Release Day Review

Not Just Passing Through by Jamie Dean: Release Day Review

April 27, 2016 by Denise

Socially awkward, closeted virgin Avery Malcolm passes his days and nights running his bigoted aunt’s motel in rural New Mexico. He dreams of getting away and hitting the road, but with one friend, a few acquaintances, and no real life to speak of outside his duties as front desk clerk, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get a chance.

Fate sends hot drifter Chase Lancaster to the Red Ram Motel, riding in on his sexy black motorcycle. Within twenty-four hours, Avery’s life is turned upside down. Before long, even though Chase’s sexual interests seem to run exclusively toward women in bars, Avery finds himself falling for the beautiful biker with no permanent address. Chase is much more than his bad boy persona, so while it’s nice to have another friend, Avery doesn’t know how he’ll survive with his heart intact when Chase inevitably moves on.

Title: Not Just Passing Through
Author: Jamie Dean
Release Date: April 27, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBC (Novella)

This a good slow burning, first love story.

Avery is the manager of his aunt’s motel when Chase rides in on his motorcycle to rent a room and turns Avery’s life upside down in the process.

It’s instant attraction for Avery, while Chase insists that he is straight. The two manage to build a friendship even with the one sided attraction.

As the weeks turn to months Avery realizes he is in love with Chase, while Chase is fighting his growing feelings for Avery. When Chase has to leave to help his sister, Avery isn’t sure if he will ever see his love again. Chase will have to come to terms with his feelings for Avery and decide whether they are worth pursuing and if he can be tied down to one place.

This was a slow burn, too slow in some spots. Since this story is told from Avery’s point of view we only see and hear what he does, which isn’t much. There isn’t a lot going on at the hotel and he doesn’t have much of a social life. If we had gotten a split POV with Chase’s internal dialogue I think it would have helped. He seemed to be the more conflicted character, and watching him work through his feelings would have been interesting.

Overall, the characters were interesting and the setting was well described.

3 pieces of eye candy

Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars by Nacht and Euclid: Release Day Review

April 20, 2016 by Denise

Wyatt Parker has a good life—he owns his own construction company, his own house, and he eats home-cooked meals every day. But cooking for one while watching the foodie network is more than lonely. When he learns about an upcoming reality show centered on becoming the personal chef for his favorite rock star, Wyatt leaps at the chance to audition.

Tully Randolph is the drummer for the band Unusual Potatoes. With a chef for a mom, love of good food runs in the family. When he’s asked to host a cooking competition, he’s all in—especially after he meets Wyatt, who is just the kind of big, hairy guy who gets Tully’s juices flowing. With a heart as big as he is, Wyatt wows Tully with his skills in the kitchen… and in the bedroom.

But if their relationship is found out, Wyatt could be drummed out of the competition—and out of Tully’s life. All the ingredients for a happy future are in front of them, and they just need to figure out how to bring everything together.

Title: Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars
Authors: Clancy Nacht and Thursday Euclid
Release Date: April 20, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBC (Novella)

Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

I was super excited to read this novella. I loved the idea of two people meeting via a reality TV show, and actually falling in love and finding their HEA. Wyatt’s Recipes was that book, with Wyatt being a big, shy bear and Tully a sweet drummer from his favorite rock band. Tully fell for Wyatt right away, while Wyatt went onto the show with his heart open, crushing on Tully for years.

I loved the reality TV piece, enjoying reading how the competitions brought out the good in Wyatt, and the not so good in others. I was excited to see how the book would bring it all together into a satisfying ending.

However, although I did enjoy their relationship, and Wyatt and Tully’s HEA, the backstory of the book left me a bit confused, and unsatisfied. The resolution on the reality show was abrupt, and felt somewhat forced off the rails. It felt like the book was rolling along, and (small spoilers here) then suddenly the reality show was done and lawsuits happened. Then you didn’t know what really happened to the “bad guys”, other than they basically got what they wanted. There was no resolution after a (again small spoiler) d*ck pic was sent, and the host was the one who gave the number out. These things felt so out of character with what I expected from the book that it was jarring, and took what I felt could have been a 4.5 star down to the 3.5.

