romance

Power Bottom? by Rowan McAllister: Release Day Review

September 19, 2016 by Denise

synopsis

Can a pickup line from a stranger completely change the way an ordinary man sees himself?

Adrian wouldn’t have thought so, but after an ugly breakup, where his self-esteem took a serious beating, he’s willing to try just about anything to repair the damage… even return to a secluded bar in rural Maryland and the intriguing stranger whose words have been on his mind since they met.

Biker, bouncer, bartender, and tattoo artist, Wyatt is a rolling stone. After fifteen years, he is tired of a life on the run, but he isn’t sure he knows how to do anything else, or if he has anything besides a physical relationship to offer.

What’s supposed to be a one-off turns into another and another, and the relationship looks promising until the mob and the FBI come knocking on Adrian’s door.

Title: Power Bottom?
Author: Rowan McAllister
Release Date: September 19, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 236

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Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

denise review

I haven’t read anything by Rowan McAllister before so I had no real expectations going into reading Power Bottom? other than a book about a guy finding his self esteem after the a-hole ex dumps him for something better. This came through with some additional elements that I certainly wasn’t expecting. There elements of intrigue, danger, a grumpy old man (because that always makes for a good story for me!) and a man who hadn’t stayed in one place for very long since he was 15.

It took a lot of nuts for Adrian to go back to that bar after all his ex had said to him. Even knowing that Wyatt had made his desires very clear, with the ringing taunts in his ears, it would take anyone an enormous amount of bravery to step outside his comfortable box, and embrace a moment that he never had, a situation he couldn’t anticipate, and feelings he never expected.

Adrian’s emotions were real. These were the emotions of someone, of anyone, who lost all faith in themselves. His confidence was shot, and yet he stepped up, going after what he wanted, and seeing it through.

These two men were able to connect, slowly at first, beyond their sexual relationship. The secrets between them were not insurmountable, and as a reader, they were entirely believable from the perspective of a new relationship.

The ending was fast paced, exciting, and involved a lot of danger for everyone. What a great way to continue to see Adrian’s transformation from the meek accountant with little self esteem, to a man who was willing to stand up and fight for the love he’d earned.

4 pieces of eye candy

4-pieces-of-eye-candy

Safe House by Charley Descouteaux: Release Day Review

September 19, 2016 by Denise

synopsis

Kyle Shimoda is an asshole magnet, has been for as long as he can remember. At forty-seven, he doesn’t see much chance for improving his luck in love. His friends who run Buchanan House, a gay retreat on the central Oregon coast, know he wants to find “someone nice” to settle down with, and they set him up with Officer Brandon Smith. Kyle has a turbulent history with law enforcement, but he can’t deny his attraction to the buff cop.

Brandon has been a police officer in Lincoln City almost since the day he graduated from high school over thirty years ago. He’s cultivated the facade of a serious, disciplined law enforcement officer, but beneath his overdeveloped chest beats the soft heart of a drama queen. A cancer scare shifts Bran’s focus from finding a serious relationship to having as much sex as he can—putting his goals squarely at odds with Kyle’s. If he can’t find the courage to be honest about his feelings for Kyle, the happiness they’ve both been searching for could slip through their fingers.

Title: Safe House
Series: Buchanan House: Book Four
Author: Charley Descoteaux
Release Date: September 19, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

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Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

paula review
This was a very well done story. Bran and Kyle were two complex characters. They both had a lot going on within themselves. Bran had somethings going on in his life that he needed to overcome, and some feelings he needed to let go. Kyle needed to let some stuff from his past go so that he could fully embrace what could be in his future. I really enjoyed watching these two characters grow and evolve. I think these two were good for each other. They took long enough dancing around each other that sometimes I wanted to smack them and tell them to get their shit together. The story was interesting and felt very real. The characters and their issues was resounded with me. I have enjoyed this whole series and this book didn’t disappoint.

