Release Blitz: In Vineyard Veritas by Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid

Authors Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid, along with Gay Book Promotions, share new release information for cozy mystery, In Vineyard Veritas! Read more today!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: In Vineyard Veritas

Author: Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid

Publisher: Eine Kleine Press

Cover Artist: Clancy Nacht

Release Date: January 21, 2022

Genres: LGBTQ Cozy mystery, trans man

Tropes: Amateur sleuth, favorite aunt dies, going back home again, mystery

Themes: Coming back home, finding where you belong

Heat Rating:  0 flames

Length:  206 pages

It is a standalone story. 

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  

In wine, truth. In vineyard… mystery.

Blurb

Local police summon retired CTO Geraldine Thorn from her Austin lake house to Kitsch, Texas, the small town where she grew up, when her beloved Aunt Tilda is found dead at her vineyard home, presumably from a slip in the bath. Upon arrival, Gerry discovers Tilda's eclectic group of friends—including a much, much younger lover—and rivals. When they realize Tilda's slip wasn't an accident, Gerry enlists the help of a handsome Texas Ranger with secrets of his own.

Excerpt 

“Howdy. Ms. Geraldine Thorn? This is Sgt. Hale Alexander with the Texas Ranger Division Company F.” Hale’s voice was a pleasantly raspy tenor with a thick East Texas drawl. “The Arguello County PD requested my assistance with a mysterious death. A Lt. Klaus gave me this number. He said, and I quote, ‘May you have the joy of her,’ and washed his hands of this affair. Don’t think you’ve got a fan, ma’am.”

“I’m friendlier when I’m not upset about my aunt dying.” Gerry felt a pang of frustration, but she appreciated that this guy sounded like he’d be reasonable. “I appreciate you looking into this. Things aren’t adding up.”

“Well, ma’am, this is highly irregular, involving the Rangers in this kind of thing, but I’m on my way to Kitsch now from Waco, and we’ll see what there is to see. The autopsy report had some discrepancies, so your gut may hold true. Don’t go quotin’ me on that, all right?” Hale cussed under his breath, and the sound of a car horn interrupted their conversation.

Sounding calmer, he resumed, “Anyhow, I’m gonna have to view the body before she’s laid to rest, if that’s all right with you, ma’am. I understand you’re gonna wanna get closure, put her in the ground soon’s you can, but this is important.”

“Of course. I just came from the funeral home, I can let them know to hold off picking her up.” She paused and looked up and down the street. “Is there any way I could join you? I just want to… I think if I saw her with my own eyes it would help me wrap my head around what happened.”

Discrepancies. That sounded… positive? Not exactly that, but it was nice to hear that she wasn’t totally losing it. “If she’d had too much wine and slipped in the tub— that would make sense, but opioids? I just… and there’s a young man, and… there are things that don’t add up. I want to do right by my aunt.”

“That’s admirable, ma’am. But are you sure you wanna see your aunt in that state? She’s been autopsied, and she’ll be nekkid as a jaybird on that slab. It’s gonna stay with you.” Hale didn’t shoot her down, which was something. If anything, he sounded supportive. There was a steadying warmth in his tone even over the phone.

“She wouldn’t like my delicate sensibilities getting in the way of finding out what happened if someone did this to her.” Seeing Tilda’s body wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but she needed to know. “I’ll be all right.”

“All right then, ma’am. Text me your address to this number, and I’ll swing ’round and nab you. You’re not gonna wanna drive after. I’m an hour out.” Hale’s drawl was comforting. While Gerry wasn’t really a small-town girl, she had a feeling Hale’s good ole boy persona would play well in Kitsch, and no one was going to turn away a Ranger’s inquiries.

“I’m already downtown. I can…” She looked around and then shrugged to head to her car. “I’ll just go home, and text you the address. It’s on a vineyard, so it’s a little out of town, but I imagine an investigator shouldn’t have too hard a time finding it. Thanks.”

About the Authors 

Together, Texans and platonic life partners Thursday Euclid and Clancy Nacht write queer novels that span genres, with intense romances and a seamless shared narrative voice.

They published their first co-written novel, the m/m rock star romance Black Gold, in 2010, and now have over a decade of award-winning collaborations under their exquisite belts. Recent titles include the twisted romance His Fake Prison Daddy and the Phisher King series, in which an uptight federal agent and a bratty hacker go from enemies to lovers while solving a hate crime.

Though Elder Millennial trans man Thursday and Gen X gender outlaw Clancy live three hours apart, they are inseparable. Their friendship is a perfect example of the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, which makes Thursday very happy. Clancy thinks it’s all right.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |   Twitter  |   Twitter  |   Instagram  

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Pierced Peony (Motts Cold Case Mystery #2) Dahlia Donovan

Author Dahlia Donovan and Other Worlds Ink host today's blog tour stop for Pierced Peony (Motts Cold Case Mystery #2)! Read more about the queer cozy mystery and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Dahlia Donovan has a new queer cozy mystery out (ace, biromantic, lesbian), Motts Cold Case Mystery Book 2: Pierced Peony. And there's a giveaway!

