Audiobook Review: Save of the Game (Scoring Chances #2) by Avon Gale

After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His new roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.

Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences.Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. While trying to financially help Ethan, Riley must hide his family’s wealth so as not to hurt Ethan’s immense pride. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.

Listening Length: 6 hrs 22 mins
Narrator: Scott R. Smith

What a wonderful surprise that story ended up being!


That was gorgeously sweet and angst free. I absolutely fell in love with Riley and Ethan but it was Scott Smith’s voice as Ethan that left me surprisingly flawed and made me realise this is what listening to audiobooks is all about.


Riley and Ethan start off as roommate's and together discover the joys of bisexuality.

A highlight of the story was these boy’s sex scenes, they were actually the very cute, realistic fumblings of two men who are just learning how to touch another man. Then when they get their confidence up they start playing with some ropes and cock-choking and My God it is hot. The kink is very light and so very welcome.


These two are such a wonderful couple, they're a bit ‘opposites attract’ and they compliment each other beautifully. There was also not an abundance of hockey talk which I very much appreciated.


Okay, onto the narration.

When I started this audiobook I didn’t really like it, well more specifically I didn’t like Ethan's voice (or maybe it was Ethan?). He has an old style New York gangster accent, which while super cool, takes some getting used. Also every one of his lines was virtually yelled due to his enthusiasm for life and overzealous nature. I think I was about half way through the book when Ethan’s more vulnerable moments occurred and I found myself feeling so deeply for him, it had crept up on me like a stealthy ninja. I had to stop and think, ‘when did I start caring about Ethan’ and that's when I realised how perfectly Smith had embodied Ethan’s character.


Ethan is hyperactive and enthusiastic in a way I would have never have understood if I had simply read his lines. I’m a fairly quiet person and to comprehend that much energy is hard for me, Ethan would have come across as a loud and obnoxious man. I would have never understood or loved Ethan as much as I did if I hadn’t heard his passion and vulnerabilities first hand. And that right there is what makes a narrator incredible, when they can give you an experience you would not be able to have if you only had your own interpretation of the character.


My only complaint, which is so minor in comparison to how much I loved this, is Riley is a softly spoken character and I struggled to hear his dialogue at times.


Adored the story! It can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend it to anyone. The audiobook added an extra element to the story I wasn’t expecting and I think everyone should listen to it, but if you don't enjoy audiobooks, definitely still read this anyway.

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

See our eBook review here!

Review: The Straight Boyfriend (Loving You #3) by Renae Kaye

Aaron Hall has never been able to remain faithful to a single woman, and for most of his life, he’s dated two women at once. Recently his girlfriend tracked him down and knocked on his door—and his live-in girlfriend answered. Now he has no girlfriend and a mortgage he can’t pay by himself.

Vinnie Rosello needs to change his life—get a better job, stop drinking all his money away, find himself a serious boyfriend… and move out of his parents’ house. Aaron needs help with his expenses, so they become housemates.

Even though Aaron harbors some misconceptions about gay men and Vinnie misses his large Italian family, both men find comfort in their friendship. It’s a good arrangement until everything between them changes

Vinnie falls in love with Aaron, and Aaron is shocked to realize he feels the same. There’s only one problem—he’s still straight. He’ll have to overcome his fear of labels in order to love the man who’s captured his heart.

Labels. Like them or loathe them we are surrounded day in, day out by labels. Alcoholic, bi, cis,  depressive, disabled, dyslexic, dyspraxic, female, gay, husband, male,  partner, queer, straight, teacher, trans, wife,    , .. I could go on, the list is endless. Human instinct is to categorise, to order, to try and understand, and labelling is a way of doing this. Is it right? I don't know. Sometimes labels can become very dangerous, an alcoholic is more than an alcoholic, yet you can bet your life that is the term that defines them, I know from personal experience; dad, son, husband, chef, loving, funny... they all come after the alcoholic label. It can be so dangerous to reduce a person to a label.

BUT...

...and this took me a while to understand, for some people labels are exactly what they need. It helps them understand themselves and gives them a place to belong. Pansexual. For someone who has never understood their attraction because it doesn't conform to what society understands, to be able to be labelled as pansexual gives something to identify with. As humans we are all different. We are unique. Our feelings and emotions and identities are ours to own and label as we please. Right?

Aaron, frankly on the surface I didn't really like him, for a start he consistently cheats on girlfriends because he's not getting enough sex. Not exactly endearing in a romantic lead! Then he has a relationship with Vinnie yet refuses to label himself as anything other than straight... but the more I thought about it, the more I realised, isn't that his right? It's his label for himself. To me, maybe to the majority, he is bisexual. When I google the meaning of bisexual it says:

noun

1. 1.

   a person who is sexually attracted to both men and women.

Aaron is attracted to women, but he's also attracted to Vinnie, a man. Therefore by dictionary definition, he's bi. Just because it's only one man doesn't change the fact that Vinnie is a man to whom Aaron is sexually attracted. Yet he really doesn't want to identify as anything other than straight. And that is his right. Nobody has a right to tell someone they can't identify the way they want to, and that works every way. Bi-erasure is COMPLETELY wrong, but so is taking away the right for an individual to identify with whichever label they want. Personally, I think bisexuality makes more sense than anything else, we are all people and are attracted to people... but that is just my opinion and I don't expect anyone else to have the same view as me!

