in love with Charley even if Charley can’t see it. Even as Charley is internally arguing with himself, busy throwing obstacles in their path to happiness because of his fear and uncertainty, we see Travis always in Charlie’s orbit, watching and urging Charlie forward. What an addicting, captivating and yes, throughly charming pair and instantly we are invested in their happiness and future together.

What a troublesome road it is for Charley and Travis. Outside of Charlie’s two step relationship dance, there’s immigration laws and visas, and the reality that Travis is an American citizen whose family (who loves him dearly) lives in Texas. There complications that abound with Ma and George, orphaned animals that quickly grab onto your heart as much as the rest of the Sutton Station crazy, warmhearted group of individuals. We get lessons in the mineral layers of dirt, learn what a bore is (no it has nothing to do with a person), and in general, see what it takes to run a station as large as Charley’s. Those of us readers not from Down Under learn bits of Australian english and phrases, enough to instill the urge to travel and see it for ourselves. As I say in my review for Red Dirt Heart 4, this series is as much a love letter from N. R. Walker to her country as it is about a deeply abiding love between Charley and Travis.

Along with way, there are some heartstopping moments so painful that tissues will be needed, white knuckle events that will make you feel suspended, frozen, until you (and the characters) are able to move forward and past them once more. Those will be balanced with scenes of joy, laughter, and romance, such as Charlie understands it! I laughed, cried, and laughed again through all the highs and lows, and even quiet moments of reflection and contentment that flow from these stories and the series as a whole.

Just a memory of a dialog or scene can send me running back to grab up that book, and before I realize it I’m lost once more in Red Dirt Heart romance and setting of Sutton Station and Charley Sutton.

Now the series is ending with Red Dirt Heart 4. I’ve read the story, wept a little (ok ,more than a little. a lot) and said my happy goodbyes. Told this time from Travis’ point of view, it’s a wholly satisfying, totally engaging series finale and gives us and Travis and Charley a glorious happily ever after. It ends just where it should, no more, no less. The Red Dirt Heart saga quickly became and still is one of my all time favorite series. It will be among the top on my rec lists as well as Best of. N. R. Walker’s writing was vivid, at times lyrical in her love for her country and the Northern Territory, and full of the human spirit and endurance it takes to not only live life on the desert but to embrace it with all that you are.

But don’t take my word for it, pick it up and start your journey into red dirt territory and the hearts and minds of Charley Sutton and Travis Craig. It’s easy to read them in order as they are titled Red Dirt Heart 1 thru 4! Elegant and simple. Just don’t expect the same simplicity inside. Be prepared to fall madly and completely in love with Charlie, Travis, Sutton Station and yes, the red dirt of Australia’s Northern Territory. What an amazing trip it is! A real journey of their lifetimes! Begin it today.

All covers are the creation of Sara York. I loved them. They brand the series as a whole while each cover has elements important to that story. Great job.

Sales links can be found on each individual review page listed below:

A MelanieM Review: The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye

Rating 5 stars out of 5

Henry “Hank” Woods has always known he was gay but coming out as a teenager saw Hank thrown off his family’s farm and estranged from his father. But Hank persevered, and now at the age of twenty-five, Hank owns his own farm in Australia’s rural southwest. Raising his own flock of sheep and growing crops often isn’t enough so Hank supplements his income from the property with seasonal shearing. Over the years Hank’s talent has earned him the title of “shearing gun”—an ace shearer able to shear large numbers of sheep in a single day, a title that brings a higher fee and an increased number of jobs. And Hank won’t risk any of his hard earned gains or trust that the large sheep bosses will hire a “gay” shearer, so Hank remains firmly in the closet.

Enter Dr. Elliot Stockton-Montgomery, a city-born and educated transplant to the country. Elliot’s reasons for choosing to practice in the small close-knit community of Dumbleyung in Western Australia are many. Primarily, Elliot is paying off this college debt by agreeing to work in a rural area needing doctors until his loans are paid off. But he soon figures out that being an out gay in this somewhat conservative area is not a wise decision, although he isn’t sure how successful he is at hiding his sexuality. Especially when he comes in contact with Hank Woods.

When a football injury brings Hank to Elliot’s attention, an inappropriate sexual glance, a stuttered apology, and a rejected doctor’s prescription of rest afterward kickstarts their friendship. A friendship that slowly turns into something more. But Elliot is truly a brilliant surgeon and the offers pour in daily from the large cities and hospitals looking to lure him away. And Hank? He’s still in the closet. And in Elliot’s mind and heart, a closeted existence and hidden relationship is not a place he wants to be.

So many hard decisions to make and obstacles to overcome to HEA. Will the chance for love and a lasting relationship be enough to bring Hank out of the closet and keep Elliot happy in a small rural town? Both are about to find out the answer in The Shearing Gun.

The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye is one of those heartwarming, enduring stories I will go back to read over and over again. For many reasons this story captured my heart and imagination and has refused to let them go long after I finished this story. It is both a comfort read suitable for cold nights and comfy airchairs as well as a heartwarming romance that never gets old. I think when I look back on 2014, Renae Kaye will be in the top five of those authors whose stories I loved and list of new authors discovered.