On a casual walk along the Cornish Coast, Pineapple “Motts” Mottley stumbles upon a body and a perilous new murder case in the second novel in the Motts Cold Case Mystery series.

As spring rolls into summer, Motts settles into her cottage. She’s enjoying a daily stroll when a body in the sea destroys her peace and quiet. It brings yet another mystery for her to solve.

How does a woman who vanished from Polperro three years prior wind up battered by waves?

Motts is drawn into the investigation despite her best attempts. She finds a family in turmoil and loads of suspects. With no easy answers, she tumbles further into chaos and ever closer to danger.

Can Motts find the killer before she’s the one put on ice?

Will she survive a bone-chilling brush with death?

Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | QueeRomance Ink | Universal Buy Link | Goodreads

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Giveaway

Dahlia is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47183/?

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Excerpt

A cat, a turtle, and a stranger face off in the garden. The stranger blinks first. Right. The joke still needs some work.

“Do you always let your turtle and cat out in the garden together?”

“They’re friends. They like to gossip.” Motts set her trowel to one side and got to her feet. She dusted the grass and dirt off her knees. “They both need fresh air and sun in moderation. Are you lost?”

The man didn’t seem lost despite having popped up beside the back fence around her garden. He looked like a police officer. Though not quite as broad-shouldered, he stood as tall as Teo Herceg, the detective inspector she’d met in April and had been dating for over a month.

“I’m hoping to speak with Pineapple Mottley.” He sounded like a policeman. His suit, while nice, appeared rumpled from driving; his short grey hair, however, was gelled and styled perfectly. “I’m Detective Inspector Dempsey Byrne with the Metropolitan Police’s cold case unit.”

“Cold case?” Motts’s heart stuttered in her chest. She rubbed her fingers together nervously. “Jenny. You’re here about Jenny.”

Jenny Cleverly had been her lone best friend through her early childhood. Motts had stumbled across Jenny’s lifeless body on her way home from primary school while walking through a park, hidden behind a hedge. She still had nightmares about finding her.

The unsolved crime had haunted Motts. She’d developed an obsessive curiosity about cold cases as a result. And at least once a year, she searched online to see if anyone had been arrested for Jenny’s murder.

“Ms Mottley?”

“Motts.” She had a sudden sense of déjà vu; she’d had a similar conversation with Teo in April. He’d been investigating the murder of a Rhona Walters, who’d been buried in the garden behind her cottage. It had been an auspicious start to her life in Polperro. “Cactus.”

Her beloved Sphynx cat had leapt onto the fence and then over to the detective’s shoulder. Detective Inspector Byrne didn’t bat an eyelid. He simply reached up to pat Cactus on his head.

Well, he certainly approves of the random strange man intruding on our afternoon.

Intruding inspector intrudes introspectively.

Introspectively?

Not my best alliteration.

“I don’t often see a flowerless garden.” He glanced slowly around at her rows of fruits and herbs. “None at all?”

“My allergies try to drown me if I’m around them for too long.” Motts kept flowers far away from her cottage. Real ones, in any case. She made and sold origami and quilled floral arrangements as part of her small business, Hollyhock Folded Blooms. “Why don’t you come in for tea? Cold case curiosities can converse comfortably.”

Don’t frighten the fancy London detective with your peculiarities.

The judgmental voice in her head sounded suspiciously like her mum, who meant well but couldn’t always relate to Motts’s more unique traits. She didn’t understand her wayward autistic and asexual daughter. Motts had given up trying to fit into neurotypical moulds.

I am who I am.

Alliterations and all.

Oh, fun accidental alliterations are the best.

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Motts stared blankly at the man, unable to decide if he was being polite or not. “You drove from London. At least a five-hour drive on a good day. Tea isn’t imposing. Sleeping in my garden and trampling the herbs would be.”

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Author Bio

Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.

Author Website: http://dahliadonovan.com/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/dahliadonovan

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/DahliaDonovan

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliadonovanauthor/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184061.Dahlia_Donovan

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/dahlia-donovan/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dahlia-Donovan/e/B00KFNZFHU/

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Start to Finish (The Ian Start Mysteries #1) by Pamela A. Williams

 

Start to Finish (The Ian Start Mysteries, #1) is out now! Find out more about this contemporary mystery by Pamela A. Williams through today's release blitz hosted by IndiGo Promotions, read an excerpt & enter in the giveaway for a $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway too!

