Series Tour + Giveaway: Nacho Mama's Patio Cafe Novels by Steve Schatz

Welcome the Nacho Mama's Patio Cafe series tour to the blog! Join author Steve Schatz and Gay Book Promotions as they host today's tour stop and giveaway: one of three ebook copies of Any Summer Sunday, one of three ebook copies of Who Plugged the Dyke?, or an audiobook of either book! 

SERIES TOUR - NACHO MAMA'S PATIO CAFE NOVELS

Friends, fags, & fun in a little college town  

Any Summer Sunday

Boys in the Band meets Le Cage in an Indiana drag bar

Who Plugged the Dyke?

Elections are hard. This one is Murder

The two books stand alone and can be read in either order, although Any Summer Sunday was written first and contains more background information. It is a more character driven story. Who Plugged the Dyke is a mystery.

Overall Heat Rating: 2 flames. Tawdry, but not dirty. Sex is described as part of a story, but not in detail. No sex scenes. Not romance. Not erotica. Think of gay friends in a bar who might describe a conquest (but not the specifics).

BOOK 1

Book Title: Any Summer Sunday at Nacho Mama’s Patio Cafe: Drag, Songs, Friends, Laughs, Lies, Danger & Redemption

Author: Steve Schatz

Publisher: Any Summer Sunday Books

Cover Artist: James at GoOnWrite

Length:  75 000 words/ 234 Pages

Release Date: June 21, 2019

Genre:  LGBT Humorous Fiction

Trope/s: Reluctant hero, power of friendship, metonymy (Drag – the entire life around performance in a gay bar & Nacho Mama’s represents a safe place where friends gather, gossip, and support each other)

Themes: Friends, Small town gay, Drag and Performance, Lookin’ for love

It is a standalone story

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Bookshop  |  Any Summer Sunday

How far should you go to save a friend from her own desires?

Blurb

TiaRa del Fuego is in love and that means trouble for her friends. Every Sunday evening we meet in Hoosier Daddy, our small college town’s only gay bar gather to watch TiaRa del Fuego’s Parade of Gowns drag show. Performance, love, betrayal, spies, and friendship fight to the fore every Summer Sunday.

However, this Sunday, dear TiaRa, thin enough to hate, yet broken enough to love, announces she has found love...yet again...and is leaving after that evening’s show to be with her new man. We know she is making a huge mistake...again. What can we do?

Any Summer Sunday is a celebration of friends, drag, and life. Come and join in the fun.

Excerpt from Any Summer Sunday

With few exceptions, the same group of reprobates gathered every week. We are no longer young, but all have spent our years wisely or wildly enough to hold one’s place when the conversation turns a bit too bitchy. We enjoyed our youth, are enjoying the years beyond youth without regret, and occasionally enjoy youths—when the opportunity arises, as it were.

All societies celebrate the young, but in gay circles, this celebration borders on idolatry. Twenty-somethings and now even teeny-somethings who celebrate their coming out are welcomed into a glorious disco summer camp with every conceivable need provided. For those of us who are years past the realization and/or announcement, being out offers far fewer invitations. We often find ourselves between worlds—not certain of a welcome in either gay or straight society.

In “normal” society, it is tiresome to yet again face the “ . . . and your wife?” questions in every new group and to worry if it is going to be an issue. If I have an urge to explore square dancing, must I find a gay square—hmmm . . . Mr. Lynde springs to mind. Sometimes it’s easier not to bother. Then there are those moments when it suddenly pisses you off that you are supposed to feel gratitude merely for being accepted or endured by the dominant pairing paradigm.

 In the gay community, the adulation of youth and horror of aging can make one feel diseased. Even previously enjoyable activities can be snatched away. Take window shopping. I enjoy looking at a pretty pair of pants when it walks by, even if I know it will never fit, I can’t afford it, and the style is all wrong for a man of my years and shape. I look because it is pretty, and I enjoy looking at pretty things. But, if every time I go looking, the trousers, upon noticing my gaze, gasp in horror, turn away with a look of sardonic pity, and begin to whisper with their fellow couture, I eventually will give up looking.