Australia is a country I have always wanted to visit and the profession of sheep shearer, a prime element here, has always fascinated me. I have watched sheep shearing contests here at Maryland’s Sheep & Wool Festival where shearing guns from around the world compete for prizes. But The Shearing Gun made these men and women and their profession come alive in a way that merely watching them on a stage never did. Kaye’s descriptions of a day’s shearing, the “zone” the shearers get into where the cuts are precision made, the fleece slides cleanly off, and animals switched swiftly in and out, all to raucus tunes and the smell of lanolin and sweat. Well, the visceral impact of those descriptions and scenes upon the reader is enormous. I swear I could feel the swelter of the tents and buildings filled full of animals and people, a cacophony of sounds, and smells, and the heat that goes on and on. And the people involved, each with their own role to play in getting huge flocks of sheep sheared in a short amount of time, what variety in sex, age, and training. It’s amazing. The exhilaration and pride of the quick clean shear, the rush and enthusiasm of the moment, it just flies off the page to our delight and wonder.

Everything here is on a large scale, from the enormous herds brought in to shear, the high volume of food consumed (and described in rich detail), right down to the quality of fleeces and sheep per hour a shearing gun can cut. All these elements fill this story full of rich layers giving it a depth and dimension that makes every part of The Shearing Gun sing with life and love. This story is a vivid journey, both for the reader and for two men on the path to happiness and a forever relationship.

How I fell in love with the characters I met in The Shearing Gun. And not just the main characters of Hank Woods and Dr. Elliot Stockton-Montgomery, no, its also Middy, Big D, Little D, Old Doc Larsen and Gloria, and all the rest of the inhabitants of Dumbleyung. And yes, there is a Dumbleyung, which I discovered to my joy. Dumbleyung,( population 605 as of 2011) and the Shire of Dumbleyung, well, just the names alone have a magnetism all their own, just as Elliot discovers early on. Dumbleyung is as much a main character of this story as all the others. Do I want to go there? Yes, most emphatically so.

But before I fell in love with the townsfolk and Dumbleyung, first I met and loved Hank and Elliot. The story is told from Hank’s pov and Renae Kaye imbues this character with a unique voice and regional perspective. We never forget that the land and his farm are a deep part of who Hank is. His love and knowledge of both are almost on a cellular level and the author is able to relay this to the reader by bringing us into Hank’s mind and heart. We are there when he arrives in the clinic expecting to see Old Doc Larson and meets city doc and transplant Elliot instead. What follows is amusing, telling, and so authentically perfect that I have to include a small excerpt below:

“My apologies,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t realize I hadn’t introduced myself. I’m Doctor Elliot Stockton-Montgomery. How do you do?”

In my mind I winced at his pretentious name and pretentious words and wondered if it hurt having that plank permanently stuck up his arse. “Shit, Doc. I’m here at the clinic on a bloody Sunday; how the hell do you think I’m doing?”

That earned me another twitch of his mouth. “Yes… well.” He cleared his throat. “So tell me what you’ve done to yourself and we’ll see about fixing you up.”

“Meself?” I snorted. “You think I’d do this to me-self? Nah, it was them bloody mongrels from Corrigin. They can’t kick a footy straight, so they hit you hard to try ’n’ knock you out so’s you don’t know which is the arse end of your dog. Them wallies jumped on me in the second quarter. Three of them. It was fucking Big D MacDonald who took me for a flyer, and then his brother and cousin used me like a trampoline. Hard. The wankers. I showed them, though. Got me a fifty-meter and thumped that red turkey through. Then three more times that quarter and once in the third before Coach yanked me because I dropped a sitter when I didn’t use me sore arm.”

The Doc blinked a couple of times through my explanation, but to his credit he didn’t drop his eyes. “Let me get this straight,” he asked. “You were playing football against a team from Corrigin, whose skills were poor, so they tried to make up for it by rough play. One player threw you to the ground and two others sat on you. You received a penalty and a shot at scoring. You scored a goal, then four more before, until about forty minutes after your initial injury, the coach of your team made you stop playing because you didn’t catch the ball cleanly?”

I frowned at him. “Yeah. Isn’t that what I just said?”

Yes, there are AUS terms and profanities galore, luckily, there is also an Australian glossary provided by the author. I ended up using it to my endless amusement. The humor as well as Elliot’s “fish out of water” situation is highlighted by the dialog the streams out of Hank’s mouth even as he’s bleeding all over the floor. But Elliot’s education is just beginning. After rejecting (obviously) Elliot’s prescribed 8 weeks of rest, Elliot ends up at Hank’s farm and ends of spending the day working alongside him. Last excerpt (I could quote this story all day):

He climbed into the middle of the bench seat without prompting and regarded me with a puzzled look. “Then why the fencing lesson today unless you wanted to prove that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was?”

I turned the key and pressed in the clutch, waiting for him to put me in first gear before answering. “It wasn’t about proving you were smart or not. It was more about teaching you what we do as farmers. So when you get a guy in who requires stitching up because he tried to do a two-man job by himself, you won’t make him feel like a child for his stupidity. Because he knows it was wrong, but if he didn’t do that job right then, it could’ve meant losing a year’s worth of crop because the cattle got in the paddock. Farming’s a harsh business. We don’t have the luxury of waiting around until someone pops by to help us. We work our guts out. And that bull that just broke the leg of the guy in your clinic? He may be angry with the animal, but that bull is worth the money, because selling him next year will pay the mortgage for two months. And the guy who caught pneumonia because he worked twenty hours a day in the rain to get his crop in? Well, it was either that or walk away from the land his family has farmed for over a century.”