Title: Start to Finish

Series: The Ian Start Mysteries, Book One

Author: Pamela A. Williams

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: October 19, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 61600

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, College, artist, law enforcement, murder, disabilities, reunited

Add to Goodreads

 

Synopsis

Ian Start is an art professor and poet, living and teaching in Providence, Rhode Island. After suffering an infection in his leg that left him disfigured and traumatized, he’s been struggling to regain his emotional balance and find his voice again in his poetry.

It doesn’t help when one of his students is murdered, and he’s implicated. The chemistry is still there between Ian and Jake, who is his ex and the investigator, but being a suspect presents a barrier to their reunion.

Furthermore, Ian’s injury left a massive scar, both physically and emotionally. He is not convinced anyone else should have to live with his disfigurement and his nightmares.

Excerpt

Start to Finish
Pamela A. Williams © 2020
All Rights Reserved

As I hobbled to the door, I could see, through the leaded glass, a stout Black man in a dated tweed blazer. He was staring intently at my approach, which made me wish that I was dressed in more than a robe and flannel pajama bottoms. Opening the door, I saw that there was a second man, a few steps down, looking out toward the street. “Professor Ian Start?” said the man in front of me.

“Yes?” I said, tearing my gaze away from the familiar pale ginger head.

“I’m Detective Henry Ransom from the Providence Police Department. May we have a few minutes of your time?” At that point, the tawny head turned, and it was, as I knew it would be, Jake. Right on cue, Ransom said, “This is Detective Jake Quinn.” Our eyes met and held. In the moment, I was delighted to see him. But in my moment of pleasure, I could see wariness and warning in his eyes, a slight shake of his head that clearly said don’t acknowledge. I immediately assumed there were some gay identity issues at play and kept my trap shut. Everyone knew I was gay, but I was well aware of guilt by association.

“Yes, of course, come in. We were just having coffee. Can I get you a cup?” Ever the perfect host, eh? With no small amount of trepidation, I led them to the kitchen where Rita was sitting at my little table. It looks out over a small terracotta-tiled patio with a wildflower garden beyond, looking bleak and dead in the frigid morning with black stems and flower heads that hadn’t been tended to before the winter frosts.

“Yeah, coffee would be good,” said Detective Ransom. I raised my eyebrows at Jake, who merely nodded. I knew he took it black but inquired of both anyway. Rita introduced herself, and they all shook hands. I didn’t get a handshake. I began to feel very nervous. My knuckles started to prickle.

Rita rents my street-level apartment. Short and trim, with crazy hair from an indeterminate ethnic background, she’s my closest friend even if she is a social worker. I had an overload of social workers during the time I was in the hospital, all telling me how fucked up I was going to be when I got out. After that, I swore off them permanently, but Rita was the exception. Despite our connection, Rita was a little bit of an enigma; quiet as a whisper, I never heard music or a loud voice from her apartment, so it was hard to tell if she was home or not, and I never knew if she had company because she apparently didn’t keep regular hours. But every Sunday morning without fail she’d be at my back door with croissants and hot chocolate and dressed in tight stretchy sportswear, perfectly comfortable with me in pajama bottoms and my faded silk robe. And that’s how a Sunday morning found us, the second of January, a sunny, cold winter day, when we heard the knock at the front door.

“I’m going to head back downstairs, Ian. If you need anything, just call.” And then she was gone. Cops can do that: clear a room instantly.

I poured two cups from the carafe and retrieved a carton of milk from the refrigerator for Ransom, letting him pour. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Ransom spoke. Jake didn’t say a word. “You are acquainted with a Thomas Wilson.” Statement, not a question.

“He was a student of mine, yes.” The answer to the nonquestion.

“Was?” Ransom asked, a hint of a challenge in the tone.

“Yes,” I said warily. “He’s taken his last drawing class. I teach drawing.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Again Ransom. Christ. This was bad. I was going to hear that Thomas was missing. Missing or hurt, or…no, not going there. My stomach roiled a little.

“What’s going on?” I asked again. And in nearly a whisper. “What kind of detectives are you? Missing persons?” Yeah, like there are missing persons detectives. I was hoping for the best out of the only other option.

“Homicide,” said Ransom. I sat down hard on the nearest chair. Ransom then asked again, “When was the last time you saw Thomas Wilson?”

No, I do not want to hear what’s coming. “The last day of class. Um, the twelfth, I guess. He helped me load portfolios into my car. Are you telling me Thomas is dead?” Jake nodded but said nothing. “Are you sure? Sure it was Thomas? What happened? When?” They were wrong, had the wrong kid, were talking to the wrong instructor. I stared uncomprehendingly at Ransom. I couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes at all. I felt helpless. My knuckles began to itch, and I distractedly scratched at them.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon

Meet the Author

Pamela A. Williams is a Clinical Social Worker living and working on the Southcoast of Massachusetts. She is the daughter John E. Williams, winner of the 1973 National Book Award for Augustus. She has always had writing in her blood but has only lately found the serenity and confidence to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, if you will).

