A MelanieM Review: Manipulation (Diversion #4) by Eden Winters

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Lucky Lucklighter has a new life. His old life wants him back.

From the jail cell courtesy of a life of crime, complete with drug lord lover, Lucky Lucklighter surfaced with a new life, a new name and a new career as an agent for the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. Now Simon “Lucky” Harrison, Lucky even has a new boyfriend and partner,Bo Schollenberger. Bo Schollenberger arrived at the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau in much the same way as Lucky. As a pharmaceutical chemist, Bo ended up with a drug addiction and his illegal deeds brought him to the attention of the head of the Bureau looking for just the right or wrong type of men for his narcotics team.

Through perseverance and charm, Bo worked his way under Lucky’s defenses and his “I-Get-Along-Fine-Alone” mindset until Lucky starts thinking the unthinkable…that they might just have a future together.

But now Bo is missing. Their last case involved unexpected ties to bigger crime syndicates, and a voice from Lucky’s past who whispers ““Did you miss me?”

Now Lucky must figure out who is lying and who he can trust? The voice belonged to someone he was told was dead and now seems very alive. And there is more to Bo’s absence than people are telling Lucky. Is Bo missing by choice or by abduction? Every clue, every trail Lucky follows leads him back to the drug Corruption and the syndicate flooding the US markets full of this dangerously addictive drug. With temptation all around, what won’t Lucky do to find the man he loves and bring him safely home?

Eden Winter’s Diversion series captured my heart from the moment I met Lucky Lucklighter and Bo Schollenberger in Diversion (Diversion #1). I love complicated wounded men and here were two that not only fell into that category but did so in a way I had never seen before. There are so many layers to these men. Lucky’s background is a patchwork of hot cars, adrenaline rushes, and poor choices that led from boosting cars for drag racing to major involvement with a crime lord as employee and lover. Lucky is highly intelligent, walled off, and confident, while still leaving space in his heart for his sister, her children, and finally Bo.

Bo Schollenberger. Where to start? Each book reveals more complications and dimensions to this already convoluted personality. At first glance and meeting, Bo came across as extremely affable and gentle, a victim of his addiction and circumstances. A far cry from Lucky and his unrepentant outlook who when given a choice between continuing life behind bars or freedom as an agent chose freedom. Certainly a choice made from expediency instead of a need to “do right”. But nothing is as it seems, and the more that Lucky (and the reader) got to know Bo, the more we realized that Bo has depths and pain to him and his past then he was ready to reveal or deal with.

Oh the joy of discovery. Each new story and case has uncovered new insights into each man and their past. Bo and Lucky’s interpersonal dynamics has deepened and expanded along with their relationship. It’s hot, sexy, at times tender and rough. You never know from moment to moment what to expect when they get together. And to their chagrin and our delight, neither do they. Uncertainty, hesitation, an emotional neediness…all that is new to Lucky and it has contributed to his inability to commit to just about anything. I love it when a reader can’t predict what the main characters will do in any given situation. It keeps us on the edge of our seats as the plot swivels and swoops through dangerous highs and deceptively deadly lows. This is a E Ticket ride in every way.

Eden Winters has also chosen a highly unusual subject and law enforcement agency, in this case the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, as the foundation for this series and as professions for Lucky and Bo. Think hard, how many series and books are developed around pharmaceutical corporations, over/under the counter drugs, and the criminals associated with the shipping and stocking of known medications? I can only think of one. Eden Winter’s Diversion series. That aspect of this series has been an eye-opener about the giant pharmaceutical corporations, and not in a good way. More than once it has sent me running to research different elements that have popped up during Lucky and Bo’s cases, ones that left this reader thinking about new issues far into the night. This series world building is as quirky, complex, and believable as the characters living out their messy lives within it. I obsess over the characters relationships, the plots, the surprises and then go back and start them over again to see what clues and secrets I missed out the first reading. And then wait for the next book to arrive.

This story contains quite a few stunning revelations, more layers of deception than ever before and angst by the boatload. Once started I couldn’t put it down until it was finished…right around 2:45am. And could I sleep after that? Uh no. Manipulation contains shocks that will shake the foundations of Lucky, and Bo, and even Walter their boss. Where there had been certainty, now is left nothing but fog and questions. The narrative is concisely told, the tension and suspense increasingly exponentially until the plot feels as tightly wound as a coiled spring. It explodes with all the dangerous impact one might expect and the ramifications will still be unfolding right into the next book in the series, Redemption (which is being written now).

Each year a book from this series has found its way, deservedly so, onto the Best of lists for Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and others. This year is no different. Manipulation will be high on my Best of 2014 lists, just as I expect Redemption to be there on the list for 2015. All are highly recommended and Must Reads that should be on everyone’s TBR stack of stories.

If you haven’t discovered this series yet, please, please, don’t start here. The pleasures and joys that come from the character growth and relationship dynamics is best enjoyed if you start at the beginning and Lucky and Bo’s first meeting in Diversion. I have a list for you below. Make it your check list of stories to read. Eden Winters is a remarkable author, and the creator of Lucky and Bo is certain to find her way onto your automatic buy list if she is not there already.

Tag this story and series one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Highly Recommended Must Reads! Happy Reading!

Cover artist: L.C. Chase. Terrific cover perfect for the character and story inside.