4-pieces-of-eye-candy2

GRL 2016 Guest Blog Post: Posy Roberts

September 16, 2016 by Denise

GRL Blog Tour Banner

**Thank you so much to Posy Roberts for stopping by the blog for the GRL 2016 Blog Tour. Can’t wait to see you in October!!!

Guest Post

Thank you so much for hosting me. This will be my third GayRomLit retreat but the first time I’ll be coming as a featured author.

The first time I sat behind a table with my books set out in front of me so people could connect my face with my stories, I was scared. In my community I was an educator, the person greeting preschoolers and their parents at the classroom door. No one knew I was bisexual, that I moonlighted as a writer, and that I passionately supported LGBTQ+ equality. No one knew I wrote MM Romance. Thankfully that first experience was at my local Pridefest, so an interested and open audience surrounded me.

I quickly learned that I had no clue how to sell my books. People would ask me what I wrote, and aside from saying contemporary MM romance, I had no effective way to share my stories so they sounded appealing, and it all came down to how I was raised.

Be humble.

I’m not a saleswoman, and with each person I engaged, I felt this hot feeling in my gut because I was talking myself up. When I shared this experience with my friend and fellow MM author, Teegan Loy, she expressed the same feelings. We were both raised with Midwestern humility stitched into our very fiber, so talking ourselves up was very much out of our comfort zone, even if it meant more readers. Sending out release day notices and writing blog posts was easy, but face-to-face interactions? Yikes!

My first GayRomLit was a few months after Pride, and I came as a supporting author. As I sat in Chicago at the book signing, I was still nervous, even in a setting where I was expected to chat myself up. So I kept on going to events. Last year, I attended a local authors’ meet-and-greet and went to GRL in San Diego. Then this summer I went to Twin Cities Pride, where I sat in a booth for two days talking to people about books. I watched other authors sell their books as well. GRL Featured Author

What I walked away with from all these experiences is that I needed to simplify. As the author, I know all the subtext, symbolism, and the messages I was hoping to convey, but that makes for a lousy introduction to the books. I write novels because it takes 80,000 words to tell that one story, and I occasionally write series because the story can’t be told in one novel. It doesn’t help that I write books across the board too, from angst to fluff to kink.

So as GRL in Kansas City has been approaching, I’ve been trying to find a better way to tell you, readers and potential readers, what you can expect from my books. First, I reworked all of my taglines. Second, I focused on the tropes in each book. Third, I decided to take advantage of visuals. From reviewers’ comments over the years, I know I write meaty stories that are not easy to boil down in a few lines, so that got me thinking about food. At GRL and on my website, I will give you a reduction sauce of my books: one taste so you know what you’re getting. 😉 One thing led to another, and I ended up with a quick flavor system for my books represented by food. What else?

posyratingsystem

Sweet stories will be fluffy and light-hearted. Spicy stories will have some kink in them. Savory stories—which are my bread and butter—are full meals, dark and earthy in spots, but with a nice finish at the end. And bitter or bitter-sweet (because I write romance, I will never leave you hanging) will have moments of angst where the characters suffer on their way to change and growth. Many stories have a fusion of flavors as well. I know there are times I crave a fluffy, light-hearted story, and other times I want to feel a character’s experience all the way down to my toes, so this will help with that as well.

I’m in the process of creating mini cards to bring to GRL to let you pick your flavor, and I’ve created a page on my website for the same purpose. Here’s a sampling so you can see what to expect. I’d love to hear what you think. I can’t wait to talk to you face-to-face. I’d love to learn about what you like in a book so I can help find one of mine you can savor. 😉

Find me here:

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GRL Featured Blogger

Waiting for Patrick by Brynn Stein: Release Day Review, Guest Post, Giveaway

September 16, 2016 by Denise

waitingforpatrick_postcard_front_dsp synopsis

Architect Elliot Graham has bought and restored dozens of historic homes to their original splendor. As in his personal life, he loves them and leaves them, selling them off without looking back. But there’s something about the old plantation house he finds in South Carolina—a connection he can’t explain. He feels as though he recognizes the house, as if within its crumbling walls he might find something he doesn’t even realize he’s lost.