Ms. Williams comes from a widely varied background. She’s worked in manufacturing, retail, graphic arts and the mental health field. She tries to bring these experiences to her writing to create well rounded, believable characters. And she remains forever honored and grateful to her clients who have shared their personal stories and broadened her view of humanity. She is awed by their resilience and trust.

She lives with two cats, of course.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Poisoned Primrose by Dahlia Donovan

Author Dahlia Donovan and Other Worlds Ink host today's blog visit for Poisoned Primrose! Learn more about the cozy mystery and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Dahlia Donovan has a new MF bi/ace cozy mystery romance out: "Poisoned Primrose."

Meet Motts and the quirky cast of characters in her world. Poisoned Primrose is a quintessential cosy British mystery and an all-round fun story to throw yourself into.

Autistic, asexual, and almost forty, Pineapple “Motts” Mottley flees London with her cat and turtle to a quaint cottage in Cornwall. She craves the peace of life in a small village. The dead body buried in her garden isn’t quite what she had in mind, though.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she falls directly into a mess of trouble and runs head-first into the attractive detective inspector, Teo Herceg. She tries to balance her business with the investigation, but as the killer focuses on her, staying alive becomes trickier than advanced origami.

Will Motts survive the onslaught of murderously bad luck?

Can she solve the mystery before it all spins out of control and off a cliff?

Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | QueeRomance Ink | Smashwords | Goodreads

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Giveaway

Dahlia is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47135/?

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Excerpt

Chapter One

A cat, a turtle, and a Pineapple walk into a cottage…. That’s it. That’s the punch line of my life choices.

“Well, here we are.” Motts closed the solid wooden front door to her new cottage, leaning back against it and releasing a pent-up sigh. She opened her bluish-grey eyes to stare at all the boxes, plastic bins, and bags. “Bugger. You’ve no one to blame but yourself for this, Pineapple Mottley.”

Pineapple Meg Mottley had been so named because her mother had craved nothing but the tropical fruit during her one and only pregnancy. There’d only been one issue. No one ever called her Pineapple; her uncle had nicknamed her Motts as an infant, and it stuck.

Meow.

The plaintive cry came from behind one of the boxes. Motts moved quickly to lift up her precious cat. Cactus was a tortoiseshell Sphynx cat; she’d found the poor dear at a shelter and fallen head-over-sneakers in love. He buried his head in her shoulder-length brown hair, purring his little heart out.

She stroked the suede-like downy fuzz covering his wrinkly body. “What are we going to do about this mess? Want to help me unpack? No?”

Figures.

What have I gotten myself into?

When her auntie Daisy had passed away, Motts had taken the inherited cottage as a sign. London had always been overwhelming to her senses. Polperro was a much quieter place with a slower pace suited for her autistic needs.

She loved Polperro. Her parents were both originally from Cornwall. A lot of her family lived in the area, as did her ex-girlfriend.

Despite having spent many a holiday with family at the cottage, Motts found herself overwhelmed by the sudden change. This was a terrible idea. I should’ve sold the house. I am such a silly fool.

Okay.

Take a few deep breaths.

Match Cactus’s purring.

You’re going to be okay.

“Ahh!” She jumped when a rapid knocking on the door jolted her. “For goodness sake.”

“Motts? You okay?”

She spun around and yanked the door open to find the welcome sight of her ex-girlfriend, Pravina Griffin, and Vina’s twin brother, Nish. “I’m….”

How do I finish the sentence?

Panicked?

In the middle of the biggest mistake I’ve ever made?

Just slightly overcome by irrational fear?

Nish moved forward to take Cactus from her arms while Vina led her inside. “Amma is bringing over supper. She wanted to let the sambar simmer a little longer. She even made your favourite kind of rice.”

The Griffin twins took after their Tamil mother, Leena, who’d been a Bollywood star before falling in love with Cadan Griffin, a Cornish-Indian cricket player. They’d settled in Polperro to run a coffee shop and bakery. Griffin Brews had been around for thirty-plus years, and now their children managed it, allowing their parents to retire early.

Leena and Cadan had welcomed Motts with open arms even before she’d briefly dated their daughter. Motts and Vina had realised over the years that their close bond felt more like that of siblings. They’d dumped each other but remained the best of friends, where they’d started in the first place.

“Let’s talk about something less daunting than unpacking. How goes the dating life? Did you fill out a dating profile on the site I emailed you?” Vina plucked Moss, Motts’s turtle, out of his travel terrarium. “Well?”

“No, I didn’t. There’s no box to check for asexual, biromantic autistic.” Motts gently took Moss to return her to a safer place. “No touching the turtle.”

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Author Bio



Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.