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

Book Details:

ebook,
First Published November 1st 2014 by Rocky Ridge Books
seriesDiversion #4

Books in the Diversion series in the order they were written and should be read:

Diversion (Diversion, #1)
Collusion (Diversion #2)
Corruption (Diversion #3)
Manipulation (Diversion, #4)
Redemption (Diversion, #5) coming in 2015

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review –Third Eye by Rick R. Reed

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

A riveting, nail-biting, thought-provoking, frightening thriller, this story is much more than an M/M romance—it’s a brilliant tale worthy of recognition on the NY Times Bestsellers List.

Cayce D’Amico is just a regular guy raising his seven-year-old son on his own, holding down a job as a waiter at the local diner in the economically-repressed town of Fawcettville, Pennsylvania. He’s young, gay, divorced, and totally focused on his son, Luke. One evening, when he realizes Luke is no longer in his back yard, he sets out to find him just as a thunderstorm hits the area. At the edge of the woods, he’s struck by a broken limb as lightning strikes the tree next to him. Luke is okay, but Cayce isn’t.

Waking in the hospital, he finds it odd that he knows something personal about the aide who touches his arm, and next, he’s struck with images that he soon learns are from a missing girl—one who Cayce can see is dead. It happens again the next day—this time with visions of another kidnap victim. Frightened, but knowing that if it was his son who was missing he’d want help, he goes to the home of the latest victim to offer assistance in finding her but is promptly turned away. Later that night he receives a call from the mother of the first victim, who claims the other mother called her in warning, but that she’s willing to listen to him. The two set out to find the girl, following Cayce’s visions.

Dave Newton is a reporter, if you can call it that in this small town of very little news. A native of England, he followed his lover here years ago—a lover who left him here with only the company of a bottle and a handful of drugs to get by. He’s kicked the drugs but still toys with the booze occasionally—anything to get through the boredom of his life. He’s intrigued by the story of the man who was hit with the limb and when he went to the hospital to say hello, he became even more intrigued by the man himself. Cayce is a nice guy, one who could possibly thaw his heart if he allowed it. It’s Dave who Cayce turns to when he and the mother of the missing girl find her grave. And it’s Dave who offers a shoulder for Cayce to lean on as the story develops, and Cayce is hounded by the press and shunned by the police.

It’s also Dave who supports and assists Cayce as he tries to solve the most important mystery of his life when someone close to him is taken. And when the two rush headlong into an exciting, nail-biting search they get results, just not the results they were looking for.

In this story, the author leads us on an emotional journey fraught with danger and more ups and downs and hairpin turns than an out-of-control eighteen-wheeler. It’s completely different from any of his other works and absolutely brilliant in its execution. Seriously, this ranks right up there with any of the world-renowned mystery writers of our time. The complexity of the storytelling, the attention to detail and the hold-your-breath plotline make this story outstanding. The author keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with flashbacks via Cayce’s visions alternating with scenes of what’s happening in real time to Cayce, and then scenes of the kidnappers and their victims, telling us just enough in each chapter to make the move to the next chapter vital to the reader’s need to breathe. Seriously, this book is very difficult to put down!

The romance in this story is secondary to the major plot with no explicit sex scenes. The attraction between Dave and Cayce develops as more of a true support of one partner for another with some kissing and handholding rather than the hot and heavy sex “on page” that could have been portrayed but would have detracted from the core story.

I can’t recommend this story highly enough. To be honest, I’m not a person who normally reads thrillers, and I never watch horror movies unless I’m forced to do so, and even then I peek through my fingers. I desperately wished I could peek through my fingers at some points in this story, but I was compelled to keep going and I’m so glad I did. The ending was all I had hoped it would be, and the possibility for a happy future for Dave, Cayce, and Luke was set in place. All is well in my world. Don’t miss the chance to read this book.

Caution: This book contains graphic violence and hetero rape with some scenes through flashback and some in real time.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson. Cover depicts a bright light superimposed over the figures of a man and a clock. The light may have been meant to illustrate the visions the man had, and the clock would symbolize time running out. Although I can understand that, I did not find the cover particularly attractive or attention-getting.

Sales Links: amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 266 pages
Published November 11th 2014 by DSP Publications (first published January 2008)
ISBN139781632163400

A MelanieM Review: Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 (for story and cover)

Once upon a time . . . that’s how the old stories always begin.

And so this one begins, in a land both foreign and familiar, it’s a tale of princes, and merfolk and love…of a sort.

Once upon a time there was a king of a fallen kingdom. He was just and he was beloved. Or so the numbers said. One day, he gathered together the greatest, wisest minds in all the land—not sorcerers, but scientists—and he bade them fashion him a son. A prince. A perfect prince to embody his father’s legacy.

But as fate would have it, nothing ever turns out as planned and the golden perfect prince had other ideas for his future. After gazing upon the dances of the mer in a performance, our prince runs off to join the circus, the Cirque de la Mer. Once there the prince trained the merfolk, he performed with them, and thought he was happy…for a year.

Time brought strange thoughts and emotions to the prince the closer he got to the merfolk. Then Nerites arrives, a mesmerizing merman who refused to be trained or tamed. Nerites was something far more than the prince ever expected. Nerites was savage and unknown.

How does the tale end? Ah, there’s the rub. For every prince, there exists a beast, and for every love, there exists a forever heartbreak. Sand and Ruin and Gold has them all.