Ben Myers promised his lover and soul mate, Patrick, that he would wait for his return—and Ben has kept his word, ever since Patrick brought him to the plantation house during the Civil War. For the first time in many long years, Ben is no longer alone, and he reaches out to Elliot in dreams. Elliot tries to convince Ben that Patrick isn’t coming back, and Ben’s devotion is about to change not only his lonely existence, but Elliot’s life as well.

Title: Waiting for Patrick
Author: Brynn Stein
Release Date: September 16, 2016
Category: Paranormal: Ghots/Spirits
Pages: 280

buy now

Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

Guest Post

I just finished a blog tour for Waiting for Patrick yesterday. I’m offering giveaways of one signed copy, one electronic copy, and a choice of one title from my backlist. It’s not too late to enter. I will choose and announce a winner at 5PM EST on September 16^th, the release day of my book. Feel free to go around and comment on as many blogs as you want. One comment, one entry.

Crossword Puzzle

So, I just finished my blog tour, and had a wonderful time. But I find I’m running out of blog post ideas. But, never fear. I was a teacher for thirty years before becoming a mental health counselor. So, I created a crossword. The information needed for the crossword is all in one or the other of my blog tour posts (listed below) or in the blurb.

Try your hand at the crossword here: http://crosswordlabs.com/view/waiting-for-patrick-2

If you prefer a little less of a challenge, go to the shorter version here: http://crosswordlabs.com/view/waiting-for-patrick

If you give up, “Patrick” is the password for both that will give you the answer key.

Have fun.

denise review

My favorite period of history, bar none, is the American Civil War. It has always fascinated me, and I have researched and read many different thing on it. So, when I read the words “Civil War” in the blurb, I knew I wanted to read it, and wanted a guest post on it. I wasn’t disappointed.

This book is a ghost story, along with some other little spots of surprise, but all in all its a love story. I don’t read ghost stories. Ever. Not in my comfort zone. Not something I even really want to read. Why? Because they don’t have happy endings. I need my HEA. That is why I read romance. You gotta give me a happy ending or I am out! So, I was nervous. But Waiting for Patrick was just what I needed. There was a beautiful HEA, which I won’t lie, left me BAWLING at the end of the book. But I got what I was looking for, my HEA.

The love story of Ben and Patrick was told beautifully through the dreams that Elliott sees when he sleeps. Two men that never really questioned their love. And when Ben died after being injured in the Civil War, and Patrick left, Ben waited in that house for Patrick’s return. He was devoted to Patrick and would not deviate. He was waiting for Patrick without question.

Elliott meanwhile falls in love with the ghost of Ben, and Ben returns his feelings. A love triangle like none other. Yet you don’t feel angst, because you can feel the emotions, and you can see where this is heading. It doesn’t hurt any less as you get there, your heart will be ripped apart, but the love is so strong that you can’t help but feel joy as to what you know is coming.

This book was a bit longer than it needed to be, I think, with a few scenes that could have been cut, or reduced to just the necessary components. Although it didn’t detract from the story, those extra pieces did not add to the story as they should have.

All in all, though, I really loved this book. I loved the story, both past and present. I loved seeing how easily Elliott was able to find love when he’d felt uneasy about it his entire life. I will be re-reading this book at some point. Thank you to Brynn Stein for giving me a ghost story I could love. 🙂

4.5 pieces of eye candy

4.5-pieces-of-eye-candy2

meet the author

Brynn has always loved to write about strong male characters and their close friendships. When she found the world of m/m fiction, she fell in love. Finally, a way to bring those strong male characters together and let those emotional connections spill over into deeper relationships. Sometimes her characters go through the emotional wringer, but they always have each other.