 So, when we find a group and an enjoyable activity where we can simply be, without the need to prove or explain ourselves, then it is something to be cherished. Not misty-eyed, bosom clutching cherished, but those people and enjoyments are simply too dear to give up without a care. Sunday afternoons were like that. That is why, when one Sunday, TiaRa del Fuego—dear, sweet, damaged TiaRa—announced that she had found love, yet again—this time on a dating site and was leaving town to be with her new man who was driving up that very day to help her move—well, we knew something had to be done and quickly.

BOOK 2

Book Title: Who Plugged the Dyke?

Author: Steve Schatz

Publisher: Any Summer Sunday Books

Cover Artist: James at GoOnWrite

Length: 218 pages 67,000 words

Release Date: July 2020

Genres: LBGT Mystery, LGBT Humor, LGBT Fiction

Trope: Reluctant hero

Themes: Friendship, small town gays, detection, politics

It is a standalone story.

Goodreads

Buy Links 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Bookshop  |  Any Summer Sunday

 A gay mystery full to the tits with action and wit.

Blurb

Some Elections are hard … This one is Murder!

Get ready for Excitement, Laughs, Thrills and Fun!

In 10 days she’ll be the 1st in your face lesbian judge elected in homo-hating Indiana. But someone wants to kill her and her little dog too.

The friends from Nacho Mama’s Patio Cafe must put on their big boy panties, get out of Hoosier Daddy, the only gay bar in town, onto the streets and go hunting for the culprit.

Thrills, drag shows, danger, laughs and a kick line of drag queens in judicial robes as the anti-heroes dodge explosions, fire, guns, knives and terror, seek out the hidden mastermind and sashay to the rescue.

You loved Any Summer Sunday at Nacho Mama’s Patio Cafe. Now, the merry band from the small Indiana college town’s drag bar return. It’s an Indiana Election Mystery. Who Plugged the Dyke?

Excerpt from Who Plugged the Dyke?

I noticed that the big, bearded Tooth Fairy had moved nearly in front of me. There is something wonderfully wrong about a big ol’ hunka hunka in a pink tutu. I grinned at him. He didn't grin back. His attention was fixed on Deb. However, he was not smiling. He was just staring. Something in the back of my mind tickled. I started watching him more carefully. He was playing with his magic wand. It was about three feet long and trailed stars and strands of glitter. But he was pulling off the covering and it was looking less and less like a wand and more and more like a weapon. Recalling what I had been told, I looked for Roger or Petunia or one of Nacho's Twinks. I couldn't see Roger. Petunia was at the back of the stage, guarding the way in. I saw a couple of cute Twinks, but didn't know if they were Nacho's boys or not. I started to raise my hand and kind of gesture toward the Tooth Fairy. I was trying to be cool and not alert him that I had noticed anything untoward. He continued to pull away the spangles. He was looking down at the wand and then up at Deb, and I could see a look of menace grow across his features.

I waved my hands over my head and then pointed down at him. Some in the crowd saw what I was doing and waved, too. They thought it was a celebratory gesture. I began to wave my hands and point more emphatically. I nearly lost my balance, but no one seemed to get the message. No one was heading in that direction. I looked at  he man, who was no longer looking fairy-like at all. He had finished pulling all the detritus off his wand and while I was not a  weapons guy, even I could recognize that what was once a wand  was now, very obviously, a weapon. A blow gun.

He reached into his bag and pulled out, not a handful of glitter, but a rather large  dart with a very large and very sharp point. By this time, subtle was no longer on the table. I waved my hands wildly above my  head, then pointed at the guy. I did not care if he saw. I had to  stop him, and no one seemed to be coming to do anything about it. Deb was talking. The girls were dancing. And the Tooth Fairy  dropped the dart into his blow gun.

About the Author

Steve Schatz writes with a crazy mashup of laughs and excitement and humor. Readers can’t stop reading, but don’t want the story to end. Each book is an adventure where endearing anti-heroes struggle against this crazy world and triumph using the twin forces of intentional, creative action and friends helping friends.  Schatz draws on a lifetime of varied and fascinating experiences, from instructional designer and college prof to party clown and nightclub owner.

His series of adult fiction highlights a group of middle-aged gay friends who gather every week in a small, Indiana college town. Mixing drinks, snappy repartee, and the humor and joy of long-time friends, in one book they rescue the fair drag queen from an obvious miscreant. In another, they ride to the protection of a lesbian candidate for judge who is being targeted by mysterious evil-doers. The excitement reveals itself against a backdrop of drag performance and efforts by anti-heroes. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll beg for more. Steve Schatz offers a new voice and a smile for the LGBT community and their friends.