Sand and Ruin and Gold hearkens back to the olden stories. Not the comforting ” Disneyfied” fairytales but those of Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. Here the darkness and unknown reign supreme, not happy endings or light. Less a tale of romance, this beautifully written short story builds an atmosphere of creeping foreboding, a sense that not everything is as it seems. The poetic nature of the narrative combined with an imagery that will enchant, then leave you haunted by the possibilities, make Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall a short story that refuses to be limited by category or trope.

The feeling of something just off kilter is already present at the beginning. Hall’s prince isn’t born, he’s a genetically perfected young man, created to be the ideal heir to a “good” king who resides over a fallen land. The clues and telling phrases are slipped in sparingly at first, then in ever increasing numbers. As new descriptions of the circus and the shows appear, a far different picture emerges from our original assumptions of the merfolk and the circumstances at the Circus. And along with it comes the feeling one gets when the hairs rise off your arm when frightened or the queasiness that originates in your stomach when it dawns on you that something you thought was happily normal or ordinary turns out to be fearfully, horrifically wrong.

Alexis Hall understands how to build a powerfully evocative story, one that runs more along the lines of those classics passed from bard to bard, told around fires in great halls and forests alike. Whether those bards be from the past or perhaps even our future, that is but one more chilling aspect of this story, a tale that exists in the mists and ocean eddies of the dark seas of this unknown world. But its Hall’s stylistically vivid and powerful narrative with its lush descriptions that makes this story so stunning, so poignant. This is how it starts out:

“I must have been very young when I saw the mermaids at the Cirque de la Mer because it was the nurse who took me and her place in my life was soon surrendered to tutors. I don’t think my father ever found out. He would not have approved.

The day is little more than a sensory haze, of pastel children, the laughter of strangers, and the burn of salt and chemicals at the back of my throat.

The mermaids, though. They are as vivid as stained glass, even now.”

Told from the prince’s pov, we feel his assumptions of his life and the circus fall slowly away as comprehension and understanding arrive building block by building block as events unfold around him. It is a tale of deep love faced amidst horrifying truths. One reading will not be enough to capture all the incredible and terrifying moments as sudden realization, and insight sets in.

And then there is that ending, the one that will refuse to let you go. Its in the words and feelings that emerge, and the tears that will run down your face as you try to decide the implications of words strung like pearls, luminescent and beyond value. An ending that will send you back to the beginning of the story and start this tale once more.

I highly recommend this story to all readers. This is a story that should be on everyones shelf, whether it be made of wood or eReader. This is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2014 as is its cover.

Cover Artist: Simone. The artwork for Sand and Ruin and Gold is every bit as lush and haunting as the story itself. One of the best covers of the year.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance (ARe) amazon Sand and Ruin and Gold

Book Details:

ebook, 39 pages
Published September 22nd 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492318
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/title

A MelanieM Review: Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #17) by Laura Harner

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Scott McGregor almost has it all. He’s finally living with the man he loves, Rob Hammond along with Rob’s children. And the group of diverse group of people who live at Mountain Shadows Campground have become a family to one another. But still problems lurk all around waiting to destroy his happiness and new life. His nightmares are increasing and Scott realizes that he needs to uncover the truth and face his fears before he can put that part of his life behind him.

Twelve years ago, Scott and Rob Hammond’s relationship exploded, and torn them apart. Now Rob and his children are happily living with Scott and Rob is about to leave his job to help Scott run Mountain Shadows. But even as Scott and Rob’s relationship continues to deepen, Rob must help Scott work through his PTSD and the path to recovery leads to Phoenix and the only other firefighter that survived that day.

As Scott and Rob struggle to help Scott finally put his past behind him, another danger appears on the horizon. Scott and Rob are so close to their HEA. Can they overcome the last obstacles and finally get the future they want and deserve?

So close. With Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5), we are so close to the HEA Laura Harner has been promising us since we first met Scott MacGregor and Rob Hammond in Firestorm (Fighting Fire #1). We’ve delved into their painful past, watched the tumultuous climb to a new relationship in the present and hoped for a bright future for them all. Now, its almost here and the anticipation and buildup is enough to make any reader a little crazy.

Why? Because as we all know, nothing is ever easy or straightforward in a Pulp Friction or Laura Harner series. There’s never just one barrier to overcome, more a veritable obstacle course of hurdles that the characters must leap over or work through to get to their HEA. That’s the joy and more than a little of the frustration (in a good way of course) that we find with these stories and characters.

One main element has been Scott’s PTSD. His days and nights are riddled with nightmares and flashbacks, which are providing a barrier of their own to a happy future. Scott needs to face the truth about that fire and the circumstances that caused his injuries and those of the only other survivor. Harner has dropped hints and clues about that fatal wildfire and now we are all about to get some answers. They will be startling, shocking even, while leaving Scott and the readers with a well earned sense of relief and closure. But as I said, with this series and Laura Harner at the helm, nothing is ever resolved that simply.

Why? Because there is a larger scheme at work at Mountain Shadows, one that has been alluded to in some scenes, hinted at in others. This mystery has no shape or definition yet. Instead it has been creeping like a dense fog over the campground and its inhabitants. And with each story and series, it has been gaining in complexity and size. What it is and who is behind it…well, we have no idea. Just vague suggestions and assumptions, nothing concrete. That’s to be left to the series finale, the last story to be written by all four authors to pull the myriad plot threads and relationships together in one explosive and ultimately satisfying crescendo of multiple tales.