Author Website: http://dahliadonovan.com/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/dahliadonovan

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/DahliaDonovan

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliadonovanauthor/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184061.Dahlia_Donovan

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/dahlia-donovan/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dahlia-Donovan/e/B00KFNZFHU/

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Boiling Over (Caro Mysteries #2) by Thea McAlistair

Thea McAlistair and IndiGo Marketing promote the new release of Boiling Over (Caro Mysteries #2) from NineStar Press! Discover more about the second book from the historical series and enter in the $10 NSP credit giveaway!

Title: Boiling Over

Series: The Caro Mysteries, Book Two

Author: Thea McAlistair

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: January 6, 2019

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 73800

Genre: Historical, LGBT, gay, historical, mystery, cozy mystery, age gap, established couple, mental illness, anxiety, PTSD, private detective, New England

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

On the run from trumped-up murder charges, Alex Dawson and his boyfriend Sev settle in a small town in Vermont on the recommendation of Sev’s mob-boss cousin Bella. Chickadee is so tiny that it has only one major employer in the depths of the Great Depression: Trask & Co. Maple Sugar Mill. It’s a quiet place. That is, until Walter Trask is found in his own maple grove with his head smashed in.

Alex doesn’t want to have anything to do with the death, but things get much more personal when Bella is falsely arrested. Determined to free her and even the scales, Alex scours the town for clues as to what really happened. He quickly learns that small towns have big secrets that people may be willing to kill for. And if that weren’t bad enough, Alex and Sev’s once-sweet relationship is turning bitter under the combined pressures of isolation, anxiety, and jealousy. Alex needs to find the true murderer quickly before Bella is turned over to the feds, or worse, Sev walks out of his life forever.

Excerpt

Boiling Over
Thea McAlistair © 2020
All Rights Reserved

When Sev first asked me to run away with him, he’d mentioned exotic places like India and Australia, warm countries far away from the seedy city we were living in. It had sounded romantic and wonderful, and when we finally left—well, fled—I had hopes of going somewhere like that. Instead, we ended up in Chickadee, Vermont.

Chickadee was a small town, about a half-hour drive from the Canadian border and about a six-hour drive from our old home in Connecticut. In all my twenty-three years, I’d never set foot in the countryside, and now there was all this empty space. Blue sky. Trees. Cows.

“Bella wants us to stay here?” I asked as I gaped at the maple forest flashing by the car window. “It’s so…rustic.”

“Well, just think, Alex,” grumbled Sev, his faint Italian accent tinged with unease as he guided the rickety borrowed Oldsmobile over bumps on the dirt road, “it’s better than the alternatives, yes?”

Considering the alternatives were dead and arrested for murder, he was right. Less than a month ago, I’d been living my dull life, writing during the day and serving as a bodyguard for the mayor in the evenings, and then all hell broke loose. Now nine people were dead, including my friends Martin and Donnie, and the corrupt cops wouldn’t even think of hearing my side of the story. Targeting the big guy with a chip on his shoulder the size of New England was almost too easy for them.

“It’s pretty here!” chimed Pearl from the back.

I twisted to look at her. She perched on the edge of the seat, her already-large eyes expanded in wonder. Her cat, Daisy, sulked in a metal cage next to her. I still wasn’t sure it’d been the brightest idea to take a six-year-old on the lam with us, but it was too late now. At least she seemed to be enjoying the trip. And why wouldn’t she? She wasn’t the one running from murder charges.

“Bit different from the city, huh?” I asked, careful to keep my voice cheerful for her.

She nodded and returned to staring at the trees.

I slumped back into my seat, grateful she didn’t seem to share my unease.

Sev nudged my arm. “Which road do I take?”

I straightened and peered out the windshield. We were coming up on an intersection, if a split of one dirt track into two could be called that. I scrambled to unfold the map I’d crumpled in my distraction. Sev’s cousin Bella—the most notorious gangster in Westwick—had given us these directions and all our fake identification papers first thing that morning.

Why Bella had chosen Chickadee to hide us from the cops was a mystery. She hadn’t given me a straight answer when I asked, only that she had friends there and Sev would be working with one of them. Most likely the location had something to do with the rum-running routes she’d controlled until about six months ago. While the end of Prohibition had cut the bottom out from under her main moneymaker, there were many other ways to make an illegal living, and why leave when she already had a foot in the door?

“Left,” I said, tracing the hand-drawn line with my finger. “Looks like another mile and we reach town.”

Sev obeyed, taking the left fork. The car turned in a wide arc around yet more trees. Both sides of the road were obscured by underbrush and shadow. Sev swore under his breath in Italian and slowed even more.

“They should clear this,” he muttered. “Someone’s going to get hit one day.”

“Who’s going to get hit?” I answered. “There’s no one out he—”

Sev slammed the brakes as a figure darted from between the trunks. I jolted forward and got the wind knocked out of me as I smacked into the dashboard. Pearl screamed, tumbling into the back of my seat. The rattle of the cat cage almost drowned out Daisy’s yowls.