So what does this have to do with the book? Well Aaron is very hung up on the labels and it makes admitting that he has fallen in love with Vinnie difficult, he is adamant he's not gay, nor bi, he's straight. See above for my feelings on this. 

The thing is, on the surface this is a funny, sweet love story between two people who don't feel like they would belong together. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and Aaron and Vinnie are definitely friends before anything else. Vinnie brings out the best in Aaron, he makes us see the nice side of this serial cheater. He is a good friend, thoughtful and kind and the blossoming romance made my heart go gooey. I think you could read this and just be enamoured by the romance. Or you can read it and think deeply about labels and how they fit in society. Is there a definitive right or wrong? I don't think so - but that's just my opinion.

Personally I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves sweet romances.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Find on Dreampinner Press or Goodreads!

Review: Casto (Gods of War #1) by Xenia Melzer

All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.

When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.

Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.

DNF - 33%

So...

Casto...

This was a disaster for me from page 1.

*clears throat*

Not the first time I've read books that don't work for me. I try to see if I can attempt to catch the plot the author tries to deliver, look for something positive about any story I read.

First time author Xenia Melzer's fantasy/mythology Master/slave based debut efforts does show that she is very interested in the world she created in Casto. So much so, that there is centuries of history, math lessons and hundreds of characters introduced. The author was indulgent with new plot thread and tangent written. You can literally read pages and pages of mythology before getting to the premise of Casto.

Meaning a bogged down info dump in the form of a base...

Then we get through millenia of history and convolution to get to two gods who was reduced to a demigod to teach the humans of the new world a lesson, Renaldo and his older brother Canubis (which I kept reading as cannabis). I questioned how all the other mythological beings could have fantasy-ish names and then we get Renaldo as the main character.

Anyway... Renaldo is thousands of years old and he sees 16 year old virgin warrior, Casto, do some impossible feat and take down Renaldo's top warriors. He takes Casto as his slave. And there is fighting and infighting with too many warriors/slaves/people/witches? to count nor care about.

Casto hates Renaldo. Renaldo wants to bed Casto. Doesn't for awhile because he wants Casto to want it. But then we're told there is chemistry. After months/days/years, they fight and a cherry is taken.

 Then an orgy pops up as a spring ritual.

I got off the Casto ride after that. The sex was too forced. The chemistry was the same. And the story telling was all over the place. I don't know why a five year old pops up in between Casto's slavery. Maybe a metaphor? Or flashback?

What the story needed - a clear plot, editing, and reorganization of a lot of paragraphs.

When there are more than 10 characters to keep up with, I think index of all of the characters might be necessary. We go from 2 to 4 then 6 gods, then there are 8 demigods on top of the 6 to keep track of.

Too much.

The Master/slave relationship? I wish there was a different way the entire Casto/Renaldo pairing was written. It read awkward and weird. I've read better stories with this semblance of a plot - war prize/ owner pairing - too much convolution to let the characters come to life in Casto.

Maybe the story got better by the end. (Though I doubt it as more characters kept getting added as I progressed) I'm not interested in finding out or even reading more of this series.

I do not recommend this to fantasy lovers.

Find on DSP Publications or Goodreads

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Passing Shadows by Anna Butler

Celebrate the Passing Shadows Blog Tour with author Anna Butler and Signal Boost Promotions! See the excerpt and check out the $25 Amazon gift card giveaway below!

Passing Shadows - Anna Butler

Author: Anna Butler

Length: 29,400

Stories: Overthrown By Strangers, Habitation of Dragons, Winterlight

Cover: Kellie Dennis - Book Cover By Design

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

About Passing Shadows

Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.
Psalm 144:4

Passing Shadows is a trilogy of short stories with a lesbian main character, Li Liang, who is one of the sole surviving witnesses of the destruction of Earth. The stories tell of the beginning of a long exodus across the galaxy looking for a haven where mankind can start again.

Blurb

Li Liang has found a berth to suit her: chief pilot and first officer of the all-female crew of an old space freighter, the Sappho. Then one ordinary, unremarkable morning, Liang retunes the Sappho’s communications systems just in time to catch the breathless, terrible accounts from Mars of the total destruction of Earth.

Earth’s a cinder. The unknown alien race that destroyed it has left Mars, too, in flames and is ravening outward from the solar system, devouring every human colony on the way.

Liang’s one of the few survivors, racing ahead of the Devourers, rescuing as many frightened, shocked people as she can. Will Liang and the pitiful remnants of humanity find a new haven, somewhere to start again? Or will she, too, echo the dreadful last message coming out of their dead home?

They’re coming. Oh God, they’re coming.

Excerpt

From Overthrown By Strangers:

It seems to be some sort of cosmic joke, a reversal of the old creation myths. Only the gods are laughing, because this time God has thrown a stone in a pond. Earth went down, smashed by the rock, and the waves are surging out in a circle from its drowning, ripple after ripple after ripple.