I stopped at the gate and jumped out to open it. He was waiting for me when I climbed back in. “Do you think I made you feel stupid?”

I was through the gate and back out to close it again before I answered him. “You didn’t make me feel stupid, but you didn’t listen to what I said. There’s no way that any man in this district could simply rest for eight weeks. So you need to be aware of that and change your medical advice. So why don’t you tell me not to lift with my arm, watch not to bang it, and that I’m going to need help over the next eight weeks? Give me painkillers because you know I’m going to need them, and tell me that I’ll be right to go back to full duties by the end of August. Can you see the difference, Doc?”

He looked thoughtful and nodded.

A friendship has begun and we are only on page 26. But the heart and soul of Hank is right there, for Elliot and the reader to see and fall in love with. The more we get to know Elliot, his character and heart opens up before us much the same way. Trust me when I say these two men are characters you will find almost impossible to let go of at the end of the story. I still haven’t and I expect that I won’t anytime soon.

The author also addresses the very real challenges a gay or bisexual man will face in such a small homogeneous community, and the various responses one would expect…the bad, the good and the indifferent. This aspect of the story feels as real and complex as all the other elements that make The Shearing Gun one of the best of the year.

Run, don’t walk to the computer and pick this story up. It’s not only one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words highly recommended reads but will be at the top of my favorite books of the year. Happy Reading!

Cover artist Paul Richmond. It works perfectly for the cast and plot of this story. Alive, a little rough and always colorful.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon The Shearing Gun

Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published September 19th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 18th 2014)
ISBN139781632160461
edition languageEnglish

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Candy Man by Amy Lane

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Adam Macias is virtually homeless when he arrives at his cousin Rico’s apartment to housesit/petsit while Rico is away for six months. Out of a job, money and a place to live, even his car broke down on the way to Sacramento to do this favor for Rico, a favor which Adam sees as his last chance to redeem himself after a string of life disasters, including outing himself just before he left the military.

All he wants to do is survive, but suddenly he finds himself on the receiving end of good things—including a job, a boss and co-workers who like him, people who like his art work, and best of all—a boyfriend.

When Finn Stewart comes bouncing into his life as a happy-go-lucky young man who just exudes positive energy, Adam is at first confused and taken aback, but eventually he fully embraces the fact that he likes Finn, in fact, he needs Finn in a way he’s never needed anyone before. All his life he’s been the boy who was not wanted by either his mother or his grandmother. He’s been stereotyped as a troublemaker, not worth anyone’s time or attention. Joining the Army was his attempt to show his value, but when he returned home and shared with his family that he was gay, his grandmother literally slammed the door in his face and reiterated how just how worthless and useless he was.

Because of his history of low self-esteem from listening to those negative messages, it’s hard for Adam to accept the positive things now happening in his life, but Finn—bright, cheerful Finn, brings Adam hope. One of my favorite early scenes occurs when he’s kissing Finn and Finn tells him that they’ll kiss more, but not tonight. And Adam realizes that he’ll do whatever Finn wants. Paraphrasing Adam’s thoughts–he had no moral code about sex but he does have a moral code about Finn, and whatever Finn says is the code.

Slowly but surely, tough-guy Adam who hasn’t had any value to anyone suddenly has value to others, and he realizes as he’s smiling for the second time one day that the smiling and camaraderie he’s experiencing at work and with Finn is “softening the parts of his soul made brittle by pain”. I love Amy Lane’s descriptions of the emotional complexities of everyday living.

This book is not long, but it’s packed with a powerful message of hope and love as we witness Adam healing from the hurt and pain he’s lived with for years as he receives the positive layers of energy and love being shared with him on all fronts. There’s fun and whimsy in the form of his boss Darrin who knew that Adam would come into their lives when he read the Pixy Stix, his form of reading tea leaves. And there’s both comedy and tragedy as Adam copes with caring for Rico’s pets—from the big, overeager boxer named Clopper to the crazy old cat named Gonzo who dies on Adam’s watch. Then there’s Finn’s family—healthy, robust, cheerful, loveable, and everything you’d hope for in the ideal family to help Adam heal. And Finn? He’s adorable, strong, loving, and as supportive as a rock for Adam as he finds his way to happiness.

I highly recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance, especially if you love a damaged hero who’s able to heal with the help of an upbeat, positive character. There’s no denying that there’s angst in this tale, but there’s love galore and so many positives that I feel energized from reading it. I sure would love to see a sequel from this one!

Very highly recommended.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond— Primarily depicts the small shopping area where the candy store is located, lots of candy, and Clopper, the dog— all great representations of the story. In addition, the bright colorful cover conveys the “feel good” energy that’s found within the story itself.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 136 pages
Published December 3rd 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632166791
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.greenshill.com/

A MelanieM Review: Fair Play (All’s Fair #2) by Josh Lanyon

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Roland Mills, father of ex-FBI agent Elliot Mills, has always been an activist, extremely liberal in his views and actions. Fifty years ago, Roland belonged to a violent protest group and now, when Roland is about to publish his memoirs, someone is willing to kill to prevent him from doing so.

It took the death of his mother, and Elliot Mills’s own injury to bring father and son back together. Now the threats against his father’s life has Elliot reaching out to those in his father’s past, an action that brings him up against the FBI and his lover, FBI Agent Tucker Lance.