Author Links

Blog/Website  |   Twitter: @AnySummerSunday

Facebook  |   Newsletter sign-up

 Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win 

one of three ebook copies of Any Summer Sunday,

one of three ebook copies of Who Plugged the Dyke?,

or an audiobook of either book.

Total of 8 giveaways

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Tag Team Review: Satin (A Material World #2) by K.C. Wells

Can a touch of Satin bring a straight copper to his knees?

Detective Joel Hunter is on surveillance when he first lays eyes on Satin, the singer with the amazing voice, which is as beautiful as she is. But when the stake-out comes to an end, he can’t resist going back to the bar. He gets a shock when he learns what lies beneath the satin dress, but an even bigger one when he realizes he’s attracted to the owner of that sultry voice - Ross Dauntry.
Ross can’t figure out why the cop keeps coming back, even after he’s learned the truth. Is Joel attracted to him, or to Satin? Because the answer is important, and one way or another, Ross needs to know…

46,000 words. A standalone novella of satin and sensuality...
Although this story is in the same series as Lace, you will not find Dave and Shawn in these pages - Joel and Ross provide enough heat of their own.

Lost in a Book - 3 Hearts

The book was Meh... let's get to the good stuff which is the reason this has 3 hearts instead of 2.5...

The barre.

The flexibility needed.

The stretches one must do on the barre to "cool down."

The opportunity that presents itself when you have the ballet studio to yourself with another hot male watching you.

I'll give you a minute to visualize...

Did that help? It depicts the scene in the book perfectly... if you take away the clothes and add another naked male *ahem* directly behind him.

Anywhoooo, as I said, this book was just ok. I got distracted by the shiny cover and forgot that the first book in this series was just alright, too.

We start off with detective Joel Hunter. Joel is single and ready to mingle… with women. Unfortunately for good ol’ Joel, all of the women he has tried to date have hit the road with parting gifts of insecurity in his personality as well as his lack of bedroom prowess. Joel has been attracted to men but “hasn’t acted on it” and he is “definitely straight.” The story starts with Joel and his partner Trish doing a sting operation in the Paradise Club. At the club, Joel is captivated with the beautiful looks and voice of Satin. Once the sting operation is over, Joel continues to watch Satin and on one of these nights, Satin approaches Joel.

Satin is a female impersonator who is aptly named for the Satin “she” dons on stage. Satin AKA Ross performs for the club while trying to find work in ballet as a dancer. Ross is also jaded by previous relationships where he puts out and then the men get out. When Satin approaches Joel, they have good conversation and Ross invites Joel for coffee which he reluctantly accepts.

Their relationship begins “slowly” over a month’s time. They have coffees once a week and then they met for drinks which turned into “coffee” at Joel’s flat. Now, here is where it’s like a repeat of book one. The sex is hot but again, not realistic. Joel is still saying he is straight to I’ve-never-been-with-a-man-I-don’t-know-maybe-I-could-be-bi to this…

“Ross’s cock sprang up, hard and wet at the slit. It was an invitation Joel was unable to ignore. He bent over, and hesitantly at first, ran his tongue over the pearl of pre-come that glistened there.”

and then this…

“He slicked up a couple of fingers, and stopped Ross’s preparations with a gentle hand. “I think this is my job.”

That’s some talent right there. Taking a face fucking like a champ for his first time ever touching a male and then prep work, too. *smh* At least the scenes were hot even if reality had to be suspended!

Although both men have insecurities from past relationships, the main drama of the story is whether Joel will pull his head out and realize whether he is straight or bi and whether he wants to be in a relationship with Ross. The bad news for us as readers is that Joel isn’t the brightest crayon in the crayon box so he is constantly back and forth. Just when you think that he is in a relationship with Ross, Joel starts thinking and that doesn’t bode well. Joel goes from wanting to see where the attraction will lead and spending the night at each others flats to “I don’t want to lead him on” *bangs head* or “this is getting way too serious.” *rolls eyes* Joel is extremely clueless throughout which was irritating. The MC dialogue, their inner thoughts and “jokes” were awkward for most of the book. I liked Trish, Joel’s partner. She added the most depth to the story which shouldn’t be the case.