I loved the relationship between these men who really had so very much in common it was destined that they should be together, and that kept me going to the end. I would actually hope for a follow up to this book with more of those two sweet men, along with what actually happened behind the scenes. There were just too many unanswered questions, unresolved issues otherwise.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Old Town New by BA Tortuga : Release Day Review

April 20, 2016 by Denise

Danny Avers is a teacher in small town Colorado. Back in the day, before high-speed Internet, social media, smartphones, or streaming anything, Danny’s just trying to live down his wild teenage years and carry on the only way he knows how: one day at a time. The last person he expects to see back in town is Harlan Quinn, his old best friend and former consummate bad boy. And when he finds out Quinn is the new sheriff and his new neighbor, it’s even more of a shock.

Quinn knows there’s more to his old hometown than meets the eye. There’s more to Danny than old memories and quiet living too. But as in the past, stirring things up is Quinn’s specialty, and he sets out to do that, in more ways than one, pushing Danny to admit there’s more to life and that their old town just might manage to be new again. That’s if old town thinking doesn’t get them both killed.

Title: Old Town New
Author: BA Tortuga
Release Date: April 20, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBC (Novella)

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

ARe

BA Tortuga is new find for me, I’ve only read one other book of hers. I absolutely love that this book takes place in a small town before smart phones and wifi were the norm, sometimes a great story is lost in the technology.

Harlan Quinn comes back to town after 10 years away as the new Sheriff. Danny Avers his old friend and high school boyfriend lives right across the street from the Sheriff’s new rental house. The two pick up their friendship as soon as they see each other, both having reasons for staying in the closet in a small town.

Danny is just living each day the same as the last, work as a history teacher at the high school by day and recluse by night. A tragic accident 10 years ago left Danny with a broken body that will never be completely mended and 5 dead friends. Small town thinking has everyone playing the blame game and Danny is just trying to survive and not drown beneath the guilt and accusations.

Danny and Quinn decide together that they need to stop paying for past sins so they can pave a future together as long as Quinn’s current case doesn’t get them killed first.

I loved it! As much drama and guilt as Danny and Quinn were experiencing their romantic relationship seemed effortless. It was beautiful to watch it unfold. As all the crap from Quinn’s job rained down on them they came together as a united front, never tearing each other down.

I loved the touch of mystery that Quinn’s job added to the story without taking it over. But most of all I loved how strong Danny was, his body may be broken but his spirit never would be.

Great read. I will be adding this to my re-read list.

5 pieces of eye candy

Selfie by Amy Lane : Blog tour, Review and Giveaway

April 19, 2016 by Denise

One year ago, actor Connor Montgomery lost the love of his life to a drunk driver. But what’s worse for Connor is what he still has: a lifetime of secrets born of hiding his relationship from the glare of Hollywood. Unable to let go of the world he and Vinnie shared, Connor films a drunken YouTube confession on the anniversary of Vinnie’s death.

Thankfully, the video was silent—a familiar state for Connor—so his secret is still safe. He needs a fresh start, and a new role on the hit TV show Wolf’s Landing might be just that.

The move to Bluewater Bay may also mean a second chance in the form of his studio-assigned assistant. Noah Dakers sees through Connor’s facades more quickly than Connor could imagine. Noah’s quiet strength and sarcastic companionship offers Connor a chance at love that Hollywood’s closet has never allowed. But to accept it, Connor must let Vinnie go and learn to live again.

**For the Selfie blog tour, Amy Lane has written a few monologues from Vinnie’s video blog, set prior to the crash that takes his life. These monologues, performed by Nick J. Russo of Dark Night Sound, correspond to scenes or memories referenced by Connor in Selfie, giving you a unique look at this off-screen character.