Now living together, Tucker and Elliot are still trying to find their way to a solid relationship and these threats against Roland threaten that solidity once again. Tucker has never agreed with radical Roland on much, but when it comes to wanting Elliot to stay out of the mess Roland has gotten into, he and Roland agree for once that Elliot needs to let it alone. As the danger closes in, it threatens not just Roland’s life, but that of Elliot’s and their relationship as well.

The first book in this series, Fair Game, remains a favorite read of mine. I loved the complicated characters, the angst filled past, and the tumultuous circumstances that brought such strong, intelligent men together. Adding to that, Josh Lanyon completed his cast of characters by giving Elliot a compelling family history with a 60’s activist father, and beloved deceased mother and a host of wild and chaotic personalities that swirled around his father and the university they both teach at. And then Lanyon piled on some horrific murders to boot!

At the conclusion of Fair Game, Tucker and Elliot agreed to give their relationship another try and this story, Fair Play, picks up with Tucker already living in Elliot’s house on the island. Their relationship is passionate and committed, yet both men are still obviously adjusting to all new aspects of their cohabitation. I have always loved this author’s ability to create such layered, fascinating characters and then bring them to life through sharp, thoughtful dialog and emotional interplay. We feel Elliot’s and Tucker’s hesitations, those halting advances towards openness and vulnerability that is so hard for them both, in scene after scene. It makes their journey back to each other feel real and sometimes painfully slow. That makes it extremely gratifiying when they can move past these realistic moments in their relationship to something deeper. And all the while, they are trying to deal with Roland’s intractability, fear, and an unknown killer on the loose.

The father/son dynamics between Roland and Elliot that Lanyon has brought into this series is as compelling as the one between Tucker and Elliot, and its not always a given that the relationship will survive the actions of each other, as diametrically opposed as they often are. I loved the mystery that goes along with the attempts on Roland’s life, it leads into the past and the idea that all actions have reverberations that will continue into the present and beyond. We also see the potential for the villain in the first story to make a reappearance soon. That alone gave me the shivers.

In Fair Play, we are there as Tucker and Elliot solve complicated mysteries and move deeper into their relationship. The suspense is gripping, and the emotional involvement never lets up. We are engrossed in the hunt for the would-be assassin while also heavily invested in Tucker and Elliot’s sometimes shaky partnership and well being. Fair Play is immensely satisfying, totally entertaining, and a wonderful read. I highly recommend not only this book but the first in the series as well. Start with Fair Game to see what brings Elliot and Tucker back together and then continue on to Fair Play. What a ride awaits you in the All’s Fair series from Josh Lanyon.

Cover Artist is a great job in overall tone and concept.

Sales Links: Carina Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy it Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 250 pages
Published November 10th 2014 by Carina Press
ASINB00KV5Z7M0
series All’s Fair #2

All’s Fair Series:

Fair Game
Fair Play (All’s Fair #2)

A MelanieM Review: One Holiday Ever After Anthology by Tere Michaels , Elle Brownlee , Elizah J. Davis

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The holidays are times of reflection, celebration, and coming home to those you love and who love you back. It’s a time to reconnect with who you are and who you hope to be. And sometimes, if you are lucky, this is also a season of miracles, of love found and a home discovered. From New York City, to the winter isolation of the Maine woods, to the quaint, small town charm of Idaho, the men in these stories have different holiday desires. They’re looking for familiarity or fresh starts, but they have one thing in common—their happily ever afters might be waiting in the last places they think to look.

This season I have three top anthologies, all holiday collections. One Holiday Ever After is among them, primarily because of the excellence in stories and heart from Tere Michaels, Elle Brownlee and Elizah J. Davis. Before One Holiday Ever After, I was really familiar with only Tere Michaels, but after the wonderful stories from Elle Brownlee and Elizah J. Davis, I have searching out to find more stories by these authors. Did I have favorites among the three stories? Certainly but only by the smallest of margins. Here is the story synopsis and my shortened reviews:

Holiday Roommates by Tere Michaels

As an out of work actor Nate Brandywine needs an emergency roommate for the month of December. During a humiliating gig as a Christmas elf at a NYC department store, he meets Sean Callahan, his producer and a man struggling under the weight of a past-due loan. Sean’s desperate for a place to stay in the city for a few weeks. A month of sharing a workplace and an apartment with someone you can’t stop flirting with? Maybe the holidays won’t be so terrible after all.

I love Tere Michaels and this short story just highlights why. The characters of Nate and Sean are so believable and vulnerable that the reader will take them into their heart. The secondary characters are as wonderful as the primary ones and the story’s plot is a realistic one that will pull you in immediately. A great way to start a must have anthology.

Holiday Sanctuary by Elle Brownlee

Chris Declan is trekking through the wintry wonderland of rural Maine, searching for inspiration and himself, when he’s lost in a hug snow storm. The surprise blizzard that finds him seeking refuge in Paul Bak’s secluded cabin. Paul Bak’s secluded cabin is a prime spot to research and watch birds, a perfect place for an isolated Ornithology researcher. As the snow cuts them off from all around them, making the best of being snowed in together soon becomes a comfortable friendship with fireside chats, a quaint holiday celebration, and more. But despite their growing closeness, there’s one thing they avoid—what will happen when the snow clears and the holidays end.