Colony after colony.

If Earth had been created in seven days, it had been destroyed in seven hours. Now every hour brings more devastation. It isn’t just Earth going dark. Whoever, whatever, the enemy is, their resources are unfathomable. They’re implacable and unstoppable, ravening their way out from Earth in an ever-expanding circle, shattering everything in their path. So many dead, so many with no chance to escape.

So many lost to the monsters. The destroyers. The eaters.

“Devourers,” I say.

The skipper gives me a sharp look. Then she nods. “A good name for them, love. A very good name.”

She looks tired. Jaded. Worn out.

I lean over her and press my lips to her hair. “You need to rest.”

“Later. There’ll be time to rest later.” She doesn’t say that will be when we’re all dead, but she might as well. “Set course for Egereia.”

It takes a little while. While I drop the Sappho into normal space to reset the hyperdrive engines and plot the navigation, she calls the rest to the bridge and tells them that whoever’s in command at Daemon Station has finally made a decision and humanity has a survival plan. Of sorts.

“We’re going to run. We can’t stop them,” the skipper tells us.

Being helpless, being the butterfly caught in the spider’s web, is sickening. She gives us a minute to cry and mourn, but we’re all mostly quiet. Only Edie lets out a sob. The rest of us weep in silence. I can barely see the navigation controls, and my eyes sting like poison.

They’ve formed a sort of huddle, down on the floor where we’d sat and listened to Earth and Mars being eaten. No one wants to be alone, and we ground ourselves and each other by touch; holding hands, or arms around each other, mouths against another’s cheek. Connection, that’s what’s keeping us going. When I’ve put us back into hyperspace, I join the skipper. She’s in the centre of the group now, one arm around Baum’s waist. I’m pulled into the huddle, held safe, and take her free hand in mine. Her fingers squeeze hard against mine.

“Daemon will be the gathering point,” the skipper says. “We’re to get as many people on board as we can, and rendezvous there. Egereia’s the closest colony to us, and we’ll head there and see what’s to be done.”

Author Bio

Anna was a communications specialist for many years, working in various UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to organizing conferences for 10,000 civil servants to running an internal TV service. These days, though, she is writing full time. She recently moved out of the ethnic and cultural melting pot of East London to the rather slower environs of a quiet village tucked deep in the Nottinghamshire countryside, where she lives with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockerpoo.

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Audiobook Review: Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the little boy’s secret and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Listening Length: 18 hours and 40 minutes
Narrator: Kirt Graves

Before I even start to review the book, I need to tell you all how FUCKING AMAZING the narration is for this story. A narrator can make or break an audio title, or maybe not break it but keep it on the okay side. Kirt Graves took this story to another level, now I can't speak for TJ Klune, but as the listener I can't imagine this being read in any other way; Kirt absolutely nails it as far as this reader is concerned. A story I listened to today was... not ruined, but marred, by the fact that the narration felt off to me, and I was repeating lines in my head emphasising the words how I would have read them. The Wolfsong narration was so good I just melted into the story and got absolutely lost in it. I will be keeping my eye out for narration from Kirt Graves from now on, because he was Ox as far as I was concerned.

Okay, so moving onto the story. I'm glad Klune had a top-notch narrator because this story utterly deserved it. I mean, it's not a secret how good his writing is, nor is it a secret how this talent extends across genres; he can be hilariously lighthearted or tug on every single last heart string. Admittedly, all his stories contain a bit of both but they are all fantastically unique. Talented author is talented - but you all know that, right?

So Wolfsong... what was it that makes it so special? Well anyone who has ever read a review by me knows I am a character gal through and through. If I fall for the characters then I am sold pretty much on the story and this book was jam packed with characters to love.

Ox, the MC,  for starters is quietly understated yet he manages to be a growing strength all through the book. You know they say it's the silent ones you need to watch out for? Well that is Ox; to underestimate him is a folly. He's a real hero as far as I'm concerned; strong and true and honest and utterly humble. Joe is the perfect opposite for him, the perfect partner. Joe is Joe, he is the sunshine on a gloomy day. Always bright, well almost always, but he could so easily have been a broken parody of a character and I am so glad he wasn't. My other favourite character was Gordy, I would really, really like his story. Father figure, friend, boss - and so much more to Ox, his presence in the story was important to me, without him I don't think Ox would have been the man he became.

TJ didn't just work his magic by creating fantastic characters though, he also wrote a wonderful world. It was our world, particularly a small town USA world, but with a magical, supernatural presence that only a few know of. The world he wrote though was lyrical in its own right. He makes it so easy to picture in my head that when I think of Wolfsong I see greens and browns and woods and home and family and love. I see small town USA, though I've never been stateside.