Blinded by pain, I groped for Sev. “Everyone okay?” I gasped.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Fine,” he said.

Pearl wailed. I turned, ignoring the objections of my bruised ribs. She huddled in the space between the back bench and the front seat, clutching her wrist. My already-pitching stomach dropped. I’d brought her with us to get her away from all the pain in her past, and now here was more. I scrambled out the door and around the back to get her.

“You’re all right; you’re all right,” I mumbled in an effort to convince myself my assurance was true. “Can I see?”

Pearl snuffled and presented her arm. Already her wrist was red and swelling. I held back the curses bubbling in my mind. In a flash of anger, I whipped around to see what jackass had done this.

To my surprise, I only saw a girl straddling a sturdy bike. She was maybe sixteen or seventeen, wearing men’s dungarees and a gingham shirt. Freckles were splattered across her face, and ash-blonde braids draped down her back. She gnawed on her lip, her eyes huge with fear.

“I’m so sorry,” she squeaked. “There’s almost never anyone out here—”

“Alex?” Sev called. He sounded muffled. I looked at the driver’s side door. He had gotten out and had one hand curled around the lower half of his face while the other scrambled in a pocket. “I think I might have been mistaken when I said I was fine.” He pulled out a handkerchief, and I saw both his nose and his upper lip were bleeding.

Fear, anger, and unbidden memories tangled up in my mind, freezing my mouth in one slack-jawed position, keeping me mute.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Don't miss Book #1 in the Caro Mysteries series, No Good Men, available from NineStar Press

In 1934, almost everyone struggles to pay the rent, and Alex Dawson is no exception. To support his writing habit, he moonlights with his mentor Donnie as a bodyguard for the mayor. It’s dull work, until the night a handsome, golden-eyed stranger catches his eye–and both his boss and his mentor are killed when his back is turned.

Jobless and emotionally adrift, Alex vows to find the murderer before the corrupt police can pin the blame on him. But he soon discovers he’s in over his head. The golden-eyed stranger turns out to be a mob boss’s cousin, and a suspicious stack of money in Donnie’s dresser leads Alex to discover that his mentor and the mayor were involved in something more crooked than fundraising dinners and campaign speeches. As the death count rises amid corruption, mob politics, and anarchist plots, Alex realizes that the murders aren’t political or even business. This is the work of a spree killer, and Alex and his new boyfriend are the only ones who can stop them.

Meet the Author

Thea McAlistair is the pseudonym of an otherwise terribly boring office worker from New Jersey. She studied archaeology, anthropology, history, architecture, and public policy, but none of those panned out, so she decided to go back to an early love – writing. She can often be found muttering to herself about her latest draft at completely inappropriate times.

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Review: The 5th Gender (Tinkered Stars Mystery) by G.L. Carriger

A species that has no word for murder, has a murderer aboard their spaceship.

ALIEN

Tristol lives in exile. But he’s built a life for himself aboard a human space station. He’s even begun to understand the complex nuances of human courting rituals.

Detective Hastion is finally flirting back!

MURDER

Except that Tristol’s beloved space station is unexpectedly contacted by the galoi – a xenophobic species with five genders, purple skin, and serious attitude. They need the help of a human detective because there’s a murderer aboard their spaceship. Murder is so rare, the galoi don’t even have a word for it.

Tristol knows this because he is galoi.

ROMANCE

Which means that he and Detective Hastion are on the case… together.

Delicate Sensibilities?

Contains men who love other men in graphic detail, regardless of gender, biology, or skin color... and lots of emotively sexy tentacle hair.

What is it about an endearing lavender alien, whose guileless charm, flirty ways, and innate goodness oh so easily and seamlessly melted my cold prickly heart? Throw in said alien having fae features, excellent fashion sense, and fascinating “sentient” hair (crazy I know), and you’ve got quite the start to a new series!


Tristol is an outcast amongst his fellow galoi, and he lives his life on a bustling space station, as his very sunny disposition makes him the perfect diplomatic ambassador to bridge relations between humans and other aliens. Deep down, Tristol misses his home, but he knows his personal choices and preferences prevent his return and he’s made peace with that. All Tristol really wants is for a certain grumpy detective to notice him and make Tristol his. Said surly lawman is Drey, who keeps his distance from the vibrant alien, thinking such a wonderful person would never settle for boring old him.


When Tristol’s self isolating people contact the station for help, this unexpected never before encounter is probably a once in a lifetime event. For a race that doesn’t know what murder is, a dead galoi is a confounding mystery to all. They barter for detective Drey’s skills, and Tristol must accompany him to help solve the case.


Seriously. If you are a fan of Gala’s Claiming series, then this should be an absolute slam dunk. Finishing a 346 page book in two quick nights speaks volumes as to how much I enjoyed this as precious sleep was sacrificed.