This will be the end of my journey for this series. I WILL NOT fall for another shiny cover with naked men in their pretty fabulous stupid manties. The sex was hot but not worth putting up with the lack of story and awkward characters. On a positive note, I'll never look at a barre the same way again...

Fantasy Living - 3 Hearts

Lost In a Book is a fantastic Buddy Reading partner, and I had fun picking this book apart with her…. I mean reading this book and sharing my thoughts with her……. Ummm…….Let’s move onto the review.

There were a lot of things I liked about this story. Ross has a man bun…. Hawt. I love a man bun. I do prefer man buns with a furry face and tattoos, but I’ll take the bun by itself too. Yum yum.

The sex was mostly sexy and titillating. I’d have to say Ross getting turned on while practicing his choreography was pretty blood hot. I could see him in his tights with a hardon.

Yeah, that was very nice.

Joel and Ross had great chemistry. There was a very sexy shower scene with Joel’s first time being rimmed. So sexy. But then it kind of got ruined when they moved to the bedroom. It was redeemed, but I wanted to lose myself in the shower sex. It ended abruptly, and I wish it hadn’t.

While Joel is reluctant to label himself and his relationship with Ross, he goes into his first guy on guy sexual encounter with gusto. I’ve never read a scene where a guy goes from never having kissed a man and calling himself straight (“definitely straight”) to going down on him. While it was hot, I’m not quite convinced. He was really nervous, and then he’s getting his face fucked (“shallowly”). It was an advanced move for an almost virgin situation, and I feel like I was robbed of the sexy awkwardness I was expecting.

The constant hot and cold with Joel was …… boring and annoying.

I kept getting to a point where I thought he was all in with Ross, and then he’d say something, or think something about them just being “friends” and I would get pissed. The mixed signals drove me crazy. It actually ruined the story for me. I was hoping that they would get to a point where the story could focus on solid relationship building, and it just didn’t get there.

The jokes…..

OMG the “jokes”

...... most of them fell flat. Like that awkward person at a party who doesn’t know when to stop because they’re so nervous about being social…. Yeah, it was painful.

I really liked Trish as a secondary character. She was witty, and supportive, and had enough personality to fit into the story.

I did not like Helena. I found her to be two dimensional and uninteresting. I don’t think her character was developed enough to deserve being Ross’ friend.

So some good stuff, and some not great stuff for me. I’m glad it was under 200 pages, because I’m not sure I could have coped with Joel’s hot and cold routine for much longer. But I loved Ross and would have preferred the story to be mostly from his point of view, rather than it being strongly on Joel side.

Recommended for those who enjoy a fairly light bisexual coming out story with a bit of angst, and some great sex.

A review copy was provided for an honest opinion.

Audiobook Review: Until You (At First Sight #3) by T.J. Klune

Together with their families and friends 

Paul Auster

and

Vincent Taylor

request the honor of your company at the celebration of their marriage.

Listening Length: 5 hrs 4 mins
Narrator: Michael Lesley

Fair warning – this is basically just gonna be me gushing and what not for some paragraphs.

You know how sometimes real life is just all up in your business making you adult and it’s annoying and really utter BS? Nothing terrible is happening, but nothing awesome is happening either and you just get tired? I was having one of those times a couple of weeks ago. I have a quote from Dorothy Parker I like to remember in these not-really-so-trying-but-oh-so-very-tiring times, “It’s not the tragedies that kill us; it’s the messes.” It helps me to put the BS into perspective. I’ve added a new thing to keep my addled brain centered when I’m feeling extra precious and that is to grab me a fist full of Klune.

I nabbed the audiobook version of Until You as soon as it came through on the blog, I had already read it and couldn’t wait to hear T.J. Klune’s words come out of Michael Lesley’s mouth. That’s how I read it in my head anyway, so I was pretty stoked. I decided to revisit the whole crew and listened to Tell Me It’s Real again, I wanted the WHOLE Vince and Paul experience from start to, well, to start really; the wedding is just the beginning of happy for Paul and Vince. At the same time I was reading Destiny of Dragon’s and I lumbered like a drunk gorilla through real life deadlines by letting the lizard portion of my brain take over the muddling and I let the fun part of my brain loose at the Klune-a-palooza festival.