The other important element to the writing is the vivid emotional imagery. He wrote feeling. He didn't write about feelings, he wrote them so they were tangible, so they were mine as well as Ox's or Joe's or whoever's. The storyline was almost just a by-product of the other three things; characters, setting and emotions. I mean, obviously it's not, I'm sure every author out there would have my head on a plate for suggesting the storyline just eases into place once characters etc are there. I can only imagine the hours of hard work that goes into a story like this. The talent though is making it appear effortless, by not adding in cliches and over used plot devices to get a story to work. If I was attempting to get poetical about it, I would say the storyline is the material the tapestry is done on and the other  elements are the threads that weave the picture. 

I would really recommend this story to anyone who enjoys good writing and it is as simple as that. If you enjoy being lost in a book - choose this story. Again, I cannot recommend highly enough the quality of this audible version; TJ Klune wrote a stunning story and Kirt Graves managed, somehow, to take it to another level.

A copy of this audio book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads.

See our ebook uni gangbang review here!

Review: Misinformation by Keelan Ellis

Ethan Daniels, host of a popular conservative cable news program, has never thought of his bisexuality as a problem, though he has never acted on his attraction to men. Since his divorce, that desire has become more acute. When he meets Charlie Woods, his daughter's first grade teacher, they have an instant spark, but Ethan hesitates to act. His contract is up for renewal, there are already rumors swirling about him because of a brief encounter from his past, and the last thing his employers want is for one of their stars to come out publicly.

Charlie avoids romantic entanglements because he prefers living on his own terms. He keeps love and sex completely separate, never seeing anyone more than a few times. Hooking up with a closeted celebrity like Ethan seems safe from emotional involvement, even if they have to keep their fledgling relationship secret.

The last thing they expect is to fall in love, but their strong mutual attraction moves them both to make changes neither of them thought they wanted or needed.

He was beautiful in a slightly off-kilter way that translated best in motion. The still pictures Charlie had seen of him on buses and billboards never did him justice, but on television he was golden. In person, Charlie found him astonishingly hot.

Ethan has a nice life. He has a well-paying job, a good relationship with his ex-wife, and a beautiful little girl. Still, it's not all it's cracked up to be on paper. He works for a conservative news station that forces him to take stances on issues he doesn't agree with, and for the most part, he can deal with it -- Until he meets Charlie, his daughter's teacher. Their connection throws a wrench into all his plans, and Ethan finds himself suddenly wondering if the money is worth living a lie.

“Can I tell you how many fucks I give about what people think? Take a guess.”

Ethan smiled despite himself. “Like, ten? Ten fucks?”

She laughed. “Zero fucks, Ethan. Don’t use me as an excuse.”

There were a lot of really great things about this book, but I'll start off with the one thing in particular that took this down quite a bit for me. I honestly didn't feel the connection between Charlie and Ethan. Eventually, as the author kept telling us about it, I bought in, but for a lot of the first half, it just didn't sizzle for me. Sure, they had hot sex, but the emotional aspect was really lacking. Again, toward the end, it fell a bit flat as the author rushed through a lot of time (over a year) in a matter of pages. Those things simply didn't work.

However, as I said, the book had some really lovely points. For example, Ethan embraces the fact that he is bi. The author made a clear effort to not diminish the importance of Ethan's relationship with his ex-wife and the loving nature of it, which I truly appreciated. At the same time, the fear that others would think the marriage was a lie was addressed, making it feel more realistic.

I also really liked all the characters. I would've loved to have heard more about Josh, in particular his adventures with Roland, but in general, even the secondary characters were fun and had multiple layers. There were some that didn't seem to come full circle, like Ethan's ex-girlfriend and his roommate from college who kind of just fell off the face of the book at some point, but I can live with that.

In general, it's a fun, easy read with a nice bit of heat.

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

Giveaway + Blog Tour: Once Upon a Time in the Weird West by Various Authors

Today we have a special post from Astrid Amara who's here with a history lesson and to talk Once Upon a Time in the Weird West.

Author Name: Astrid Amara

Short Story Title: Reaper’s Ride

Blog Post: HORSES! How My Obsession Found a Home in the Weird West

When I was first approached with the idea of writing a “weird west” themed story, of course my first thought was HORSES! Because, you know, when I wake up in the morning, my typical first thought is always HORSES! It’s what happens when you’re a horse girl.
And when I thought about HORSES! and the wild west, I inevitably come to the most romanticized and imagination-capturing image of the 19^th century, the Pony Express. Like so many ideas I have when writing, I start a project with one idea about a historic event, and through the course of research, learn how much I had wrong. Or didn’t know. Or how very fascinating that time in history was.
The Pony Express is no different. I was shocked to learn, for example, that it only operated for a year. It started in 1860 and ended 1861 once the telegraph reached the west coast and an expedited mail service was no longer needed. But during that year, the mail service became part of American history. It became a critical communication piece for spreading news of the 1860 presidential election and announcing Lincoln’s win. It was also affected by the Civil War, and was a target for ambushes during the Paiute War in May 1860.
As a horsewoman myself, I’m of course fascinated with the riders, and how arduous their tasks must have been. There were Pony Express stations roughly ten miles apart between Sacramento, CA and St Joseph, Missouri. The HORSES! would be swapped out at each station, but the riders generally continued on for 75-100 miles at a stretch, typically at a full gallop except where terrain (especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains) prevented it.
The imagery of such a rider, galloping across the plains with the mail in his special saddle, is such a great, iconic, American west image. Mark Twain put it best:

 We had had a consuming desire, from the beginning, to see a pony-rider, but somehow or other all that passed us and all that met us managed to streak by in the night, and so we heard only a whiz and a hail, and the swift phantom of the desert was gone before we could get our heads out of the windows. But now we were expecting one along every moment, and would see him in broad daylight. Presently the driver exclaims: "HERE HE COMES!" Every neck is stretched further, and every eye strained wider. Away across the endless dead level of the prairie a black speck appears against the sky, and it is plain that it moves. Well, I should think so! In a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, rising and falling, rising and falling--sweeping toward us nearer and nearer--growing more and more distinct, more and more sharply defined--nearer and still nearer, and the flutter of the hoofs comes faintly to the ear--another instant a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider's hand, but no reply, and man and horse burst past our excited faces, and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm! So sudden is it all, and so like a flash of unreal fancy, that but for the flake of white foam left quivering and perishing on a mail-sack after the vision had flashed by and disappeared, we might have doubted whether we had seen any actual horse and man at all, maybe.

It was with this image in mind that I went about writing Reaper’s Ride. I was captivated not only be the hardship of the job, but also the loneliness of it – hours and days and weeks on the trail, away from civilization, a man alone. And I was also fascinated by the lives of remote station keepers, isolated in the middle of nowhere. It seemed a fabulous setting for something nefarious.
And what’s more nefarious than a dark, suspicious letter delivered by a cloaked, eerie stranger, riding an unnatural, devilish animal? 

Combining fantasy/speculative fiction with historic events is one of my favorite genres, and I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to do so in the fun collection of short stories. Thanks to all the fellow authors who contributed, and to Dreamspinner for taking our wild west ideas and making the west weird!

Blog Tour Schedule

12/6 – Gay Book Reviews – Jana Denardo

12/7 – The Novel Approach – Kim Fielding

12/8 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words – Venona Keyes

12/9 – Diverse Reader – Tali Spencer

            Sinfully Gay MM Book Reviews – Jamie Fessenden

12/12 – Love Bytes – Lex Chase

12/13 – Boy Meets Boy – Astrid Amara

12/14 – Prism Book Alliance – Ginn Hale

12/15 – Alpha Book Club – C.S. Poe

12/16 – Joyfully Jay – Langley Hyde

12/19 – Divine Magazine – Nicole Kimberling

12/20 – My Fiction Nook – Shira Anthony

            Open Skye – Andrew Q. Gordon

Purchase Links

Dreamspinner Press 

Amazon

ARe

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Kobo

Add it to Goodreads! 

Reaper’s Ride Blurb:

Johnny Jenkins loves most aspects of riding for the Pony Express, but the loneliness can be hard to abide. When a raid injures the station keeper at remote Jacob’s Well, Johnny is left alone to tend the incoming riders until a replacement can be found. Isolated and without even a horse to keep him company, Johnny thinks he might go mad from solitude.

That is, until he meets Sye Fairchild, a rider for a different kind of express. This one operates in the shadows, and the deliveries are of a much darker nature. Sye is dashing and kind, but he’s also under a deadline – he’s got to finish his deliveries by Friday, or he breaks a very old and very serious bargain.

And as Johnny finds a kindred soul in Sye, he realizes that soul needs saving – even if it means ruining his own.

Available from Dreamspinner Press this December!

Author Bio:

Astrid Amara lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, four dogs, three goats, and a horse. By day she is a civil servant. By night her time is devoted to her writing, working for animal rescue organizations, and sleeping.

Her novel The Archer's Heart was a finalist for the 2008 Lambda Literary Award for Best Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror, and The Devil Lancer won the 2015 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Fantasy. Her novel Song of the Navigator was a runner up for the 2015 Rainbow Award for Best Science Fiction.

Social Media links

            Website

            Facebook

            Twitter: @AmaraAstrid

Goodreads

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Review: Model Bodyguard (Haven Investigations #2) by Lissa Kasey

Things are going well for androgynous model Ollie Petroskovic, ex-Marine Kade Alme, and their business, Haven Investigations, until rock star Jacob Elias shows up in need of their services… and trouble follows.

Jacob is a playboy with a serious penchant for kink, slaves, and sex toys. He’s also Ollie’s ex—and all that implies. With the media exploiting his personal life, a stalker sending blood-soaked “gifts,” a bumbling security team, and a family he can’t trust as far as he could throw them, Jacob is in desperate need of a bodyguard for his latest tour, and Kade can’t refuse.

While Kade deals with new doubts about his partnership with Ollie and struggles with reminders of his war injuries, Jacob’s stalker escalates from blackmail and threats to murder. As Kade and Ollie work to keep Jacob safe and find the culprit behind the attack, a web of family secrets, lies, and abuse slowly emerges, leading up to a final confrontation that they might not walk away from—and that will have lasting repercussions for Kade and his relationship with Ollie.

I’m pretty sure this is the perfect case of ‘it’s not the book, it's me’...or more accurately, it's my current mood.