Laura Harner’s Fighting Fire stories, Radiant Burn among them, has been a wonderful angst filled, sexy, white knuckle ride. Our companions have been men who have been believably complex human beings who continue to strive for a happily ever after, no matter what wounds life and experience has inflicted upon them. It’s been a wow of a trip and we are almost at our destination. One final station to go….I can hardly wait.

Radiant Heat (Fighting Fire #5) and the entire Elemental Connections Pulp Friction 2014 joint series is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words most highly recommended reads. They will all occupy a special place on our Best of 2014 List this year.

If you are new to the series or Pulp Friction 2014, run, don’t walk, to the first stories in each series. I have listed them all below for your convenience. This is one spectacular journey you won’t want to miss! Happy Reading!

Cover Art by Laura Harner. Terrific cover that works to brand the series and the characters Scott and Rob.

Sales Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) amazon Buy it Here

Book Details:

ebook, 69 pages
Published September 12th 2014 by Hot Corner Press
ISBN139781937252892
edition languageEnglish
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #17, Fighting Fire #5
charactersScott McGregor, Rob Ham

About Pulp Friction 2014

Pulp Friction 2014 Authors: Laura Harner ~ Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ T.A. Webb
The Pulp Friction 2014 Collection. Four authors. Four Series. Twenty books. One fiery finale. Spend a year with an eclectic group of strangers brought together through circumstances, as they are tested by life, and emerge as more than friends.
The strongest bonds are forged by fire, cooled in air, smoothed by water, grounded in earth.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment. All stories have been read and reviewed at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:
Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:
Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:
Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blown Hard (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four:
Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five:
Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors coming in December.

Side Stories or Interludes:

Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (a In From the Cold story)
Wicked Winds (Whispering Winds 3.5) by Havan Fellows – bonus book, Whispering Winds
Frankie’s Knight (Elemental Connections: IV) (Earthquake #3.5)
Kismet & Cartwheels – bonus book, Fighting Fire

A Aurora YA Review: Under the Stars by Geoff Laughton

Rating: I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

DSP : “Ethan Tanner is an out and proud, fastidious, and fashionable sixteen-year-old vegetarian who likes theater and musicals. This year, it’s his sister’s turn to pick the vacation destination, so he ends up on a dude ranch he knows he is going to hate. What with the dirt, animals, and germs, he can’t possibly be happy.

Jason McCoy is the closeted sixteen-year-old son of the ranch owners and is trying to find his place in a world that doesn’t seem to fit him. He takes an interest in Ethan, shows him around, and gets him to ride a horse. When he invites Ethan camping, Ethan thinks Jason must be joking. But Ethan takes a risk, and the two boys bond under the stars.

After that, Ethan and Jason are inseparable. Their friendship grows into something deeper as they begin to figure out what they want from life. But Ethan’s home is in Chicago, and the distance might be more than the two teenagers—and their blossoming relationship—can withstand.”

Under the Stars follows a sixteen year old boy, Ethan, as he goes on a vacation with his parents and little sister to a ranch. At first, Ethan is reluctant to go and doesn’t think he’ll enjoy the trip much at all, but because it was his sister’s turn to choose where they wanted to go, he didn’t have much choice. When he actually arrives at the ranch, Ethan quickly connects with the owner’s son, Jason, and the two of them develop a close relationship.

As someone who isn’t usually much of a fan of contemporary, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Within the first few pages I was completely drawn in, and I related to Ethan immediately. One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the representation of Ethan’s parents and the close relationship they had, even though they didn’t all necessarily agree throughout the entire book. It didn’t go the route of representing parents as being completely unsupportive, which I think could be a great thing for young adults who are reading this book and might be considering coming out to their parents to see that positive dynamic represented.

Jason and Ethan were both great characters who I loved seeing interact with each other, and all of their discussions and the things they did seemed very real. Ethan’s growth, especially, throughout the book, was something I really enjoyed, because he did change, but he held onto who he was and he didn’t make a one-eighty turn around. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely read it again any time.

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

The cover art is simple, but pretty and well suited to the book. I think the dark color scheme definitely makes it appealing, while the bright color of the fire draws the readers eyes to the bottom of the page where the artist wants them to look.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner ebook & Paperback All Romance eBook amazon Under the Stars

Book Details:

ebook, 180 pages, YA young adult title
Published October 9th 2014 by Harmony Ink Press
ISBN139781632163080

A MelanieM Review: Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

In the four years since the death of his wife, Travis Bennett has become a shell of the man he used to be. Travis raises his three children, manages his business, and works as a ranch hand, his only companion his dog, Dunkyn. The hole inside Travis feels as deep and recent as the day she died, a situation that often leaves him depressed and unable to shake off the moods it leaves him in.

Fond memories of the small Ozark town of El Dorado Springs and the need to leave his broken relationship behind, find Wesley Ryan moving into his grandparents’ old home and temporarily taking over the local veterinary clinic while that owner goes on a much needed sabbatical. But while the loving memories remain, the small town atmosphere isn’t exactly conducive to his colorful clothes and admittedly “gay” nature. Wesley is feeling pretty lonely until Travis brings in his corgi for treatment.