If you’ve read Tell Me It’s Real and The Queen and the Homo Jock King, you have to read and listen to Until You stat. I loved the manic wedding planning and of course all the banter. But what got me right in the heart throughout were the connections between Vince, Paul and all the extended family. It seems like everybody had their “moments” in amongst all the funny and that’s something the author always nails, a shot to the feels and poignant moments perfectly balanced in the middle of the entertaining chaos.

I fell in love with Vince in tell Me It’s Real, I mean, who didn’t? But in Until You, he raised the bar pretty high for significant others everywhere. His natural and almost accidental charm are just too good for your average person, but for Paul, he couldn’t be more perfect. The romance was ideal because it was sincere and still tinged with a healthy dose of snark. It’s the exact recipe for romance I want to hear and read. Michael Lesley does a perfect Vince, and I can picture Vince turning into Larry Auster as he ages. How adorable is that to imagine?

Thank you T.J. and Michael, you made my days better, you made me smile and you made me laugh when I needed it. With all the extreme . . . everything these days we tend to underestimate the simple things as we get tripped up in our messes and I’m trying hard to remember to enjoy the good stuff as I should.

T.J. and Michael, you are the good stuff.

**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**

Audiobook Review Tour + Giveaway: See Me (Lightening Tales #3) by K.C. Wells

It's the final stop on the See Me (Lightning Tales #3) by K.C. Wells audiobook review tour! This drama filled tale is narrated by Joel Leslie and is a hot one! See Shee Reader's 5 Heart review below AND enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Audible US | Audible UK

Narrated By: Joel Leslie

Blurb

Adrian DeSoto spent most of his time in high school being bullied and beaten up, simply because he was perceived as gay. Always slight, effeminate, he was the perfect victim for guys like Martin Cavanaugh, one of the high school jocks. When it all got too much, Adrian was faced with two options, one more devastating than the other. Eleventh grade saw a new Adrian, one who hid his fears and pain behind a mask in a bid to survive.


Eleven years later, and Adrienne is one of the top drag acts in Orlando. She's fierce, funny, and exuberant. A face from the past gives her a shock, and after that there's only one thing on her mind - revenge.


Marty Cavanaugh has a particular kink. He loves it when a drag queen goes down on him. But that's as far as it goes. He won't admit to himself what's under that tight fitting dress. And then he meets Adrienne and his whole world goes into a tailspin...


Warning - Contains men in drag, honey! You have been warned.

Reviewer: Shee Reader


First, I’ve got to say I am so glad I got to review this audiobook. Joel Leslie does such a wonderful job with his performance that it was like watching a movie as the story unfolded in my head!

The blurb was perfect, and gave the reader just a taster of what to expect.

Adrian DeSoto spent most of his time in high school being bullied and beaten up, simply because he was perceived as gay. Always slight, effeminate, he was the perfect victim for guys like Martin Cavanaugh, one of the high school jocks. When it all got too much, Adrian was faced with two options, one more devastating than the other. Eleventh grade saw a new Adrian, one who hid his fears and pain behind a mask in a bid to survive.
Eleven years later, and Adrienne is one of the top drag acts in Orlando. She’s fierce, funny and exuberant. A face from the past gives her a shock, and after that there’s only one thing on her mind—revenge.

Marty Cavanaugh has a particular kink. He loves it when a drag queen goes down on him. But that’s as far as it goes. He won’t admit to himself what’s under that tight fitting dress. And then he meets Adrienne and his whole world goes into a tailspin….

I liked that Adrian had a friend from High school (Rick) and I’d love to see his story, since Rick was in love with his straight best friend in high school, but they were a couple in the story as we catch up with Adrienne in adulthood!

Marty is an unhappy man, lonely and closeted, and in no way prepared for the tornado that is Adrienne. I absolutely loved Joel’s characterisation of the queens, he was wonderful and the beauty of the story as we see Adrian and Marty get reacquainted, seek forgiveness from each other and develop a loving relationships just perfect. Marty’s mom is an interesting character too, and the ‘coming out’ scene with her and Marty’s (horrific) father is totally charming and emotional.

The journey our lovely men go on was realistic and emotive. The way Marty grew to love and appreciate both incarnations of Adrian was superb.

Highly recommended beautiful book, given the perfect performance by one of my favourite narrators!