Please visit http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/selfie and select the extras tab for all six monologues, which will be updated there as they are published.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

I never know what to expect from an Amy Lane book. Sometimes I walk away with just a general feeling of happiness and joy, other times, I’ve used an entire box of tissues, and still want to curl up in a ball on the couch. Selfie was somewhere in between. Connor and Noah put the pieces of my heart back together again, after my heart felt so sad from Connor’s grief over losing Vinnie.

Noah, clearly one of the most patient and loving man ever, was willing to wait for Connor to finish grieving, and even was willing to take a backseat to Vinnie’s ghost. What kind of man could be so selfless, and put himself out there for that kind of potential heartache? Yet, he did, and he was supportive of Connor, no matter what happened.

It seemed that Connor’s biggest issue was not necessarily his grief of Vinnie, but not being able to express his grief to anyone but his agent. Not Vinnie’s family, not the world that saw the movie star, even initially not to Noah. That allowed his grieving process to not even begin until the anniversary of Vinnie’s death, when he began to blow it all out of the water.

And let’s not forget Vinnie’s “ghost”, who we find out was not the saint that he originally is seen as. Vinnie was a fairly selfish man, who loved a man who was willing to give up everything to have a chance at their happiness. His ghost was a bit selfish as well. But in the end, he goes away quietly, after a difficult goodbye with Connor.

My heart broke for Connor having to go through all this, and for Noah who had to watch from the sidelines, and could only be supportive. But thank goodness it’s an Amy Lane novel, so there is an HEA!!!

There were a couple loose ends I would have loved to see tied up a little more neatly, but in real life, those likely would not have been tied up anyway, so sometimes you have to let things go.

Definitely recommend. And I would like to re-read this, from the point of view of knowing Vinnie and his ways. I wonder if my read will be a different feeling…

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Amy Lane exists happily with her noisy family in a crumbling suburban crapmansion, and equally happily with the surprisingly demanding voices who live in her head.

She loves cats, movies, yarn, pretty colors, pretty men, shiny things, and Twu Wuv, and despises house cleaning, low fat granola bars, and vainglorious prickweenies.

She can be found at her computer, dodging housework, or simultaneously reading, watching television, and knitting, because she likes to freak people out by proving it can be done.

Connect with Amy:

Website: com
Blog: blogspot.com
Twitter: @amymaclane
Facebook group: Amy Lane Anonymous
Goodreads: com/amymaclane

About Nick J. Russo

Nick J. Russo has been a professional performer for over a decade, but has been voicing audio books for the past few years. He has voiced several titles throughout the romance, sci-fi, supernatural, and thriller genres, and has recently started his very own sound studio; Dark Night Sound. On top of voice acting, Russo manages Dark Night Sound with his fiance and works with a staff of four up and coming narrators. In his free time, Russo is a drummer in a pop/rock cover band, loves to travel, and dreams of one day being able to voice a role in an animated comedy series.

To celebrate the release of Selfie, one lucky person will receive e-copies of Amy’s entire backlist with Riptide, and an Amy Lane t-shirt. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 23, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Unstable Stud by Ariel Tachna Release Day Review and Guest Post

April 14, 2016 by Denise

Horses were his passion, until he laid eyes on his boss.

Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck Bywater Farm when a riding accident killed Clay Hunter’s lover and traumatized his prize horse, King of Hearts. Clay and King lingered in limbo, surviving but not really living, until a breath of fresh air in the form of Luke Davis, a new groom in the stud barn, revives them both.

When a fall from King’s back sends Luke to the emergency room, Clay watches the shaky foundation of their budding relationship tumble down. Can Clay really love a jockey again, or will his fear of losing another man he loves keep them apart for good?

Title: Unstable Stud
Series: Lexington Lovers
Author: Ariel Tachna
Release Date: April 15, 2016
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 204

Going Home

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, but I haven’t lived there, not really, since I was eighteen. It hasn’t even been my official permanent address since I was twenty-three. (We won’t discuss how many years ago that was.) And yet when you say “home,” Lexington is still what comes to my mind. It’s also what comes to mind when you say a number of other words.