Elle Brownlee had me at the name of Paul’s cat, Myn. It’s short for…well, I will let Paul explain it:

“It’s for Moamyn.” Paul steered the conversation away from, well, wherever else it might have gone. But he couldn’t stop wondering after that last comment. “A long time ago in a land far away, the aforenamed and possibly apocryphal Arabian who wrote a definitive treatise on falconry.”

Be still my heart. An ornithologist’s love story, complete with references to the subtle glory of the grasshopper sparrow. I adored everything about this story, from the slow exploration of Paul’s comfy cabin, full of hidden objects full of clues to Paul’s character and passion for his profession to the wry humor and intellect that is Chris. It’s slow, wonderful, and makes an impact on the reader that they won’t be fully aware of until the end.

Holiday Homecoming by Elizah J. Davis

Gavin Anderson never thought making it as a writer in LA would be easy, but when his latest project falls through, he gives up on Hollywood and heads to Bonabri, Idaho in hopes that the peace and quiet of his childhood home will help him figure out his next move. Instead he finds Eric Nichols, his parents’ cute and charming housesitter who is there to experience the small town Christmas festivities. Gavin’s plans for quiet reflection are no match for Eric’s holiday cheer, and he soon finds himself swept up in the spirit of the season. Gavin thought his life had hit a dead end, but in coming home he finds what might be a new beginning.

Here is a story full of the 3 H’s – hope, holiday, and heartwarming. I finished this story and just kept on smiling as I remembered scenes and dialog from Elizah J. Davis’ Holiday Homecoming. Adorableness, thy name is Eric Nichols, a man in search of love and home who finds it unexpectedly when he housesits for his best friend’s neighbors in the quaint small town of Bonabri, Idaho. The town of Bonabri may not actually exist outside these pages but how I wish it did! It comes to life in all its Chrismassy, nosy glory and I loved it. I feel the same way about the disillusioned Gavin returning home after failing in Los Angeles and his slow “return” to the human being he always was underneath. Much like the other two stories, I wish the author had made this a full length book. Not because this feels incomplete in any way, it doesn’t. But because I hated to say goodbye to the characters and town once they had hold of me. It’s a fantastic story and a great way to finish out this must have holiday anthology.

I would read this One Holiday Ever After at any time of the year. Still in the holiday season and spirit? Perfection. Missing the holidays because it is (fill in the blank season)? This anthology will pull you in and make you remember why you love the holidays so. It’s one of the top story collections of the year and one you won’t want to miss. I am so glad I didn’t and you will be too. A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2014 books!

Cover Artist: Angsty G. Love the cover, it works perfectly for the collection and spirit of the stories found within.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press ebook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy it Here

Book Details:

book, 280 pages
Published December 19th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632165783 (ISBN13: 9781632165787)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5849

A MelanieM Review: Comfort and Joy Anthology by Joanna Chambers , Josh Lanyon , Harper Fox, and L.B. Gregg

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The holidays are upon and so are the holiday story collections. Comfort and Joy Anthology is brimming over with tales from Josh Lanyon, Joanna Chambers, L.B. Gregg, and Harper Fox. Within the covers these authors bring tidings of joy, sorrow, humor, hope, and of course, comfort in extraordinary measure.

Readers must have been very good this year because never have our stockings been so full of marvelous collections of stories about Christmas and the holidays. In my top 3 anthologies, resting easily is Comfort and Joy from four outstanding authors, each story with its own twist and tone to make it both heart wrenching as well as memorable.

What makes this anthology (as with all top three) so wonderful and heartwarming? Depth for one thing, depth in emotion, characterization and tone. Complexity in the plots and layering. Also poignancy, a little reflection and sadness that comes to all at this time of the year as well as the wish to be a better person, for yourself and for others. These stories remind me more of Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and less Deck The Halls. Yes, the latter is lovely, lighthearted and whimsical but the truth in the meaning behind these holidays, our expectations and our memories go far deeper and that’s the feeling and dimension these stories bring. They remind us that comfort is needed along with the joy, and that hope can follow on the heels of sadness and despair.

Rest and Be Thankful by Joanna Chambers:
Two stormy hearts find peace when feuding neighbors in the Scottish Highlands are trapped by a blizzard.

Things aren’t going well for Cam McMorrow since he moved to Inverbechie. His business is failing, his cottage is falling apart and following his very public argument with café owner Rob Armstrong, he’s become a social outcast.

Cam needs to get away from his troubles and when his sister buys him a ticket to the biggest Hogmanay party in Glasgow, he can’t leave Inverbechie quick enough. But when events conspire to strand him in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm, not only is he liable to miss the party, he’ll also have to ask his nemesis, Rob, for help.

The synopsis doesn’t do this beautiful short story justice. At its heart is Cam McMorrow, a man who is his own worst enemy. It’s his wonderful childhood memories and his inherited cottage from his grandparents that moved Cam to return to Inverbechie to start up his tourist based Adventure business. But nothing has gone as expected. The seasonal fluctuations and the accompanying loss of income has put everything he has worked so hard for at risk and the depression and anger he feels has resulted in some poor choices made with the local folk. But even though we (and Cam) recognize his part in the bad situation he finds himself in, we can’t help but sympathize and love him. And it’s not all his fault, there have been some exceedingly poor judgement calls on parts of the local townspeople as well. Cam is in the depths of despair when we meet him. It his journey out to something better, more hopeful that is the wealth of this story. I hope Joanna Chambers will revisit this Cam, Rob, and Inverbechie. All three deserve a bigger story and a true HEA.