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

June 26 - Open Skye Book Reviews, The Geekery Book Review

June 28 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Bonkers About Books, RAM PA Group, The Power Of Three Readers

June 30 - My Fiction Nook

July 3 - Making It Happen

July 5 - We Three Queens, Alpha Book Club, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Love To Read Romance Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Rainbow Gold Reviews

Author Bio


Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….


K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.


And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….


K.C. loves to hear from readers.


E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld

Twitter: @K_C_Wells

Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com



Narrator Bio


Joel Leslie is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of American and British sounds. Among the m/m series he records are NR Walker’s Red Dirt Heart, Haley Walsh’s Skyler Foxe Mysteries, Sloane Kennedy’s Protectors, Adam Carpenter’s Jimmy McSwain Files, Perie Woolford’s Sam Dorsey’s Gay Popcorn, and Smith and LeNoir’s Blackballed trilogy. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike.

He is proud to have a strong following with m/m listeners and an ongoing relationship with some of the finest writers in the genre. He loves that every day he gets to share these beautiful, inspirational and empowering GLBT characters with the world. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs. He records projects outside of the m/m genre under the name Joel Froomkin. Visit www.joelleslienarration.com for more and friend him on facebook at Joel Leslie Froomkin.

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Review: A Taste of Honey by Ari McKay

2nd Edition

Boone Phillips needs a girlfriend-now! If he shows up to the family reunion alone, his mother will throw every woman in sight at him. But the only "woman" Boone trusts enough to ask is Honey, the drag queen alter ego of his best friend, Rob. It's a crazy idea, but Boone is desperate.

Boone wins Rob over to the idea after first going on a "date" with him as Honey, but everything feels different once the plan is set in motion. Between nosy relatives, illegal moonshine, and the sight of Rob in white lace panties, Boone starts to wonder if he's as straight as he thought. When an earth-shattering kiss sends Rob running, however, Boone learns some surprising things about both his family and himself. Now he needs to convince Rob to give him another chance, or his first taste of Honey might also be his last.

First Edition published by Torquere Press, 2016.

GAH! This was exactly the book I needed after a blah read. It’s books like this that give me the spark that ignites my reading frenzy and reminds me of why romance is solidified deep in my heart. This was fun. This was sexy and this was everything to me snuggled warm in my bed on a chilly Sunday night where I stayed up past my bedtime to read.

Le freaking sigh.

Told from the dual POV’s of BFF’s Rob and Boone, we meet the men as they are having their standard weekly dinner out so neither of them have to cook. When Boone tells Rob his family is having a function and very southern Mama has asked if he was bringing anyone special home, Boone gets a bit freaked out. He doesn’t have the best track record with dating and he simply couldn’t force his over the top meddlesome family on any ex-girlfriend friend of his but Boone needs to find someone and quick. It’s a good thing the person he trusts most in the world is not only his best friend, but an amazing drag queen.

When Boone suggests Rob’s drag persona, Honey, accompanies Boone home Rob balks for a few reasons. The main one, he’s been crushing on his straight BFF for years and knowing he’d have to play girlfriend to Boone and all the sweet talk and touching that comes along with it? It’s a double edged sword for Rob but he wants to help Boone out so he suggests if Boone really wants it, he’ll earn it and by earn it, he’s got to take Honey out on a date before they head south.

ACK! The date was so much fun. I love that Boone knows what Honey looks like when she’s on stage but when he shows up at her apartment to take her out, he is met with a milder version that knocks his socks off. It was so sweet to be in Boone’s head as he acknowledged how gorgeous Honey looked and how much of Rob was still under the makeup and clothes of Honey. We get bits of Boone and his always wondering how straight he really was and seeing him flirt with Honey and get lost in her was adorable.

The boys decide they are going through with this charade and once they get to Boone’s childhood home, the show began. I was curious how it would all go down, how they would play up the relationship and the fact that Boone’s mother has met Rob before and how Rob’s sister Honey just happened to appear and be Boone’s girlfriend. I have to say I loved Boone’s mama and his uncle Jack. They took to Honey like bees (yes, I went there) and welcomed her into the family with open arms.

Knowing that Rob’s family is not accepting of his life nor sexuality, it was lovely to see how open Boone’s family was with Honey. The whole food prep scene between Honey and Boone’s mother melted my heart and Uncle Jack’s moonshine opens up more than anyone could have imagined.