Travis’ reaction to Wes’ recommendation of surgery is far beyond Wes’ expectations. Travis is adamant that Dunkyn, his dog, be treated without surgery, something Wes knows the dog needs. Wes is sure he will be seeing the duo again. Travis, dog and all, is exactly the type of man Wesley goes for. But with three kids and a beloved wife in the past, Wes is sure he is straight. Or is he? Wes does know he came to El Dorado to get away from his man issues and he’s not looking for a relationship,, especially one with someone as complicated and loaded down with baggage as Travis Bennett. Fate, however, has plans for Travis and Wesley whether they want it or not…

First that gorgeous cover and then the synopsis drew me to this book but it’s the story within that has kept me thinking and repeatedly revising my overall connection to and perception of Then The Stars Fall by Brandon Witt.

So many elements about this story had me off balance right from the start. The plot is situated in a small (pop 3000 plus) conservative town, El Dorado Springs, in Missouri. There some of the citizens, including main characters, think nothing of dropping words like “faggot” and “retard” frequently into their conversations. These offensive terms are thrown about so carelessly that I almost put the book down before I had gotten past the opening chapters. That the main character, Travis Bennett, and his best friend are the main offenders made it worse. Yes, they were called on it, by Caleb,Travis’ oldest son, but did it stop? No. And I was appalled that the author thought I would be able to connect with a man such as Travis. But I did….eventually. Because Travis for all his faults (and there are so many) comes across as a complex human being, a realistic work in progress, especially at age 42. The world of pain, loss, and conflict in his background, combined with episodes of good deeds and even better behavior will have the reader flip flopping like a fish out of water in their opinions of this tormented man.

Next up his crude, loud and over the top best friend, Jason Baker, who spews such slurs,derogatory remarks, and unfair judgements with an equally unsettling ease that again I couldn’t believe we were supposed to like him. Quite frankly, I was afraid that was never going to occur but it did as well. Between Jason and Travis the almost constant barrage of offensive terms and slurs almost derailed this story. Luckily, the author balanced such raw characters with ones that were easier to empathize with and enjoy. Characters such as Wesley Ryan, Travis’ sister Wendy who I adored,, the Bennett children, and even the Corgis Dunkyn and Dolan, all lined up to pull the reader along the rippling narrative and keep us afloat until most of the people of the town combine to win us over. Quirky, obstinate, surprising and recognizably human, the folks of El Dorado Springs continue to show new facets of their personalities each time they appear in the story. And it’s these layers that will make the reader grow fond of the town and fonder of its people.

What else threw me off? The constantly changing point of view. After a while it felt more like the play Our Town than a novel. Everyone gets a chance to chime in here, even Dunkyn the dog. I have to admit at times I thought him far more admirable than some of the others characters, but then Corgis are like that. That large number of voices took some time getting adjusted to, but when you do, then this strange format enables the reader to get a real, intimate feel for El Dorado, its history, its present, and hopefully its future. We get a sense of community and that’s necessary for the reader to achieve because this town is so much a part of its people that it acts as just one more main character in a story full of them.

Looking back I can’t even remember when the shift of perspective started, when the affection I felt towards the characters and story outgrew my irritations until those faded away. It was a slow changeover for me, and yes, for Wesley as well. This is a town that takes a lot of getting used to. In Brandon Witt’s Authors Notes, he writes about his childhood which prompted this story. Here it is in his words:

I KNEW I would return to the world of The Shattered Door, the town I grew up in, one day. I wasn’t sure when or how, but then Travis and Wesley showed up, asking to be with Dunkyn and Dolan—or maybe it was the other way around. Shattered told the tale of the pain, fear, guilt, bullying, etc. that I felt growing up. However, there was another part during those years in El Dorado Springs. Lightning bugs. Thunderstorms. My grandpa’s buffalo. My chickens. Friends that I loved dearly. Simone’s Drive-in (if you’re ever driving on 54 and pass through El Do, you have to stop and get a burger. They’re perfect!). Despite the pain I felt a lot of the time, there was so much good, as well. So much beauty and love. I hope I was able to capture that aspect of El Do with Then the Stars Fall.

By the end of this story, Brandon Witt had really captured it all. The joys, the hardship and pain, the gorgeous memories and the manner in which a town grows a part of you, no matter your age or location. It was quite the emotional journey that Then the Stars Fell and its characters took this reader on. It constantly challenged me to think about the people, Wes and Travis’ romance, and the town as well as my own opinions and judgements. It held me firm to the story until I was completely won over. It’s a journey you shouldn’t miss. Then the Stars Fell by Brandon Witt is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words must reads of the year. If Brandon Witt isn’t on your list of authors whose stories are automatic buys, he should be and this is just one more example why he belongs there. Grab it up today!

Cover Artist: Anne Cain. What an astonishing cover. So evocative of the farm and township of the story. One of the best of the year.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon Buy it Here

Book Details:

ebook, 350 pages
Published September 29th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632162598 (ISBN13: 9781632162595)
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.brandonwitt.com/

A Sammy Review: The Eskimo Slugger by Brad Boney

Rating: 4 stars out of 5:

“Don’t look elsewhere; look to what you have. And what we have is each other. Always. I know we live our lives as individuals. I can look out into the world and see that. I’m not an idiot. But I also know that thirteen billion years ago, there was no ‘we.’ There was only an ‘I.’ Everything that exists now existed then. Everyone who exists now existed then. There is only one of us. And that, Brendan, is not New Age bullshit. That’s physics. To our detriment, we emphasize our individual spirits and journeys over our collective spirit and journey. We teach our children that life is a process of learning, but if we’ve been around since the beginning of time, what could there possibly be left to learn? We only need to remember what we already know. Our struggles are not born of ignorance, but of forgetfulness. If you want to attract love, the first step is to embrace the idea that we are all connected to each other.”