Out by Harper Fox
Can a stranger unlock the courage and passion in a young man’s captive heart?

It’s Christmas at Edinburgh’s magnificent Barlinney Hotel, and chief housekeeper Cosmo Grant is in charge of the festivities. He’s already got his hands full when handsome Ren Vaudrey checks in.

It soon turns out that Ren is an undercover cop. Cosmo wants to help him, but unless he can do it within the Barlinney’s walls, Cosmo is stuck. A victim of crippling agoraphobia, he’s been a prisoner in this gilded cage for over a year. Cosmo gathers all his courage to do the right thing by Ren and Sam—and as a glittering Christmas Eve descends on the city, finds himself confronting his very darkest fears.

If anyone had told me that an outstanding Christmas story centered around a traumatized, agoraphobic young man living in an expensive, first class hotel, I might have scoffed…aloud. Except that it’s Harper Fox telling the tale, bringing to life Cosmo Grant, a vulnerable, warm hearted and superbly efficient chief housekeeper at Edinburgh’s Barlinney Hotel. It was Cosmo’s bad luck to be held hostage during a robbery gone bad and the trauma has left Cosmo extremely agoraphobic, unable to leave the Barlinney at any cost. Within its gorgeous confines, Cosmo works, eats, lives…marginally, his fear keeping him inside where he is terrorized by the hotel’s toady of a manager. Then in sweeps police inspector Ren Vaudrey undercover and Cosmo’s life starts to enlarge once more. There is a mystery, crooks galore, and romance.

I love Harper Fox and everything her pen touches turns to gold and in this case, to red and green with a tang of pine and something floral that Cosmo has fixed for the lobby. Could I tell Harper Fox wrote this story? Why, yes I could.

Waiting for Winter by LB Gregg:

Some mistakes are worth repeating.

Luke always thought he and Winter were the perfect couple—until the day Winter announced he was taking a new job and they were uprooting and headed for Germany. No discussion. No debate. For the first time in his life, Winter miscalculated. Badly. Now Luke is trying his best to move on with his life, but Winter is back in town and he’s set on digging their relationship out of the deep freeze.

A wealth of assumptions and misunderstandings can derail even the most loving relationships as Luke and Winter find out. Now its the holidays and a time for reconciliation and second chances. I love how L.B. Gregg writes relationships! They feel so real, that when something goes wrong between the people involved, the reader feels just as unsettled and sad as the couple. In Waiting for Winter, Gregg portrays the relationship that was like an artist uses negative space in a painting, its defined by what Luke and Winter no longer have, whether its the joys of their intertwined families, houses and experiences. That Winter and their “coupleness” is missed is accentuated by the places and people Luke visits, all of whom knew them as a couple. We pine for the loss of Winter and hope that this reunion will take. I loved the ending, that was perfect.

Baby, It’s Cold by Josh Lanyon:
Or maybe it’s the flu. Breaking up is hard to do — especially around the holidays.

Talk about Kitchen Nightmares! TV Chef Rocky and Foodie blogger Jesse have been pals forever, so it should have been the most natural thing in the world to move their relationship to the next level. Instead, it turned out to be a disaster. But Christmas is the season of love, and someone’s cooking up a sweet surprise…

From sadness and comfort to happiness and celebration, it’s fitting that this anthology end with heartfelt humor and joy which it does with Baby, It’s Cold by Josh Lanyon. Two old friends, chef Rocky and food blogger Jesse have tried in the past to have a relationship but it didn’t work out. Now Jesse figures a blizzard and a surprise dinner is just the way to find out if he and Rocky can salvage not only their friendship but perhaps try again for something more. What could go wrong?

Considering it’s Josh Lanyon at the helm, just about everything, from misunderstandings, kitchen disasters, and a unexpected visitor, Rocky and Jesse have many obstacles in their path before they can move forward to a future together they both want. I love the dialog and the past histories Lanyon has detailed for both main characters are as fascinating as they are. There is always a certain tartness about a Josh Lanyon story, a little wryness to go with the sweet, a little savory for balance and that keeps the characters and their situations feeling believable and human without being saccharine. Yes, our history often dictates our present behavior, whether we want it to or not. Lanyon gets that and folds it into his people and their relationships. So that when the pop of the champagne cork sounds the arrival of a happy ending, we and Rocky and Jesse have earned it. Just a wonderful tale, I loved it.

Love holiday stories? Are these authors on your automatic buy list? No matter the reason, pick up this anthology and have yourself a merry little Christmas, or Chanukah, or whatever holiday you may celebrate. These are stories to read no matter the season. Comfort and Joy is on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2014 List! And now I will leave you with the incomparable Judy Garland singing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!

Cover Art by Johanna Ollila. Cover is nice if a little bland, a little too generic for my tastes.

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

Book Details:

ebook
Published December 6th 2014 by JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.
(first published December 5th 2014)
ISBN139781937909758
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Blood and Rain (Blood #1) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Born in the 1800s into a clan of fabled vampire hunters, Adrien Gilbert wanted nothing more than to tend his family’s vineyard in southern France. Adrien loved his family and their life but all that changed when his older brother, François, is murdered, or so he thinks. Bound by his hunter’s oath and lost in grief, Adrien sets out to find and destroy his brother’s killer, the vampire Charles Duvalier. But nothing is as it seems and the course of Adrien’s life is forever changed by his hunt for the killer and truth.