When Moonlight and Moonshine can be blamed for many things and in this story, you can’t fight the moonlight when true love is what’s at stake. True love and beautiful men in white lace panties… *bites fist*

GOODNESS! Seriously, when Boone makes a move it was amazing and I am so glad we were in his POV for it so we know who he was with. Boone is slow on the uptake when it comes to his feelings but once he owns them, they are his truth and nothing will stop him.

The end of this was so sweet and then really sexy. I liked how Boone’s family took the news about Honey being Rob and their own admissions to the men and the romantic ending was nothing less than what I expected.

A Taste of Honey is a short, sweet and sexy (the best trifecta there is) friends to lovers story about taking the long road to see what is right in front of you but taking every pleasure in the ride.

Review: Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

Le Carré meets Cabaret in this debut spy thriller as a gay double-agent schemes to protect his smuggler lover during the rise of a fascist government coup

Welcome to Amberlough City, the illustrious but corrupt cosmopolitan beacon of Gedda. The radical One State Party — nicknamed the Ospies — is gaining popular support to unite Gedda's four municipal governments under an ironclad, socially-conservative vision.

Not everyone agrees with the Ospies' philosophy, including master spy Cyril DePaul and his lover Aristide Makricosta, smuggler and emcee at the popular Bumble Bee Cabaret. When Cyril's cover is blown on a mission, however, he must become a turncoat in exchange for his life. Returning to Amberlough under the Ospies' watchful eye, Cyril enters a complex game of deception. One of his concerns is safeguarding Aristide, who refuses to let anyone – the crooked city police or the homophobic Ospies – dictate his life.

Enter streetwise Cordelia Lehane, top dancer at the Bee and Aristide’s runner, who could be the key to Cyril’s plans—if she can be trusted. As the twinkling lights of nightclub marquees yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means — and people — necessary. Including each other.

Stunning

True story. I chose this book because the blurb sounded like MMF with espionage and what's better than that? It is not MMF, just so you know. I think Amberlough should be categorized as gay lit which typically connotes to me a lack of romance. It's true, Amberlough doesn't focus on a romantic plotline per se, but the relationship between Cyril and Aristide is one of the most heartbreakingly romantic and timeless ones I've ever read. They're rarely together but tethered regardless of time or distance.

Amberlough definitively is a wonderful melange of an alternate universe with historical undertones and contemporary sociopolitical overtones. It's magnificently written-evocative, emotive and quieting bewitching. These three characters are beautifully crafted, complex and nuanced, as are the secondary cast all of whom play their roles impeccably. They are flawed, some deeply so, but they were so very affecting.

Aristide Makricosta was my favorite, though.

Aristide is one of those characters that draws me in like a moth to a flame and it's not just because he's a drag queen. He's unscrupulous yet trustworthy, manipulative yet honest, aloof yet caring-a classic paradoxical character. He's got his fingers on the pulse of Amberlough and is whip smart. I think the only person he lets in even to a degree is Cyril.

Cyril Depaul is his lover and a spy. His past is somewhat murky but on a mission he was compromised, nearly killed. Understandably shaken he has been relegated to desk duty since. Nevertheless he's chosen to go undercover for another mission in Ospie held territory just prior to a momentous election and everything goes to shit. Literally. I empathized with Cyril. I didn't always agree with him, but his rationale is undeniably pure, or at least, pragmatic.

When he returns to Gedda Aristide sets him up with Cordelia Lehane. She's his beard to pass Ospie inspection, for all intents and purposes and unbeknownst to her. She is a firecracker and figures out quickly that Cyril isn't interested thus they become friends. She's streetwise, cunning and she'll do what she has to do to survive. Brash and maybe a little uncouth but she makes no apologies for who or what she is and I liked her chutzpah. 

This will likely shock no one but Amberlough, in my mind, became pre-WWII Paris-hedonistic and fabulous. Amberlough and, in particular The Bee, are lively, colorful, artistic and chockablock with Bohemians. But with that sort of freedom and vitality there's always a dark underbelly and a conservative faction ready to rally the disenchanted. The Ospies are eerily reminiscent of the Nazi rise to power just prior to occupying France for four long years in that they surround Gedda. The Ospies rule with an iron fist and have zero tolerance for anything or anyone they perceive as deviant. Some Amberlinians can see the handwriting on the wall while others are caught unawares, peaceably living their lives while something wicked this way comes. 