Trent Days never wanted a life in the spotlight, but with the talent he has for baseball, the spotlight found him. He’s branded the Eskimo Slugger, awed by those he meets… and he hates it.

An unfortunate injury sends him back home where he meets Brendan, a law student with a flare. A skip on the record brings them back together, and be it auras or sparks, something keeps them together. It makes no sense, but within days they form an irreplaceable bond, one that will never break, not even when time stretches and lives come and go.

The question is, how do you measure the success of your life? Is it the number of home runs you hit or how many bases you steal? Or is it the lives you touch and the people who love you?

Before I go into my review, I want to note that I read this without reading The Nothingness of Ben or The Return first. Many people highly encourage doing so, but I took the dive and decided to try it without them. Do I think my experience suffered from it? Perhaps. I think there were nuances I likely missed, and that the last part with Trent and Brendan would’ve been more emotional for me had I been through the other books and experienced it there. Still, I enjoyed the book.

When I’m reading, I save page numbers for quotes. I can usually tell how much I liked a story by the number of quotes, and I’ll just say that this one has quite a few.

At first, I was hesitant. The beginning was a bit lackluster for me, including a slip-up in which the author named one of the characters before he actually introduced himself. It took me a while to actually buy into them, but once I did, I flew through the reading.

It’s important in a romance to have the main characters stand out, but I also love a good cast of side characters, and this was chalk full. The author did a brilliant job of weaving the life into their stories and making me care. I fell in love with Bill Walsh, Quincy, and of course Stanton and Hutch.

I will say that if you haven’t been spoiled as to the a particular theme of the book reincarnation, the chapter before the last one will be a bit of a shock to you. Hints are dropped throughout the story, but I’m not entirely sure I would’ve caught it as much if I hadn’t been spoiled previously. It’s sad on its own, but hopeful when you know the underlying story.

I’m very excited to read the other two books now and then maybe come back to read this again and find the little things I missed. Overall an enjoyable read that had a lot of heart.

Cover Artist: Paul Richmond. On the note of the cover, Paul Richmond did a great job of capturing an image that I think speaks to the story. There’s significance to the number 8 and it’s vague enough to let the reader have some imagination, while still capturing one of the characters.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon The Eskimo Slugger

Book Details:

ebook, 230 pages
Published September 29th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 163216227X (ISBN13: 9781632162274)
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.bradboney.com/

A MelanieM Review: Saving Crofton Hall (Stately Passions #1) by Rebecca Cohen

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Benjamin Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, has enjoyed his life of wealth and leisure. And he had every intention of continuing that lifestyle until a frantic phone call from sister interrupts his idylls in New York City. His widowed mother’s secret gambling debts lead her to forgery, putting up Crofton Hall as collateral. Now the family faces the possibility of foreclosure by the bank, and Benjamin is forced into opening their beloved estate to the public. But he must act fast and he has no idea how to accomplish turning her into a historical venue.

Enter Ashley Niven. A friend of Benjamin’s sister, Ashley has experience managing events, and he also loves history. Ashley is also in need of a job when his current employer cuts back in the staff. Being in charge of opening Crofton Hall is a dream come true, one he has held from the moment he saw the estate. But its not just the charms of Crofton Hall that Ashley finds himself drawn to but to the dashing Earl of Crofton as well.

Much like Crofton Hall herself, there are layers to be discovered under the charming fascade of Benjamin Redbourne, if only Ashley can lower his barriers of self defense enough to undercover them.

Crofton Hall has many secrets, and something hidden for over four hundred years is about to change all their lives.

Picking up Saving Crofton Hall was a true delight. First I was returning to a setting made familiar with The Crofton Chronicles, a trio of stories set in the mid 1500’s that revolved around the lives and relationship of Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, and actor Sebastian Hewell. I adored those stories and this author’s ability to bring those times and her characters vividly to life. Secondly, I hoped to have more insight into Crofton Hall’s history to discover any additional details of Anthony and Sebastian’s life together. Did I get it? Hmmmm, yes in a totally unexpected and wonderful way, something I will let the readers discover for themselves.

Saving Crofton Hall brings that grand old estate into modern times, along with the Redbourn family. Benjamin Redbourn is the 16th Earl of Crofton, his father having recently passed. The oldest son and heir, Benjamin has been blithely yet determinedly pursuing the wild life since an earlier breakup left him devastated. His search of the fast life and faster men have taken him far aboard, leaving Crofton Hall in the hands of his mother unequipped to handle it with a younger brother and sister unable to deal with their mother and the situation. Once more, Rebecca Cohen delivers us into the middle of this historic and charming estate but this time to a family facing ruin and the loss of everything that has been in family for hundreds of years, including Crofton Hall.