Desperate to find Charles after months of fruitless searching, Adrien reluctantly makes a bargain with Nicolas Lambert, an ancient vampire. In exchange for Adrien escorting Nicolas to Paris for his arranged marriage to a rival clanswoman, Nicolas will help Adrien find Charles. A simple agreement that would have profound effects on them all. Because despite the fact that Nicholas is a vampire and Charles a vampire hunter, they are drawn together by a bond neither understands.

In searching for Charles, Adrien’s established view of the world is fundamentally shaken, first by what he finds out about the history between hunters and vampires and secondly by his feelings and actions towards Nicholas. As his world falls apart around him, Adrien must still deliver Nicholas to the wedding ceremony that is to make peace between the two warring families. This peace is necessary for the safety of all Adrien loves but will he be able to let the one man he loves above all else go to make that happen?

In Blood and Rain, first installment in the 3-book “Blood” series from author Shira Anthony, Anthony must lay down a complicated foundation for the three couples and stories involved. The author starts in Europe, France specifically, with a history of the hunter and vampire dynasties that exist, the troubled and convoluted political jockeying for power, and a mythology so strange that some of the hunters and vampires have buried it under layers of disbelief and legend, until most of those involved arent’ sure what is fact or fiction. Added over top of that like an intricately patterned lace cloth lies the Gilbert, Lambert and Rousseaus families, (hunters and powerful vampire clans) as well as the Council of Hunters, a governing body in deadly disarray. Anthony has so much basic series universe building to do that it can feel a little heavy and complicated trying to remember it all.

And woven into the middle of this 18th century political drama is several love stories, the first two are as intwined as the brothers involved. Two human brothers, Adrien and Francois, and the vampires they love or loved. The destinies of this quartet are tied together by love, blood, and power. Adrien and Nicholas, the vampire scion whose helps Adrien enlists to find ancient vampire Charles Duvalier, are the primary couple here, but only just. Adrien is something of a naif at the beginning, full of absolutes and a certain provincial lack of sophistication. That you believe in him as a character while not exactly liking him is to the credit and talent of Anthony’s ability to build realistic characters who act, think, and feel as humanly possible.

Nicholas, and the other vampires closely associated with Adrien, Francois, Nicholas, and others are constructed along the same believable lines, although I found these characters to be far more appealing and affable than Adrien at first. Luckily for all, the reader included, Adrien runs headlong into some life altering events, ones that will change his perception of everything he knows, family, history, even the laws of nature. But until he does, don’t be surprised if you want to smack him up head the head a time or two.

This story is full of mythical elements, from hunts for revenge, secret passages and hair raising escapes from malignant villains and vile dangers. That means over the top fights with magical swords, life altering wounds, and bloods, tons and tons of blood. I loved the action sequences and the mystical elements that Anthony has created are marvels themselves. Plus there is angst, almost as much angst as there is blood that flows. The suspense will keep you riveted as the narrative speeds along.

And yes, there is a cliff hanger too.

All of this adds up to a supremely entertaining and engrossing read. It’s a vampire swashbuckler, full of romance and evil deeds, that includes thwarted, star crossed lovers and the stuff heroes are made of. Errol Flynn (a swashbuckler above all swashbuckers…google him) would have felt right at home. I kept flipping the pages until it was over and then was ready for the next story to see what happens next.

The only thing that kept this from being perfect was that it got a bit dense in trying to establish all the histories, mythologies, political intrigues and alignments, (and yes, genealogies too) for all the character involved. At times that tended to weigh down the action and derail the romance, but once established, the story swung perilously along to our horror and delight.

A new series from Shira Anthony is always cause to celebrate. By adding vampires to her mermen and musicians, she has given us a triumph of genres and couples to root for and love. Add this to your Holiday wish list or just go ahead and get it right now, you know you deserve it!

Happy Reading.

Cover art by Reese Dante. Great cover, very brooding.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 268 pages
Published December 15th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632166074
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5805

A Sammy Review: Les faits accomplis by Anna Martin

Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5 out of 5 stars

“So you’re saying not to trust her.”

“Don’t trust anyone,” Adam said seriously.

“Not even you?”

“Especially not me.”

Jared Rawell is the new kid in school for his senior year, but New Harbor Academy isn’t just any other school. It’s founded on old money and even older blood, full of only the wealthiest and most elite.

Adam Hemlock is one of the kings of the school. He’s not just popular, but he’s connected and known for being a bit of a player. So when the resident HBiC (Head Bitch in Charge) bets him a priceless item to sleep with the new kid, there’s no way he’s about to pass it up.

But these halls are full of games and tricks, and in the vicious life of high school, you can be anyone’s pawn, and just when you think you know who to trust and who your friends are, think again.

My mom always told me it was smart not to trust people. We live in a society which sort of demands we fall in love with someone, and they automatically have this key to your heart and soul, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. But that’s bullshit, you know? If you love someone, it’s probably healthier to not trust them for a while.

I had so much fun with this book. I don’t know if it’s just my luck lately or what, but this and the past couple books I’ve read have just been so incredibly satisfying.

If I had to explain this book to someone who had no idea what it was about, it would go something like this: the love child of Mean Girls, She’s All That, and Gossip Girl. But really, all together in a perfect mesh of gossip and the dirty little lives of the elite. LOVE IT.