Brynn lives in Virginia near her two grown daughters who support her writing and sometimes act as proof readers. Both of her daughters are also aspiring writers and hopefully it’ll just be a matter of time before they have their own author’s biography.

Brynn was a teacher by profession for thirty years. She worked in special education with children with emotional disabilities. She has recently changed careers and is now working as a mental health counselor to this same population and their families. When she is not working or writing, she loves to draw and paint. She also gets outside as often as she can, reads anything that doesn’t move out of the way, and is always looking for her next story.

Contact Brynn:

https://twitter.com/BrynnStein

http://brynnstein2.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/brynn.stein

Other Blog Stops

Date	Blog Name	Blog Owner	Blog Address
September 1st	Bike Book Reviews	Becky	http://bikebookreviews.blogspot.com/
September 2nd	Drops of Ink	Anne Barwell	http://anne-barwell.livejournal.com/
September 2nd	Snow’s Untangled Threads and Musings	Snow Tigra	http://snowtigra.blogspot.com/
September 3rd	Antonia Aquilante	Antonia Acquilante	www.antoniaaquilante.com/blog
September 3rd	The Story Struggle and Beyond	Ki Brightly	www.brightlybooks.wordpress.com
September 4th	Thianna Durston	Thianna Durston	Http://mm.thiannad.com
September 4th	Unconventional Love Stories	Charley Descoteaux	https://cdescoteauxwrites.com/
September 4th	Misadventures of the Heart	Heloise West	https://velvetpanic2.wordpress.com/
September 5th	Sandra Bard	Sandra Bard	http://sandrabard.tumblr.com
September 5th	Tempest O’Riley	Tempe O’Riley	http://tempesteoriley.com/
September 6th	Jackie Keswick	Jackie Keswick	http://www.jackiekeswick.co.uk
September 7th	Chaos in the Moonlight	K-lee Kline	http://chaosinthemoonlight.blogspot.ca/?m=1&zx=8a3ea5613ebace1d
September 8th	Grace R. Duncan	Grace Duncan	http://www.grace-duncan.com/graces-blog
September 8th	Brita Addams	Brita Addams	http://www.britaaddams.net/#!blog/c1zoe
September 8th	Cryselle’s Bookshelf	Chryselle	www.crysellesbookshelf.com
September 9th	Emotion in Motion	Elizabeth Noble	http://www.elizabeth-noble.com/my-blog
September 9th	MM Good Books Review		https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
September 10th	Jacob Z Flores	Jacob Flores	http://www.jacobzflores.com/
September 11th	Andrew’s Blog	Andrew Grey	http://andrewgreybooks.com/blog/
September 12th	Nicki J Marcus	Nicki Marcus	http://www.nickijmarkus.com
September 12th	Rainbow Gold Reviews	Marc Fleischhauer	rainbowgoldreviews.wordpress.com
September 13th	PD Singer	PD Singer	http://wp.me/puLP9-1bg
September 14th	Our Story LGBTQ Historical Fiction	Christopher Moss	https://ourstoryglbtqhistoricalfiction.com
September 15th	Renee Stevens	Renee Stevens	http://reneestevens.net/blog-2/
September 15th	Purple Rose Tea House	Charlie Cochet	http://purpleroseteahouse.com
September 15th	Open Skye Book Reviews		http://openskyebookreviews.com/waiting-for-patrick-by-brynn-stein-book-tour-and-giveaway/
September 15th	The Novel Approach Reviews	Lisa (Novel Approach)	http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/
Throughout the tour	Book Trailer on You Tube	Lex Valentine	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCOua40uCJM

Tied Up in Knots by Mary Calmes: Release Day Review

September 16, 2016 by Denise

synopsis Miro Jones is living the life: he’s got his exciting, fulfilling job as a US deputy marshal, his gorgeous Greystone in suburban Chicago, his beloved adopted family, and most importantly, the man who captured his heart, Ian Doyle. Problem is, Ian isn’t just his partner at work—Ian’s a soldier through and through. That commitment takes him away from Miro, unexpectedly and often, and it’s casting a shadow over what could be everything Miro could ever dream of.