Crofton Hall continues to act as an important character in this story. Objects found along her halls or in the gardens, will instantly bring up fond recollections of those earlier stories, much like visiting an old friend will make older shared events and joint memories fresh once more. The hall also serves as an intimate and immediate frame of reference for Benjamin Redbourn. As the 16th Earl of Crofton he faces challenges to his family and estate the previous owners would never have thought of while retaining those responsibilities and duties that come with the title. Benjamin remains a combination of the old and the new, history and honor, with a sense of entitlement that gets an adjustment in face of an unthinkable loss. I liked Benjamin immediately. He’s a good person hit with a series of personal and emotional shocks, the first of which is a mother with a hidden gambling problem. He’s believable, relatable, and sexy. I adored him.

Next up is Ashley Niven, another character who makes this story and romance both real and endearing. Like some of those drawing room comedies, Ashley’s drawn towards Benjamin and spends an inordinate amount of time fighting his own impulses…much to our delight. Lively dialog ushers in two men in flux. Each has qualities that mesh with the other and how they find their balance makes their romance and relationship sweet, sexy, and as charming as Crofton Hall herself. And the scenes with Ashley, Benjamin, and the people who come to “rent out” Crofton Hall are some of the most poignant and humorous scenes described. When the members of the local UFO society have their meeting at the Hall, its as funny as you would expect, then its followed by a wedding so moving that sniffling is sure to occur. But the character of Ashley also has quite the unusual pedigree and that surprising background just adds more spice to an already delicious dish of a story!

There’s Mrs. Weather, Billins, Kitty, and so many others that give Saving Crofton Hall the feeling of a close-knit community pulling together to save home and hearth. None feel extraneous to the estate or the story, more a needed ingredient that gives a depth that would be missed without them.

Here is a story rich in history and appreciation for family and tradition. Saving Crofton Hall is the first in a new series, Stately Passions, by Rebecca Cohen that features various estates in the UK. I can’t wait to see where this terrific author takes us next. While Saving Crofton Hall can certainly be read as a stand alone, for the wealth of history and romance lurking in the halls and foundation, pick up the three stories that make up The Crofton Chronicles. I have listed them all for you at the bottom of this review.

I highly recommend Saving Crofton Hall by Rebecca Cohen, an author with an ability to make history feel alive, and give modern times a rich patina of culture and tradition that sets her narratives on strong foundations from which they can grow and become memorable.

Cover artist: Reese Dante. Terrific cover, and that estate looks exactly the way I pictured Crofton Hall.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner ebook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon Saving Crofton Hall

Book Details:

Published November 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632165084
edition languageEnglish
series Stately Passions #1

The Crofton Chronicles in the order they were written and should be read:

The Actor and the Earl (The Crofton Chronicles #1)
Duty to the Crown (The Crofton Chronicles #2)
Forever Hold His Peace (The Crofton Chronicles #3)

A MelanieM Review: Precious Metals by L.A. Witt

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

As a provision inspector below the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush, Constable Paul Benson of the North-West Mounted Police has seen it all. The monotony, the fights, starvation and even death that has come with the miners rushing to make their fortune in gold. But even as the masses of humanity crowd into camps, Paul has been able to keep himself emotionally separated from the madness and madmen around him. Until the arrival of Joseph Starling in his life.

Joseph Starling appears in camp, practically dead. Joseph and his two brothers had been among those mining gold up north but there the brothers met a familiar fate. They were robbed, one brother killed and the youngest still in the clutches of the men who attacked them. Now Joseph is on his way to find his brother and bring him safely home.

It’s to Paul that Joseph is brought to and its Paul’s plan Joseph will use to catch up to the robbers. Only Paul never counted on going with Joseph on a journey that will change them both in ways they never expected. From eight-legged mechs with minds of their own to crash-prone airships, this is a trip with no guarantees, for success and even coming out alive.

Just the cover and the title alone is enough to recall the wonderful steampunk universe L.A. Witt has created for this remarkable series. The first novel, Noble Metals, firmly established a steampunk world where the Klondike Gold Rush includes steam driven 8-legged brass mechs, mechanical beasts of burden instead of horses or sleds, where the North-West Mounted Police patroled the borders and camps instead of the Royal Canadian Mounties, but the human frailties, greed, and despair remain firmly entrenched by the pursuit of gold. I loved that story. It was inventive, believable, and a terrific romance to boot.

Now comes Precious Metals and that treacherous, amazing world comes alive once more. Using the same format of alternating points of view, L.A. Witt takes the reader from perspective to perspective easily without jumbling her narrative. The story opens with Paul Benson looking over the teeming mass of miners gathered to get permits and head north into the Yukon. Immediately we realize that being a Mountie is not the passion for Paul that one would think, an aspect of this story both unusual and telling. Into his line of vision comes a tattered group of miners walking beside a worn mech, lying on top is Joseph. From the minute Joseph wakes up in the make shift infirmary, his heartbreaking portion of the story unfolds and Precious Metals takes flight.

Joseph Starling stole my heart immediately. There are so many facets to this character, loving and loyal brother, ingenious engineer, and courageous, intrepid explorer and that doesn’t even begin to cover it. There is another surprise in store for the readers concerning Joseph that the cover happily does not give away.But this element of Joseph’s character and its part in the story adds not only depth but heart to this amazing journey. It’s Paul that I had to warm up to. Paul Benson has his own decisions to make and he tends to need a lot of internal prodding to get moving forward. But once he does, then the reader is sure to embrace his character as much as we do Joseph’s.