This is a continuation of the first book Model Citizen and cannot be read as a standalone. I liked this more than the first but I still didn’t connect to either character, or to them as a couple. Technically speaking Ollie and Kade were a great couple, helping each other through personal issues, being honest with each other and no stupid misunderstandings or breakups. I just didn’t care about them. It could be because I didn’t enjoy the first book and that happened to carry over to this book, which I know isn’t fair because this book was better than the first.


This was less OTT than Model Citizen and although there was still the fair share of ridiculously sleazy bad guys, the mystery was much better this time round, as was the cliffhanger. I actually found the story fairly slow going though. There was a even balance between mystery and couple time but because I didn’t care about the couple, I would’ve preferred more mystery.


Honestly my favourite part was Ollie’s gender fluidity. However I was very sad to be teased by this killer quote and not get a follow up.

I groaned as my pants tightened. Now I’d spend the rest of the day imagining what he’d look like over our desk, skirt up around his waist, silk of some unknown color hugging his fine curves . “You’re so evil.” I could imagine pulling them down just enough to trap his cock against him while I ate his ass and made him writhe.

Seriously though, all the sex was super hot! Probably where my positive ratings come from.


This one didn’t work for me personally but it has for so many people. Look at a variety of reviews, but I would recommend giving it a go if you’re generally a fan of OTT characters, mystery and scantily dressed men.

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

Review: Epiphany by L.A. Stockman

Khafra has spent more than three thousand years wandering the Earth, fascinated by humanity and its many rises and falls. When he meets a young student at Cambridge, he is utterly unprepared for the effect Alfie has on him. Eager and open and full of wonder, Alfie is perhaps the perfect submissive.

While the sex is spectacular, the real surprise for Khafra is his growing love for Alfie. Such unions are grand while they last, but inevitably doomed to time and mortality. Can he open his heart one more time, for a beautiful young man whose defiance of custom and courage in the face of danger are so captivating? Or will he continue as he has for so long, living on the fringe?

Everything depends on the outcome of Epiphany.

This is Jizzmas I can get behind!

Erotic, interesting characters, some kink and action sprinkled on top with the Christmas jizz splattered to a minimum!

No jingle bells were to be found!

Set in Victorian Britain (though it reads modern), Epiphany by L.A. Stockman features a 3000 year old Egyptian vampire, Khafra, and his new 18 year old lover, Alfie. Submissive Alfie loves nothing more than serving Khafra any way he can.

Think bondage and D/s-esque bedroom play.

Epiphany isn't just hot sex, though there is a heaping pile of it. There is some plot thrown in too! Khafra has a past and keeps it hidden from vampire society. Khafra is also infatuated with young Alfie, so much so that he devised his devirginization prior to the start of this short story. Alfie and Khafra have a connection, there weren't enough pages to get into heavy detail. But for what was given, it was believable enough.

Where the author made the story unique is the vampire society and the Epiphany holiday tie-in. Vampires have different rules when it comes to consorting with humans, Khafra has to decide where Alfie stands in his immortal life very quickly. Vampires have royals just like the Brits, there's a court and everything. I've read this author's previous work and she does well with historical tinges to her story to make it interesting.

Who Khafra is exactly is certainly that. My gripe? The story didn't elaborate on Khafra's 'specialness' If he's supposed to be revered, I expected a little more than what was given. The story length doesn't get to delve into Khafra's vampire background fully. and for a 300 year old vampire, I know he lived an interesting undead life. I'd have preferred reading the story at a different starting point, maybe reading Khafra's seduction of Alfie. Established couples aren't my go to reads, but thankfully, it was still early enough in their relationship to not be a big enough issue for me.

The positives outweigh my gripes. Stockman certainly writes characters I want to know more about. I really liked that the story is staunchly HFN. The bit of action (swords!) made me happy too! Though the villain read a little out of left field to me, I guess it was necessary to help move the story along.

Overall, a hot paranormal historical erotica with a modern feel. I do think this would work best for readers who want something quick to read with just enough plot to tide them over with a bit of bite.

I'm very interested in reading more stories from this author. She has good ideas that I've discovered.

Add to your shelf on Goodreads!

Did you see the Epiphany Blog Tour + Giveaway Stop here?

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Epiphany by L.A. Stockman

L.A. Stockman and IndiGo Promotions are celebrating Stockman's Epiphany release with an excerpt and NineStar Press ebook giveaway! Check it out below! See our review here!

Title:  Epiphany

Author: L.A. Stockman

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: Dec 12

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 14900

Genre: Romance, paranormal, holiday

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Synopsis

Khafra has spent more than three thousand years wandering the Earth, fascinated by humanity and its many rises and falls. When he meets a young student at Cambridge, he is utterly unprepared for the effect Alfie has on him. Eager and open and full of wonder, Alfie is perhaps the perfect submissive.


While the sex is spectacular, the real surprise for Khafra is his growing love for Alfie. Such unions are grand while they last, but inevitably doomed to time and mortality. Can he open his heart one more time, for a beautiful young man whose defiance of custom and courage in the face of danger are so captivating? Or will he continue as he has for so long, living on the fringe?