Donnelly did a brilliant job contrasting the lush colors of Amberlough with the dreary, lifeless gray of the Ospies. The occupation divested France of it's rosy hue and its joie de vivre as is the Ospies' objective in Amberlough. They are myopic and their laws draconian, but through those long years of occupation the French Resistance held out hope for a better tomorrow, maintaining a covert offensive against the occupation and Amberlough seems to have a similar fortitude. Amberlough may have lost the battle but the war is far from over. 

Words of caution: there is on page torture and violence. It gets ugly as all wars do.

I snooped and it seems this will become a trilogy. I will be there. I will gird myself. I will remain optimistic. I will remember that it's always darkest before the dawn. I will hope Donnelly doesn't crush me again.

For a book that started off slow it certainly left an impression . After finishing it I felt fragile and raw yet paradoxically hopeful and above all, heartbroken. I do not cry, but I cried. Ugly cried. There was just a little... nothing, a moment in a day. It truly was nothing I didn't know already anyway, but that drop of sand in the hourglass at the 75% mark was the beginning of the gutting process. So, yeah. Have tissues handy. It's so worth it, though. I wouldn't change a thing and I'm glad my own deviance brought this incredible book into my life.

A review copy was provided.

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Review: The Mighty Have Fallen by Bonnie Dee

Theatre headliner Trevor Rowland is at the peak of his career when disaster strikes. In one fell swoop, he loses his eyesight, his fame, and his boyfriend, who absconds with most of his money. Trevor must take on a flatmate, hardworking East Ender Jack Burrows, to afford the rent. Anger and bitterness have taken up residence in his heart—but Jack shines light into the shadowy corners with his relentlessly sunny disposition.

Jack introduces Trevor to a local drag club and convinces him he can enjoy the stage again. Trevor’s defences slowly come down as Jack becomes much more than a barely tolerated roommate. 

But will Trevor’s fragile trust be destroyed when it appears he’s been manipulated yet again by a man he’s come to care for? Will he reclaim his life or crawl back into a shell of defeat? Trevor must learn to trust not only a man, but himself, once more.

I’m a huge fan of Bonnie Dee’s words and have read her work across the genres. The Mighty Have Fallen is a great example of how she can bring a lot of elements to a story without becoming melodramatic just for the sake of it and keeping the focus on the evolution of the characters. Reading the blurb makes this story sound damn weighty, and while Trevor is going through a shitstorm in his life, the overall feeling is definitely more on the hopeful side and it was a much easier read than I expected. I was all geared up for some heavy angst and I was happy Trevor’s story didn’t go that direction.

Not that Trevor’s illness and adjustment to his new life is glossed over in any way, but the role his roomie Jack plays keeps the story heading to the positive and hopeful. We meet Trevor after he’s gone through occupational therapy and after his crappy boyfriend has hit the bricks. So, The Mighty Have Fallen is more about Trevor getting his independence and confidence back than about everything that led up to him losing so very much.

The only thing that I would have loved was to have Jack’s perspective as well. There was never a question as to his feelings for Trevor or his motives (at least to me, even if Trevor was a little clueless for a bit there), but I really loved his character and his attitude so more of him would have been a treat. This is definitely more of Trevor’s story though and adding more would have meant adding a lot more I think to get the right balance. Jack’s backstory would have to be there and so would more of Trevor’s detail, and again, I don’t think that’s what The Mighty Have Fallen was about, this was Trevor’s journey.

While I loved, loved, loved the evolution of the relationship between Trevor and Jack (who doesn’t love when roomies with bennies moves into all the feeeeeels???), I also really liked reading the interactions with the secondary characters. Trevor’s illness and all that he’s gone through has affected his perspective in so many ways and the conversations he had with his parents and old neighbor were well done and have more perspective on all that Trevor was learning about himself and his world.

I did get a bit fussy with Trevor when he had the clueless bit with Jack and questioned Jack’s motives, I couldn’t blame him given his past, but I also was feeling very protective of Jack by this point and all I wanted was for Trevor to make it right. Kudos to Trevor for pulling it together at the eleventh hour, conquering his fears and getting his HEA on with Jack.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**