This was smart and complex, contemplating human and alien nature as Carriger creates a fascinating species with their own complicated problems and foibles. Such contrasting dynamics always bring an interesting perspective in seeing ourselves from another point of view and to be more accepting and opening minded about others’ choices and beliefs. This in turn, also aptly contrasted Tristol and Drey, the former who can't contain his infectious joie de vivre and the latter, being the ultimate protective gentle giant beneath a gruff exterior. Be reassured that there was no shortage on the romance as this was super sweet, funny, poignant, and very nicely smexy, showing all the different ways the galoi can bring pleasure with their anatomical differences. *wink*


I recommend reading the glossary in the back first to avoid initial frustration and confusion but regardless, take a chance on this and enjoy!! I so look forward to what Carriger will further bring to this new world of hers. I just hope we don’t have to wait an interminable amount of time to get our next fix! Fingers and toes crossed!

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Review: Late Fees (A Pinx Video Mystery #3) by Marshall Thornton

It’s Thanksgiving, 1992 and Noah Valentine is late picking his mother up from the airport. When he arrives he discovers that she’s made a friend on the flight whose also waiting for her son. When women’s son doesn’t show up, they eventually take the woman home for breakfast with neighbor’s Marc and Louis. Soon after, they learn that the woman’s son has overdosed—or has he? Noah and his motley crew investigate over the holiday weekend; which includes a fabulous dinner, a chat with a male stripper, a tiny little burglary and some help from Detective Tall, Dark, and Delicious.

Reviewer: Annika

About a year ago now I picked up the first book in this series. For the most part I wasn't sold on it and was going to leave the rest of the series and was satisfied with just reading that one. Then the ending happened and I was hooked, needed to know more. Now? I'm totally addicted and in love with this series and keep hoping for more books.

It's almost Thanksgiving and Noah's mother, Angie, is flying in to spend the holidays in Los Angeles. Only he's late picking her up from the airport, and during that time she made a friend who's also waiting for her son. Noah offers to drive Joanne to her son's apartment on his way home. But when they arrive, there's no son in sight and they soon finds out he's died during the night in an apparent suicide.

Only Noah and his gang of friends aren't so sure, so they start investigating. Noah is more than reluctant to get involved with another murder investigation. Especially since his mother is determined to partake in it - but that makes it all the more fun for the reader.

The series has this strange combination of gritty, but also the cosy mystery feel to it. The action is (very) low key and the pacing is not this intense can't breathe and nonstop action kind of thing. On the contrary, it feels real, not only because it's life, but also because it really fits with the 90's where that stress of doing and being everywhere at once isn't as pronounced as it is today. Nothing is instant - the coffee or flow of information.

There's still no romance near this series, maybe the fantasy or wishful thinking of one, but I honestly don't mind that. This series is good as it is, and I do see something happening down the line, but there's no need to rush it. Noah isn't there yet, he's still got a lot to work through and this book sees him start that journey. And one I'm so looking forward to be part of.

Review: Mai Tais and Murder (Gabe Maxfield Mysteries #1) by J.C. Long

Gabe Maxfield never wanted to be a detective or a policeman or anything of the sort. The closest he wanted to come to the law was writing legal briefs and doing research for a big-shot law firm. Nice and safe, and without all the stress. No unanswered questions, just well-defined legal precedents.

When he moves to Hawaii in the wake of a disastrous breakup and betrayal by an ex, a murder investigation is the last thing he expects to get wrapped up in, but he can’t help himself when a dead body, a hunky cop, and his best friend get involved.

So much for sipping mai tais on the beach and admiring the well-tanned bodies around him.

This was so much fun! J.C. Long has totally captured the feel of Hawaii as someone who lives there and not simply a narrative of visiting. I have no idea if Long actually lived on the Sandwich Islands, if he knows someone who lives there or just did amazing fucking research, but as a chick who lived Upcountry on Maui for 2.5 years and worked for a local company, he nailed it.

Gabe Maxfield has left his home, job as a paralegal with a prestigious law firm and stupid ex-boyfriend back in Seattle to start fresh on the advice from his best friend Grace Park. We meet Gabe as he is trying to understand the movers who’ve come to deliver some of his belongings but Gabe can’t understand them because they are speaking pidgin. For quick reference, pidgin is a casual “language” spoken by native Hawaiians and residents who have been there long enough to pick it up. I know from experience, when I first moved to Maui and answered the telephone to someone asking if my brother in law “stay?” I was confused. I didn’t realize he was asking if my brother in law was there. It takes a bit to get used to when it’s spoken but I worked at a local electrical supply company during my time on Maui and was exposed to so much pidgin my question to my co-worker about lunch would be, “Hey, Mavis. You like go the mall, yeah?” Yup. Part of pidgin is also answering your own question.