Work isn’t the same without Ian. Home isn’t the same, either, and Miro’s having to face his fears alone… how to keep it together at the office, how to survive looming threats from the past, and worst of all, how to keep living without Ian’s rock-solid presence at his side. His life is tied up in knots, but what if unknotting them requires something more permanent? What would that mean for him and Ian? Miro’s stuck between two bad choices, and sometimes the only way to get out of the knot is to hold tight to your lifeline and pull.

Title: Tied Up in Knots
Series: Marshals: Book Three
Author: Mary Calmes
Release Date: September 16, 2016
Category: Mystery/Suspense
Pages: 260

buy now

Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

jennifer

Alright…. First I have to say I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review… Okay, now that that’s out of the way… I’m gonna fan girl-and fan girl HARD…. Prepare and Beware, there might be some mild spoilers….

I have been in love with Mary Calmes stories since the day I picked up “A Matter of Time”. Jory and Sam have been my favorite m/m couple since the history of ever…only slightly ahead of Ian and Miro, they’re my second favorite ever, so when I saw that this story was up for review, I almost wanted to beg for it. Having read and then re-read the first two in this series, I was ready to get my hands on this one and let me tell ya, after book 2, it had some tall shoes to fill. I had very high expectations for this one. The emotion I felt all through the last one when Ian got deployed and the suffering of Miro when he was with Hartley and seeing Ian suffer through that… Man, this one would have to top that one, ya know?

It did.

In the beginning, we had a lot of new people, since Miro was loaned out while Sam was on vacation, that’s a big no-no with Sam and the situation Miro found himself in was exactly why. Ian was currently deployed again, which sucked because, they work best when they work together, he and Miro… There were a lot of new guys, of course, being in a different place with all new players but I have to tell you, I was interested in getting to know them all! The guy who approached Miro to work with him, he was hot and reminded me a lot of Ian, his brother, the SWAT guy who was like G.I. Joe and the Terminator all in one, and the Sam Cage of their department, Xavier Vance’ and of course Morgan and his Miki… I’m hoping there’s a new series for all those guys cuz I’d love to read about ALL OF THEM! Just take a second and get the visual….. I know, right!?!

We also get a little background on Miro’s ex partner (actual partner on the force) his betrayal and we get some cross over guys!! It took me a minute to remember the names and where they came from, like Tony Strada and Andre Fiore from “Acrobat”… I love when we get crossovers, because I loved Professor Nathan Quells and his Andreo, and Dreo’s nephew Michael… might have to go back and re-read that one as well, just cuz! (sidenote: the homecoming with Chickie was so cute, I giggled myself sick, I love that puppy and brace yourself for an emotional scene or two with him)

Next, we get the homecoming of Ian, and that is always emotional for me, this author has a way of pulling you in emotionally, I love missing these fictional people when I read that they’re away and I love getting choked up when they return to their partners, happy and healthy and in love. I love watching them stand up for each other, like Miro did Ian at the funeral of one of his old team members from military past, and I loved watching that guy get his face bashed in for the things he was saying about Miro’s, Ian. That’s what it feels like too, when you’re so neck deep in a book and it’s like you can see it while it’s happening. I got a sick satisfaction from that broken nose and I wished for a lot more, especially those bigots that Ian used to work with. I wanted retribution for the gross crap they spewed, something painful to make them beg to take it back… didn’t happen though, unfortunately…. That’s probably something I should keep an eye on eh?

Now, with Ian being home, let me tell you how that lasts for like a minute, and it’s with all kinds of drama in between… I won’t go into too much detail because it’s intense and kind of heartbreaking and so many things thrown at them at once, and then Ian has to leave again and I cried during the whole scene… Do you see what you do to me, Mary Calmes? Do you? …. Sigh…. I love it and hate it all at the same time but it keeps me flipping pages almost faster than I can read them.