Horses.

Racing.

Stables.

Those were the words Elizabeth said to me not quite a year ago when we were first discussing the Dreamspun Desires line and my possible contribution to it. It would perhaps have been more logical to set the book in Texas, where I live now, instead of setting it in Lexington, where I haven’t lived in a number of years, but people don’t ride the same in Texas as they do in Lexington. It’s a horse culture, but it’s not my horse culture. My horse culture is English saddles, three-day events, Thoroughbred auctions, and Derby Day. (No, not Kentucky Derby Day. Nobody in Kentucky needs to specify which Derby we’re talking about because really, in our world, there’s only one.) Big hats, fancy parties with betting pools, the race on every TV in sight. That’s my horse culture. In Texas you can barely find it on TV at home, much less out in a bar or restaurant. Sacrilege!

Bywater Farms, the horse farm in Unstable Stud, is a Kentucky horse farm through and through, an amalgam of a couple of different farms I spent quite a bit of time on when I was younger, but ultimately a true racing farm with hot-blooded stallions kept separate from the mares, in stalls that are nicer than some houses I’ve seen, with heat in the winter and fans or even air conditioning in the summer. They each have their own paddock, because everyone knows stallions don’t play nicely with each other. They have their own equipment, their own grooms, and their every whim catered to because their bloodlines are golden and their sperm is worth thousands or even tens of thousands per ounce.

This is the world Clay Hunter has grown up in, fallen in love in, and lost his lover in. He’s jaded and heartbroken and used to being as universally recognized and revered as his horses. And then there’s Luke Davis. Stable boy, not even a groom when the book starts. He’s a literal muckraker, cleaning up after the stallions because at least that lets him be with the horses. He’s poor, has only a high-school education, and grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He has no place in Clay’s world except to get rid of the detritus left behind by the beautiful beasts he adores.

This is the horse world I grew up in, the one that still calls to my soul. Yes, writing a book set in a town I know, but from twenty years ago, is a challenge, but it couldn’t be set anywhere else. Fortunately for me, my family is still there, and my mother is tickled every time I ask her a question. You’ll see more of her and her input in A Matchless Man, which comes out in October, but for now, enjoy Unstable Stud!

Thank you, Two Chicks Obsessed, for hosting a stop on my blog tour, and thank all of you for reading. Leave a comment with a horse-related entry to be eligible to win an ebook of your choice from my Dreamspinner publications.

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press ebook

Dreamspinner Press paperback

ARe

I’ve really enjoyed the Dreamspun Desires series so far, and Ariel Tachna’s book in this category was another one I enjoyed. Luke was a sweet, kind, gentle man who just wanted to pay the bills left behind by his mother and find someone who would love him. Meanwhile, Clay still mourning the tragic accident that took his partner allowed Luke to take on the care of King, his partner’s horse.

This book was a very slow burn, first kiss at about 70%. It harkened back to the sweet Harlequin books that rarely went much further than a consummation with a virgin bride. I enjoyed the sweetness of it, as that is what I have come to expect from this series.

However, there were areas of the book that I felt could have been expanded, questions that I thought should have been dealt with or answered. Those things left me feeling like the book was somewhat unfinished. They reached their HEA, but as a reader, I was left somewhat unsatisfied with how things were glossed over, or left unanswered.

I did like the relationship between the two MC’s, as well as their relationships with the secondary characters. I just wished for a little more development.

3.5 pieces of eye candy.

“Is Mr. Hunter as handsome in person as he is on TV?”

So much for not talking about his reaction to his boss. “Yes,” Luke said simply, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Don’t give me that, young man,” Mrs. Twitchell scolded. “I’m old, not dead. I know how these things work. He’s gay and single, and so are you. There’s no reason for you not to have noticed him.”

“He’s also my boss and completely out of my league,” Luke reminded her. “I may be single, but that doesn’t make me interesting to a man like him.”