Everything depends on the outcome of Epiphany.

Excerpt

L.A. Stockman © 2016
All Rights Reserved


After three millennia or so of vampiredom, one might suppose that Khafra would have outgrown hiding behind potted plants and making fun of high society. However, that assumption would be belied by the fact that he was here at the Pomdell’s holiday Winter Ball, secreted in a curtained alcove with the two young Pomdell siblings doing precisely that.


“You are quite sure?” Giggles threatened to engulf Alfie, and the words came out as a muffled snort that was quite endearing.


“Oh yes,” Khafra whispered back, waggling his dark eyebrows.


Alfie shook with suppressed laughter and buried his face in the collar of Khafra’s jacket when it became too much of an effort to remain silent.


“The Right Honourable Marquis of Dorset is unequivocally gagging for it,” Khafra continued.


Their hiding place—a small niche behind a dark, claret-red velvet curtain, a garland of holly, and a manicured ficus plant—was not as private as it might be. Thankfully, Khafra was skilled with shadows—when to stay in them and when to come out of them. And when to sidestep just a hair to keep the sweet, unwise young man hanging onto him from being seen by people who would judge him too harshly.


“According to whom?” Alfie asked, his dark curls tickling as he bent down to nuzzle at Khafra’s ear.


“A friend. Not only does he prefer the company of men, he only hires the big, rough boys.” Khafra smoothed a long-fingered hand over Alfie’s hair, and returned his sister Susanna’s smile.


“Gossip is a sin.” Susanna hissed the last word, grinning all the same.


“So is hypocrisy,” Khafra countered, replete with his own answering hiss on the final syllable. “Tsk. He’s one of the foremost moralists of our day. Only last week, he was arguing in front of the House of Lords for stiffer penalties for onanism and sodomy.”


“Stiffer!” Alfie was biting his lip bloody, trying not to howl with laughter.


Granted, the image of the terribly priggish, horribly upright Marquis getting it put to was fairly hilarious, but gales of laughter would give away their position.


“Only one way to stop your mouth,” Khafra murmured, tugging Alfie’s heart-shaped face closer to lick the blood off his lip. The copper-richness tingled on his tongue, reminding him how long it had been since he’d last eaten.

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NineStar Press | Amazon

Meet the Author



L.A. is a professional writer finally crossing over into fiction. She has a background in the Classics and Religious Studies, and those themes will come up again and again in her work. L.A. lives in Texas, has two incredible kids, and a varying number of rescue mutts. Reach out to her on Twitter; she’d love to hear from you!

Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Goodreads | Website

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Review: Ethan by Ryan Loveless

Carter Stevenson is looking forward to a fresh start in a new high school on the other side of the country. It’ll give him a chance to escape his reputation for twitching and stuttering. He’ll have the summer to himself in his new home in California, and in the fall, he won’t get involved in any activity that puts his Tourette’s center stage. He won’t stand out as different.

But his new neighbor, Ethan, isn’t just going to change his plans. He’s going to change Carter’s life.

Ethan Hart is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, but it doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm or love for life. As soon as he sees Carter, who moves like the music Ethan sees between the clouds and the grass, he’s determined to become his friend, and then his boyfriend. And even if his parents say their romance can’t get physical, Ethan won’t let it stand in the way of falling in love.

Stepping into the spotlight was the last thing Carter ever wanted, but Ethan, along with a group of friends who like him just the way he is—tics and all—starts to change his mind.

Adapted as a YA edition of the award-winning novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless. 

Ethan is a YA take on Ryan Loveless' novel Ethan, Who Loved Carter. It is pretty much the same with the exception of the MC's ages, and I admit I thoroughly enjoyed both versions of this novel, possibly enjoying this version a tad more than the original. 

I enjoy characters who are not mainstream carbon copies of every other character out there. Carter has Tourette's syndrome and is conscious of his tics. Ethan on the other hand is confident despite his brain injury. I loved him. I loved that he was accepted and had a wide group of loyal friends. It made a change form the concept of jock or nerd or boy-next-door. He was happy in his own skin, even though he does wonder sometimes what he would have been like had he not been injured and carried on the way he used to be. 

I found both families in this book utterly likeable. Accepting and understanding  for the most part, especially the parents. Ethan's brother loved Ethan but we were allowed to see him when he struggled with Ethan's limitations and his less than conventional approach to life. This is real. We can love someone but find the impact they have on our lives difficult at times. Accepting and understanding and learning to deal with this is a valuable lesson. 

This story is thoughtful and well written and I am so glad I have had the pleasure of reading it. There was only one part that I didn't feel crossed from the first novel to this so well, and that is when circumstances meant Carter was left 'looking after' Ethan when his parents had to go away. It didn't work for me. It put their relationship in an uneven position, at this point (and only at this point) did it feel like Carter was in a position of trusted responsibility towards Ethan, which then made the relationship feel a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure I've worded that all correctly, but i hope my meaning is understood.

