novella

Love In Retrogade by Charlie Cochet: Release Day Review

May 11, 2016 by Denise

Enthusiastic, play-it-safe Kelly Sutton is an American intern at the Photonic Royal Society in New London. He’s been working on Project Mars for over a year, a mission kept so secret by the society even Kelly doesn’t know exactly what it is. What Kelly does know is his contribution to the task will benefit mankind, and that’s enough for him.

Kelly’s world turns upside down when concerns over his mentor’s behavior lead Kelly to investigate and stumble upon a wicked truth. What is supposed to be a project to advance human life turns out to be an endeavor capable of mass destruction. The terrifying reality forces Kelly to choose between looking the other way to keep his job, as he’s always done, or risking his career and even his life to do the right thing by saving the man who’s captured his heart.

Title: Love in Retrograde
Author: Charlie Cochet
Release Date: May 11, 2016
Category: Science Fiction
Pages: 73

So, how do I write a review without giving away a HUGE spoiler for this book, like who the second main character is? Well, quite simply, I will have to keep it short and sweet, just like Love in Retrograde.

This was a futuristic story, with a young scientist who falls in love…with another man. 🙂 They have adventures, and an HEA. So there you go. 🙂

In actuality, what happens is so crazy on par with what literally COULD happen in merely a few years. Charlie (as she always does) manages to create a world that is parallel to where we are now, but varied enough that you have to think “this could happen in the future”. Good versus evil, one MC doing everything he can to save the life of another MC, and a lovely HEA for both characters.

These two men fall in love in their own time, although our fearless scientist needs to have it knocked into him that he had fallen in love, but with Charlie you know that although they may be stubborn, her men always manage to wake up and realize where love lies, even if it isn’t where you expect it.

And the integration of the old movies? If your heart didn’t soften at the MC’s love of them, you have a space where yours should be. My favorite part about anything with Charlie’s books is that there is always a defining cute, sweet or fun quality that you would not expect in a “serious” book that makes you want to hug these men. Once again she has done that.

Definitely a novella worth re-reading.

4 pieces of eye candy

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ARe

Dreamspinner Press

Sweet William by Dianne Hartsock: Blog Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway

May 3, 2016 by Denise

William Wilkerson leads the life of the privileged rich. Head of his father’s shipping business, he indulges to his heart’s content in the pleasures of the flesh with Boston’s finest young men.

That is, until he reunites with Fredrick: his former tutor and the one man who captured his heart.

But William’s father has declared Fredrick off limits. And Fredrick, himself, believes he’s beneath the attention of the Wilkerson heir.

After having lost his current pupil to graduation, and with no prospects of a replacement, Frederick is homeless, hungry, and easy pickings for the men on the docks.

When Frederick is shanghaied into service on William’s own merchant ship, will William discover his plight in time to rescue him?

Title: Sweet William

Author: Dianne Hartsock

Genre: Gay Romance, Historical Romance

Length: Novella

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

WIP

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon AU

Amazon DE

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Thank you, Two Chicks, for hosting me today. In my story, SWEET WILLIAM, William is the pampered eldest son of a shipping merchant and has come to Boston to check over the cargo arriving on one of their ships. This is how he might spend a typical Sunday morning.

William stifles a yawn and leans back on the church bench to catch the ray of sunlight filtering through the stained glass. The minister’s voice becomes a pleasant murmur in his ear, unintelligible, lulling him toward sleep and a dream of brown eyes in a serious face.

His head bobs, startling him awake, and he catches Tiggy’s amused glance from across the aisle and sits up. Good heavens! Had he been drooling? His dream had become heated rather quickly.

His neighbors on the bench don’t seem to see anything amiss with him, and his heartbeat evens out as the minister brings his sermon to a resounding close. Organ music fills the church and William files out behind the others to make small talk in the yard with the various families connected with his own, mostly friends of his father.

Finally he makes his escape and Tiggy catches up with him on the path running behind the church along the riverbank. The air has grown warm and he loosens his cravat, wishing he could remove his coat as well.

“The minister had an interesting sermon today,” Tiggy offers, voice full of laughter, and William flashes him a rueful grin.

“If someone hadn’t kept me up late at cards—”

Tiggy throws up his hands. “Don’t blame me for falling asleep! And by the look of bliss on your face, it wasn’t me you were dreaming of.”

William snorts, but couldn’t deny his words. They walk a moment in silence, William enjoying the flash of sunlight through the trees, sparkling on the swift moving water. The air smells of roses and dry grass. He wonders if Fredrick would enjoy a picnic in the park this afternoon.

It hardly registers when Tiggy takes his arm, but then he suddenly pulls William between two trees, into the graveyard attached to the church. They’re in an older section of the yard and large headstones surround them. Tiggy pushes him up against one and William willingly parts his lips when Tiggy’s familiar tongue seeks entrance. They pass a pleasant few minutes this way, then Tiggy pulls back with obvious reluctance.

He traces William’s lips with his thumb. “You’re thinking of him again.”

“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t mean to ignore you.”

“Never mind. I’m happy for you, in a way. I’ve never seen you this taken with anyone before.”

They part after one last lingering kiss, and William watches him depart with mixed feelings. They’ve been friends for years, intimate for most of them. He’ll miss Tiggy’s sweet flirtations. A robin flies passed him, chased into the trees by another. William’s lips curl into a smile. Maybe he’ll walk downtown and see if Freddie is free for lunch.

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DIANNE HARTSOCK is the author of m/m erotic romance, both contemporary and fantasy, the psychological thriller, and anything else that comes to mind. Oh, and a floral designer. If she can’t be writing, at least she has the chance to create through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage to bring a smile to someone’s face.

Currently, Dianne lives in the Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play.

Social links

Website: https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannehartsock

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diannehartsock/

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

Spencer Cohen Book 3 by N.R. Walker : Release Day Blitz and Giveaway

April 21, 2016 by Denise

Title: The Spencer Cohen Series, Book 3

Series: The Spencer Cohen Series

Author: N.R. Walker

Genre: M/M Contemporary

Release Date: April 21, 2016

“I highly recommend this series. You really can’t go wrong, it has everything you need in a book and more – 5+ Stars to this amazing series and to this book!” – Alpha Book Club

“Overall, this has become one of my favorite series…” – Reading Addict Mom’s Blog

“N.R.Walker read my mind and soul and gave me Spencer Cohen. I’m giving my second beyond five stars rating of the year, and I rarely do that ever.” – The Written Voice of Is

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N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

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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