Another thing Long nailed about living in Hawaii is da grinds, braddah! Good lord. My first taste of hamburger steak and then loco moco was mind blowing. Loco moco became one of my favorite things that to this day I make it for my family for dinner (and breakfast as I first had it at breakfast) but now I make myself a Vegan version of it. I tried a lot of local cuisine while living on the island before becoming Vegan so I can nod along as Gabe tries new food and even when he freaks out seeing his first Kalua pig.

Yeah. The author delivered Hawaii to the reader in an authentic and for me nostalgic way so much that I had to pull out my Keali'i Reichel CD because it had me Wanting Memories.
But enough about me and my feelings about Hawaii.

Gabe is in Honolulu to start over and starting over means moving past his old relationship and a jerk that didn’t deserve him. Thankfully Gabe’s stud of a neighbor, Maka Kekoa is enough to make him forget Trevor ever existed and it’s not just Maka’s stature. Sure, Maka is hot AF but he’s also this guy who gives off great vibes from their meet cute and the two have instant chemistry.

“Gabe Maxfield, you are an idiot.” It was an important enough statement that I needed to hear it said aloud to reinforce exactly how stupid I was.

I adored being in Gabe’s head. He lets us know exactly what is going on and what he’s thinking with honesty. When he goes out for lunch with Grace and makes a gruesome discovery during a quick stop at Grace’s Private Investigations office, we know the score. He’s freaked out but tries to keep a cool head. Gabe never pretends to be something he’s not, even when he’s drunk on okolehalo and attempting to dance hula and take home the kalua pig’s head. He knows he’s not an investigator or even an amateur sleuth. He knows what he’s doing isn’t smart and that he shouldn’t but Gabe is loyal to Grace and will do what he needs to do to help his friend.

So while the stop ended in a murder and the murder ends up getting Grace arrested as a suspect, Gabe comes face to face with the detectives and one who is Maka. Yup, not only are they neighbors but now we have this connection and what is a guy to do when a big strapping Hawaiian detective wants to protected him with his amazing body?

What was I saying? I got lost in Gabe’s dream with Maka on the beach that I knew was going to be a dream but I so wanted it to be real but then I got the real thing and it was so worth it.

Yeah, Maka is hot and Maka is alpha but Maka is also goofy as all get out and really a romantic. I loved that he wants to protect Gabe but also wants to date him and take care of him. The luau was a perfect “date” and learning that Maka can not only surf but he dances hula as well… let’s just say so watch some all-male hula halau’s (Psst this whole routine is good but the moment you hit 2:10 to the end will give you a hint) and you’ll see why this information makes Maka that much sexier. But really, he’s a great guy who has no problem acknowledging his own appeal and makes good use of it with Gabe. Not that he has to work hard with Gabe considering Gabe wants to climb him like the Lahaina Banyan tree.

I like that Gabe and Maka are honest with one another and don’t take advantage of the situation they are in. They treat this like adults, they take steps intimately like adults and though they both talk a good erotic game, they don’t think with their dicks 100% of the time but they are stupidly attracted to one another so…

“You know what they say about thinking with your dick, right?” 

“That it’s way more fun than thinking with your head?”

But along with all this, there is a murder mystery going on though it takes a back seat to me compared to the romance. Gabe’s ability to get himself into trouble was actually entertaining for me even though it was life threatening. I have things for those who put themselves in danger the way he did when he knows damn well he is doing it and it scares the shit it out him. It’s a total recipe for disaster but it makes for a great read. Some of his antics remind be a bit of the show Pysch which I happen to adore. It’s the little things he does and his knowledge of the law from being a paralegal that actually make him a great investigator.

“You came here for a new start, right? What better way to start new than in an entirely new career?”

Speaking of him being an investigator… this book is a great set up to the series. Knowing it’s called the Gabe Maxfield Mysteries this was perfect to set Gabe up with Grace with a new career and business between the two of them. The set-up is reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich and how we get a brief introduction into how she became a bounty hunter, the folks she works with and the men she is involved with. Though Gabe’s series isn’t as laugh out loud – yet – as the early Plum novels, I have no doubt he and Grace can manage shenanigans and he and Maka can deliver the romance.

 
I think it’s fair to say I had fun with this book and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I can’t get over the authentic feel of island life the author provided and yeah, the traffic in Honolulu is that bad. I learned my lesson on the Likelike Highway during a morning commute and Aloha shirts are fancy. Trust me on this.

Wow. I am rambling.

So, I can’t wait to read more in the series and this being my fourth book from the author, I dare say we are a good match.

Here’s to Gabe and Maka; may they continue to be hot in bed, at tables eating laulau and ridiculously romantic as the fall in love with one another. Here’s to Grace and Gabe; may their partnership get them into situations that require intelligence, wit, humor and a fast trigger finger for a gun or to call Maka to the rescue. Here’s to Hawaii; Huli pau!

Trivia Question: In which book does Chris fall for an ex-Olympian swimmer that had cancer? 10 pts