Oh, the descriptions of the arduous trail north that L. A. Witt treats us to! Heavy snowfalls, avalanches, bone chilling, death causing temperatures, and always, always something worse waiting to happen just around the bend. And the vivid, wonderful passages make us feel every exhausting, frozen, torturous inch of the trail north. And did I mention that there are airships afloat as unreliable and crash prone as the mechs themselves? By the end of the story I found it hard to believe that the journey itself only unfolds in a short time frame because we were in the trenches with Paul and Joseph, For them, as well as us, the heightened danger and close proximity brings an understanding, though not love, that feels as real as the journey itself.

For unlike the couple in Noble Metals, here the attachment forms quickly, yet realistically. Is it a case of instant love? I think not, but certainly a romance with a future if the men have any say. Yes, this is a HFN that is satisfying in a book that I loved perhaps more than the last. I highly recommend Precious Metals and its predessor, Noble Metals. Pick them both up today and begin your passage to Chilkoot Pass , the Klondike Gold Rush and the men who find themselves and love along the way!

Cover artist April Lee’s drawing is both lively and a little rough, a bluntness about it that adds to its charm in my opinion.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance eBooks amazon Precious Metals

Book Details:

ebook, 150 pages
Published October 27th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
original titlePrecious Metals
ISBN139781626491748
edition languageEnglish

Book in the Metals steampunk universe can be read as stand alone novels:

Noble Metals

Previous Metals

A MIka Review: Heart by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Cornish pastry chef Seb Wright dreads the summer tourist season. The cash injection to his artisan fudge pantry is more than welcome, the extra work, less so. Then one summer, a shadowy Good Samaritan catches his eye. Irish Traveller Dex is bewitching, a beautiful sullen enigma who turns Seb’s world upside down until he disappears in the night, vanishing like a mystical summer rain.   Twelve months later Dex is in the midst of a dark storm. A slave to his master, ‘Uncle’ Braden, he spends his days cleaning caravans and his nights working in Braden’s other businesses. His short summer with Seb seems a lifetime ago. Lost in the savage violence of the murky underworld, he doesn’t dare dream he’ll ever find his way back, until one night, a brutal crime opens the door for a chance escape. A new life beckons, old faces emerge, and immersed in the heady vibe of London’s East End, new love begins to heal his fractured heart.

Garrett Leigh has become a must read author for me since she put out Only Love. That book is still my favorite m/m book of this year. Heart is about finding one self, finding love, what it means to be in love, and family. Garrett Leigh always seems to put us in these dark places and we get to see these guys find their way to the light. From the beginning of the story we are introduced to this amazing man name Seb, for someone his age which is mine, the amount of compassion and love he has is astounding. I’m a sucker for abuse, dark gritty tells, under educated that’s just me. Seb was a twenty-something guy working in a town that he grew up end making fudge. He is about the only good Samaritan around in my opinion. He finds himself walking home one night and he got the feeling that someone was close which they were. It was Dex, beautiful, sweet, homeless gypsy Dex, and what does it do, honest Dex tells Seb he dropped his wallet he did. I think for me from that view point I wanted more Dex, that’s all I cared about. Reading from Seb’s point of view was so satisfying because he was enthralled just as much as the reader was. It’s a point in the beginning of the story where it’s the weather conditions are horrible and Seb see’s Dex underneath an awning trying to stay warm, Seb invites him in for food and shelter. What broke my heart was what Dex said next. He automatically went into thinking what did he owe Seb for doing this for him. As if everyone in the world expect something from a 19 yr old boy.

Things progress from there for a while. One morning Seb wakes up and Dex is gone. Surprisingly I didn’t cry, which I thought I was going to the entire time. The point of view changes to Dex story now, and man did I cry. He went through so much hard ache and pain. I can’t imagine people having to go through this. He was apart of a gypsy carnival. He was a prostitute who never seemed to come out on the winning side. As I don’t like to give away the plot I can only talk about how I felt towards these characters. I felt anger mostly. I felt anger because he had to go on years with out Seb and only have his memories as the only good thing in life. He does get save it’s not sweep off your feet. It’s hard, and Dex worked really hard for whatever he did in life. Those moments in the story pulled at my heart more and more. I really appreciate his growth, determination and usefulness.

Seb Wright is an amazing character. One thing I could say that really gave him an edge was his patience. He was super patient with Dex when they reunited. I loved how Seb was willing to move mountains for Dex. I will continue to support this author as long as Garrett continues to write. I wish I had beautiful words to encompass of how I felt. Sometimes I do have the words, and other times I just write what comes to me. I can say the angst was alive and kicking. I recommend this book to lovers of Garrett Leigh, lovers of angst. People who want to believe and succeed in life. Don’t ever give up is my only words of wisdom.

The cover artist: G.D. Leigh. I liked the cover; it doesn’t give much away for the story. Upon reading the story you kind of guess which character it’s for. The cover does make you feel at peace with what has transpired for one of the main characters.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner eBook & Paperback All Romance eBook amazon Heart

Book Details:
eBook, 204 pages
Published October 27th, 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781632163677
Edition Language: English
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Rating: I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

Sales Links: Dreamspinner ebook & Paperback All Romance eBook amazon Under the Stars

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Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

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Rating: 4 stars out of 5

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