All in all I highly recommend both these reads, and for those people who have reads Ethan, who loved Carter, I would say read this too, it is a great way to re-look at their relationship.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Find on Harmony Ink Press or Goodreads!

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Saving Silas Audiobook Tour by S.J. Himes

We are pleased to have the Saving Silas by S.J. Himes Audiobook Tour at the stable today! Along with Embrace the Rainbow Book Promotions, the author is hosting not only a tour but a GIVEAWAY. One lucky winner will win Saving Silas: ebook or audiobook (winner's choice)!!!

Title: Saving Silas
Author: SJ Himes
Audiobook Release Date: November 30th 2016
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance, Novella
Length: 3 hours 38 mins
Narrated by: Derek McClain

BLURB


*Previously Published as part of Home For The Holidays, A M/M Holiday Anthology, Nov. 29th, 2015.*


Haunted by his years at war, Boston paramedic Gael Dominic spends his time saving other people’s lives. An empty house, a single friend, and living at work, Gael is not content with his existence, but he’s close. Gael was expecting his overnight shift on Thanksgiving to be the same as always—manic crowds, heart attacks...until catastrophe strikes, and Boston’s streets run with blood.


On the run from an abusive and politically powerful father, Silas has been on the cold, mean streets of Boston for days, injured, hungry and alone. When he wakes up in the middle of a nightmare, he expects to die in the same alley he was calling home.


Brought together by tragedy, Silas and Gael can’t resist their attraction. Gael may have saved Silas, but it’s his alleyway angel who brings Gael back to life.


As Christmas approaches, Silas and Gael learn how to love, despite their pasts. And as Silas' past closes in, Gael learns the greatest gift he could ever give isn't something bought in a store, but freely given from the heart.


Novella~32k words. MATURE CONTENT. Warning: Violence.


Goodreads (ebook)


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

EXCERPT

CRASH!!! 

Everyone in the firehouse froze, eyes wide. Gael stopped, one foot raised, as a plethora of Christmas decorations scattered across the floor. Glitter, tinsel, and fake pine branches floated down from the second level through the circular hole in the ceiling where the old brass pole once was. Gael gently lowered his foot, careful not to crush an ornament with his heavy duty work boot. 

Cautiously leaning over and tilting his head, Gael peered upwards, to see a red-faced rookie staring back down at him in shock, mouth open in dismay, the remains of a cardboard box still in his hands.
“I said get the decorations down from the attic, not toss them over the balcony, Ramirez!” called a bass voice, the owner hidden on the other side of a 5,000 gallon tanker. “For fuck’s sake!”

The rookie yelped and pulled back out of sight, obviously terrified. 

Chuckling, Gael shook his head and made his way through the debris field, heading for the back of the garage. He cleared the rear of the tanker and saw the man he was looking for— tall, built like the firehouse he ran with an iron fist and a lightning-quick smile, Captain James Riley of Engine 29 was an imposing figure. Gael was tall at six-one, and Jim towered over him at six-five. Thirty years of working as a fulltime firefighter had given him a rock hard body, an outlet for his Irish temper, and the wisdom to know when to use it. At forty-eight, Jim Riley was still a stunner.

GIVEAWAY: Win a paperback OR audiobook of Saving Silas


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About the Author

I’m a thirty something bisexual cisgendered woman with way too big an imagination, but that comes in handy when I’m writing. I have been writing since I was a child, when I took a four page assignment on what I was going to do on summer vacation and turned it into a 100 page fantasy epic all written by hand…in crayons. No joke.


I work a day job, but I can’t share for who, since the Old Man isn’t as liberated as the people who read my books. I’m married, I have furbabies, and I live with loved ones. I adore a certain show about a British consulting detective and his grumpy army doctor, and that spawned an addiction to Johnlock fanfiction, which then evolved into me writing it. Gawd, that’s embarrassing. Put this down in the TMI section of my Bio, okay? I enjoy martial arts, movies where things blow up, and I wish I lived in a Marvel movie.


I live in the beautiful and lonely Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and I see way more wildlife than I care to on a daily basis (bears!). My perfect day is reading surrounded by friends and family who don’t think it’s odd I want to hang out but not talk, and my favorite scent of all time is a cool fall evening with leaves burning….less a scent, and more of an experience.


My writing is focused on gay and lesbian people, who are more than interesting side characters that hang out with the heterosexual MCs. My wish for the future is that when people ask me what I do for a living, I can say, “I write gay romance,” and NOT get weird looks.


My alter ego is Revella Hawthorne, and I'm writing the Bred For Love series under that name.


Social Media Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads





Blog stops and tour dates:


11th December - Boy Meets Boy Reviews


12th December - BFD Book Blog | Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews | Triple A


13th December - Addison Albright | Velvet Panic | A L Boyd


14th December - Loving Without Limits | All in One Place | MM Good Book Reviews


15th December - Fangirl Moments and my Two Cents | Bonkers about Books | Drops of Ink


16th December - Happily Ever Chapter | Bayou Book Junkie | The Purple Rose Tea House | Alpha Book Club


17th December - Love Bytes Reviews


18th December - Open Skye Reviews