This book is chalk full of characters, and I mean big characters. We have Biggie, the reincarnation of the true Biggie (but really), and Clare, who reminded me a bit of her namesake from the Breakfast Club, turned up a few hundred notches to account for today’s society, and then Ryder and Mia who have each have their own little line in the story.

If you’re someone who is opposed to the idea of a female being presented as a bitch in any way, shape, or form, you probably won’t like this. It plays off that whole evil high school vibe and owns it, and there are evil plots and bitchiness does ensue. Also, if you don’t like any of the things that I mentioned this story being the love child to, well, again, it may not be for you. It definitely has a certain slant that will not hit everyone’s funny bone, but it totally hit mine, and more.

To top it off, Adam and Jared were so good together. I felt the balance between them and the build up was well done. There are times when I ask for more, or plead, but this time, I’m going to take a line from Clare and pretty much demand it – well, with a please. So please, Anna Martin? Can we have more?

The simple but lovely cover art by Aaron Anderson may not seem to fit the book at first glance, but once you get into the story, this little bug will have a special role in the story. All bets are off on what you can expect out of this.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 234 pages
Published November 24th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
original title Les faits accomplis
ISBN139781632164728
edition languageEnglish
setting New Harbor, Washington (United States)
Washington (United States)

A MelanieM Review: The Oracle’s Golem (The Oracle #3) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Once Golem was the proud Dragon of the Earth. Then the Oracle’s plans for him left him broken and despairing. In his pain and rage, he left the society he was born into, melding in all ways, including physically, with the mountain they live on. And there the Golem hid deep within its recesses, paying little notice to the passing of years or the actions of the people he came from.

Then one day a child falls asleep in his lap …

That child is Lichen, the gifted problem child of the Earth Caste and he is followed Marl, a lowly Earth caste member who is chosen to look after Lichen and keep him out of trouble. Marl came out of his testing with only brown dirt and a seed on his back, instead of the more impressive and powerful designs that would have boosted his status and gifts. Marl has been content to garden and use the gifts he has in gentle ways, including looking after a lonely, intelligent child easily bored with his lessons.

Prodded by the attentions of Lichen and Marl, Golem slowly returns to human form and awareness of the struggles of the people around him. When the truth of Golem is revealed, it just might make Marl choose between his duty or the person he has come to love: Oracle or Golem?

Once more Mell Eight has delivered an enchanting fairy tale in The Oracle series, an imaginative and wholly captivating universe. The Oracle’s Golem is a prequel (in a manner) to The Oracle’s Flame (The Oracle #1) and The Oracle’s Hatchling (The Oracle #2) as the events that take place in this tale start off in the years preceding those stories. In fact, Golem is the prime figure in the main drama of The Oracle’s Hatchling, something that the reader will easily recognize early on.

Every part of Mell Eight’s enchanting universe is fascinating and fully developed to include rich details and layers of mythology. Four castes of Elementals, and which caste you belong to is decided at a ritual testing ruled over by the Oracle. Where a person falls within the Caste they are ordained for is revealed by a tattoo or pattern that appears on their back, much like a tattoo. Only these tattoos change and come to life. At the pinnacle of each Caste is a Dragon, whether it be the Dragon of Fire (first story), the Dragon of Ether (second story), the Dragon of Water (still to come) and the Dragon of Earth which is featured here. Then the levels (and people) drop in status and power and are given names accordingly.

Here is another brilliant element of this author’s universe, the names. The name corresponds to a element of each person’s caste. All Earth caste members have names that come from the Earth. Marl’s name (he is a lowly caste member) describes the clay and calcium deposits that fertilize soil. Lichen? That’s a composite of a number of organisms and has many uses so, yes, high on the scale. I love how inventive this author is when it comes to naming the characters. And then there is those fascinating patterns that appear on the back proclaiming each person’s gift and future. Poor Marl…only a field of brown dirt and a seed, a pattern that makes all the others looks down on him with distain or ignore him all together. If you find yourself a tad gleeful with anticipation when pondering that design, then this is the book for you. There are so many layers of meaning to be uncovered and appreciated here. This is a fairy tale universe for all who love champions, worlds in peril, and unexpected heroes.

Mell Eight’s narrative will draw you in completely into this world and Golem’s pain. You can almost feel the weight of the earth on top of him as he sits, so a part of the mountain that his appearance is that of stone and soil, just another boulder for a lonely, bored child would use to climb and sit on when escaping his lessons. Which is exactly how Lichen finds him. We move from past to present and back again easily, sliding through the years and memories of the characters.

I really have only two issues with this story. One, it felt that the ending came a little too quickly, and secondly, that rushed feeling made it feel a tad incomplete. I could have wished for a chapter wherein it seemed like only pages, a slight flaw in my opinion. But the world and stories Mell Eight has created for The Oracle series is far too rich and complex to let such a small issue pull it down.

You could read these stories out of order but you might find yourself saying things like “pirates? where did the pirates come from?”. That won’t happen if you read them in the order the author has written and released them. I love this series and eagerly await the next installment. Pick them all up today, including The Oracle’s Golem. It’s the perfect present to give yourself for the holidays.

Cover artist London Burden does a great job of branding this series with the stylized dragons on the covers. Love it.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press (preorder now) All Romance (ARe) links to come amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: January 21st 2015 by Less Than Three Press
original titleThe Oracle’s Golem
ISBN139781620045152
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Oracle #3

Book in The Oracle series:

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