“A man like what?” Mrs. Twitchell pressed. “Lonely because his partner died almost two years ago? Or maybe afraid to trust again because all the news ever talks about is how much money he has? Oh, or maybe ostracized by at least half the horse world for being gay in the first place? Have I forgotten anything?”

Luke squirmed in his chair, trying to formulate a reply. The waiter brought their steaks before he could decide what to say. Luke hoped the distraction would allow him to change the subject, but Mrs. Twitchell had the bit between her teeth. “You didn’t answer me.”

“I think he is lonely,” Luke said, “but he’s used to cultured, powerful men like him who know which fork to use and which wine to pair with what dish. Men who have a different suit for each day of the week and a full wardrobe for the change of seasons. I watch the news too, and I hear how people in his circles are judged. I wouldn’t last ten minutes at his side. They’d crucify me and take him with me.”

“There’s nothing those men know that you couldn’t learn given a little time, and there’s nothing they have that you couldn’t have with a little money,” Mrs. Twitchell said with a dismissive wave of her fork. “But I’ll tell you what they don’t have, most of them. They don’t have your passion for the horses in your care. They don’t have your compassion for those less fortunate than you. And they don’t have the kind of heart that has you taking an old woman out to dinner rather than going out for a night on the town when you’ve surely earned it. If you’re right—and I’m not saying you are—but if you’re right, you’re better off without someone like that. But here’s the other thing I know: that horse you spent today taking care of would be a liability in most people’s books. He’s unrideable and barely even useful as a stud. And yet Mr. Hunter kept him. That should tell you something about the kind of man your boss is, no matter what face he shows to the world.”

When Ariel Tachna was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

Visit Ariel:

Website: www.arieltachna.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna

E-mail: arieltachna@gmail.com

Planting His Dream by Andrew Grey: 5 star Release Day Review

April 11, 2016 by Denise

Foster dreams of getting away, but after his father’s death, he has to take over the family dairy farm. It soon becomes clear his father hasn’t been doing the best job of running it, so not only does Foster need to take over the day-to-day operations, he also needs to find new ways of bringing in revenue.

Javi has no time to dream. He and his family are migrant workers, and daily survival is a struggle, so they travel to anywhere they can get work. When they arrive in their old van, Foster arranges for Javi to help him on the farm.

To Javi’s surprise, Foster listens to his ideas and actually puts them into action. Over days that turn into weeks, they grow to like and then care for each other, but they come from two very different worlds, and they both have responsibilities to their families that neither can walk away from. Is it possible for them to discover a dream they can share? Perhaps they can plant their own and nurture it together to see it grow, if their different backgrounds don’t separate them forever.

Title: Planting His Dream
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: April 11, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

ARe

One of my favorite Andrew Grey books yet! Absolutely loved this story.

Foster, a young farmer struggling to keep the family farm after his father’s sudden death meets Javi, a young migrant worker at the farm to pick asparagus. Foster is struggling to come to terms with his father’s death and the financial state the farm is in when Javi comes to the farm and awakens all these new feelings in him. Javi is also struggling, with an abusive father and a mother and two younger siblings to help take care of. As a migrant worker, Javi must go where the work is. There is no sense in dreaming of what he could have with Foster, in his life dreams only bring a reminder of what you can’t have.

Slowly, Foster and Javi develop a friendship while repairing the farm. Foster is thankful for the new ideas that Javi has suggested and Javi is awestruck that someone is listening to his suggestions. Over the weeks the two work together they must come to terms with their feelings for each other, knowing their time together is short. Javi is not in a position to leave his family, even if it means missing out on a love like theirs.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps even after Javi and Foster have to go their separate ways maybe they will just find their way to being where they need to be. Together.

I loved this story. The strong sense of family and hard work was endearing. The huge amount of detail about farm life was interesting and gave the story a feeling of authenticity.

It was a great read, I couldn’t put it down.

5 pieces of eye candy