Now….now Miro, as punishment from a job well done in my opinion, he’s got to go to Vegas and pic up a WITSEC dude, who let me tell you, is so freakin cute. He reminds me of Jory in a way, just because of the stuff that comes out of his mouth. It was refreshing and so random, Miro was the perfect person to put him with, but I was glad he got to be friends with Cabot and Drake…. although with those two… I didn’t like where that was heading, I know they love each other and was planning on getting married in the spring, I know they’re young, but I’ll be devastated it doesn’t work out with them. I have so much hope for them.

I also loved the two guys, Callahan and Redeker… I’m hoping they also come to Chicago, I think they’ll fit in with the rest of the bunch just fine.

Now… Hartley…. We know how horrible he is, we know what he’s done and who he’s done it to and we get a recap when Kage tells Miro he’s back, through no fault of any of them, a stupid decision from the FBI and of course, he escapes. Again, the way Miro needs Ian and the way he feels is so expertly portrayed that, you can’t not get mixed up in that. You just can’t. Man, I felt for Miro so bad, all the crap he’s been through and then this falls on his lap… it’s the last thing he needs right now, especially since Ian isn’t there for him to lean on. He comes back just right on time of course, and we have some nice, funny, family time, everything is easy and sexy with Ian being back and Thanksgiving coming up with everyone and their brother coming around…. But then…. Utter chaos….

Friends who you think are friends are not, and puzzle pieces are getting clicked into place and then enter… Dr. Craig Hartley… I swear my heart stops every time he makes an appearance, it was no different this time. I was so wrapped up when everything was going down, I was crying for Chickie and the agony from Miro, I actually audibly gasped and let fly some colorful F bombs laced with anger and emotion that is just plain ridiculous for fictional people….But I love it…. I love every single nail biting, hair pulling, hot and steamy, man loving second of it. I love Sam Kage and all the guys who have Ian and Miro’s back, I love the family and brotherhood and unity they all have. I love this author and everything she writes and I absolutely love and cherish and adore, this series…. I love how this one ended and I can say with absolute certainty that I will be waiting on pins and needles until we get the next one, and I can see Ian and Miro’s wedding. I have wanted that so bad and man, it will be a bittersweet happiness when we all get it.

If there is ever any doubt about reading his book or reading this story… get rid of it. In my honest opinion, it’s simply one of the very best, m/m series’ I’ve ever read.

Don’t pass it up!

5 pieces of eye candy

5-pieces-eye-candy5

Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh: Blog Tour, Giveaway

September 15, 2016 by Denise

rented heart synopsis Ex-surfer-turned-businessman Liam Mallaney moved back to Holkham, Norfolk, to mourn the loss of his husband. Grief and loneliness keep him a solitary figure, and he likes it that way. There’s no room in his broken heart for anything else.

Rentboy Zac Payne left London and most of his demons behind, but he still only knows one way to make a living. When he spots Liam in a club one night, it seems he’s found his mark. But Liam proves nicer—and their connection far deeper—than he’d bargained for.

Their arrangement quickly becomes too complicated for Zac, who has other things on his mind: namely his BFF and wayward flatmate, Jamie. Zac owes Jamie the world, and even as Jamie’s drug addiction destroys all they have, Zac won’t leave him behind.

Besides, Liam knows nothing of Zac’s home life, too caught up in his own head to think much beyond the crazy heat he and Zac share. But when trouble comes to Zac’s door, putting his life in danger, Liam must set his grief and anger aside to pick up the pieces of Zac’s shattered heart and his own.

buy now

Riptide

meet the author

Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Black Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken, and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her boys work for it.

Garrett also works as a freelance cover artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com.

Social media:
Website: http://garrettleigh.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks
Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

giveaway

To celebrate the release of Rented Heart, one lucky winner will receive $25 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 17, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

rentedheart_tourbanner